Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

This graduate level course focuses on technical communication related to the stylistic conventions of writing in science and engineering disciplines, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and coherence as well as integration of relevant graphics. Students will employ process writing to produce genre specific writing familiar to their academic disciplines, including research-related documents designed for specific audiences. This course also trains students to deliver effective and appealing professional and scientific presentations, with attention to best practices in the use of technical English and oral communication.

The mathematical sub-discipline of differential equations is foundational in the study of applied mathematics for engineers. Differential equations arise in a variety of contexts, some more theoretical and some of practical interest. The qualitative and quantitative study of differential equations incorporates an elegant mixture of linear algebra and advanced calculus. For this reason, it is expected that the student has already completed courses in (i) linear algebra; (ii) multivariable calculus; and (iii) introductory differential equations.

The course will cover advanced topics of first order and second order ODEs like initial and boundary value problem and stability of solutions and phase portrait of them. A classification will be provided of the various existing types of methods for exploring solutions in connection with the various types of scientific and technological mathematical models that utilize them. The content of the course includes power series techniques as well as the Laplace transformation method for acquiring solutions of ODEs.

Furthermore, PDEs will be studied to model problems involving functions of several variables, and are either solved by hand, or used to create a relevant computer model. PDEs categories will be connected with a wide variety of interesting and important phenomena such as sound, heat, electrostatics, electrodynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity, or quantum mechanics. All these seemingly distinct physical phenomena can be formalized similarly in terms of PDEs. The content of the course will cover techniques that refer to Elliptic, Parabolic Partial Differential Equations and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations as well as Initial and Boundary Conditions. The course will be delivered with lectures that will deliver the necessary theoretical background. However, all the lectures and the tutorials will encapsulate many examples with a software capable to perform symbolical calculations in order to capture the interest and motivate engineers.

This course will provide students detailed theoretical backgrounds, formulations and implementations of the Finite Element Method and its application to solid and fluid mechanics. The specific topics include: (1) linear algebra; (2) one-dimensional element formulations; (3) two-dimensional beam element formulations; (4) two-dimensional plate element formulations; (5) plasticity and time integration in finite element methods and (6) Application of solid and fluid mechanics. The course is aimed to (1) provide students with a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the finite element method; (2) expand students’ skills on the methods for analyzing problems in the solid mechanics; (3) widen students’ knowledge on the nonlinear and time dependent problems; (4) prepare students for research using the finite element method.

This course will provide students a theoretical framework for the analysis of deformation and failure of soils and its application to complex soil problems. The specific topics include: 1) Compare failure theories for soils and shear strength; 2) Examine limit equilibrium analyses for (a) slope instability, (b) lateral earth pressure, and (c) bearing capacity of foundations; 3) Analyse the elasticity for linear deformation of soils and theory of plasticity for the nonlinear deformation of soils; 4) Analyse critical state model for the deformation and strength of soils; 5) Evaluate the effects of multi-layered soils, submergence, partial-drainage boundaries, time-dependent loading, and radial drainage on consolidation

This course will provide the advanced knowledge of basic environmental chemical reactions on Acid/Base reactions, Complex reactions, Precipitation & Dissolutions, Redox Reactions, Solid-Solution Interface Reactions to estimate and evaluate the fate of potential chemical species in engineered and natural environmental systems.

This course addresses the primary need for graduate students to undertake formal training that will help them in understanding how to conduct their research. The course will develop students’ understanding of research planning and engender skills enhancement for reading, interpreting, writing about and presenting key ideas. The course will also instill an understanding of a variety of research methods and ethics, as well as implementation of appropriate strategies in lecture and workshop settings.

This course enables students to gain and apply basic research knowledge and skills to select their research projects in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:

1. Identifying the area of research interest;
2. Surveying of state of the art for the area of interest;
3. Identifying the research topic and associated issues;
4. Understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental issues associated with chosen research topic;
5. Writing a research paper based on the literature survey under the supervision of a faculty member;
6. Presentation of a seminar and being assessed by a panel.

This course discusses concepts and techniques of sustainable construction which is a part of broader term sustainable development, in depth review of sustainable materials and construction techniques. Specifically, it develops basic knowledge about life cycle concepts for green building planning, basic design, delivery systems, and construction and operations. Students will also learn about green building assessment systems, green building economics, and advanced building technologies for sustainability. The specific objectives are:

1) To help students develop a good understanding of sustainable construction from a life cycle perspective
2) To master basic skills to plan, construct and operate green facilities.
3) To enhance students’ skills to conduct a green construction design independently
4) To prepare students for advanced-level structural engineering employment

This course intends to give students the opportunity to develop the research proposal. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:

1. Preparation of a thorough and comprehensive literature review to support the research proposal;
2. Formulation of the research hypothesis;
3. Developing and justifying the methods to conduct the research.

By the 4th week of the semester, the student must submit his/her MSc thesis proposal which will be evaluated by an academic panel, comprising your two supervisors and a third faculty from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering appointed by the MSc MAE Committee and approved by the Head of Department. This panel will decide on the appropriateness of your proposed thesis topic and the scientific concreteness of the methodologies you are aiming to apply.

