Advanced Geotechnical Engineering with Industrial Practice MSc - 2025/6

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The school of Engineering / MSc Advanced Geotechnical Engineering with Industrial Practice is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital capabilities: Within their modules, students are supported to use fit-for-purpose digital capabilities and emerging tools, spanning from traditional structural analysis software and CAD tools to more advanced tools for design, visualisation, and communication purposes. Students will significantly enhance their use of word processing software for report writing, other important job/instrument-related software and the use of scientific databases for research. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity, based on placement company/industry, to work using a plethora of digital tools and communication devices. This will provide them with the latest training opportunities leading to the development of vital digital skills.

Employability: The application of geotechnical engineering Codes of Practice covered in this programme provides a strong foundation for work in professional teams dealing with geotechnical engineering problems. Students also develop teamwork skills while working as groups in laboratory. A year working in industry effectively develops a student¿s employability by giving them practical experience of the work environment and the expectations placed on them by their employer. A year working in industry allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in a work setting, further developing these skills. By working in a company or organisation, students gain a real understanding of the way that company or organisation operates and the challenges which it faces. Employers want to recruit graduates with practical knowledge and experience of their industry which students gain while on placement.

Global and cultural capabilities: Study of international codes of practice for foundation design will enhance global opportunities. Students will be exposed to geotechnical engineering case studies ranging across the globe, covering both developed and developing countries, providing a strong appreciation of priorities in different countries/continents. Cultural awareness is enhanced through facilitating online discussions via SurreyLearn with distance-learning students from around the world. Working in industry helps students to develop competencies to engage effectively with people from the different backgrounds encountered in the workplace. Each workplace has its own culture which a new employee or placement student has to adapt to if they are to do their job effectively. The ability to adapt to a workplace culture comes through experience. Students are supported by their placement tutor as they learn to adapt to the organisational culture of their placement company or organization.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Through the modules they study, students develop the ability to respond to problem-based tasks and provide viable solutions to realistic geotechnical engineering problems. They are encouraged to apply their engineering knowledge and judgement in proposing and evaluating solutions, identifying and correcting errors; and in building confidence by tackling open ended questions related to geotechnical engineering problems. Working in industry will develop a student¿s ability to respond effectively to opportunities, challenges, difficulties and setbacks. Students are supported by their placement tutor as they face these challenges and learn to how to respond to the needs of the placement company or organisation.

Sustainability: Throughout their studies, students are exposed to possible trade-offs, between economic, environmental and social, that need to be considered in solving geotechnical engineering problems; they reflect on how the design and operation of different infrastructure systems, including wind turbines and ground source heat pumps, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Applying theories, concepts and skills relating to sustainability development in the workplace develops a student¿s understanding of sustainability and its practical application to real world problems. During the year in placement students will be exposed to a different work environment/industry which will inevitably have some sustainability agenda that students will be able to engage with and understand thereby developing necessary sustainability skills. Likewise, their relocation may require some adjustments to their lifestyle which may lead to a more sustainable travel and leaving, skills well desired nowadays.