College of Engineering / Program / Geotechnical Engineering Graduate Certificate
Geotechnical Engineering Graduate Certificate
Why this certificate?
The Geotechnical Engineering graduate certificate (under review/approval), offered through the Department of Civil Engineering, is available to both degree and non-degree-seeking students who are interested in continuing their education but may not be ready to commit to a master's degree program. The program is structured to advance the working engineer’s knowledge and skills in the field of geotechnical engineering. Geotechnical engineers design and analyze engineering systems that are made from or supported by earth materials.
You are eligible to apply if...
- Those who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent on or related to civil engineering from an institution of recognized standing (exceptions may be approved if the student has the background needed to succeed in the graduate engineering courses) are eligible.
- There is no GRE requirement.
- GPA of 2.75/4.0 or higher for a bachelor's degree program on or related to civil engineering. Students who do not meet the 2.75/4.0 GPA criterion may still be eligible to enroll if they have significant engineering experience outside of the classroom.
To complete the program you must...
- The program requires students to take four elective graduate courses (12 credit hours) from the following:
- CIVL 6330/6336 Landfills (3)
- CIVL 6340/6346 Geosynthetics and Soil Improvement (3)
- CIVL 6350/6356 Earth Retaining Structures (3)
- CIVL 7310/7316 Foundation Engineering (3)
- CIVL 7340/7346 Soil Dynamics (3)
- CIVL 7360/7366 Earth Slopes and Dams (3)
- CIVL 7390/7396 In-situ Testing of Soils (3)
- CIVL 6970/6976 Geotechnical Engineering Special Topics (3)
- CIVL 7970/7976 Special Topics in Geotechnical Engineering (3)
- Approved Alternatives:
- CIVL 6156 Groundwater Hydraulics (3)
- CIVL 6606 Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design (3)
- CIVL 6816 Pavement Design (3)
- All courses with the last digit as "0" are for the on-campus students to register and with the last digit as "6" for the online or distance students to register.
- CIVL 6970/6976 and CIVL 7970/7976 will be replaced by a specific title when they are offered. Only special topic courses in geotechnical engineering can be counted toward this certificate program.
- Some of the elective courses are available for more than one certificate program, but the same course cannot be counted for more than one civil engineering graduate certificate.
What can you expect?
- After completion of this certificate program, students will be able to:
- Apply advanced concepts and principles related to geotechnical engineering.
- Analyze information presented in the scientific literature related to geotechnical engineering.
- Formulate effective and persuasive communication to technical and nontechnical audiences.
- If a student chooses to pursue a master's degree, all academic credits earned from the certificate may be applied toward the graduate degree.
Applying for the Geotechnical Engineering Graduate Certificate
- This certificate program is still under the review and approval process, but you can apply to it through the non-degree program first.
- After the approval, fill out the online graduate application at app.applyyourself.com/?id=auburn-g
(you will be required to create an account). - For additional questions, contact Jack Montgomery, geotechnical certificate coordinator in the Department of Civil Engineering.
