Geotechnical Engineering Courses
Undergraduate Level
CE-ENGIN 320: Soil Mechanics
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Properties of soil used in engineering including: soil classification; compaction; swelling and
shrinkage; permeability and seepage; consolidation; strength and stiffness; and implications of
soil for civil engineering design.
Prerequisite: CEE 241. Corequisite: CEE 357.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 365 : CEE Laboratory
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With lab. Experimental techniques and measurements for materials, soil properties, fluid
mechanics, and environmental engineering. Laboratory reports.
Prerequisite: CEE 241. Corequisites: CEE 320, 357, 370; ENGL 351.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 421: Foundation Engineering
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Methods of site investigation; drilling and sampling procedures; in situ testing techniques; design
of shallow and deep foundation systems for bearing capacity and settlement. Design project, a
written engineering report.
Prerequisite: CEE 320.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 423: Engineering Geology (with lab)
Interpretation of geology for the purpose of planning, siting, design, and construction of
engineered facilities. Includes an overview of geology, engineering geologic mapping, and
specific consideration of engineering applications such as dams, reservoirs, and tunnels.
Prerequisite: CEE 320.
4 units min / 4 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 486: Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Project
Team designs of comprehensive civil engineering projects. Includes economic factors, feasibility
studies, consideration of alternative solutions, detail analysis and design, oral and written reports.
Ethics and professionalism.
Prerequisites: CEE 310, 320, 331, and 433 or 434.
4 units min / 4 units max, Lecture
Graduate Level
CE-ENGIN 523: Ground Improvement
Topics of engineered ground improvement; slurry trenches; dewatering systems; grouting; deep
dynamic compaction; vibro compaction; stone columns; wick and vertical sand drains.
Emphasizes basic principles and design methodology.
Prerequisite: CEE 320.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 525: Environmental Geotechnology
Geotechnical engineering related to environmental issues. Topics include: site investigation
techniques for environmental drilling; site instrumentation procedures; groundwater sampling
procedures; groundwater sampling methods; methods of evaluating in situ and laboratory
hydraulic conductivity for use in design; design of containment facilities; and current methods
for addressing subsurface environmental problems. Written engineering reports.
Prerequisite: CEE 320.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 605: Finite Element Analysis
Introduction to finite element method in engineering science. Derivation of element equations by
physical, variational, and residual methods. Associated computer coding techniques and
numerical methods. Applications.
Prerequisites: programming ability, ordinary differential equations, basic matrix algebra. Same
as M E 605.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 620: Soil Behavior and Shear Strength
Fundamentals of soil behavior, soil mineralogy and structure, soil stresses, stress-strain-strength
behavior of cohesionless and cohesive soils, consolidation behavior of saturated soils, and
determination of consolidation and strength parameters in practice.
Prerequisite: CEE 320.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 622: Geotechnical Material Testing
Experimental investigation of the fundamental aspects of soil behavior including classification,
index and engineering properties. Emphasizes experimental determination of the consolidation
and stress-strain-strength characteristics of soils for design. Experiments include: classification
and basic index tests, hydraulic conductivity, consolidation, triaxial tests and direct simple shear.
Prerequisites: CEE 320 and 620.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 623: Advanced Foundations Design
Geotechnical analysis and design related to shallow and deep foundations. Topics include: site
investigations, bearing capacity theory, analysis and design of shallow spread footings, isolated
pads and mat foundations; total stress and effective stress design of drilled shaft and driven pile
foundations. Emphasis on the presentation of designs in a formal geotechnical report.
Prerequisite: CEE 620.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 625: In Situ Testing
The theoretical and practical aspects of in situ tests in geotechnical engineering. Tests discussed
include: Standard Penetration Test, Field Vane, Piezocone, Dilatometer, Pressuremeter, and
Borehole Shear. Emphasis on use of in situ test results for determining engineering properties of
soil for design.
Corequisite: CEE 620.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 660 : Subsurface Hydraulics
The transport of water through the unsaturated and saturated zone using rigorous mathematical
theory, analytical solutions, and numerical computer models. Topics include hydraulic properties
of unsaturated soils, infiltration, confined and unconfined aquifer flow, consolidations, and well
flow.
Prerequisites: Math 431 and Cmpsci 123 or equivalent.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 679: Engineering Project
For students enrolled in the M.S. Professional Practice option. Principles and techniques
involved in the design of an engineered facility. May not be taken by those selecting CEE 689 or
699. Credit, 1-5.
1 units min / 5 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 689: Master's Project
Research carried out and reported under supervision of student's adviser as partial fulfillment of
requirements for Master's degree in civil engineering or Master's degree in environmental
engineering. May not be taken by those taking CEE 679 Engineering Report or CEE 699
Master's Thesis. Credit, 1-6.
1 units min / 6 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 699: Masters Thesis
Research carried out and reported under supervision of student's research adviser as partial
fulfillment of requirements for Master's degree in civil engineering or Master's degree in
environmental engineering. May not be taken by those taking CEE 679 Engineering Project or
CEE 689 Master's Project. Credit, 1-6.
1 units min / 6 units max, Dissertation/Thesis
CE-ENGIN 722: Computational & Numerical Methods In Geotechnical Soil Dynamics
Computer and numerical methods in soil mechanics, consolidation, seepage, slope stability,
stress distribution, and finite element analysis.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 724 : Soil Dynamics
Dynamic behavior of soils with application to problems of seismic survey, measurement of
dynamic soil properties, foundation vibration and performance under earthquake loading.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 728 : Geotechnical Instrumentation
Design, selection, and use of instrumentation for geotechnical engineering purposes. Laboratory
and field instrumentation considered. Topics include: purpose of instrumentation, planning
projects, procurement of instruments and services, measuring devices, and examples of
applications. Lab demonstration.
3 units min / 3 units max, Lecture
CE-ENGIN 899: Ph.D. Dissertation
1 unit min / 9 units max, Dissertation/Thesis