Civil Engineering Sciences - Environment and Transportation

Curriculum for the Master s Program Civil Engineering Sciences - Environment and Transportation Curriculum 2006 This curriculum was approved by the Curricula Committee of Graz University of Technology in the session on 7 April 2006. On the basis of the Universities Organization and Studies Act (UG 2002), Austrian Federal Law Gazette No. 120/2002 in its current version, the Senate of Graz University of Technology issues the following curriculum for the Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program. 1 General Information The Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program is comprised of 4 semesters. There is a total of 120 ECTS credits in the program. Graduates of the program are awarded the academic title of Diplom-Ingenieurin or Diplom-Ingenieur, which is abbreviated as Dipl.-Ing. or DI. This is equivalent to the international "Master of Science" (MSc). The content of this study program is based on the content of a bachelor s program with an appropriate subject orientation according to 64 Paragraph 5 UG 2002, for example, the Civil Engineering Sciences bachelor s program of Graz University of Technology. This bachelor s program has to be worth at least 180 ECTS credits. In order to achieve a total of 300 ECTS credits for the two study programs, the same course cannot be counted for both the bachelor s program that entitled the student to be admitted and the master s program. Depending on the previous education of the applicant to the program, up to 25 ECTS credits from the courses of the bachelor s program that was mentioned above as an example can be counted towards this master s program. The courses that are Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 1 von 13

counted from the bachelor's program reduce the number of elective courses and free elective courses laid down in the curriculum accordingly. In addition, the governing body responsible for academic affairs can limit the choice of courses. Graduates of the former Industrial Engineering-Building Industry and Civil Engineering diploma programs of Graz University of Technology, who therefore do not have a concentration in transportation, are to be admitted to this master s program, too. In order to complete this study program, students have to Write a master s thesis and Sit a final examination before a committee according to 7a. 2 Qualification Profile The building and construction industry is very important for the environment and the national economy. Therefore graduates of a Civil Engineering program have a lot of responsibility in their professional work in the tug-of-war of politics, society, the environment, the economy and science. The very broad field of knowledge and rapid technological development of the different disciplines of the building and construction industry require graduates to have very good basic and specialised technical knowledge, business skills, flexible thinking and excellent social competence. The Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Sciences of Graz University of Technology provides graduates with knowledge in the field of infrastructure and environment for the planning, building, operation and rehabilitation of facilities. Multidisciplinary, integrated thinking, detailed knowledge in the fundamentals, and ecological, economic and social competences are provided. The basic fields are, for example, transportation, water and waste management, water supply and sanitation infrastructure, urban and regional planning, management, ecology and landscape hydraulic engineering. The diverse educational offer gives students the opportunity to set focuses in their own interest and thus to acquire concentrated knowledge specifically in these subjects. The program covers engineering issues that students may be confronted with in planning agencies, executing companies, national and local administrations, and authorities, operators of road infrastructure and facilities, and research institutions. a. Education and Training Objectives A first-class educational objective and thus the goal of the professional education and training is the ability to independently develop scientifically sound solutions to subject specific problems. At the same time, the development of social competence and a sense of being responsible to oneself are taken into consideration and promoted in an appropriate way. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 2 von 13

Graduates of Civil Engineering programs at Graz University of Technology receive a research-guided education and training in all the subject relevant fields as well as scientific, economic and practical competences. The Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program builds on a recognised bachelor s program and provides concentrated knowledge in these disciplines. In view of the future professional life and the principles of a university education and training, a high degree of independence and responsibility to oneself is thus required of students. b. Learning Outcomes The Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program at Graz University of Technology aims to provide graduates with the following qualifications: 1. Knowledge and Understanding After graduating from the master s program Graduates can practically put the scientific fundamentals of their subject into practice, such as mathematics, descriptive geometry, physics, and in particular, mechanics, informatics, construction material science and surveying. They are familiar with the most up-to-date theories, principles and methods of their field, in particular, the multidisciplinary planning theory, the modelling and simulation of traffic flows, the design and dimensioning of the road infrastructure, the consideration of ecological, water management and legal boundary conditions, as well as the planning, building, operation and rehabilitation of water and waste management facilities. They know and apply the most important problem-solving strategies, in particular the implementation of measures while taking all the impacts on the environment into account. They have the concentrated knowledge they need to make legal and economic decisions as part of their independent planning process. 2. Tapping their Knowledge After graduating from the master s program Graduates are in a position to apply the theories they learned to practical tasks. They can critically examine the social impacts of planning and projects and take appropriate measures to avoid or reduce negative impacts. Graduates are in a position to apply different methods of planning and to optimally design the building, operation and maintenance of a technical infrastructure according to economic and ecological factors. They know their way around the application programs of their field and can assess them. They can create applications for scientific calculation and analysis themselves. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 3 von 13

