• Seismic mitigation using smart materials.
• Innovative bracing schemes for buildings (zipper frames)
• Seismic performance of steel-concrete composite members
• Response modification of highway and railroad bridges
• Response modification of buildings using passive and semi-active controls
• Nonlinear dynamic response of low-rise URM buildings
• Damage functionality relationships for bridges
• Probabilistic decision support tools for seismic hazard mitigation
• Systematic treatment of uncertainty in damage synthesis models
• Liquefaction and post-liquefaction response of soils
• Surface wave testing for expedient profiling of shear wave velocities.
• Lab resonant column test for determining shear modulus & damping.
• Lab cyclic triaxial device for assessing soil susceptibility to liquefaction.
• In situ characterization of paleoliquefaction and strong-motion stations in the Central U.S.
• Synthesis of ground motions in the Upper Mississippi Embayment
• Frequency dependence of dynamic soil properties

The earthquake engineering testing capabilities at Georgia Tech were significantly enhanced by the recent addition of a new Structural Engineering Laboratory, with a total area of about 18,000 ft.². The new laboratory includes a strong floor 180 ft. long by 60 ft. wide, with 200 kip anchor points on a 4 ft. grid. The facility includes an L-shaped reaction wall, with anchor points also on a 4 ft. grid and capacities ranging up from 100 kip along the wall sections to 300 kips on the buttresses. The EW wall is 56 ft. long and 34 ft. high, while the NS wall is 60 ft. long, with the first 36 ft. having a 26 ft. high wall, and the remaining 24 ft. having a 34 ft. high wall. The system is designed to carry over 50,000 kip-ft of overturning moment in both the NS and EW walls. This wall system permits the full-scale testing of full-sized three-story buildings. Extensive computational facilities complement the experimental ones. The research in earthquake engineering is complemented by strong programs in new materials (FRP and shape-memory alloys), computational mechanics and advanced structural analysis, computer-aided structural engineering (GT STRUDL), non-destructive testing, and structural reliability and risk analysis.

The Geosystems Engineering instruction and research laboratories occupy in excess of 900 m2 and include the George F. Sowers Soil Mechanics Instruction Laboratory, the Particulate Media Research Laboratory, the Rock and Fracture Mechanics Laboratory, the Geomaterial Surface and Structure Characterization Laboratory, the In-Situ Research Laboratory, and the Soil Dynamics Laboratory. The Geosystems Engineering Robnett Library houses an extensive collection of books, conference proceedings and technical journals including the comprehensive George F. Sowers Collection. A variety of testing equipment is available including a cyclic triaxial device, resonant column and torsional shear devices, interface shear boxes and profilometers, cone penetration rig, and seismic and electrical geophysical instruments.

Founded in 1885, Georgia Tech is the Southeast’s largest technological institution. Recent enrollment has reached 14,800 students, including 4,100 graduate students. The Institute is located on a 330-acre campus near downtown Atlanta, the financial, communications, and cultural hub of the Southeast. In recent years, the National Science Foundation ranked Georgia Tech third nationally for the amount of expenditures in engineering research and development. Recently, U.S. News and World Report ranked Georgia Tech third in its list of the top civil engineering undergraduate programs in the country. Additionally, practitioners consistently rank Georgia Tech as having one of the top civil engineering programs in the country.

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech has approximately 500 undergraduate students, 360 graduate students, 47 full-time faculty, and nine research scientists. Approximately one-half of the graduate students are pursuing Ph.D. degrees. The School conducts research and provides instruction in a broad spectrum of technical areas: Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Water Resources, Geosystems Engineering, Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials, and Transportation Engineering.

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers courses in civil engineering, environmental engineering, engineering science and mechanics, as well as engineering computer graphics and programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Engineering Science and Mechanics, Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, Master of Science (undesignated), and Doctor of Philosophy. Also offered is a two-year program leading to the degrees Master of Science in Civil Engineering or Master of Science (undesignated), major in transportation engineering, and Master of City Planning.

The requirements for the M.S. degree are substantially uniform across the different affinity groups in the School, and complete details on admissions, financial aid, courses and FAQs can be found at http://www.ce.gatech.edu/admissions/grad/. Prospective students are encouraged to peruse the detailed Graduate Student Handbook, available on-line from the address above, for full details on departmental policies and expectations.

The Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, degree is the highest degree offered and requires the demonstration of advanced mastery of a research topic. A depth of knowledge in a major and minor area of study is required. A Qualifying Examination is required for a student to become a PhD Candidate. Successful defense of a comprehensive dissertation is the ultimate degree requirement. Students may enter the PhD program directly following completion of a bachelor’s degree or following the completion of MS degree at Georgia Tech or another University. BS students with interests that include the ultimate pursuit of the PhD degree are urged to apply as PhD applicants and to document their interests in this degree within their application.

Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials Graduate Program

Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials offers graduate programs in structural engineering analysis and design, computer-aided engineering, behavior of structural systems, earthquake engineering, engineering science and mechanics, high-performance materials, and intelligent engineering learning environments. The faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to form partnerships to create and sustain a quality of learning, discovery, and creativity. The 14 faculty in the group are leaders in their respective fields and are committed to developing in their students the skills needed to solve real-world problems.

The program's academic and research activities have attained an international reputation for excellence in areas such as computer-aided engineering; the effect of cladding and other non-structural components on the response of tall buildings to earthquake and wind; the use of hybrid control in ameliorating seismic response of buildings and bridges; creative uses of advanced structural materials and composite systems to improve the infrastructure. Numerous opportunities exist for students to become involved in research activities which promote multidisciplinary solutions to civil engineering problems of national and international importance. There are currently over 90 graduate students in the program with roughly an equal distribution between MS and PhD students. Between one- half and two- thirds of these students are actively engaged in research projects.

The program in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials offers an extensive array of courses for students pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. At the MS level, the program offers degrees based either on course work only (30 credits) or course work and research (18 credits of courses / 12 credits of research). The degrees typical take one calendar year to complete for the course work only option, and slightly longer for the course work/research option. M.S. students considering continuing to the Ph.D. degree are strongly encouraged to follow the course work/research option. The course work only option is not a terminal degree, but is geared primarily towards those students interested in careers in design offices and governmental agencies.

The M.S. program offers a great degree of flexibility to students, with only one course being required (CE 6551, Advanced Strength of Materials). The rest of the courses are selected with the help of an academic advisor based on the student’s background and interest. While the large number of offerings in the SE/EM/M program can easily fill up a graduate program, students can include numerous outside courses as part of their degree program. Students are encouraged to explore the possibility of courses in geotechnical engineering, construction, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and mathematics out round up their curriculum.

Geosystems Engineering Graduate Program

Geosystems engineering merges geotechnics, geophysics, geomechanics, and geology and focuses on the behavior of natural materials in engineered systems. The Geosystems Engineering Program at Georgia Tech encompasses both traditional and emerging topics in the field, including advanced techniques for site and material characterization; constitutive and micromechanical modeling; natural and man-made hazard mitigation; engineered soils; extraterrestial, petroleum, and mining geomechanics; and foundation design, slope stability, and excavation support. The program comprises seven full-time faculty, adjunct and visiting faculty, and more than 40 postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. An active program of fundamental and applied research using analytical, numerical, and experimental methods is supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army, U.S. Department of Energy, Mid-America Earthquake Center, Georgia Department of Transportation, mining and oil companies, and other private industries. Graduate students may select from more than 15 graduate course offerings, engage in research and teaching via graduate assistantships, and participate in a wide range of professional development and social activities coordinated by the Georgia Tech Geotechnical Society.