Graduate Certificate in Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering, 10 credit hours

The program consists of three signature courses:

• CEEN 523 Underground Construction Engineering in Soft Ground, 4.0
• MNGN 504 Underground Construction Engineering in Hard Rock, 3.0
• MNGN 509 Construction Engineering in Management, 3.0

Master of Science, Non-Thesis Option, 30 credit hours

• Coursework: 27 credit hours
  • The following 18 credit hours are required for MS and PhD degrees:
    • GEGN 468 Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, 4.0
    • GEGN 561 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 1, 0.5
    • GEGN 562 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 2, 0.5 
    • CEEN 523 Underground Construction Engineering in Soft Ground
    • MNGN 504 Underground Construction Engineering in Hard Rock, 3.0
    • CEEN 512 Soil Behavior, 3.0
    • MNGN 509 Construction Engineering in Management, 3.0
• Independent Study: 3.0 credit hours
  • Where possible, MS non-thesis students should complete a practically-focused independent study in partnership with an industry partner; this may include student participation in an industry internship on a UCTE project.
• UCTE Seminar: 0.0 credit hours
  • All MS students are required to attend the UCTE seminar series; no registration is required
• MS non-thesis students must complete a practically focused project, registering as an independent study in the home department of the faculty advisor. This requirement may be waived for students with sufficient UC&T industry experience.

Master of Science, Thesis Option, 30 credit hours

• Coursework: 24 credit hours
  • The following 18 credit hours are required for MS and PhD degrees:
    • GEGN 468 Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, 4.0
    • GEGN 561 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 1, 0.5
    • GEGN 562 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 2, 0.5 
    • CEEN 523 Underground Construction Engineering in Soft Ground
    • MNGN 504 Underground Construction Engineering in Hard Rock, 3.0
    • CEEN 512 Soil Behavior, 3.0
    • MNGN 509 Construction Engineering in Management, 3.0
• Research: 3.0 credit hours (minimum)
  • MS Thesis students must write and successfully defend a thesis report of their research. Ideally, MS thesis research should be industry-focused and should provide value to industry UCTE practice.
• UCTE Seminar: 0.0 credit hours
  • All MS students are required to attend the UCTE seminar series; no registration is required

Doctor of Philosophy, 72 credit hours

• Coursework: 42 credit hours
  • The following 18 credit hours are required for MS and PhD degrees:
    • GEGN 468 Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, 4.0
    • GEGN 561 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 1, 0.5
    • GEGN 562 Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 2, 0.5 
    • CEEN 523 Underground Construction Engineering in Soft Ground
    • MNGN 504 Underground Construction Engineering in Hard Rock, 3.0
    • CEEN 512 Soil Behavior, 3.0
    • MNGN 509 Construction Engineering in Management, 3.0
• Independent Study: 3.0 credit hours
  • PhD students are expected to complete an internship of approximately 3 months in duration (with a design firm, contractor, owner, equipment manufacturer, etc., and preferably on a UCTE job site). If an internship is not available or if the student has sufficient industry experience (determined by advisor and committee), the student may complete an industry-focused research project via independent study with a UCTE faculty member and industry partner culminating with a written report and presentation.
• Research: 24.0 credit hours (minimum)
  • PhD students must also successfully complete qualifying examinations, write and defend a dissertation proposal, and write and defend a doctoral dissertation. PhD research is aimed at fundamentally advancing the state of the art in UCTE. PhD students are expected to submit the dissertation work for publication in scholarly journals and disseminate findings throughout industry periodicals.
• UCTE Seminar: 0.0 credit hours
  • All PhD students are required to attend the UCTE seminar series; no registration is required
• PhD students must complete a practically-focused project (separate from the thesis), registering as an independent study in the home department of the faculty advisor. This requirement may be waived for students with sufficient UC&T industry experience.

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Required Coursework

GEGN 468. Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, 4.0

Application of geology to evaluation of construction, mining, and environmental projects such as dams, water ways, tunnels, highways, bridges, buildings, mine design, and land-based waste disposal facilities. Design projects including field, laboratory, and computer analysis are an important part of the course. Prerequisite: MNGN321 and CEEN312/CEEN312L. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours lab, 4 semester hours.

GEGN 561. Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 1, 0.5

This course provides students with hands-on experience with tools and skills which are commonly used in the underground construction industry. Bi-weekly labs integrate with other courses in the field of Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering. Co-requisites: CEEN513. 1.5 hours lab; 0.5 semester hours.

GEGN 562. Underground Construction Engineering Laboratory 2, 0.5

This course provides students with hands-on experience with tools and skills which are commonly used in the underground construction industry. Bi-weekly labs integrate with other courses in the field of Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering. Co-requisites: MNGN504 or CEEN523. 1.5 hours lab; 0.5 hours.

