INTRODUCTION
| RESEARCH | PROGRAMS OF STUDY | FACULTY
Master of Science — Environmental Geotechnics
Eligibility
and Admissions
Students
studying Environmental Geotechnics (EGE) earn a Master of Science in Civil
Engineering through Northwestern University's Graduate School. To be admitted
to the M.S. program in Environmental Geotechnics, the student must meet either
of the following two requirements:
- A B.S. degree in an area of
engineering or
- A non-engineering science
degree, but with course work covering:
- Mathematics
through differential equations
- Fluid
mechanics
- First-year
college-level chemistry
- Statics
and dynamics
- Mechanics of
materials
These course requirements may be met at Northwestern, but
credits from these courses cannot be applied to the graduate degree. In addition, each applicant must meet
the usual requirements of The Graduate School and the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering. These
are detailed in the Admissions section of this departmental website.
Course Work
Students
in EGE must take the following courses: Advanced Soil Mechanics, Foundation
Engineering, Earth Retaining Structures, Air Photo Interpretation, Ground
Improvement, and Engineering Aspects of Groundwater Flow. To specialize in
environmental geotechnics, students will typically supplement this coursework
with: Transport Processes in Porous Media, Chemistry of the Aquatic
Environment, Soil Science, and one elective. Students complete the requirements
for the M.S. program by writing a thesis focusing on some aspect of
environmental geotechnics.
Core Program
(units to be determined by adviser):
From courses listed below
CIV ENG 355 Engineering Aspects of
Groundwater Flow
CIV ENG 356 Transport Processes in Porous
Media
CIV ENG 358 Air Photo Interpretation
CIV ENG 395 Special Topics in Civil
Engineering
CIV ENG 450-1,2,3 Soil Mechanics I, II, III
CIV ENG 451 Engineering Properties of Soils
CIV ENG 453 Rock Mechanics
CIV ENG 454 Constitutive Models for Soils
CIV ENG 458 Soil Dynamics
CIV ENG 495 Selected Topics in Civil
Engineering
Required (no credit) seminar during
winter and spring quarters:
CIV ENG 515-1,2 Geotechnics Seminar
Electives:
From the areas listed below
Environmental Engineering and Science
Mechanics of Materials and Solids
Structural Engineering and Materials
Chemistry
Thesis
Students
specialize in environmental geotechnics primarily by performing research in
this area. This research is incorporated into an M.S. Thesis. See Selected
Research Projects for descriptions of recent research projects. See Selected
Research Projects in Environmental Geotechnics for descriptions of recent
research projects.
Doctor of Philosophy — Environmental Geotechnics
Eligibility and Admissions
Students
studying Geotechnics earn a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering through
Northwestern University's Graduate School. To be admitted to the Ph.D. program
in Geotechnics, the student must either hold a Master of Science in Engineering
or a non-engineering degree with some course work covering mathematics through
differential equations, fluid mechanics, first-year college-level chemistry,
and statics and dynamics. These admissions course requirements may be met at
Northwestern, but credits from these courses cannot be applied to the graduate
degree. In addition, each applicant must meet the usual requirements of The
Graduate School and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. These are detailed in the Admissions
section of this departmental website.
Course Work
Ph.D.
students are required to take 10 to 12 courses beyond their M.S. course work.
These courses should be taken to broaden the student's background in
geotechnics and to complement and support the student's research. All students
in geotechnical engineering must take the following courses: Advanced Soil
Mechanics, Foundation Engineering, Earth Retaining Structures, Air Photo
Interpretation, Ground Improvement, and Engineering Aspects of Groundwater
Flow. These are the only required courses for Ph.D. students who have not taken
them or their equivalent.
Preliminary Exams
Written
and oral preliminary exams and one qualifying exam are administered as part of
the course of study. These preliminary exams are typically taken after one year
of Ph.D. study. For the written exam, the student selects three topic areas
from geotechnical engineering/ environmental geotechnics. The oral exam is
administered by a committee of faculty selected by the student in consultation
with their research advisor. Once
the student has decided upon a research topic, a proposal defense is required
for the qualifying examination. This examination provides an opportunity for
the student to meet formally with the Ph.D. advisement committee for direction
and assistance on the proposed research.
Dissertation
Students
in the environmental geotechnics program must perform innovative, high quality
research and write a dissertation. See Selected Research Projects in Environmental Geotechnics
for descriptions of recent research projects.