Geotechnical engineering is one of the oldest fields in civil engineering, yet it is also the latest. The engineers of this century are challenged with the structural integrity and bearing capacity of high-rise buildings, immense bridges, and huge dams, in order to avoid subsidence or collapse. Also, the soil and groundwater pollution has become more and more common issue in highly industrial environment. Those are strongly related to geotechnical engineering. Hence, it is absolutely necessary for the geotechnical engineer to deeply understand their site materials – soil, rock, and groundwater. A geotechnical engineer must be to investigate the types and distributions of soils, rocks and groundwater in the ground, evaluate the engineering properties of the soil and rock at the site, and determine the suitable design and construction method. The uncertainties of natural elements and different geological properties pose quite a challenge to geotechnical engineers everywhere.
The Department of Civil Engineering in National Chiao Tung University provides comprehensive courses with professional knowledge in geotechnical engineering. The undergraduate program includes required courses such as Soil Mechanics, Foundation Engineering, and Engineering Geology, as well as selective courses such as Geotechnology in Engineering Practice, Foundation Design, Soil Engineering, and Rock Engineering. Undergraduate students may also take graduate selective courses such as Rock Mechanics, Applied Engineering Geology, and Soil Dynamics. The Geotechnical Engineering graduate division provides over a dozen courses in a variety of specialties. In addition, a laboratory course is provided for both undergraduate and graduate programs, allowing students to engage and learn through hands-on experiments. Field observation is also an essential part in geotechnical engineering education. This activity allows students to familiarize themselves with the on-site operations of this field, and to understand the inseparable connection between analysis, design, and construction. Furthermore, students will also be more easily able to grasp the concepts, challenges, and passion of geotechnical engineering.