An education in transportation engineering may help students develop and hone the skills needed to work effectively on designing, building and maintaining highways, ports and other transportation assets. Those seeking a career as a highway engineer, a railroad engineer or port engineer may benefit from this focus.

Requirements for the PhD program often involve the student having already obtained a Master’s degree. Additionally, a thesis or dissertation primarily consisting of original academic research must be submitted. In some countries, this work may even need to be defended in front of a panel.