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NEW TRENDS IN THE CIVIL ENGINEERING EDUCATION
AT TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KOŠICE
Dean, Prof., Technical University of Kosice, Slovakia
Vice-dean of Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Study, Assoc. Prof.,
zuzana.vranayova@tuke.sk
1
2
Ingrid Senitkova1, Zuzana Vranayova2
Summary
The Civil Engineering Faculty, as part of the Technical University of Košice in Slovakia considers university education, science and research as its crucial part of its mission
and activities. Within the further development of educational process it is necessary to
improve the information technology continuously, as well as to extend and maintain cooperation between national and international institutions. The permanent interest of the
Faculty is to increase level of education on the base of scientific and research results. The
center of excellence aimed to intelligent structures, materials and technologies is needed
to be installed with respect to join the EU framework programs.
The study programs at the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Technical University of
Košice in Slovakia are presented in the paper related to new educational trends. The interdisciplinary approaches are characterized in study program – Structural and Indoor
Engineering. The bachelor, master and doctoral profile of graduates are described in this
paper.
1. Introduction
The Civil Engineering Faculty of the Technical university of Košice was
founded in 1977. It is one of the nine faculties of the University. The main aim
of the Faculty is to educate professional specialists for civil industrial trade and
research activities. The Faculty consists of three institutes: Institute of Structural
Engineering, Institute of Building and Environmental Engineering and Institute
of Civil Engineering Technologies, Economics and Management. The Institutes
are equipped with specialized laboratories.
The study at the Faculty is structured in three levels (bachelor, master and
doctoral). Nowadays the Faculty has more than 1 thousand students (811 students
in bachelor degree, 263 students in master and 62 students in doctoral degree)
and till this time more than 4.5 thousand students have graduated and obtained
civil engineer degree at the faculty.
The structure of study programs reflects the increased needs and requirements of basic spectrum practically-oriented and creative graduates with satisfactory theoretical knowledge. The Civil Engineering Faculty provides relevant
bachelor, master and doctoral level of the university study, as is required by practice and nowadays trends in the world. The studies in all study programs are
compatible with reference to the Association of European Civil Engineering Faculties.
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Bachelor study, in terms of its contents, is a comprehensive part of the university study. Graduates are given title of “Bachelor” (abbreviated “Bc.”).
Graduates of the engineering (master) study are given academic title of “Engineer” (abbreviated “Ing.”). Graduates of the PhD study are given scientificacademic title of “philosophiae doctor” (abbreviated “PhD.”). All three degrees
are completed by the state exams.
2. Study programs
The Civil Engineering faculty of technical university of Košice traditionally
provides the education on four study areas:
• Architectural Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Building Technology
• Environmental Engineering
These traditional areas are included in defined structure of study branches.
Within these branches the offered study programs are provided (Table 1). The
programs concerning to building and indoor engineering are realized in the
frame of one study branch Architectural Engineering. The programs concerning
to structural engineering and traffic engineering are also realized in the frame
of one study branch Structural and Traffic Engineering. The programs concerning to civil environmental engineering and environmental structures are realized in the frame of study branch Environmental Engineering. The programs
concerning to building technology, economy and management are realized in
the frame of the study branch Civil Engineering. The present trends in civil
engineering education at Technical university of Košice can be characterized
by interdisciplinary approaches. The new study programs (bachelor, master and
doctoral) Structural and Indoor Engineering (the last line in the Table) are educated within two study branches. The structural engineering is a part of study
branch Structural and Traffic Engineering and covers the half of study content.
The indoor engineering is a part of study branch Architectural Engineering and
covers second half of study content. The title of new study program in all three
levels is Structural and Indoor Engineering. The main aim of the study is building understanding from building construction, building materials and indoor
point of view. Static analysis, safety and reliability of masonry, concrete, steel
and timber structures are included in structural engineering part of study. The
building physics, energy and environmental performance of building constructions, HVAC systems are include in indoor engineering part of study. This program helps to understand the relationships between structural and indoor engineering and fulfill the present needs of changes in building engineering
education.
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6th AECEF Symposium in Vilnius, Lithuania, 28–30 May, 2008
Table 1. Civil Engineering Faculty study programs
Bachelor (Bc.)
Architectural and
Indoor Engineering
Structural and Traffic
Engineering
Civil Environmental
Engineering
Civil Engineering
Structural and Indoor
Engineering
STUDY PROGRAMS
Master (Ing.)
Doctoral (PhD.)
Architectural and Indoor Theory of Architectural and
Engineering
Indoor Engineering
Structural and Traffic
Theory and Design of StrucEngineering
tural Engineering
Environmental
Environmental Engineering
Structures
Construction Technol- Construction Technology
ogy
Structural and Indoor
Structural and Indoor
Engineering
Engineering
3. Profiles of graduates
3.1. Structural and Indoor Engineering bachelor program
Requirements of bachelor study programs have to meet at least two principal
aspects: to train professionally a bachelor for the civil engineering labor market,
and at the same time to give a bachelor a solid theoretical basis for further study
at next study levels.