This course intends to give students the opportunity to fully implement the research proposal and bring it to a conclusion. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:

1. Planning and conducting, independently, research at an advanced level.
2. Critically analyzing research results.
3. Effectively presenting their results to a wide audience.
4. Effectively compiling their results in the form of an authoritative thesis.

This course will provide graduate students with an understanding of the vibration behavior and dynamic response of structural systems to periodic and arbitrary loadings; and with a discussion on earthquake engineering. The specific topics include: (1) single degree of freedom (DOF) system: free vibration, periodic loading, arbitrary loading and numerical methods; (2) multi-degree of freedom: generalized DOF, modal analysis, mode decomposition, modal superposition methods; (3) earthquake engineering: introduction of earthquakes, elastic response spectrum, inelastic response spectrum, earthquake response of multi-story buildings.

This module provides an overview of materials used to make portland cement concrete (PCC), identify practices that effect the serviceability of PCC structure. This course addresses mechanisms of corrosion, sulfate attack, alkali silica reaction, and freeze-thaw damage and identify key materials and environmental parameters that lead to these deterioration mechanisms. The course also introduces advances in concrete technology with focus on special types of concrete.

This module introduces methods to perform structural evaluation and determine remaining service life of structures. Different strengthening techniques would also be introduced to carry out rehabilitation of structures. The specific topics include 1) Evaluation of structural systems by using in-place and non-destructive test methods 2) Evaluation of structural systems requiring rehabilitation by carrying out preliminary and detailed investigation 3) Prediction of service life of structures and 4) Choosing strengthening techniques required for rehabilitation of structures.

This module introduces methods to perform structural evaluation and determine remaining service life of structures. Different strengthening techniques would also be introduced to carry out rehabilitation of structures. The specific topics include 1) Evaluation of structural systems by using in-place and non-destructive test methods 2) Evaluation of structural systems requiring rehabilitation by carrying out preliminary and detailed investigation 3) Prediction of service life of structures and 4) Choosing strengthening techniques required for rehabilitation of structures.

This course investigates the behavior of concrete subjected to internal and external agents. Different repair materials, protective systems and strengthening techniques would also be introduced to carry out concrete repair and maintenance.

This module provides theory and practice in pavement design, pavement performance, structural design of pavement layers, types of materials used in pavement layers, characterization of pavement layer materials. Pavement repair and rehabilitation strategies are also introduced. Computational pavement evaluation tools are introduced and applied.

The objective of this course is to prepare students for advanced-level structural engineering employment by providing them with abilities to design and analyze reinforced concrete structures. This course provides students with advanced techniques, such as section analysis, yield line theory, 2nd order analysis, and Bresler’s reciprocal theory, for analysis and design of reinforced concrete structural members under the complicate loading conditions such as torsion, bi-axial bending, and buckling. The mechanics underlying the code design procedures are evaluated as well as their application to practical design problems. The specific objectives are:

1) To develop a deep understanding of mechanics underlying concrete design codes for students
2) To enhance students’ knowledge on mathematics, mechanics and structural analyses
3) To enhance students’ skills to conduct a practical structural design of concrete structures independently
4) To prepare students for advanced-level structural engineering employment

This course will provide graduate students advanced knowledge on the chemical (neutralization, precipitation, solidification/stabilization, adsorption, etc.), physical (particle treatment, gas transfer, and membrane processes), and biological processes to treat the contaminants in engineered environmental systems and to apply to the development of novel treatment processes.

This course covers the principles of contaminated site management. It provides an overview for the management basics of contaminated sites, site characterization methods, and technology selection and application for treatment purposes based on site and contaminant properties. It covers in detail various soil treatment technologies and discusses their suitability of application for different cases. Some discussion will focus on case studies. The course reviews in detail physical, chemical, and biological treatment of contaminated soils; and, the content is tailored based on existing national priorities and cases.

The course is intended to give advanced level of knowledge and real life applications of methods for environmental modelling and its purposes. The course is also intended to give fundamental knowledge and experience in model construction and evaluation. Students will also practice their skills in communicating environmental modelling. The application examples illustrate air, water, and soil quality issues, but also touch upon modelling of global, regional and local pollution behaviors and ecosystem modelling. Data-analysis problems will use publicly available datasets so that students learn what parameters in environmental science are measured and monitored and how to access and use these data.

This course will provide graduate students advanced knowledge on the chemical (neutralization, precipitation, adsorption, etc.), physical (particle treatment, gas transfer, and membrane processes), and biological processes to treat the wastewater in engineered and natural environmental systems and to apply them to the development of novel advance wastewater treatment systems.