3. Transferable Competences After graduating from the master s program Graduates are in a position to think critically and analytically and to find or develop and apply adequate solutions to problems. They can independently acquire new knowledge for themselves and carry out research or application-oriented projects by themselves. Graduates possess the capability to present the results of their work in an effective way by contemporary means and to state it in a rhetorically skilful way. They can write scientific reports and do research on and analyze the technical literature even in other languages. They are able to work creatively in a team and to lead it in a responsible way. They know different negotiation strategies and can react flexibly to unanticipated events. They can organize projects, seize the initiative and are able to manage their time and the costs efficiently. They are in a position to estimate and assess the social and environmental consequences of technical developments and the results of their own actions and to present them to the public. 3 ECTS Credits According to the European Credit and Accumulation Transfer System, the individual courses are allocated ECTS credits which describe the relative share of the workload. The workload of one academic year is 60 ECTS credits. 4 Structure of the Program The Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program consists of 1. 3 subject area catalogs (from which a total of 63 ECTS credits has to be chosen), 2. Elective courses from the Soft Skills subject area catalog (6 ECTS credits), 3. Free elective courses (11 ECTS credits), 4. 2 projects (10 ECTS credits) and the 5. Master s thesis (30 ECTS credits). The master s thesis has to be related to at least one course from the subject area catalogs 1, 2 or 3. 6. Approx. 68 semester hours in total have to be completed in the master s program, of which 10 in the free elective courses. The following table contains the division of the totals of ECTS credits into subject area catalogs and free elective courses. Duration of the Civil Engineering Sciences - Environment and Transportation master's program Number of semester hours of courses that have to be completed 4 semesters about 68 semester hours Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 4 von 13

Total amount not incl. master s thesis General supplementary fundamentals Subject-specific supplementary fundamentals Subject-specific elective courses Elective courses from Soft Skills catalog Free elective courses Projects Master s thesis 15 ECTS credits 24 ECTS credits 24 ECTS credits 6 ECTS credits 11 ECTS credits 10 ECTS credits Total Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program 90 ECTS credits 30 ECTS credits 120 ECTS credits The choices from the different catalogs are arranged as follows: Catalogs Choice from offer of General supplementary fundamentals 15 ECTS credits 24 ECTS credits Subject-specific supplementary fundamentals 24 ECTS credits 29 ECTS credits Subject-specific elective courses 24 ECTS credits 60 ECTS credits Elective courses from Soft Skills catalog 6 ECTS credits as mentioned below Free elective courses 11 ECTS credits Overall offer 5 Content of the Program and Semester Schedule Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master s program Subject Course Type of Course SH ECTS S Subject Area Catalog 1 General supplementary fundamentals 15 ECTS credits worth Construction Management 2.5 VU 3 W of courses are to be chosen Construction Business Administration 2.5 VU 3 W from these General Facility Management 2 VU 3 S Supplementary Technical Numerics 2 VO 4 W Fundamentals Probability and Statistics 2 VU 2 S Finite Element Method 2 VU 3 W Measurement Technology 2 VO 3 W Construction Material Science CC 2 VO 3 S Total general supplementary fundamentals 17 24 Subject Area Catalog 2 Subject-specific supplementary fundamentals 24 ECTS credits worth of Transportation Planning 2 VO 3 W courses are to be chosen Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Law 2 VO 3 W from these Subject-specific Traffic Engineering 1.5 VO 2 S Supplementary Design and Maintenance of Road Infrastructure 1.5 VU 2 S Fundamentals Geographical Information Systems 1 VO 1.5 W Statistics-Infrastructure 1.5 VU 2 W Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 5 von 13

Electrical Engineering 1 VO 1 S Freight and Public Transport 1.5 VO 2 W Transportation Economics 1.5 VO 2 S Railway Machinery 1 VO 1.5 W Railway Operation 1.5 VO 2 W Urban Water and Waste Management 2 VO 3 W Water and Waste Treatment 3 VO 4 S Total subject-specific supplementary fundamentals 21 29 Subject Area Catalog 3 Subject-specific elective courses 24 ECTS credits worth of Transportation Models 3 VU 4 W courses are to be chosen Transportation Telematics 1.5 VO 2 S from these Subject-specific Road Construction CC 2 SE 3 W Supplementary Urban and Regional Planning 2 VU 3 S Fundamentals Transportation and Environment 3 VO 4 S Urban Construction 2 VO 3 W Railway Construction 1.5 VO 2.5 S Guideway Engineering 1 VO 2 W Structure of European Railways 1 VO 1 S Life Cycle Costs-Infrastructure 1 VO 1.5 S Cable Railway Construction 2 VO 3 W Airports 1 SE 1 S Maintenance of the Underground Infrastructure 1.5 VO 2 W Groundwater Use 1 VU 1.5 S Aquatic Ecology 1.5 VO 2 S Landscape Hydraulic Engineering 3 VO 4 W Modelling in Urban Water Management 1.5 VU 2 S Hydrochemistry 1 VO 1 W Water Quality 2 LU 2.5 W Hydrology 2.5 VU 3.5 S Pore and Joint Water Hydraulics 2 VO 2.5 S Power Networks 1.5 VO 2 W Infrastructure 2 SE 3 W Infrastructure Excursion 1 EX 1 S Computer Aided Facility Management 2 VU 3 W Total subject-specific elective courses 43.5 60 Soft Skills Catalog 6 ECTS credits worth of Lectures of the Institute for Foreign Language and Postgraduate Education courses are to be chosen Lectures from the program of the Centre for Social Competence from these elective courses Conflict Management 2 SE 2 S Total Soft Skills elective courses 6 Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 6 von 13

