Earth and Environment: MSc Engineering Geology

Overview

Overview Background - What is Engineering Geology?

Engineering geology is the application of geological principles to Civil and Mining Engineering (amongst others). The subject has expanded in recent years to include aspects of Engineering Geomorphology, Quaternary Geology, Contaminated Land, Risk Analysis, Geohazard and Resilience management. Engineering Geologists are found worldwide working on problems as varied as foundation and mine design to the assessment of seismic and landslide risk.

The School of Earth and Environment has a long history of training Engineering Geologists (greater than 40 years). We maintain close links with our alumni graduates who can be found in many different companies across the globe.

With increasing use of brownfield sites in Europe and the United States, and expanding use of marginal land in the emerging economies, the role of the engineering geologist has never been as important as it is in the modern geotechnical environment.

Understanding how pollutants travel through the ground may impact upon the safe design of waste disposal sites. Geological and geomorphological mapping may aid the identification of landslides and allow for safe housing development. The understanding of the ground and how it responds to static and dynamic loads can influence where important roads are sited and how emergency plans are formulated.

It is vital that at the start of the new millennium we design and build in a manner which is safe, environmentally friendly, cost effective and sensitive to climate change. Engineering geologists, with our unique understanding of the ground, and a broad appreciation of rates of geological processes over engineering time, are intimately involved in this process. From the design of site investigations through to the assessment of major geological hazards, engineering geologists will be active in the provision of effective development.

Chartered Status

The course is accredited as further learning through the Institution of Civil Engineers. MSc Engineering Geology is a European Accredited Engineering Program.

Employment

After completion of the course, employment prospects are excellent. A list of employers in the last few years includes, among many others, the following:

Arups, Consulting Engineers
Atkins, Consulting Engineers
British Geological Survey
British Waterways
Burro Happold
Byland Engineering
Donaldsons Associates
Golder Associates, Consulting Engineers
Hyder
Jacobs-Babtie Group, Consulting
Halcrows, Consulting Engineers
Mott MacDonald, Consulting Engineers
Robinson Design Group
Royal Haskoning
Scott, Wilson, Consulting Engineers
Soil Mechanics Ltd.
Wardell Armstrong, Consulting Engineers

In recent years many of our graduates have found themselves in the fortunate position of having numerous job offers at the end of the course. Traditionally our students have taken jobs in Engineering Geology and the Geo-environmental sector attracting salaries of approximately £25,000 per annum, however there is a growing trend and demand from within the mining industry for Engineering Geologists where starting salaries are approximately £60,000 per annum and in exceptional cases in excess of £90,000 per annum for students graduating with a Engineering Geology MSc.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the course is to provide a concentrated one-year training in engineering geology and related geotechnical subjects. This training will prepare a graduate geologist and, or, engineer for professional practice in engineering geology and, or, geotechnical engineering. Studying engineering geology at the University of Leeds will provide you with excellent job opportunities as a result of high calibre academic training, as well as the development of strong skills in terms of both critical and independent thought and team work.

Other Courses of Interest

Entry Requirements

Candidates should have an upper second class degree (2.1) or above in an earth science, engineering, civil engineering, mining or a related cognate discipline. Equivalent international qualifications are also acceptable.

While candidates are not required to hold A-level mathematics, it is advantageous to have studied the subject at this level. Lower qualifications may be considered based on relevant industrial experience and/or outstanding references.

Recently, applicants have held degrees in geology, civil, mining and mineral engineering as well as physical geography. Applicants with relevant industry experience are given preference for admission.

Applicants whose first language is not English, or whose degree is not from a UK institution, will need to satisfy language requirements determined by the School. Please click here for more information.

Not sure if your International/European degree meets our requirements?

Find out more information here

Fees & Funding

For programme fee information visit our fees page

School Scholarships

There are twelve SEE Excellence Scholarships available (various awards for International/Home and EU), for full information visit the School's Scholarships page

Postgraduate Scholarships at Leeds

Visit the University of Leeds Scholarship Web Page: http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk/

Other Funding Sources

Students in the past have secured funding through a career development loan, for details visit the UK Government Website

Those considering funding the course themselves should consider that graduates have a high success rate in gaining (generally well remunerated) employment. In recent years many of our graduates have found themselves in the fortunate position of having numerous job offers at the end of the course. Traditionally our students have taken jobs in Engineering Geology and the Geo-environmental sector attracting salaries of approximately £25,000 per annum, however there is a growing trend and demand from within the mining industry for Engineering Geologists where starting salaries are approximately £60,000 per annum and in exceptional cases in excess of £90,000 per annum for students graduating with a Engineering Geology MSc.

