Geotechnical Engineering

Entry requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant subject (eg, Engineering, Science, Geology, Geography or Mathematics). Practical experience will also be taken into account. Evidence of adequate knowledge of English is required.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Designed for recent graduates or experienced professionals, this programme is ideal for civil engineers and geologists seeking to extend their professional scope or specialise in geotechnical engineering. You will develop a sound knowledge of soil and rock mechanics, current civil engineering design, and construction management and practice.

These will support your career as a geotechnical engineer, enabling you to plan and direct ground investigations and laboratory testing, giving you the basis for interpreting results and proposing the optimum methods of design and construction.

Modern structures, such as buildings, embankments and dams, must satisfy exacting stability and deformation criteria, and they may have to be sited on weak or compressible ground. It is the responsibility of the geotechnical engineer to plan and direct the necessary ground investigations and laboratory testing, interpret the results, and propose methods of design and construction to overcome difficulties caused by inadequate ground.

The long-term performance of the structure must be predicted, and instruments may have to be installed to check the prediction. This needs a sound knowledge of engineering geology, soil and rock mechanics, current civil engineering design, and of construction management and practice.