Geological Engineering
Degrees Offered: Ph.D., M.A.Sc.
Members
Professors Emeriti
L. Smith.
Professors
R. Beckie, E. Eberhardt, U. Mayer.
Assistant Professors
A. Ameli, S. McDougall
Program Overview
The Geological Engineering Program is intended for students interested in the application of earth sciences principles to engineering problems. While most geological engineering degree programs are based in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, students may also base their studies in allied Applied Science departments such as Civil or Mining Engineering. The program is highly interdisciplinary and draws upon courses, laboratories, and faculty members from the departments of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Forestry, Geography, and others. Graduate students are often co-supervised by faculty members from different departments.
Geological engineering faculty members in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences have research interests in the following general areas:
- landslides, debris flows, engineering geology, slope stability
- groundwater hydrology, groundwater contamination and remediation, reactive transport modeling, environmental geochemistry
- rock engineering, rock slopes, and tunneling
Other research areas include geotechnical engineering, environmental geology, engineering geology, economic geology, and applied geophysics. The specific fields of study may involve geomorphology and terrain analysis, groundwater hydrology, natural hazards, slope stability, petroleum and coal geology, coalbed methane, mineral prospecting and valuation, and other similar subjects. Students are encouraged to consult individual faculty members for information about current research areas.
Admission to graduate studies in geological engineering is open only to students with an undergraduate degree in engineering or, at the discretion of the program director, to students with sufficient engineering work experience.
Doctor of Philosophy
Admission Requirements
Students admitted to the Ph.D. degree program normally possess a master's degree in an area of applied science or engineering, with clear evidence of research ability or potential. Transfer from the M.Sc. to the Ph.D. program is permitted under Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies regulations.
Part-time Doctoral Classification is also available. Students who wish to be classified as part-time must obtain approval from their proposed supervisor and graduate program advisor as part of the admission process.
Program Requirements
The Ph.D. degree typically requires four years to complete through full-time study. There are no course requirements for the Ph.D. program. Appropriate coursework may be selected in consultation with the student's supervisory committee. All doctoral students are required to successfully complete a comprehensive examination. The major requirement for the Ph.D. is completion of a research dissertation meeting the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirements.
Master of Applied Science
Admission Requirements
Students admitted to the M.A.Sc. degree program normally possess a bachelor's degree in an area of applied science or engineering, and must meet the general admission requirements for master's degree programs set by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Program Requirements
The M.A.Sc. degree typically requires two years to complete. It consists of a 12-credit thesis and 18 credits in graduate or advanced courses in geological engineering and related fields selected in consultation with the candidate's committee. A minimum of 24 credits must be at the 500-level and above.
Master of Engineering
For information about the professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program, please see Master of Engineering.
Contact Information
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
2020-2207 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604.822.2713
Fax: 604.822.6088
Email: gradsec@eoas.ubc.ca
Web: www.eoas.ubc.ca/