CEEN 523. Underground Construction Engineering in Soft Ground, 4.0

Design and construction of water, wastewater, transportation and utility tunnels, underground space and shafts/excavations in soft ground conditions (soil and weak rock). Addresses geotechnical site characterization, selection of design parameters, stability and deformation analysis of the ground and overlying structures, and construction methods. Includes design of temporary and permanent structural ground support according to ASD (allowable stress design) and LRFD (load resistance factor design) approaches, and design of ground improvement schemes and instrumentation/monitoring approaches to mitigate risk. This course requires post-graduate level knowledge of soil mechanics, fundamental understanding of engineering geology, and an undergraduate level knowledge of structural analysis and design. Prerequisites: CEEN513 and GEGN468. Co-requisites: GEGN562. 4 hours lecture; 4 semester hours.

MNGN 504. Underground Construction Engineering in Hard Rock, 3.0

This course is developed to introduce students to the integrated science, engineering, design and management concepts of engineered underground construction. The course will cover advanced rock engineering in application to underground construction, geological interpretation and subsurface investigations, equipment options and system selection for projects with realistic constraints, underground excavation initial support and final shotcrete/lining design, and approaches to uncertainty evaluation and risk assessment for underground construction projects. Team design projects and presentations will be required. Prerequisites: CEEN513. Co-requisites: GEGN562. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

CEEN 512. Soil Behavior, 3.0

The focus of this course is on interrelationships among the composition, fabric, and geotechnical and hydrologic properties of soils that consist partly or wholly of clay. The course will be divided into two parts. The first part provides an introduction to the composition and fabric of natural soils, their surface and pore-fluid chemistry, and the physico-chemical factors that govern soil behavior. The second part examines what is known about how these fundamental characteristics and factors affect geotechnical properties, including the hydrologic properties that govern the conduction of pore fluid and pore fluid constituents, and the geomechanical properties that govern volume change, shear deformation, and shear strength. The course is designed for graduate students in various branches of engineering and geology that are concerned with the engineering and hydrologic behavior of earth systems, including geotechnical engineering, geological engineering, environmental engineering, mining engineering, and petroleum engineering. When this course is cross-listed and concurrent with CEEN411, students that enroll in CEEN512 will complete additional and/or more complex assignments. Prerequisites: CEEN361 Soil Mechanics. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

Elective Coursework

CEEN 415. Foundation Engineering, 3.0

Techniques of subsoil investigation, types of foundations and foundation problems, selection of basis for design of foundation types. Open-ended problem solving and decision making. Prerequisite: CEEN312. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

CEEN 506. Finite Element Methods for Engineers, 3.0

A course combining finite element theory with practical programming experience in which the multidisciplinary nature of the finite element method as a numerical technique for solving differential equations is emphasized. Topics covered include simple structural elements, beams on elastic foundations, solid elasticity, steady state analysis and transient analysis. Some of the applications will lie in the general area of geomechanics, reflecting the research interests of the instructor. Students get a copy of all the source code published in the course textbook. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor.

CEEN 510. Advanced Soil Mechanics, 3.0

Advanced soil mechanics theories and concepts as applied to analysis and design in geotechnical engineering. Topics covered will include seepage, consolidation, shear strength, failure criteria and constitutive models for soil. The course will have an emphasis on numerical solution techniques to geotechnical problems by finite elements and finite differences. Prerequisites: A first course in soil mechanics. 3 Lecture Hours, 3 semester hours. Fall even years.

CEEN 541. Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures II, 3.0

Advanced problems in the analysis and design of concrete structures, design of slender columns; biaxial bending; two-way slabs; strut and tie models; lateral and vertical load analysis of multistory buildings; introduction to design for seismic forces; use of structural computer programs. Prerequisite: CEEN445. 3 hour lectures, 3 semester hours. Delivered in the spring of even numbered years.

CEEN 599. Independent Study, 0.5-6.0

GEGN 466. Groundwater Engineering, 3.0

Theory of groundwater occurrence and flow. Relation of groundwater to surface; potential distribution and flow; theory of aquifer tests; water chemistry, water quality, and contaminant transport. Prerequisites: Calc III (MATH213 or MATH223 or MATH224) and DiffEQ (MATH225 or MATH235) and GEGN351 or MEGN351. 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours.

