Geological engineering is the application of geological knowledge to the siting, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of civil engineering structures and facilities. It is one of the rapidly growing fields of engineering reflecting societies developing interest in the stewardship of the environment, managing risk, and creating a safer world. The profession has a direct impact on the foundation of the Canadian economy, which is built upon the exploration and development of its vast natural resources in a sustainable manner that protects them for the benefit of future generations. Geological engineers provide the expertise to develop mines, petroleum reservoirs (oil and natural gas), hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, groundwater and surface water resources, as well as building and managing the necessary infrastructure to bring the resulting commodities to market. The geological engineering profession shares common roots with that of civil engineering and earth sciences, and is an interdisciplinary plan at the University of Waterloo involving the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science, respectively.
The field of geological engineering encompasses a wide range of activities and issues including the geological characterization of complex foundations of major buildings and structures, development of natural resources (mining, water, hydroelectricity, forestry, oil, and gas), the engineering safety of major infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, offshore drilling platforms, pipelines, roads, and railways), and the assessment of geohazard risk (landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the stability of natural dams). It also includes aspects of such fields as project finance and insurance, forensic geological engineering, and the application of geological knowledge to the repair and preservation of cultural heritage sites. In step with civil engineering, geological engineering has evolved into an extremely diverse field as the demands of society have evolved, providing opportunities for graduates in many areas of application. The application of computers and electronic instrumentation has revolutionized the practice of geological engineering. Consequently, our curriculum is being constantly reviewed in order to produce graduate engineers who can use advanced tools to solve complex problems.
Geological engineering is an attractive discipline for students who wish to pursue the challenge of combining the complexity of nature and engineering design, who are interested in the physical mechanics of the earth’s surface, and who enjoy travel and the outdoors. The subject has seamless transitions to geotechnical engineering and engineering geology.
The Geological Engineering curriculum at the University of Waterloo delivers a diverse set of core courses that provide the necessary fundamentals in mathematics, geology, and civil engineering. Geological Engineering also offers the opportunity to take electives from the fields of the social sciences and humanities. Technical electives can be chosen to develop a focus in the following areas.
Geology
Studies the Earth, its structure and composition, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have affected and continue to shape this planet over a variety of time scales. Enhanced training in geology leads to exploration for natural resources (minerals, oil, and gas), environmental protection, identifying geological hazards, and understanding global climate change.
Geophysics
Develops technical skills for students to use instrumentation (seismic, electromagnetic, resistivity, gravity, etc.) in order to explore for minerals, and oil and gas reservoirs. Strategies are also presented to adapt these techniques to groundwater resource evaluation and subsurface contaminant monitoring. Non-destructive methodologies are also presented to assess the physical state of infrastructure to optimize operation and maintenance activities.
Geotechnical Engineering
Familiarizes students with the engineering properties of soils and rocks, the fundamentals of soil and rock mechanics, and the application of geotechnical data and concepts to: the design of foundation elements, soil and rock retaining structures and excavations, and the stability of soil and rock embankments and slopes. The specific focus is on the design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure located on or below the earth's surface and geotechnical aspects of geohazards.
Hydrogeology
Integrates geological knowledge with the principles of subsurface fluid flow, contaminant migration, geochemistry, mathematics, and physics in order to understand and protect groundwater resources. Applications of hydrogeology include the search for groundwater supplies, assessment and remediation of soil and groundwater contamination due to industrial, agricultural, and mining practices, and conducting watershed studies to assess environmental impacts due to urban and rural activities.
Geological Engineering Curriculum
The Geological Engineering curriculum is designed to enhance the students' knowledge in topics associated with earth processes. Hence, the Geological Engineering student will have a deep knowledge of details such as the mineralogical structure and associated mechanical and fluid conductance properties of various types of soils and rocks, and their genesis and evolution due to mechanisms such as weathering, deposition and metamorphism, and weathering. These details enable the geological engineer to significantly expand upon and utilize the focused knowledge gained from these areas of focus in practice.
Canada has a global reach in geological engineering and professional job prospects upon graduation are excellent. Employment opportunities for geological engineers are available in the areas of petroleum geology and engineering, geohazard characterization and risk assessment (especially landslides), mining geology and mine design, foundations engineering and buried infrastructure, groundwater and surface water management, geophysics, coastal engineering and granular material supply. An increasing amount of activity lies in the geotechnical investigations associated with mine development, geomechanical aspects of petroleum recovery (both conventional and unconventional, such as tar sands development and in-situ heavy oil extraction), and in the field of landslide hazard assessment and remediation. Geotechnical expertise is also required in infrastructure projects, particularly in capital works and operation and maintenance activities associated with tunnels, roads, railways, buildings, airports, shorelines, underground storage, and waste disposal facilities. The geological engineer focusing in hydrogeology and subsurface fluid flow can become involved in environmental site evaluation, groundwater resource management and contaminated site restoration, and geothermal and petroleum resource exploration and development.
Academic Curriculum
Legend
| Key |
Description |
| CSE |
Complementary Studies Elective course |
| TE |
Technical Elective course |
Term 1A (Fall)
Term 1B (Spring)
Term 2A (Winter)
Term 2B (Fall)
Term 3A (Spring)
3A Technical Elective List
Term 3B (Winter)
- EARTH 333 Introductory Sedimentology
- EARTH 390 Methods in Geological Mapping [Note: This course is offered after winter term exams are finished in April. It is two weeks long, finishing before the spring term begins. Additional field trip fees will apply.]
