Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering MPhil/PhD

Within 3 months of joining the programme, you are expected to agree with your supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research methodology and a realistic plan of work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research to your supervisor for their comments and feedback. During your registration, you will be able to participate in conferences and research showcase events, which provide you with an opportunity to present your research findings before an audience of academics, industry and your fellow doctoral students. In Year 2, or part-time equivalent, you will be expected to complete the upgrade progression process. To progress, you are required to submit a short upgrade report, which must be presented and successfully defended in an upgrade viva. In your final year, you will submit your thesis and defend it to a panel in a viva (oral examination). Depending on the terms of any funding arrangements, upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may be able to register as a completing research student (CRS) while you write up your thesis.

You are encouraged to identify and contact potential supervisors before submitting a formal application. It is important that you find a supervisor who shares the same research interest and expectations and is available to take a new student. Supervisors in our department welcome emails enquiring about your potential MPhil/PhD study. Their contact details are available on the Academic staff section of the CEGE website . Intake points for PhD students are September and March. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide .