Geotechnical engineering involves the study of soil and rock as engineering materials. It is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on other disciplines such as geology, mechanics, hydrology, structural engineering, seismology, construction, and environmental engineering. Among other things, geotechnical engineers design foundations, and dams, evaluate landslides potential and earthquake hazards, and remediate contaminated sites. Geotechnical engineers work for small and large consulting firms, government agencies, and large design firms.
Geotechnical engineering senior year faculty mentoring session recording
This is a general guide. Please consult your faculty mentor for more information.
Required courses
| CEE 436 | Foundation Design | 3 |
| CEE 440 | Professional Practice Studio | 2 |
| CEE 442 | Structural and Geotechnical Capstone, or another CEE capstone course options | 5 |
Strongly recommended courses
| CEE 452 | Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures | 3 |
Recommended courses
| CEE 378 | Structural Analysis | 5 |
| CEE 415 | Machine Learning for Civil Engineers | 4 |
| CEE 457 | Advanced Structures I | 3 |
| CEE 475 | Analysis Techniques for Groundwater Flow | 3 |
| CEE 477 | Open-Channel Flow | 3 |
| ESS 210 | Physical Geology | 5 |
| ESS 326 | Geomorphology | 5 |
| ESS 312 | Geochemistry | 5 |
| ESS 314 | Geophysics | 5 |
| ESS 412 | Introduction to Seismology | 3 |
| See also other Earth & Space Science (ESS) courses. | ||
For complete list of CEE courses, see Course Catalog.
Graduate level classes are also an option for undergraduate who have completed undergraduate offerings and have a special interest in geotechnical engineering. Consult with a transportation faculty member if you are interested in this option. Faculty permission and an add code is required to register for CEE 500-level classes. Submit the add code request online, note faculty permission and forward the email faculty approval to ceadvice@uw.edu.