New Master’s Programme in Geotechnical Engineering responds to urgent industry demand

The new Geotechnical Engineering master’s programme focuses on the design and construction of foundation engineering structures as well as different types of infrastructures. Therefore, it provides expertise in areas such as geology, site investigation methods, soil material properties, ground water and geotechnical analysis methods. The programme responds to urgent industry demand in Finland.

“The expertise gained in this programme will be focused and deep due to a heavy labour shortage in geotechnical engineering. Our key aim is to train new experts to be employed by Finnish companies operating both nationally and internationally. We work in close cooperation with employers in the field, so our ambition is to connect the talent and the recruiters. This is also why we have designed study contents in close cooperation with the industry,” says University Instructor Minna Leppänen, expert of environmental geotechnics and circular economy in infraconstruction.

Graduates from the programme will be equipped with specialist technical and computational skills to analyse, design, and assess geotechnical structures to ensure they are stable, efficient, and sustainable. Key employers are engineering and design offices, construction companies, the material industry, public authorities as well as universities and research institutes.

Unique Finnish conditions, high-quality instruction and versatile career opportunities

Studies in the all-new Geotechnical Engineering master’s programme will provide students with in-depth knowledge and understanding of soil conditions, methods, and tools for solving geotechnical engineering problems as well as designing life-cycle efficient and sustainable traffic infrastructures. The unique Finnish soil, groundwater and other conditions provide an interesting basis for the studies. The Finnish clay, for example, is very different from that in many other countries, while winter conditions and frozen soil also add their own spices to local geotechnical engineering.

“Our students will have the opportunity to learn not only the general framework of geotechnical engineering but also its unique Finnish characteristics, along with the EU-level design system. The graduates will thus be able to work in a variety of expert positions,” says earth construction specialist, Professor Pauli Kolisoja.

Professor Kolisoja also leads Research Centre Terra, which is responsible for most of the education and training given in the programme and which also has excellent connections with local consultant companies, contractors and other potential employers. The teaching staff consists of the field’s distinguished experts, both Finnish and international, and it is also supplemented with guest lecturers. A leading theme in the studies is ‘learning by doing’.

“Our aim is to help students gain practical expertise and to network during their studies. Our student organisations and clubs arrange various excursions and joint events with employer companies, for example,” Kolisoja notes.

Overall, most master’s and doctoral theses completed by civil engineering students at Tampere University are implemented through industry collaboration. This is rather rare even in international comparison.

“This programme will have a focus on Finland, but together with our wonderful and versatile campus community here in Tampere, it offers an international environment in which to become a highly versatile and employable expert in geotechnical engineering,” Kolisoja concludes.