Overview
Clemson is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as Doctoral/Research University/Extensive, a category comprising less than 4 percent of all universities in America. The University's mission is to fulfill the covenant between its founder and the people of South Carolina to establish a "high seminary of learning" through its responsibilities of teaching, research, and extended public service. The University has identified eight areas of academic emphasis that create collaborations that, in turn, help fulfill the University's mission.

The program has approximately 21 Ph.D. students. Fourteen percent are women, 90 percent are full-time, and 71 percent are international students.

The majority of graduates from the civil engineering program seek employment in industry or government agencies. Recent graduates have gained employment with both national and regional agencies, including Kimley-Horn & Associates, Walter P. Moore, Black and Veatech, Metromont Prestress, Tindall Concrete, Fluor Corporation, Lin Consulting, URS Corporation, Highland Engineering, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Location and Community
Clemson is a small, beautiful college town near the Blue Ridge Mountains and Lake Hartwell. Plays, concerts, lectures, films, and sports events are sponsored by many University and community groups. Outdoor recreational activities abound. Seneca, Greenville, and Anderson are only a few minutes away and offer more extensive shopping and entertainment. Atlanta and Charlotte are each a 2-hour drive away.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The doctoral program in civil engineering leads to the Ph.D. in one of the six supported emphasis areas: applied fluid mechanics, construction materials, geotechnical engineering, project management, structural engineering, and transportation systems. Approximately 20 faculty members are engaged in graduate instruction and research. Depending upon the objectives of a particular research project, the activity could be analytical, experimental, field, or numerical in nature or a combination.

Although most graduate students come to Clemson with a strong interest in one area of civil engineering, some take courses from multiple areas within the department. Others opt to take courses from other departments, including environmental engineering and science, hydrogeology, engineering mechanics, experimental statistics, business, construction science and management, city and regional planning, and industrial engineering. Students have flexibility in the selection of courses to accommodate their career objectives.

Under certain situations, it is possible to enter the Ph.D. program directly from a B.S. degree program. The time frame for completing a Ph.D. typically ranges from two to four years.

Facilities & Resources
The Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Laboratories are equipped with instrumentation and house a collection of flumes and modeling basins. The Experimental Geomechanics Laboratory contains specialized equipment for measuring dynamic properties, shear strength, consolidation, and hydraulic conductivity. The Computational Geomechanics Laboratory contains computers and software necessary to perform analytical and computational research in braced excavation systems, liquefaction, slope stability, earth dams, and pile foundations. The Construction Computer Laboratory is equipped with software packages used within the construction industry. The Concrete Materials Laboratory contains equipment for research in the area of Portland cements, concrete, aggregates, and supplementary cementing materials. The Asphalt Rubber Technology Service Facility contains asphalt testing equipment in an aggregate lab, a binder lab, a mix design lab, and a performance-testing lab. The Wind Load Test Facility houses a large boundary-layer wind tunnel and supports hurricane field investigations. The Wind Engineering and Structures Laboratory facilitates research related to the performance of low-rise buildings and envelope systems during severe wind events. The Transportation Systems Laboratory houses computers, specialized software, and a variety of traffic surveillance equipment.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $5,643 per semester for in-state students and $10,255 per semester for nonresidents. Off-campus rates were $635 per hour for in-state students and $1,018 per hour for nonresidents. Graduate assistants paid a flat fee of $1,079 per semester and $448 per summer session. Graduate fellows paid South Carolina resident fees.

Financial Aid:
More than 90 percent of current civil engineering graduate students receive some type of financial assistance. Most students are hired by individual faculty members to conduct research on externally funded projects. The department also hires a number of students to grade homework and teach undergraduate laboratories. Both quarter-time and half-time assistantships are awarded based on the expected weekly time commitment. Students receiving these assistantships also qualify for reduced fees.

The department awards three research fellowships to outstanding Ph.D. students. In addition, the College of Engineering and Science and Clemson University award recruitment fellowships. Civil engineering faculty members take responsibility to nominate outstanding applicants for these fellowships. Faculty members also help identify external fellowships and assist in the application process.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Graduate on-campus housing is available. Comfortable and economical housing, which includes two- and three-bedroom duplexes and town houses, is also available for families. Costs start at $485 per month ($555 per month for three-bedroom family housing). The cost of living in Clemson is quite low compared to the national average.

How to Apply Application
Admission is based on academic performance, standardized scores, and reference letters. An applicant?s statement of purpose provides insight into their goals and mutual interest. Relevant work experience should be highlighted in the application.

Applications with a $50 nonrefundable fee should be received no later than five weeks prior to registration. Every required item in support of the application must be on file by that date. Students are advised to contact the department for the deadlines of the program of proposed study.

International Applicants
Applicants to the graduate programs at Clemson University must hold a four-year bachelor's degree (or equivalent) or a master's degree from an institution whose scholastic rating is satisfactory to the University. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores are required of all international applicants whose native language is not English and whose secondary education (and beyond) was not taught fully in English. Applicants who hope to receive a graduate assistantship are encouraged to submit scores from the Test of Written English (TWE) administered simultaneously with the TOEFL at most test locations.

Who to Contact
Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Civil Engineering
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0911

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