Geotechnical Engineering

• Information about semester start for Civil Engineering students (student.oslomet.no).
• General information about semester start at OsloMet (student.oslomet.no).

To apply for this master programme you need:

• a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, marine engineering or equivalent engineering discipline including: 25 ECTS in mathematics, 7,5 ECTS in physics, solid mechanics, building physics and/or thermodynamics and 5 ECTS in statistics
• an average grade of at least C (according to the ECTS grading scale) on your bachelor's degree

You also need one of the following:

• English from a Norwegian or Nordic upper secondary school and a bachelor's degree from Norway or the Nordic countries, or
• at least 4 in English from upper secondary school if you have a bachelors degree from outside the Nordic countries, or 
• proof of your English proficiency

Applicants will be ranked on the basis of grade average from their bachelor's degree.

More about admission to master's programmes.

You apply via Søknadsweb, where you fill in your details and upload all the required documents.

Application deadlines:

• 1 March: early admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway
• 15 April: ordinary admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway

For students from the EU/EEA/EFTA the only cost of this programme is the semester fee (student.oslomet.no) of approximately NOK 1,000, which you pay each semester of the programme. For these students there are no tuition fees.

For students from countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA there are tuition fees in addition to the semester fee (student.oslomet.no).

• In this study programme, you use a lot of software that only runs on the Windows operating system. We strongly recommend that you get a PC laptop, not a Mac.
• A laptop is required for 3D modeling already in the first semester, and then we recommend a "gaming laptop" that has powerful video cards that can be used for modelling. The GPU should be at least Nvidia RTX 2060, or Radeon RX5700, but as often you get gaming laptops with better graphics cards than that.
• The laptop should have 16 GB of memory or better. The processor should be Core-i5 with several cores or equivalent, preferably better. The hard disk should be 500GB or more, we recommend SSD.
• If you want to use Windows on a Mac, it requires very strong performance on the Mac, and it often costs a disproportionate amount, and often does not work very well. 

Geotechnical Engineering concerns engineering of earth materials such as soils and rocks, to find solutions for various problems typically linked with hydrological, geological, and geophysical engineering.

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 specialization provides you with abilities to handle tasks through all phases of geotechnical designs; from site investigation and soil testing, to proposed engineering solutions, and design validation at the end, based on solid theoretical knowledge.

Geotechnical Engineering is not only applicable to civil engineering, but also to mining engineering, petroleum engineering, and offshore structures and foundations. 

Programme description (student.oslomet.no)

The programme is divided into compulsory and optional courses in addition to a master's thesis, and stimulates collaboration, self-activity, reflection and new thinking.

You will participate in academic discussions, and we encourage you to participate actively in the teaching.

Have you already worked as a construction engineer or consultant? Then we encourage you to ask questions and talk about how you have done it where you have worked.

Throughout your studies, you will come into contact with the construction industry and potential employers through seminars, guest lectures and excursions. In this way, you get a closer insight into the complexity of a construction project.

Most of the project tasks are carried out in groups, so that you and your fellow students can exchange experiences and discuss possible solutions to a problem. 

You will get a variation of  

• lectures
• practical tasks
• computer based tasks
• project work
• group work
• excursions
• lab work
• presentations 

Geotechnical Engineering is a specialization in the Master's Degree Programme in Civil Engineering. You will find the relevant courses for the Geotechnical Engineering specialization in the overview. 

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You can find information about exchange on our student website

When you hold this master’s degree, you have expertise that is in high demand in both the private and public sector.

Your most relevant employers are advisory engineering firms, contractors, construction clients, municipalities and research institutes.

This degree can also qualify you for further studies at the doctoral degree level, depending on your specialization and grades.

With a specialization in geotechnical engineering, you are particularly well qualified for jobs such as engineering and advisory jobs at engineering consulting firms, contractors, builders, municipalities, and research positions at universities and research institutions.

When you complete the master's degree programme you will be awarded the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Civil Engineering, within geotechnical engineering. Then you have skills that are in high demand in both the private and public sectors.

This master’s degree programme is designed to meet the National Council for Technological Education’s (UHR-NRT) conditions for use of the additional Norwegian designation “sivilingeniør” (siv.ing.) on diplomas for master’s degree programmes in technology.