Curricular structure
IST delivers the PhD degree in Civil Engineering.
EPFL delivers either the degree in Civil Engineering or the degree in Environmental Engineering. These PhD degrees are associated in a dual diploma when both IST and EPFL are simultaneously involved in the PhD research plan.
Regular students of the IST Civil Engineering PhD programme (IST/CEng-PhD) must complete 30 ECTS. At least 18 are obtained through D-type courses (specific of PhD programs) while, at most, 12 ECTS may be obtained through M-type (Master) courses plus F-type (Advanced Training) courses offered by IST. M and F-type ECTS are restricted to a maximum of 9 each.
At EPFL, regular PhD students are required to complete 12 ECTS (M & D). Due to the different requirements of both Schools, a compromising solution was implemented. According to this solution, IST-EPFL students are required to obtain 20 ECTS, divided as 8/8/4. This means that they need to obtain 8 ECTS at IST, 8 at EPFL, and 4 in either institution.
In the present program, 30 ECTS curricular credits are required to students of LNEC’s track. For students of the EPFL’s track, the compromising rules are adopted. In any case, required credits must be completed during the two first years of the programme. Students displaced in the other School may attend courses by video-conference or through webinar.
IST/CEng-PhD programme offers 12 courses. A noticeable feature of the programme is the fact that it allows the students to complete their curricular training by choosing 18 free-option ECTS from a wide-ranging IST offer. This feature renders students’ choice extremely flexible. Among the 12 Civil Engineering courses, 3 were designed to meet specific needs of students on Environmental Hydraulics and Hydrology, namely: (1) Advanced Course in Computational Hydraulics; (2) Urban Drainage Modelling and Management; (3) Research Seminars in Hydraulics and Water Resources. Other IST courses chosen by Environmental Hydraulics students in the past few years were, e.g., Advanced Geo-Statistics; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Computational Fluid Mechanics (M-type); Computer Vision; Mathematical and Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics; Mathematical Statistics (M); Risk Assessment; Signal Processing (M); Statistical Modelling; Turbulence; Parallel and Distributed Computing.
In the past 4 years, courses chosen at the EPFL by students of the joint IST-EPFL initiative were , e.g., Design of Experiments; Energy Regulation and Law; Environmental Fluid Mechanics from Theory to Application; Fourier Analysis and Boundary Value Problems; Hydropower and Dams: benefits and concern (M); Instability and Turbulence; Integrated Water Management; Introduction to Digital Signal Processing using Matlab, applied to Environmental Sciences and Civil Engineering; Remote Sensing of the Earth by Satellite; Statistical Modelling; Two-phase Flows and Transitions. Other courses relevant to the present programme available at EPFL Doctoral School are Atmospheric Boundary Layer; Human Induced Changes in Ecosystems: measurements and analysis; Statistical Thermodynamics for Engineering; Fluid Rheology.
With few exceptions, the listed courses express the concern of students and supervisors to strengthen the students’ competences with advanced fundamental knowledge and operational tools, in detriment of narrow-band knowledge directed to specific theses topics. This concept is maintained in the present programme while respecting, simultaneously, the students’ freedom of choice and personal interests.
Mobility
Normally, students of EPFL track start the programme at the EPFL, where they stay during the first year; once they succeed the first year examination, they normally spend the second year at IST/CEHIDRO. Depending on the agreed research plan, the third year is organized at either IST/CEHIDRO or EPFL and the forth in the other institution, respecting a global 50-50% partition of time between the two partners. This mobility scheme involves 2 or 3 trips of each EPFL track student between Portugal and Switzerland.
The students of LNEC track spend most of the time in Portugal. Their involvement with EPFL is promoted through the participation in short summer courses at EPFL, the attendance of seminars organised by EPFL through the web (webinars) and the participation in conferences held at EPFL. In no circumstances FCT complements the grants of LNEC track students for these short stays abroad.
Depending on the research topic, students of EPFL track may benefit from exceptional LNEC large scale facilities such as the large step-spillways flume or the water-and-sediment recirculating tilting flume. The access to such large scale facilities is mobilized when CEHIDRO, EPFL and LNEC converge on common research plans; it occurs during the periods of stay of EPFL track students in Portugal. These students are encouraged to participate in seminars and conferences held at LNEC.
Short duration stays of students in other research institutions are envisaged, depending on the interests of students and supervisors. Research teams must fund these exchanges through their own budgets.
Additionally, a workshop is organized annually and held at IST, LNEC or EPFL, in which all the students are invited to present and share developed research with their colleagues; supervisors may also attend. Students and researchers that cannot physically participate in the event may attend through video-conference or the web. A symbolic award is attributed to the outstanding presenter, assessed by the Directive Board of the programme.
IST/CEHIDRO supervisors normally participate in the jury of the first year exam of EPFL track students. Visits to Switzerland create the opportunity/duty for them to deliver short courses or seminars as well as the chance to closely participate in shaping potential reorientations of research plans.
The students of LNEC track pass the final examination at IST; the final examination of EPFL track students is carried out at either of the institutions (IST or EPFL), which requires one of the supervisors to travel abroad.
Language of the programme
The official language of the PhD programme is English due to its international character.
Courses are normally delivered in English. Exceptions are allowed when all students attending the course speak Portuguese/French and the lecturer agrees to deliver the course in Portuguese/French.
Dissertations are written and defended in English. Although discouraged, exceptions may be accepted as long as the research is developed within LNEC track and only Portuguese researchers and students are involved; this option must be formally approved by the Directive Board, under request of the pair student-supervisors.
Events organised exclusively on the scope of the H2Doc programme (e.g., workshops, seminars, summer short term courses) are delivered in English. Exceptions may be considered when the events target also other participants from other institutions outside the programme.
Although not mandatory, when at EPFL, students are encouraged to learn French with clear benefits on their personal and professional integration in the School and within local society. EPFL provides, upon request, free of charge courses on several languages, including French. The same recommendation applies concerning Portuguese, to non-Portuguese speaking students when they stay in Portugal.