- EARTH 437 Rock Mechanics
- EARTH 438 Engineering Geology
- ENVE 382 Hydrology and Open Channel Flow
- GEOE 399 Seminar
- CSE 3 Approved Complementary Studies Elective
Term 4A (Fall)
- GEOE 354 Geotechnical Engineering 2
- GEOE 400 Geological Engineering Design Project 1
- GEOE 498 Seminar
- WKRPT 400 Work-term Report
- TE 2 Approved Technical Elective
- TE 3 Approved Technical Elective
- TE 4 Approved Technical Elective
4A Technical Elective List
Term 4B (Winter)
- GEOE 391 Law and Ethics for Environmental and Geological Engineers (List D-Other CSE)
- GEOE 401 Geological Engineering Design Project 2
- GEOE 499 Seminar
- GEOE 554 Geotechnical Engineering 3
- TE 5 Approved Technical Elective
- TE 6 Approved Technical Elective
4B Technical Elective List
Electives
Each student is responsible for selecting their own combination of electives, in keeping with their ultimate career objectives after graduation. The combination must satisfy the requirements of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), which meet engineering accreditation requirements such that students are eligible to count their undergraduate education towards a professional engineering license. This includes having to meet minimum requirements in mathematics, natural sciences, engineering sciences, engineering design, and complementary studies.
Exceptions to courses on the Faculty of Engineering CSE lists and the Geological Engineering TE and Specialization lists require the approval of the CEE associate chair undergraduate studies. Some courses of interest may require prerequisite knowledge that is not part of the core curriculum in Geological Engineering. Students may require extra courses or may need to seek enrolment approval from the course instructor if the prerequisites have not been satisfied.
Complementary Studies Elective
Three complementary studies elective (CSE) courses must be taken in approved non-technical subjects. The CSEs are in addition to those courses which are part of the core curriculum and contain complementary studies material, such as ENGL 191/SPCOM 191 (List D), GEOE 391 (List D), and GEOE 392 (List B). The CSE courses are organized on a Faculty basis and detailed in this Calendar, under the Complementary Studies in the Faculty of Engineering page. The three CSE courses are to be chosen according to the following constraints:
- One course from List A-Impact Courses
- Two courses from List C-Humanities and Social Sciences Courses
Technical Electives
Students are required to complete six technical elective (TE) courses by choosing from the 3A, 4A, and 4B TE lists provided above. Note that the offering of these courses is contingent upon sufficient demand and/or available teaching resources. There may be courses added and changes made to the content, term of offering, or meet times from what is listed. Special Topics Courses (GEOE 495 and GEOE 497) are offered as resources and faculty availability permit. Further information is available from the CEE Undergraduate Office or CEE website.
Specializations
The Faculty of Engineering recognizes specializations with the Geological Engineering BASc degree. Students who satisfy the specialization requirements (courses and grades) will have the specialization designation shown on their transcript and diploma. Specializations are intended to recognize success in a concentration of electives within the Geological Engineering degree specification. In other words, specializations focus the selection of electives required for the base degree and do not require extra courses.
The Geological Engineering plan has three specializations recognized by the Faculty of Engineering. Each specialization requires students to select technical electives with a common theme. Students are responsible for meeting the TE requirements of the Geological Engineering degree when pursuing a specialization. Each specialization requires the successful completion of a minimum number of TEs specified by the specialization with a minimum average of 60%. Students must declare a specialization for it to be recognized as part of their degree and appear on the transcript and diploma.
The specialization course requirements are provided below. Exceptions to the listed courses require the approval of the CEE associate chair, undergraduate studies.
Geology Specialization
The Geology Specialization course requirements are:
- EARTH 221 Geochemistry 1 (3A TE) and EARTH 471 Mineral Deposits (4B TE).
- At least two TEs from the list below.
| Course |
Title |
Term |
TE List |
| EARTH 331 |
Volcanology and Igneous Petrology |
F |
4A |
| EARTH 332 |
Metamorphic Petrology |
W |
4A |
| EARTH 342 |
Geomorphology and GIS Application |
F |
4A |
| EARTH 421 |
Geochemistry 2 |
F |
4A |
| EARTH 435 |
Advanced Structural Geology |
W |
4B |
Hydrogeology Specialization
The Hydrogeology Specialization course requirements are:
- EARTH 221 Geochemistry 1 (3A TE).
- At least three TEs from the list below.
Soil, Rock and Structures Specialization
The Soil, Rock and Structures Specialization course requirements are:
- CIVE 205 Solid Mechanics 2 (3A TE).
- At least three TEs from the list below.
| Course |
Title |
Term |
TE List |
| CIVE 303 |
Structural Analysis |
W |
4B |
| CIVE 306 |
Mechanics of Solids 3 |
F |
4A |
| CIVE 310 |
Introduction to Structural Design |
F |
4A |
| CIVE 422 or |
Finite Element Analysis or |
W |
4B |
| ME 559 |
Finite Element Methods |
F,S |
4A |
| CIVE 542 |
Pavement Structural Design |
W |
4B |
| EARTH 435 |
Advanced Structural Geology |
W |
4B |
Faculty Options
The Faculty of Engineering recognizes options within the BASc degree. Students who satisfy the option requirements (courses and grades) will have the option designation shown on their transcript and diploma. Options are intended to recognize success in a field of study outside of the basic degree. Consequently, students must usually take extra courses to complete an option.
Options recently completed by students in Geological Engineering are the Environmental Engineering Option, Management Sciences Option, and Physical Sciences Option. Complete details of designated options available to engineering students are provided in this Calendar in the section entitled Options, Specializations and Electives for Engineering Students.
Accelerated Master’s Program in Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering offers an Accelerated Master’s Program. See Accelerated Master’s Programs section for details.