Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical Engineers

• Design foundation and earth structures such as dams and levees. Their work may also include slope stability of roadway cuts, design of rocket launch pads and assessment of geologic hazards like earthquakes and landslides.

Geotechnical Engineering is a specialization that graduate students majoring in civil engineering or geological engineering may elect at the University of Idaho. A student specializing in geotechnical engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering may work toward the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or Doctor of Philosophy. In the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, the student may work towards the degree of Master of Science. Applicants should have an earned baccalaureate degree in the parallel undergraduate major, but those who majored in mathematics, a physical science, or other engineering discipline can also specialize in geotechnical engineering by completing appropriate prerequisite courses in addition to those required for the degree.

The M.S. degree requires 30 semester credits, including six in thesis research. The M. Engr. is a non-thesis degree requiring 33 credits of course work. The Ph.D. degree requires 39 credits of coursework and a dissertation based on original research. A joint cooperative agreement with Washington State University also permits enrollment of UI students at the Pullman campus.

For specialization in Geotechnical Engineering, the following 3-credit courses are available:

Courses in the Major Area:
CE 468 Engrg. Properties of Soils
CE 475 Pavement Evaluation and Design
CE 546 Finite Element Analysis
CE 557 Mech. Props. Elastic and Inelastic Materials
CE 561 Advanced Soil Mechanics
CE 562 Advanced Foundation Engrg.
CE 563 Seepage and Slope Stability
CE 565 Soil Dynamics
CE 566 Earthquake Engineering
CE WS 461 Foundations
CE WS 567 Soil and Site Improvement
CE WS 569 Advanced Soil Mechanics Laboratory

Courses in Supporting Areas:
AgE 558 Fluid Mech. of Porous Media
ES 402 Applied Numerical Methods
GeoE 430 Site Testing and Evaluation
GeoE 436 Geological Engrg. Design
GeoE 528 Intro. to Geostatistics
GeoE 535 Seepage and Slope Stability
GeoE 540 Stochastic Geotechnology
GeoE 563 Hydrogeology
Geoph 421 Engineering Geophysics
Hydro 577 Comp. Applications in Geohydrology
GeoE 407 Rock Mechanics
GeoE 504 Rock Mechanics II

Research Facilities:
Facilities available for graduate research on campus include the soil mechanics laboratories in the Department of Civil Engineering, rock mechanics laboratories in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, and analytical laboratories of the Idaho Geological Survey. These laboratories contain equipment for static and dynamic load tests on soil and rock, including a closed-loop servo-controlled load system. Equipment for mineralogical and chemical analysis includes an x-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, microprobe and atomic absorption instruments. Computer support is provided by the university’s two IBM 4381 mainframe computers and by personal computers in the Russell Microcomputer Laboratory housed in the College of Engineering.

For additional information regarding studies in geotechnical engineering, contact Dr. Sunil Sharma or Dr. Thomas Weaver.

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