Funding for professional development and the retraining of engineers in the UK is available from the Panasonic Trust

Course Structure

The course is managed from the School of Earth and Environment with substantial input from the School of Civil Engineering. Students are encouraged to participate fully in appropriate colloquia and seminars in both departments. In additional to the School seminar programs the University frequently hosts the Yorkshire Geotechnical Group (Institution of Civil Engineers) and is involved with the Yorkshire Regional Group of the Geological Society.

The course begins in late September and consists of:

(a) 2 terms of lectures and laboratory classes;
(b) approximately four months (May to September) of individual work leading to the submission of a dissertation early in late August;
(c) supervised field practical work and industrial and construction site visits at appropriate times throughout the year, but largely undertaken during the first two terms.

Course content

Compulsory modules	Credits	Semester
Laboratory and Field Skills	10	1
Geological Models and Ground Investigation	20	1
Hydrogeology and Contaminant	15	1
Soils Engineering	30	1 & 2
Rock Engineering	30	1 & 2
Hazards, Resilience & Sustainable Engineering	15	2
Engineering Geology: Dissertation Project	60	1 & 2

SOEE 5125M Field and laboratory skills:

This module builds on our basic understanding of rock material and rock mass properties as students get hands-on experience using the laboratory equipment through a number of practical's. The student will be able to identify the importance of the laboratory and field aspects to an engineering geology investigation and elucidate how this contributes to a geotechnical project. Rock and soils testing in the laboratory, including:
- soils shear box tests; rock shear box tests
- core logging
- permeability testing
- slake durability testing
- point load testing
- index property testing
- Field investigations.

Students also get the opportunity to conduct scanline surveys, engineering rock descriptions, develop geological model, interpret ancient environments and how that may impact on design of critical infrastructure in the present and future as part of fieldwork investigations. This is tied together by considering the impact of climate change and sea level rise.

The module will then enable the students to designing appropriate laboratory and site investigations and safe working in different environments.

SOEE5015 Geological Models and Ground Investigation:

In this module, students are introduced to issues in engineering geology that they are likely to encounter working within the applied geo-environment sector. This includes rock and soil description, site investigation and geotechnical assessment, design of ground models, slope design and underground openings, and the impact of groundwater on rock and soil mass strength and slope stability.

SOEE5070M Hydrogeology and contaminant processes:

In this module students learn the basics of hydrogeology including the fundamentals of the water cycle and water balance, the physics of flow and contaminant transport through porous media, aquifer hydraulic properties and how to measure them, and aquifer structure and heterogeneity, groundwater geochemistry and contaminated land issues.

SOEE5030M Soils Engineering

To enable engineering geologists to learn the basic principles of soil mechanics and foundation engineering as practised by civil engineers and critically evaluate data.

SOEE5045M Rock Engineering

In this module students will learn to describe rocks and rock masses in a quantitative manner to be supplemented by normal geological descriptions. Empowering them to understand the state of stress of an element of rock to devise a testing program for the characterisation of rock materials and rock masses. Using these methodologies you will be capable of carrying out suitable stability analyses for surface and underground structures such as tunnelling, mining operations and large dams.

SOEE5531M Hazards, Resilience and Sustainable Engineering

In this module students will encounter and consider the main geological hazards present in the world today and those likely in the future. These will include landslides and landslide hazard assessment; earthquake engineering and seismic risk; carbon counting in engineering; earthworks and resilience for climate change and sea level rise; coastal zone management, material re-use and reinforced earth; energy security and underground gas storage; engineering geological considerations for sustainable energy; geotechnical security of lifelines; Open cast pit mine design, education and training in managing the natural environment.

SOEE5050M Engineering Geology: Dissertation Project

Every student must undertake individual project work, the results of which are presented in the form of a dissertation. Many dissertation projects are real investigations carried out in co-operation with organisations outside the University. Such organisations may be firms of consulting engineers, civil engineering contractors, local authorities, statutory authorities like the Waterways Board or mining companies. The project work provides the opportunity for students to practice some aspects of what he/she has learned during the course and is a continuation of the training of students for professional employment; it may be that the experience gained in working alongside professionals in a commercial organisation is in itself the most valuable part of the training.

The purpose of the dissertation is to show that a student can carry out an investigation and report thereon, with appropriate criticism, and essentially on his/her own. The quality of that criticism may determine whether or not a student is really outstanding. The actual subject of the investigation may be less important than the fact of carrying it out. Ideally, an investigation would involve both field and laboratory work, as well as the usual literature review. According to circumstances, mostly to do with the individual's background and experience, an investigation might be entirely laboratory based, or it might be almost entirely field based. Each project is carried out under the supervision of one of the participating staff.

