Master’s Programme in Civil Engineering Programplan

The Master's Degree Programme in Civil Engineering is a full-time course of study over two years (120 credits). The programme represents a continuation and specialisation in relation to the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Civil Engineering

The master's degree programme is designed to meet the national conditions for use of the Norwegian term “sivilingeniør” added to the master´s title.

The programme provides in-depth study and specialisations in the fields of Structural Engineering, Building Technology, Transport Infrastructure Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering and Smart Water Engineering.

Structural Engineering covers the analysis, calculation and design of load-bearing structures and structural systems.

Building Technology covers the analysis, performance, sustainable design and rehabilitation of buildings, including facades and building envelopes.

Transport Infrastructure Engineering covers the analysis, calculation and design of modern and future-oriented infrastructure systems as well as smart monitoring and management of existing infrastructure systems.

Geotechnical Engineering covers the properties of soil (sand, silt and clay) in terms of construction technology, and the analysis, calculation, design and monitoring of foundations, excavations and fill, retaining structures, and the assessment of slope stability and the risk of land slides.

Smart Water Engineering covers the design, monitoring, analysis, control and risk management in urban water processes and hydraulic infrastructure.

One of the major challenges to sustainable development is climate change. Rising average temperatures, increased precipitation, and more frequent extreme weather events expose buildings, infrastructure, offshore structures, and other installations to greater and more unpredictable stresses. At the same time, society and public authorities are placing increasing demands on environmentally friendly and sustainable design in the built environment. To adequately dimension and design buildings and infrastructure for future conditions, there is a growing need for engineers at the master’s degree level in civil engineering who possess not only strong technical expertise, but also a solid understanding of climate- and environment-related challenges relevant to the field.

Candidates holding a master's degree in Civil Engineering have expertise that is in high demand in both the private and public sector. The most relevant employers are consulting engineering firms, contractors, construction clients, municipalities and research institutes. The Master's Degree in Civil Engineering can also qualify students for further studies at the doctoral degree level.

Students who complete the programme will be awarded the degree “Master´s Degree in Civil Engineering”, with one of the following programme options:

-Structural Engineering

-Building Technology

-Transport Infrastructure Engineering

-Geotechnical Engineering

-Smart Water Engineering

The master's degree is awarded in accordance with Section 3 of the Regulations concerning Requirements for the Master's Degrees, issued by the Ministry of Education and Research. Graduates from the programme can use the additional Norwegian designation sivilingeniør.

Selvstudier, forelesninger, workshop, digitale læringsressurser, gruppearbeid, seminarer med fremlegg, og simulering og ferdighetstrening.

Deler av undervisningen er organisert som omvendt undervisning. Digitale læringsressurser vil bli gjort tilgjengelig på forhånd.

Hjemmeeksamen i gruppe.

• Gruppe på 3-5 studenter.
• 3 dager.
• Omfang: 2500 ord (+/- 10 %).
• Individuell beskrivelse av eget bidrag i gruppen legges ved oppgaven, 350 ord (+/-10 %).

Alle hjelpemidler er tillatt så lenge regler for kildehenvisning følges.

The programme is a full-time programme over two years that consists of 90 credits lecture-based component and an independent 30 credit project - the master's thesis.

Content

The master's degree programme is profession-oriented and adapted to meet the building construction and infrastructure industry and society's need for up-to-date and forward-looking expertise in Structural Engineering, Building Technology, Transport Infrastructure Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering and Smart Water Engineering.

Structural Engineering covers the analysis, calculation and design of load-bearing structures and structural systems. Bridges, quays, offshore installations and other large building structures are exposed to great loads combined with environmental and climate impacts. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to determine load effects (stress and strain) in the different parts of such complex structures. The study programme focuses on providing the students with solid, theoretical knowledge and applied skills in linear and non-linear FEM analysis, design of structures and structural systems, and service life dimensioning and service life extension of structures. Theory and applied skills are taught in the courses MABY4100 Finite Element Method in Structural Analysis, MABY4400 Structural Analysis and Design, MABY4800 Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Structures and MABY4500 Sustainable Concrete Structures. Behaviour of structures under dynamic loads is covered in the course MABY5200 Structural Dynamics.

Building Technology covers the analysis, calculation, design and rehabilitation of the body of the building, including facades and building envelopes. Climate change and increased focus on resource use and environmental impacts thereby also entail a greater focus on the choice of materials and climate adaptation in connection with the design of buildings. The study programme focuses on providing students with more detailed knowledge of building physics processes, principles and methods, and an understanding of the importance of the choice of building materials and components in the design of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, climate-resilient buildings. Here, life-cycle assessment (LCA), sustainability considerations, and data-driven methods, including artificial intelligence, are important tools for decision-making related to materials and building solutions. Theory and applied skills are taught in the courses MABY4200 Building Physics and Climate Adaptation of Buildings, MABY4700 Life Cycle Assessment for Built Environment, MABY4600 Digital Twin-Driven AI for Sustainable Building Design, MABY4900 Timber Building Engineering and MABY5070 Rehabilitation of buildings. Computational fluid dynamics in and around buildings as well as structures are covered in the course MAEN4300 Fluid Dynamics and Computational Methods.

Transport Infrastructure Engineering covers the analysis, calculation, design and management of transport infrastructure systems. Roadways and railways are typical transport infrastructure systems and they must be well designed and managed to provide safe and resilient support to traffic that is ever-changing with the advancement in the transport technology and increase in societal demand for multi-modal future-oriented transportation forms. Besides, existing transport infrastructure systems also need to be taken care of to ensure safe functionality. This specialization is built upon theory and applied skills in the field of transport infrastructure engineering. the courses cover a range of topics, including SMUA4200 Traffic Engineering and Intelligent Transport Systems, MABY5030 Advanced Pavement Design and Rehabilitation, MABY5040 Advanced Railway Engineering and MABY5080 Predictive Maintenance. In addition, important knowledge and skills of sustainability assessment are offered in the common course of MABY4700 Life Cycle Assessment for Built Environment and students have the possibility to also choose courses within relevant Civil Engineering topics.

Geotechnical Engineering covers engineering behaviours of earth materials such as soils and rocks to find solutions for various engineering problems. It is typically linked with hydrological, geological, and geophysical engineering. Geotechnical Engineering is not only applicable to Civil Engineering but also to Mining Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Offshore Structures and Foundations. Compared with other Civil Engineering directions, the tasks of a Geotechnical Engineer comprise more site-based field investigation and laboratory testing to classify relevant properties of geomaterials with large variations to engineering design. This specification is fundamentally built upon the deep understanding of soil mechanics which is taught in the course MABY5410 Advanced Soil Mechanics. This course provides a conceptual model for soil classification, covers soil mechanics for simple but widely applied models to the advanced framework and also highlights their engineering applications and typical state of art technics applied in this field. After this course, MABY5420 Geotechnical Site Investigation and Ground Modelling, MABY5440 Geotechnical Models and Simulations, MABY5460 Environmental Geotechnics, MABY5450 Urban Geotechnics, and MABY5430 Foundation Solutions will follow. This study specialisation provides students with the ability to handle tasks through all phases of geotechnical designs; from site investigation and soil testing, to proposed engineering solutions, to design validation at the end, based on solid theoretical knowledge.

Smart Water Engineering covers the analysis, design and management of urban water resource processes and infrastructure. Water is an essential resource with strong links to energy and food production and urban water systems represent one of the largest water pollutant sources globally. Implementing state-of-the-art and innovative technology rather than conventional resource intensive ones is key to adapt in the future. As we move towards a hyper-connected urban infrastructure, data collection, decision support and process control form the need for future practitioners within Smart Water Engineering. This specialization extends on the existing programme in Civil Engineering, offering the common courses of MABY4700 Life Cycle Assessment for Built Environment, MAEN4300 Fluid Dynamics and Computational Methods, SMUA4600 Geophysical Information Systems, MABY5050 Smart Infrastructure and Asset management and MABY5060 Managing Infrastructure Projects. The study specialisation focuses on providing students with solid, theoretical knowledge and applied skills in the field of Smart Water Engineering taught in the courses MABY5315 Urban Water Technology, MABY5330 Water Resource Recovery Technology, MABY5345 Water Infrastructure and Sensor Network and MABY5360 Design and Optimisation Projects.

Students are enrolled in one of the study directions from semester one.

Projects in the Built Environment are increasingly complex and interdisciplinary. The study programme focuses on teaching students how to use advanced computer programs and simulation tools to solve complex problems relating to their study directions.

The study programme also aims to qualify candidates with the competence to participate in research work in the field. All the courses taught in the second semester therefore include an element of research at different levels. The course MAEN5300 Research Methods and Ethics underpins the master's thesis and provides an introduction to research methods, ethics, and academic writing and dissemination of results.

The master's thesis, MABY5900, will give the students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to relevant issues through more comprehensive project work. It is an independent scientific or industrial project conducted by students under minimal supervision in the core areas of the field, and represents further specialisation in either Structural Engineering, Building Technology, Transport Infrastructure Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering or Smart Water Engineering. MABY5900 builds upon the foundational work of MABY5000 Civil Engineering Seminars and Projects.

