Geotechnical engineering is a field of Civil Engineering dealing with engineering behavior of earth materials (soil, rocks, and water). Geotechnical/Geoenvironmental engineering deals with three phases of soil and rock, i.e., soil or rock solid phase, water phase, and air phase. Geotechnical Engineering uses the principles of soil and rock mechanics to investigate subsurface environment in order to characterize its physical and mechanical properties, and analyze, design, and construct earthworks and substructures.
Geoenvironmental engineering overlaps geotechnical and environmental engineering fields, dealing interactions between earth materials (soil and rocks) and a fourth phase such as chemicals. Geoenvironmental engineering concerns with the fate and transport as well as remediation of this additional phase (e.g., contaminants). Geoenvironmental engineering uses similar principles to investigate subsurface environment in order to characterize its physical, mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, and analyze, design, and construct substructures such as landfill and contaminant-containment facilities as well as soil and groundwater remediation.
Geotechnical / Geoenvironmental Engineering MS Curriculum
| Requirement | Course # (Credits) | Course Title |
|---|---|---|
| Research Basics | CE 597 (1) | Research Methods |
| Choose 2 Out of 3 Courses | ||
| Theoretical/Fundamental | CE 597 (3) | Advanced Soil Mechanics |
| Experimental | CE 597 (3) | Experimental Soil Mechanics |
| Numerical | CE 502 (3) | Computational Methods |
| CE Electives (Choose 12-18 Credits) | ||
| CE 566 (3) | Ground Improvement Design | |
| CE 540 (3) | Pavement Design and Evaluation | |
| CE 552 (3) | Structural Steel Design | |
| CE 550 (3) | Reinforced Concrete Design | |
| CE 597 (3) | Geoenvironmental Engineering | |
| CE 542 (3) | Microstructural Properties of Concrete | |
| Non-CE Electives (Choose 0-6 Credits) | ||
| GEOPHYS 610 (3) | Geophysical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering | |
| GEOS 551 (3) | Principles of Soil Science | |
| BIOL 515 (3) | Applied and Environmental Microbiology | |
| GEOG 560 (3) | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| GEO 522 (3) | Data Analysis and Geostatistics | |
| MATH 527 (3) | Introduction to Applied Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers | |
| ME 510 (3) | Continuum Mechanics | |
| ME 570 (3) | Finite Element Methods | |