Course details

Summary

Earthquake Engineering encompasses a broad range of activities that seek to minimise the damage and disruption communities suffer when hit by an earthquake. The subject includes:

• Assessing the tectonic and fault mechanisms that generate earthquakes to estimate when they will occur and how large they will be
• Understanding how the earthquake energy transmits through the ground
• Quantifying the likely ground surface responses at a specific site throughout the life of a structure
• Assessing the liquefaction potential of soils at specific sites
• Designing structures and lifeline services (electricity, gas, transport, water and wastewater) to minimise the damage and disruption during and after an earthquake
• Planning for emergency response and post-earthquake recovery
• Preparing communities for earthquakes.

The Master of Engineering Studies caters for professional engineers seeking advanced technical training and is a taught master's degree with no thesis requirement. The MEngSt comprises a combination of 400 and 600-level courses that enables candidates to study a broad range of topics in their general area of expertise.

The MEngSt is made up of 120 points:

• at least 75 points to be selected from courses from Schedule B of the Master of Engineering
• the remaining courses to be selected from Schedule C of the Master of Engineering.

Further study

Doctor of Philosophy

Career opportunities

Engineers specialising in earthquake assessment, strengthening and repairs are in high demand throughout New Zealand and overseas regions that are often prone to earthquake disasters.

Entry criteria

Candidates must normally have completed one of the following:

• Bachelor of Engineering with Honours with first or second class honours
• Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering with a GPA of 5 or more
• Bachelor of Science with Honours in appropriate subjects.

Relevance and standard of previous study is the main criteria for approval.

Students wishing to enrol in postgraduate study must have completed both the academic and non-academic requirements of the prerequisite degree. This includes practical work days, work reports, a workshop training course and a first aid certificate.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.