Engineering Geology
Qualifications
Overview
Engineering Geology is concerned with the application of the geological sciences to engineering design and construction practice.
Geological data analysis provides site-specific models from which foundation design can proceed, and recognition of active processes such as landsliding is critical for site selection and/or remediation.
Construction materials such as aggregates and armourstone frequently require careful geological study to avoid deleterious components, and to ensure successful project completion.
Engineering Geology has an important role in the evaluation of site conditions for surface and underground mining, and increasingly environmental management in both the civil and mining professions requires a sound geological basis. There is also a key role for geochemical and geophysical investigation and data analysis in site evaluation and/or remediation.
- UC's Professional Master of Engineering Geology is the only programme of its kind in Australasia.
- Our Engineering Geology graduates are sought after for their wide-ranging field skills, and their ability to solve problems using “geo-logic”.
- The programme at UC is inherently practical, and site visits form a key component of the tuition. This includes accessing completed major projects, such as existing and old hydro-electric works in the lower South Island, and visits to sites where construction is actively taking place.
Students will normally have a background in geology or geotechnical engineering, and most will complete one year of postgraduate coursework before undertaking research at the master's or PhD thesis level, although direct entry to thesis level is also common.
Wide-ranging employment opportunities exist for engineering geologists, and there is presently a strong demand both from the civil and mining professions, as follows:
- Geotechnical consultancies (New Zealand; Australia; Canada; United Kingdom)
- Mining companies and specific operations (New Zealand; Australia)
- Hydrogeology specialists (New Zealand; Australia)
- Government agencies and local authorities (New Zealand)
- Research institutions (University and other)
Work options include larger construction projects, land subdivision, corridor projects, mining geotechnics, environmental management, and aspects of hydrogeology.
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