The structure of the programme

The master's degree programme consists of mandatory courses, elective courses and a master's thesis. The course portfolio is composed so that mandatory courses ensure academic and professional breadth, at the same time as the students are given an opportunity for in-depth study and specialisation through elective courses and the master's thesis.

Specialisation in the field of ‘Structural Engineering’ - STE requires the students to choose, in addition to the mandatory courses:

In the second semester, one of the following four elective courses:

MABY4600 Digital Twin-Driven AI for Sustainable Building Design (10 credits)

MABY4900 Timber Building Engineering (10 credits)

MABY5030 Advanced Pavement Design and Rehabilitation (10 credits)

MABY5040 Advanced Railway Engineering (10 credits)

In the third semester, at least one course from the following two mandatory-elective courses:

MABY4500 Sustainable Concrete Structures (10 credits)

MABY5200 Structural Dynamics (10 credits)

and one from the following 4 elective courses

MAEN4300 Fluid Dynamics and Computational Methods (10 credits)

MABY5050 Smart Infrastructure and Asset Management (10 credits)

MABY5060 Managing Infrastructure Projects (10 credits)

MABY5070 Rehabilitation of Buildings (10 credits)

Specialisation in the field of ‘Building Technology’ - BIT requires the students to choose, in addition to the mandatory courses:

In the second semester, one of the following four elective courses:

MABY4400 Structural Analysis and Design (10 credits)

MABY4800 Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Structures (10 credits)

MABY5030 Advanced Pavement Design and Rehabilitation (10 credits)

MABY5040 Advanced Railway Engineering (10 credits)

In the third semester, one of the following five elective courses:

MABY4500 Sustainable Concrete Structures (10 credits)

MABY5200 Structural Dynamics (10 credits)

MAEN4300 Fluid Dynamics and Computational Methods (10 credits)

MABY5050 Smart Infrastructure and Asset Management (10 credits)

MABY5060 Managing Infrastructure Projects (10 credits)

In this way, students in both specialisations, i.e. STE and BIT, get the opportunity to choose some from the ‘Transport Infrastructure Engineering’ elective courses (max. 1 per semester, i.e. in second and third semesters)

Specialisation in the field of ‘Transport Infrastructure Engineering’ - ITS requires the students to choose, in addition to the mandatory courses:

In the first semester, one course from the following two elective courses:

MABY4100 Finite Element Method in Structural Analysis (10 credits)

MABY5420 Geotechnical Site Investigation and Ground Modelling (10 credits)

In the second semester, at least two courses from the following three mandatory-elective courses:

MABY5030 Advanced Pavement Design and Rehabilitation (10 credits)

MABY5040 Advanced Railway Engineering (10 credits)

MABY5080 Predictive Maintenance (10 credits)

and one course from the following three elective courses:

MABY4400 Structural Analysis and Design (10 credits)

SMUA4400 Transport Modelling and Analytics (10 credits)

SMUA4600 Geographical Information Systems (10 credits)

In the third semester, two courses from the following four elective courses:

MABY4500 Sustainable Concrete Structures (10 credits)

MABY5200 Structural Dynamics (10 credits)

MABY5050 Smart Infrastructure and Asset Management (10 credits)

MABY5060 Managing Infrastructure Projects (10 credits)

Specialisation in the field of `Geotechnical Engineering´ - GEO requires the students to choose, in addition to the mandatory courses

In the second semester, one course from the following five elective courses:

MABY4400 Structural Analysis and Design (10 credits)

MABY4800 Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Structures (10 credits)

MABY5030 Advanced Pavement Design and Rehabilitation (10 credits)

MABY5040 Advanced Railway Engineering (10 credits)

MABY5080 Predictive Maintenance (10 credits)

In the third semester, one course from the following five courses:

MABY4100 Finite Element Method in Structural Analysis (10 credits)

MABY5000 Civil Engineering Seminars and Projects (10 credits)

MABY5050 Smart Infrastructure and Asset Management (10 credits)

MABY5060 Managing Infrastructure Projects (10 credits)

MABY5200 Structural Dynamics (10 credits)

All courses in the `Smart Water Engineering´ - SWAPIE specialisation are mandatory, with no elective available for students to select.

In order for students to be formally assigned a supervisor for the master's thesis, all exams from first year of the study programme must be passed.

Students are encouraged to contact private and public enterprises in the region for the purpose of gaining practical training and experience in the fields through a summer job or similar, and to establish cooperation on project assignments.

The work and teaching methods in the programme include lectures, exercise sessions, computer exercise sessions, seminars, project work, group work, presentations, inspections and excursions, laboratory work and in-class discussions. The scheduled study activities shall be motivating and inspiring for the students and induce non-organised academic work. The work methods are intended to stimulate active learning, cooperation, own activity, reflection and fresh&critical thinking.

