Geotechnical engineering emphasizes fundamental principles of mechanics, materials, engineering geology, computational analysis and analysis of uncertainty that lay the basis for dealing with the challenging geotechnical engineering problems of the future. The major areas of research are soft-ground construction, underground construction, constitutive modeling, fundamentals of material behavior, stability of natural rock slopes, pile foundations, applications of probability and decision theory, in situ testing, mining geotechnics, contaminant transport, earthquake engineering, and centrifuge model testing. Structure and materials gives students a broad understanding of the behavior of structures and the materials from which they are made. In the academic program, emphasis is placed on structural mechanics, mechanical behavior of construction materials, and the design of structural systems. Additional subjects in numerical methods and condition assessment in engineering are also recommended.
Research reflects a wide range of methodological and substantive interests.
The interdepartmental degree of Master of Science in Transportation is offered in cooperation with the Center for Transportation Studies. Virtually all civil engineering students studying transportation at the master's level are enrolled in this interdepartmental program, although the Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree is also available for those students whose educational objectives are better served by that program. A wide selection of subjects and research opportunities is offered in the area of Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Coastal Engineering . These include theoretical and applied fluid mechanics, hydrodynamics of wave motion, beach erosion and coastal sediment problems, wave interaction in harbors and offshore structures, estuary and coastal circulation and water quality, energy extraction from waves and the ocean thermal gradient, economic development, and environmental impact assessment in the coastal zone. Related subjects in oceanography and ocean engineering are offered by other MIT departments and at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.