Part-time Students, Interns and Special Students

Part-Time M.S. and Ph.D. Program

For part-time students, selected graduate courses are offered in the late afternoon on a rotating basis in two or three-year cycles. M.S. degree requirements can be completed in this manner within three years. All part-time students are encouraged to complete the degree program as rapidly as possible.

All part-time Ph.D. degree candidates must complete one academic year (two full semesters) in residence on campus after beginning studies in the Ph.D. program.  The two semesters in residence do not have to be contiguous.  The purpose of the residency requirement is to ensure that all Ph.D. graduates have spent time interacting closely with CEE faculty members and graduate students as part of their Ph.D. experience.  The time in residence also ensures an adequate opportunity to prepare for and complete the Ph.D. qualifying examinations at the beginning of Ph.D. studies.  Consequently, students intending to become Ph.D. candidates must consult their faculty advisors concerning the appropriate format and timing of their qualifying examinations and residency before or upon initiation of Ph.D. studies. Special situations may warrant modifications of the residency requirement, e.g., pursuit of a Ph.D. degree by a Carnegie Melon staff member.  Petitions for modification of the residency requirement must be approved by the Department Head and the Associate Dean of CIT.

Intern Ph.D. Program

Any of the Ph.D degree programs can be pursued in the Intern Ph.D. program, which is designed to be interactive with practice--either industry, consulting firms or government. The program has these major requirements:

1. One year of full-time residence at Carnegie Mellon
2. Satisfactory completion of a two-part examination (a comprehensive examination and a thesis proposal examination)
3. A formal arrangement with an industrial sponsor which includes regular release time for work on campus when not full-time, a co-advisor for the thesis and a commitment to provide support to complete the Ph.D. research work
4. Completion and public defense of a thesis

Every Intern Ph.D. program will be somewhat different and tailored to the individual student and the industrial sponsor. A program, including a formalized schedule, is based on agreements among the student, the industrial sponsor and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. The thesis research should be defined in an area where the industrial sponsor has, or is planning, activity of a sufficient level and complexity to be the basis of a Ph.D. research thesis.

Special Students 

Applicants with a degree of Bachelor of Science may be admitted as part-time special students with no intention of working toward a graduate degree. Some of them may wish to become degree candidates later. Even though the applicant may have been admitted as a non-degree student, courses taken at Carnegie Mellon with a grade of B or better will be counted toward the degree, provided that such courses fall within the requirements of the degree sought.