The costs of the investigation, although not necessarily all the materials used, must be borne by the student. Dissertation projects begin in early May after the examinations. The Course Director must approve the topic for the project, taking fully into account the background and experience of the individual student and the feasibility of the proposal in terms of time and expense.

We usually offer a range of projects in the UK and abroad. In recent years students have undertaken field investigations as part of their dissertation projects in the UK, Ireland, Ethiopia, Canada, USA, Ireland, Romania, Albania and Portugal.

See the University Programme Catalogue for more information about overall programme together with lists and details of individual modules.

Course Leaders

School of Earth and Environment

Staff from across the school contribute to the MSc. where their expertise is relevant, but the majority of the course will be taught by:

School of Civil Engineering

Visiting and emeritus Lecturers

Due to the close links we have with industry many of these colleagues from contribute to the teaching, these include:

Mr Matthew Baldwin, Visiting Lecturer in Site Investigation (Vinci Construction);
Dr. Bob.J.Fowell Visiting Lecturer in Rock Mechanics;
Prof. R.N. Mortimore, Visiting Professor in Engineering Geology (ChalkRock LtD.);
Dr. Evan Passaris, Visiting Professor in Geotechnical Engineering (Atkins).

In addition to visiting teaching staff, we have invaluable input from industry through the MSc Engineering Geology Steering Group. This group is composed of senior colleagues in practice who provide input on curriculum matters to ensure the program continues to meet the needs of industry. The panel is currently Mr Chris Danilewicz (Aone+); Dr Gareth Hearn (Scott Wilson); Mr Mike Osbourne (Arup); Dr John Perry (Mott MacDonald) and Mr David Shilston (Atkins).

Industry Links

Prizes

Engineering Geology prides itself on very strong industrial links and this has resulted in a number of industrial sponsors donating the following prizes which may be awarded annually, provided that there are candidates of sufficient merit:

The Vinci Construction Prize for Excellence in Geotechnical Studies at Postgraduate Level for outstanding all-round performance.
The Atkins Prize for excellence in project work.
The Wardell Armstrong Prize for Engineering Geological Fieldwork.

Engineering Geology Related Links

Professional Bodies

National Surveys with Engineering Geology Interests

Geological and Geotechnical Companies

Other organizations

Transport Research Laboratory

Selected Universities with Engineering Geology Courses / Research

Camborne School of Mines
Civil & Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Newcastle
University of Portsmouth

Careers

Alumni

The Engineering Geology MSc. has a strong and historical alumni association with Leeds Engineering Geological Society (LEGS). We meet every Friday the 13^th in a pub close to the University. This is currently the Fenton on Woodhouse Lane. LEGS is financed through occasional donations and has provided books, occasional hardship funds for students on the course and some money towards fieldwork costs. The nature of the Society means that such funds are small. You can find LEGS on Facebook .

The course boasts excellent links with the Civil Engineering industry. Workshops and seminars are frequently given by colleagues from professional practice. Site visits allow students to see current practice in the field.

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

Facilities

Engineering Geology MSc. students preparing samples for shear box testing

The School moved into a new building in January 2010, which provides world class research, teaching and laboratory facilities, many of which are available to Masters students throughout their course. Masters students have their own dedicated computing suite and there are lockers available for storing personal items.

The Geotechnical and Engineering geology laboratories at the University of Leeds are used for a wide range of rock and soil testing activities, collecting, processing, testing and interpreting data related to the geotechnical, mining and petroleum sectors around the world. The laboratories are used for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching research projects and industrial consultancy.

The combined technical experience of the staff and a laboratory complex which has just benefited from a £300,000 refurbishment offers a wide range of laboratory testing and reporting to be undertaken.

Our Engineering Geology Laboratory is able to carry out soil and rock testing from triaxial testing, direct shear tests, Density tests to Slake Durability and permeability tests all to ISRM, CIRIA, EuroCode and other recognised standards.

The range of tests available means we can calculate material properties such as confined and unconfined compressive strength, relative density and water absorption, youngs modulas and poissons ratio. The Engineering Geology Laboratory are supported by other departmental laboratory facilities enabling us to compliment tests with thin section analysis, X-ray diffraction, pulse decay permeametry, computerised axial tomography and other advanced techniques to establish the properties and behaviour of rocks and soils.

The course will also concentrate on the use of a suite of software packages including RocScience and ArcGIS which are commonly used throughout industry

Further Information

Contacts: Dr James Lawrence
Email: j.a.lawrence@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:+44(0)113 343 5233
Website: The Geotechnical and Engineering Geology Laboratories

Student Profiles

On this page you can find out more about our former students: