DEGREE Civil and Environmental Engineering, PhD

All applicants must meet the Graduate School’s admission requirements to be considered for admission. The application deadline is December 15 for the fall term and October 1 for the spring term. Late applications may not be reviewed for funding opportunities.

In addition, applicants must also meet the department’s more stringent admission requirements listed below to be considered for admission:

• Grades: A minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) is required for domestic applicants. A strong academic performance comparable to an average of B or above grades for all undergraduate course work is required for international applicants.
• Degree: A bachelor’s degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program or from a recognized international institution is required. 

A complete graduate application is required before an application will be reviewed by the faculty. A complete graduate application contains the following:

• Graduate School Application Form and application fee: Applicants must submit an online application to the UW–Madison Graduate School. See Graduate School Admissions to apply.
• Statement of purpose: A statement of purpose for graduate study must be submitted through an applicant’s online UW–Madison Graduate School application. Please limit this important document to 1,000 words.
• Letters of recommendation: Three letters of recommendation must be submitted through an applicant’s online UW–Madison Graduate School application.
• Transcripts: Upload the most recent copies of your transcripts to the electronic application, from each institution attended.  Study abroad transcripts are not required if coursework is reflected on the degree granting university’s transcript. If the application is recommended for admission then we will follow-up with instructions for official transcript submission.
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores are required for most applicants.
• English proficiency scores: Applicants whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. Scores are accepted if they are within two years of the start of the admission term. See Graduate School Admission Requirements for more information on the English proficiency requirement.
  • GRE and TOEFL scores may be sent to institution code 1846 from ETS

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Financial support is available through fellowships, project/program assistantships (PA), research assistantships (RA), and teaching assistantships (TA). Faculty will contact successful applicants directly regarding funding opportunities. Admission is not a guarantee of funding.