Transportation Systems | Doctoral Program | Outline

Incoming students are assigned to one of the three partner universities in Portugal, depending on how closely their stated interests and experiences align with faculty members and ongoing research at each university, and with the current composition of the research teams at the three schools.

In general, the PhD program is designed to take 3-4 years for completion regardless of which university the student enrolls at. The first year of each program is primarily devoted to coursework. After completing the first year, students can take more coursework; however, the focus will turn towards the thesis/dissertation process. Exact coursework, class schedules and thesis/dissertation processes vary slightly between each of the three universities and the specializations each student chooses. Please see below for an outline of the programs at each university.

Technical University of Lisbon (IST)

Students are required to take a total of 180 ECTS credits as follows: 30 credits worth of coursework (21 of which must be at the doctoral level) and 150 credits towards the thesis/dissertation. Typical courses range between 4.5 and 6 credits each.

The only required course is “Methodologies of Scientific Research” (6 credits). Other PhD-level courses currently offered within the CTIS Master’s program include “Risk and Decision Making” (6 credits), “Business Models and Contracts” (6 credits), and “Transport Policy and Institutions” (6 credits).

Students are also able to take elective courses outside of IST. They may choose to enroll in courses at the following universities: FEUP (University of Porto), FCTUC (University of Coimbra), or any university in the TRANSPORTNET network.

Students should be cautioned that, while coursework at IST is conducted in English, courses at other universities may be taught in the native language of the country in which the selected university is located.

Students are required to be in residence at IST for at least 2 years but no longer than 5 years.

University of Porto (FEUP)

Students are required to take a total of 180 ECTS credits as follows: 30 credits from participation in a Research Project Seminar, 30 credits worth of coursework and 120 credits towards the thesis/dissertation. Typical courses are 5 credits each. The Research project Seminar and the coursework are taken during the first year of the program. The required courses are:

DEGT0004 – Transport Management (5 credits – first semester)
DEGT0003 – Transport Planning and Policy (5 credits – first semester)
DEGT0005 – Transport Economics (5 credits – second semester)

In addition to the required courses, students need to take at least three elective courses: one chosen from Group One Electives, the second chosen from Group Two Electives, and the third chosen from Group Three Electives. A description of current electives in each of these thematic groups is given below..

Group One Electives
DEGT0021 – Energy, Environment and Sustainability (5 credits)
DEGT0018 – Quality Management (5 credits)
DEGT0008 – Environmental Impacts of Transport (5 credits)
DEGT0016 – Advance Qualitative Methods (5 credits)
DEGT0006 – Transport Modeling (5 credits)
DEGT0025 – Information Systems (5 credits)

Group Two Electives
DEGT0021 – Urban Design and Transport (5 credits)
DEGT0018 – Energy in Transport (5 credits)
DEGT0008 – Airport Engineering (5 credits)
DEGT0016 – Traffic Engineering (5 credits)
DEGT0006 – Logistics (5 credits)
DEGT0025 – Decision Support Methods (5 credits)
DEGT0026 – Regional Planning and Transport (5 credits)
DEGT0017 – Investment Projects (5 credits)

Group Three Electives
Any other course offered at Porto, including any from the lists above.

Coursework at FEUP is conducted in English.

Currently, the University of Porto (FEUP) does not have any residency requirements for students working on their thesis/dissertation. However, students should plan to live in Porto for the duration of their first year in order to regularly attend the required courses.

FEUP SAMPLE SCHEDULE

University of Coimbra (FCTUC)

Students are required to take a total of 180 ECTS credits as follows: 30 credits from participation in a thesis project seminar, 30 credits worth of coursework and 120 credits towards the thesis/dissertation. During the first semester, students are required to take a “Research Methodologies” course (which may also be taken at IST), the first (of two) “Thesis Project” courses, and two electives of the student’s choice. In the second semester, the second “Thesis Project” course is taken, along with two elective courses. The “Thesis Project” course is a series of seminars and may include short periods of working in a company/administration (chosen by the supervisor and PhD program director) to absorb the needs of the market and define the directions that should be taken for the doctoral research. Subsequent semesters see students working on thesis dissertation research. Typical courses are 6 credits each.

Students may choose to take courses in other departments at FCTUC, or courses at FEUP and IST.

Coursework at FCTUC is conducted in English.

Students are required to be in residence at FCTUC for at least 2 years but no longer than 5 years.

FCTUC SAMPLE SCHEDULE