The theoretical basis of the study lies in the natural sciences, especially the
physical and mathematical disciplines amplified in the filed of mechanics, including dynamics. These are developed further in the applied theoretical subjects,
i.e. in structural mechanics and in dimensioning concrete, steel and timber structures. A great emphasis is also put on taking advantage of computer technology.
Teaching design and execution of load bearing constructions, together with technological construction processes and economics, follows the acquisition of theoretical knowledge.
The graduate of this programme can identify, analyse and solve constructive
and static problems, technical, building physics and environmental problems of
civil engineering in niveau of conception preparation and constructive design and
make provision of obtained economical, managerial knowledge.
The bachelor’s degree program gives students a background into the exact
natural sciences together with the basics of economics, management and legislative sciences. The bachelor with interdisciplinary orientation in static, building
technical and environmental education is oriented into buildings problems and is
able to cooperate with all participants of build up and realisation of buildings and
with all specialists of architectural design documentation. Wide profile of absolvent fills up knowledge about business, legislative and management.
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3.2. Structural and Indoor Engineering master program
Degree master study in programme structural and indoor engineering enables
to graduates of this programme achieves to analyze, mathematical and physical to
model, experimental examine and technical create of buildings and their bearing
structures. To obtain a new knowledge for planning of bearing structures of
buildings and creation of architectural indoor space of building, also assumption
for planning in the first place static and environmental safe and secure buildings.
The students muss adopt modern methods of experimental research, computer simulation connected with creation of mathematical and physical models
concerning to suitable building creation and design, to be able build and develop
research entry to the problems of bearing structures and environmental engineering of buildings. They are able in team work to develop research perspective of
intelligent buildings.
Profile of absolvent touch to learning and based on the independent work at
the real projects controlled by the teachers individual or teams. It is percept as a
principled learning method for synthesis professional technique, knowledge, and
stand of graduates. Straight and personal intervention of teachers into process of
architectural and static creation of building structures and its space, also fruitful
discussion are essential part of education.
Students will get knowledge about architecture, structural engineering and
built environment, which gives them opportunity to have integrated approach to
solve problems.
Graduates acquire necessary practice of independent creative work, continuous lifelong learning and monitoring of worldwide technical development.
After gaining sufficient industrial experience graduates can work as consultant
for integrated building design, building energy, energy auditing, building services
design team leader, building company manager, government, local authorities.
They can also continue in doctoral programs.
3.3. Structural and Indoor Engineering doctoral program
The university’s graduates of the third post grade program of Structural and
indoor engineering have scientific knowledge of bearing construction design in
structural engineering and also theoretical knowledge of building and environmental engineering on the basis of obtained knowledge about actual state in solving this problems in our country and abroad too with accent on environmental
aspects. Absolvent of this program has ability to clear formulate of scientific research problem, object and goal of research and progress in branch of constructional creation of buildings, their static properties and to solve formulated problem with appreciation of social, ethic, law, and economical relations of research
work.
Obtain of primary knowledge for design of support construction building
and design of architectural environs of building; obtain condition for design of
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6th AECEF Symposium in Vilnius, Lithuania, 28–30 May, 2008
static and environmental safe building. The Doctoral Degree Program is offered
to civil engineers who wish to prepare for their future scientific research career.
The theoretical basis of the study lies in the natural sciences, especially the
physical and mathematical disciplines amplified in the filed of mechanics, including dynamics. These are developed further in the applied theoretical subjects,
i.e. in structural mechanics and in dimensioning concrete, steel and timber structures. A great emphasis is also put on taking advantage of computer technology.
Teaching design and execution of load bearing constructions, together with technological construction processes and economics, follows the acquisition of theoretical knowledge.
4. Conclusions
The structure of three levels study in Slovakia does not have tradition as the
network of secondary schools of civil engineering has been historically built very
well. There was a lot of discussion regarding to its implementation. Anyway perspective and well prepared study programs are going at the Faculty these days.
Some upgrading of study plans are discussed and realized every year by guarantors of study programs related to obtained experiences and knowledge. The doctoral students are included into research team and transform the results into education process continuously. Within the further educational process improvement
it is necessary to extend the information technology and information systems
continuously, as well as to extend and maintain co-operation between national
and international institutions. The center of excellence aimed to intelligent structures, materials and technologies is needed to be installed with respect to join the
EU framework programs. The permanent interest of the Faculty is to increase
level of education on the base of scientific and research results.
Based on introduced civil engineering educational system at Technical university of Košice it can see that crucial areas of civil engineering are covered
successfully. The new trends for the future are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach in university education. Still there are a number of actions that are
taken to improve the civil engineering education quality at Technical university
of Košice in Slovakia.