Structural Engineering

The Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego offers a unique program that crosses different engineering disciplines, such as civil, geotechnical, mechanical, aerospace, biological, and marine/offshore engineering, with a focus on structural design and analysis, structural materials, computational mechanics, and solid mechanics. This broad-based cross-disciplinary structural engineering approach allows not only diversity in the selection of graduate courses but also a diversity of employment opportunities across the engineering spectrum.

The master of science in structural engineering with specialization in structural health monitoring and non-destructive evaluation (SHM&NDE) provides highly interdisciplinary knowledge incorporating three broad technology areas: (1) sensing technology, (2) data interrogation, and (3) modeling and analysis. The intersections and integration of these technology areas are fundamental to supporting structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation, which may be defined as the process of making an uncertainty-quantified assessment, based on appropriate analyses of in-situ measured data, about the current ability of a structural component or system to perform its intended design function(s) successfully. This discipline within structural, civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering is a fundamental capability that supports “design-to-retirement” life cycle management of systems.

The Master of Science is a unique degree program focused on geomechanics fundamentals and applied soil-structure interaction analyses crucial for future geotechnical engineering advancements. The goal of this M.S. program is to provide students planning to pursue a career in geotechnical engineering practice with the necessary training beyond that obtained in a B.S. degree to analyze, simulate, and design geotechnical-related infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is encouraging new engineers pursuing a career in civil engineering disciplines to have a minimum of a M.S. degree to practice. This is particularly relevant in
geotechnical engineering due to the particularly complex behavior of soils, rocks, and soil-structure interaction. Similar to structural engineers, geotechnical engineers have their own licensure process to reflect their specialization.