Abstract
Recent geohazard events, continued urban, infrastructure and resource development, and climate change in Australasia and internationally highlight the need for engineering geologists. In Australasia engineering geology is gaining recognition as a distinct profession that provides the link between engineering and geology. An important aspect of engineering geology training is through tertiary education aimed at providing the industry with work-ready graduates who are knowledgeable in the principles of engineering geology. This is achieved through a variety of programs, each with a different approach and level of proficiency upon graduation. The most common format is a single, introductory course offered in the final year of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in geology (or geoscience, earth science, etc.) available at many tertiary institutes that have a geology program. Also common are the several postgraduate courses that either build upon introductory undergraduate courses, or are stand-alone courses that form part of a taught postgraduate degree (B.Sc. (Honours), postgraduate diploma or Masters) or are combined with a thesis focused on research in engineering geology (M.Sc.). There is one postgraduate program with a comprehensive curriculum specifically aimed at educating and training engineering geologists through coursework and dissertation. Finally, engineering geology education and training is offered through geotechnical professional societies. The courses vary between institutions based on the structure of the programs and the expertise of the academic staff. This paper provides an overview of the types of courses, their learning outcomes, pedagogy, and how they form the different programs addressing engineering geology education in Australasia.
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to Vicki Moon (University of Waikato), Martin Brook (University of Auckland) and Tom Raimondo (University of South Australia) for providing course details and Fred Baynes for early input and encouragement to write this overview.
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Villeneuve, M.C. (2019). Engineering Geology Education in Australasia. In: Shakoor, A., Cato, K. (eds) IAEG/AEG Annual Meeting Proceedings, San Francisco, California, 2018—Volume 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93142-5_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93142-5_7
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