GEGN 563. Applied Numerical Modelling for Geomechanics, 3.0

Course focuses on a comprehensive suite of numerical analysis techniques suited to geotechnical design with a focus on excavations in rock/soil and landslides. Finite element, finite difference, discrete/distinct element and boundary element methods are all discussed with hands-on application workshops using state-of-the-art geomechanics software. Analytical models and pre- and post- processing techniques suited to typical rock engineering problems are developed through assignments. Strength criteria and non-linear inelastic constitutive models for continuum plasticity, brittle fracture and discontinuum deformation are explored in detail. Projects involving real case histories are undertaken to highlight the application of and engineering judgment associated with numerical analysis for problems involving rockmasses. Prerequisites: GEGN468, MNGN321 or CEEN312. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

GEGN 573. Geological Engineering Site Investigation, 3.0

Methods of field investigation, testing, and monitoring for geotechnical and hazardous waste sites, including: drilling and sampling methods, sample logging, field testing methods, instrumentation, trench logging, foundation inspection, engineering stratigraphic column and engineering soils map construction. Projects will include technical writing for investigations (reports, memos, proposals, workplans). Class will culminate in practice conducting simulated investigations (using a computer simulator). 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

GEGN 581. Analytical Hydrology, 3.0

Introduction to the theory, and hydrological application of, probability, statistics, linear algebra, differential equations, numerical analysis, and integral transforms. The course will require more challenging assignments and exams commensurate with graduate credit. Prerequisites: GEGN467. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

GEGN 672. Advanced Geotechnics, 3.0

Practical analysis and application of techniques in weak rock engineering, ground-water control in construction, fluvial stabilization and control, earthquake hazard assessment, engineering geology in construction, engineering geology in dam investigation, and other current topics in geotechnics practice. Prerequisite: GEGN468, CEEN312, CEEN312L and MNGN321. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered alternate years.

GEGN 673. Advanced Geological Engineering Design

Application of geological principles and analytical techniques to solve complex engineering problems related to geology, such as mitigation of natural hazards, stabilization of earth materials, and optimization of construction options. Design tools to be covered will include problem solving techniques, optimization, reliability, maintainability, and economic analysis. Students will complete independent and group design projects, as well as a case analysis of a design failure. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered alternate years.

GEGN 599. Independent Study in Engineering Geology or Engineering Hydrogeology

MNGN 424. Mine Ventilation

Fundamentals of mine ventilation, including control of gas, dust, temperature, and humidity; ventilation network analysis and design of systems. Prerequisites: PEGN251 or MEGN351, CHGN209 or MEGN361, and MNGN314. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours lab; 3 semester hours.

MNGN 506. Design and Support of Underground Excavations

Design of underground excavations and support. Analysis of stress and rock mass deformations around excavations using analytical and numerical methods. Collections, preparation, and evaluation of insitu and laboratory data for excavation design. Use of rock mass rating systems for site characterization and excavation design. Study of support types and selection of support for underground excavations. Use of numerical models for design of shafts, tunnels and large chambers. Prerequisite: none. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered in odd years.

MNGN 507. Advanced Drilling and Blasting

An advanced study of the theories of rock penetration including percussion, rotary, and rotary percussion drilling. Rock fragmentation including explosives and the theories of blasting rock. Application of theory to drilling and blasting practice at mines, pits, and quarries. Prerequisite: MNGN407. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered in odd years.

MNGN 524. Advanced Mine Ventilation

Advanced topics of mine ventilation including specific ventilation designs for various mining methods, ventilation numerical modeling, mine atmosphere management, mine air cooling, prevention and ventilation response to mine fires and explosions, mine dust control. Prerequisites: MNGN424 Mine Ventilation. Lecture and Lab Contact Hours: 3 hours lecture; 3 semester credit hours.

MNGN 590. Mechanical Excavation in Mining

This course provides a comprehensive review of the existing and emerging mechanical excavation technologies for mine development and production in surface and underground mining. The major topics covered in the course include: history and development of mechanical excavators, theory and principles of mechanical rock fragmentation, design and performance of rock cutting tools, design and operational characteristics of mechanical excavators (e.g. continuous miners, roadheaders, tunnel boring machines, raise drills, shaft borers, impact miners, slotters), applications to mine development and production, performance prediction and geotechnical investigations, costs versus conventional methods, new mine designs for applying mechanical excavators, case histories, future trends and anticipated developments and novel rock fragmentation methods including water jets, lasers, microwaves, electron beams, penetrators, electrical discharge and sonic rock breakers. Prerequisite: Senior or graduate status. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered in odd years.

MNGN 599. Independent Study

*Allowance for fees based on mandatory fees charged to all students. Does not include fees for orientation, library, yearbook, refrigerator rental, voice messaging, ect.

At less than 4.5 credit hours, you may be ineligible for financial aid.