To work as a consultant engineer or researcher requires a high level of expertise in the use of advanced computer programs and simulation tools (ICT tools) for problem-solving. Computer exercises and tasks that require the use of advanced ICT tools are therefore one of the main work methods used in the study programme.

Seminars in cooperation with the construction industry will shed light on the complexity of building projects and provide a more comprehensive understanding of key topics in the study programme. Contact with business and industry through external lecturers, project work, seminars, inspections and excursions, in addition to ordinary tuition, will give the students a relevant and motivational approach throughout the study programme.

Research and teaching are well integrated throughout the study programme. The teaching is constantly updated to encompass new knowledge, and research articles are part of the syllabus in many of the courses. Furthermore, the students will participate in research-related discussions and be included in ongoing research and development through projects that are part of the study programme.

Project-based learning relating to engineering tasks is used to give the students practice in work on complex issues. The study programme will prepare the students for work methods used in the construction industry, through group work and project assignments in cooperation with the construction industry. Projects are intended to develop the students ability to formulate and analyse research questions using scientific methods. Projects are normally carried out in groups, and the students will also thereby develop their ability to listen to others, exchange knowledge and discuss solutions in cooperation with others. Project work shall culminate in reports written on the basis of a template for scholarly articles/reports or technical reports. The specialisation course (elective course) in the third semester includes projects where students are to work on a given issue related to challenges in the construction industry.

The master's thesis is a piece of independent research or development work conducted by the student in one of the key topics of the study programme. Each student will be assigned an internal supervisor, who will ensure that the project complies with research ethics principles and help students to formulate the research question and ensure quality in the collection and analysis of data. Seminars with supervisors and fellow students will develop each student's ability to critically assess and discuss their own and other students work. The thesis shall be a dissertation of a scientific nature (e.g. monography, research paper, etc.) based on research principles and methods or a project work (e.g startup, software, degital or physical objects, etc.).

Both the language of instruction and the course literature are in English, which means that the study programme is well-suited for international students and student mobility. The study programme is structured so that it is possible for the students to take one semester abroad, in the third or fourth semester or both.

Students can gain approval and recognition of up to 30 or 60 credits on application. Students who go on an exchange in the fourth semester will write their master's thesis with a supervisor from the host institution. An internal supervisor from MABY is required and the master's thesis should be submitted and presented at OsloMet.

OsloMet is part of the Erasmus programme for student exchange and has entered into several Erasmus+ agreements with relevant universities and university colleges. OsloMet has a dedicated web page with supplementary information about student exchanges: https://student.oslomet.no/utveksling-tkd

Required coursework means mandatory assignments or activities that must be approved within a given deadline in order for students to be able to take the exam. The coursework requirements in this study programme are linked to written assignments, presentations, participation in teaching activities and compulsory attendance. The coursework requirements are described in more detail in the individual course descriptions.

Coursework requirements are set in order to promote the student's progress and development and to ensure his/her participation in the necessary elements of the programme. Required coursework can also be set to ensure that students achieve a learning outcome that cannot be tested in an exam.

Required coursework is assessed as approved or not approved. In the event of delays in study progress, previously approved coursework remains valid for two years, provided that the course has not changed.

Valid absence documented by e.g. a medical certificate does not exempt students from meeting the coursework requirements. Students who fail to meet the coursework requirements within the deadline due to illness or for other documented valid reasons should as far as possible be given a new chance before the registration deadline for the exam. This must be agreed with the course responsible on a case-by-case basis. If another attempt at meeting a coursework requirement is not possible because of the nature of the subject/course, the student must be prepared to meet the coursework requirements on the next possible occasion. This may result in delayed progress in the programme.

Bestått-Ikke bestått.

Quality assurance

The purpose of OsloMet's quality assurance system is to strengthen students learning outcomes and development by raising the quality at all levels. Cooperation with the students, and their participation in the quality assurance work, is decisive to the overall learning outcome. Among the overall goals for the quality assurance system is to ensure:

• that the educational activities, including practical training and the learning and study environment, maintain a high level of quality
• that the study programmes are relevant for the professional fields
• that the quality development continues to improve

For the students, this entails, among other things, student evaluations in the form of:

• course evaluations
• annual student surveys for all of OsloMet

More information about the quality assurance system is available here: https://student.oslomet.no/regelverk#etablering-studium-evaluering-kvalitetssystem

The programme supervisor scheme is part of the quality assurance of each individual study programme. A programme supervisor is not an examiner, but someone who supervises the quality of the study programmes. All study programmes at OsloMet shall be subject to supervision by a programme supervisor, but there are different ways of practising the scheme. Reference is made to the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet: https://student.oslomet.no/regelverk