Civil and Environmental Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering

Overview

All facilities are built on, in, or with earth materials. As such, the science and engineering of soil and rock, and of the water and other fluids that permeate them, are critical for addressing national and global issues, including infrastructure construction and reconstruction, mitigation of natural hazards, and frontier exploration and development.

Geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil engineering that generally deals with problems involving soil and rock. Examples include the design of foundations for structures, tunneling, excavations, disposal of waste products by burial, dams, and a variety of similar earth-related topics.

The goal is to educate graduate students to become leaders in geotechnical engineering practice and academia. We strive to provide a broad and fundamental educational experience. 

To achieve these goals, we maintain a balance between research and teaching in our program. Theory and practice, experimental and analytical techniques, and traditional and cutting-edge ideas are integrated within our research and teaching.

Career Paths

The Civil and Environmental Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering program at Northwestern University is focused on preparing students for geotechnical engineering practice, while exposing them to geotechnical engineering research. Our PhD program is more research-oriented. 

The program is tailored to fit the interests and aspirations of the individual student. Some of our PhD graduates go into engineering practice, while others pursue careers in research or teaching.