This course is concerned with the study of aspects of geotechnical engineering related to earthquakes and other dynamic effects. In this course, we will study how soil responds to dynamic loading and how the soil modifies the transmission of the travelling ground motion. The specific topics include 1) explaining the ground motion and time history, and response spectra; 2) understanding the geophysical site investigation and to use the data obtained; 3) designing underground structures based on seismic analysis

This course will cover more advanced analysis and design of both shallow and deep foundation systems to resist vertical and horizontal loads coming from various superstructures including buildings, bridges. This course will include (1) principles of foundation analysis - total stress analysis versus effective stress analysis, undrained and drained soil parameters; (2) shallow foundations - combined footings, raft foundations and floating foundations; (3) deep foundations - axially and laterally loaded piles, pile groups; (4) other considerations - rock socketed piles, negative skin friction and effect of soil movements on piles; and (5) static and dynamic pile load test.

This course will cover the need for ground improvement and stabilization and brief description of methods used. This course will include principles of the soil improvement/stabilization (e.g., physico-chemical, mechanical/geosynthetic) method, selected lectures on braced excavations, dewatering, grouting, stone columns, vertical and horizontal drains, vacuum pumping, deep compaction, vibro floatation, lime/cement stabilization, reinforced earth and soil nailing.

This course aims to acquaint students with the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics and its application to engineering practice under the effect of climatic conditions, such as: slope stability, retaining wall design, foundation design, soil-structure interaction. This course will include (1) shear strength and hydraulic properties of unsaturated soil; (2) rainfall-induced slope failure; (3) field instrumentation for assessment of unsaturated soil behavior and (4) numerical analyses for modelling geotechnical engineering problem incorporating unsaturated soil properties

This course introduce assumptions and principles and understand how various numerical simulation methods affect the solution of interest in geotechnical engineering. The specific topics include 1) understanding of the stress-strain relationships based on local equilibrium equations; 2) explaining the equilibrium of underground structures, and thus examine their stability; 3) the design principles based on various numerical simulation methods

This course will introduce students with the emerging technology of Building Information Modeling (BIM). The course will cover the history of BIM, the transition from 2D to BIM, the BIM concept and the future trends of BIM. Students will know about the purpose of the model, the hardware and software requirements and computer modeling techniques. The course will help students better visualize the construction projects, improve external and internal collaboration needed on the project and provide better project coordination. Besides the role of BIM for a sustainable design will be illustrated along with the applications of BIM for computer aided manufacturing in construction and interactive document delivery. Specific course aims are:

1) Provide students with sound understanding of the principles of building information modeling (BIM) for architecture, engineering and construction.
Help students develop proficiency with the methods and with the processes for delivering engineering solutions using BIM.

This course introduces the fundamental principles of green building, including current standards and regional factors. Major emphasis is placed on the five components of green buildings: energy, water, sustainable sites, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The lectures present key parts of green buildings and provide a basis for further group project activities. Workshops, where students produce and generate ideas, focus and discuss green building projects' specific aspects. In the evaluation practices, existing buildings are analyzed and assessed by following a certification method (e.g., LEED, BREEAM, GreenStar, GSAS etc.). The various concepts, the definitions, and the methodologies presented in lectures are:

• Green buildings, sustainable buildings, and passive houses
• Environmental certification methods for new and existing buildings (e.g., LEED, BREEAM, WELL, Green Building, Green Star, etc.)
• The construction process and project management
• Green building design and assessment methods

The purpose of this course is to introduce current theoretical and practical perspectives of project management. The course consists of four parts: The first part will study basic project management concepts and definitions (perceptions of investments, projects, programs and business processes; basic project management sub-processes and the project handbook). The second part will deal with project management methods for project start (scope, context, organization, WBS, responsibility matrix, etc.), project co-ordination, project controlling, management of project crises & risks and project close-down. The third part will discuss social competences required in managing projects, such as team building, intervention methods, dealing with diversity & emotions and conflict management. Finally, the fourth part will deal with issues related to project-oriented organizations, such as required permanent organization structures and processes. Examples and case studies will be used throughout the course.

Engineering Management is the integration of human relations, planning and control concepts, systems analysis and design, and principles of management oriented toward engineering functions within an organization; organizational design and administration as they impact along the product life cycle, i.e., research, design, development, production and use. Engineering Economy is concerned with fundamental concepts and advanced techniques of engineering economic analysis; evaluation of alternative capital investments considering income taxes, depreciation and inflation; discounted cash flow analysis of competing projects, break-even analysis and determination of rate of return on investment, Risk and uncertainty in engineering analysis. This course will help students to explore strategies, models, and practices for leading and managing engineering organizations in a context directly relevant to them. They will engage in self-reflection about their styles, beliefs, and past experiences with leadership and management, and emerge with an insightful understanding of their personal approach as a professional. Besides, students will learn to improve their grasp of the "big picture" and how daily decisions affect the financial performance of an organization. They will learn principles and practices of interpreting financial information and performing engineering-related economic analyses. This course focuses on current practices, using economic information for decision-making and control. Students will practice applying these techniques to applications in real firms.

This module is going to develop knowledge about statistics and probability which is very important for experimental research and results analysis. It will cover statistical methods and probability of events as well as planning of experiments.