Overview

In the early 2000’s, the industry expressed a need for a structural engineering program that would enhance the university civil engineering degree program. Engineering undergraduate programs focus on providing the student with a general civil engineering knowledge base, but do not generally produce graduates that are ready to step into a structural engineering design firm. Master’s degree programs further develop fundamental structural engineering concepts, such as earthquake engineering theories, but the focus is not on training students for design practice. The Certificate in Structural Engineering program is intended to enhance the knowledge base of structural engineers by offering courses that fill the needs of the industry. The goal of the program is to provide additional knowledge and skills in structural engineering to permit the candidate to be more effective in an engineering firm. This is a challenging program. It is primarily directed towards anyone who intends to pursue a design oriented structural engineering career. The program is suitable for students who already have a good grasp of structural engineering fundamentals such as structural mechanics, strength of materials, second or third year university level differential equations etc. In addition, students must already have some basic knowledge of structural designs using different structural materials. The basic knowledge may have been acquired through undergraduate civil engineering courses, or from a design office, or both. Given the above, the prerequisite for the program is a bachelor degree in civil engineering. However, technologists who have some years of experience in a structural engineering design office and have a strong background in strength of materials and have taken university level math courses may also be admitted into the program.