Projects Project 1 4 PR 5 J Project 2 4 PR 5 J Total projects 8 10 Master s thesis 30 J Free elective courses from Part 2 of the Appendix 11 J Overall total 68 120 CC= Concentrated Course 50% of the hours for VU type courses are for the lecture and 50% are for the practical exercises. Courses, which were used to complete the bachelor s program that entitled the student admission to this program, are not a part of this master s program. If compulsory courses, which are intended for this curriculum, were already used in the previously described bachelor s program, then these have to be replaced by the same amount of additional elective courses. 6 Admission Requirements for Examinations No requirements for admission to examinations have been laid down. 7 Examination Regulations Courses are assessed individually. 1. Examinations on courses held in the form of lectures (VO) have to cover the entire content of the course. 2. The assessment of courses held in the form of lectures with integrated practical exercises (VU), practical exercises (UE), laboratory exercises (LU), projects (PR) and seminars (SE) takes place continually on the basis of contributions by the students and/or by accompanying tests and a final examination. 3. Successful completion of examinations is assessed with sehr gut (very good, 1), gut (good, 2), befriedigend (satisfactory, 3) or genügend (sufficient, 4), whereas a negative result is given a nicht genügend (insufficient, 5). Specially indicated courses are assessed with mit Erfolg teilgenommen (with successful participation) or with ohne Erfolg teilgenommen (with unsuccessful participation). The types of courses are explained in Part 3 of the Appendix. In addition to the types of courses, the following maximum group sizes are set down: 1. The maximum group size for the practical exercise parts of lectures with integrated practical exercises (VU) is 25. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 7 von 13

2. The maximum group size for seminars (SE) and laboratory exercises (LU) is 12. 3. The maximum group size for projects (PR) is 6. The Dean of Studies can make exceptions to this. Places in the individual courses are given out according to the guidelines in Part 3 of the Appendix. 7a Final Examination before a Committee Students have to satisfy the following prerequisites for admission to the final examination before a committee: Proof of the positive assessment of the examination subjects according to 5 and the positively assessed master s thesis. The Examining Committee is comprised of the academic advisor of the master s thesis, who is not allowed to be the chairperson of the committee at the same time, and two other members who are appointed by the Dean of Studies upon a prior hearing of the candidate. The final examination before a committee consists of A presentation of the master s thesis (max. 20 minutes) The defense of the master s thesis and An examination on a course which is related to the master s thesis. This course is determined by the Dean of Studies upon the suggestion of the candidate. The final examination before a committee should last no longer than 60 minutes. The overall mark is given by the Examining Committee. The certificate on the master s examination includes All the catalogs and projects according to 5a and their assessment, The title of the master s thesis and its assessment The assessment of the final examination before a committee. The positive completion of the free elective courses is to be recorded on the master s examination certificate. However, only the amount of ECTS credits is recorded, not the list of courses. 8 Coming-into-effect This curriculum came into effect on 1 October 2006. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 8 von 13

Appendix to the Civil Engineering Sciences - Environment and Transportation master's program Part 1 of the Appendix: Accreditation List Course in the Master s Program SH ECTS Type SH ECTS Urban Hydraulic Engineering 4.5 6 VU Urban Hydraulic Engineering 3 4 VO Water and Waste Treatment 3 4 VO Urban Hydraulic Engineering 3 4 UE Construction Business Administration, Tendering and Awarding Construction Business Administration 2.5 3 VU of Contracts 5 7 VO Tendering, Awarding and Invoicing and Configuration Management 3 4.5 VU Construction Business Administration, Tendering and Awarding of Contracts Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 9 von 13 Course in the Diploma Program Type 2 3 UE General Construction Management 1 1.5 VO Construction Management 2.5 3 VU General Construction Management 1 1.5 UE Project Management 2.5 3.5 VO Project Management 2 2 VO Transportation Planning 2 3 VO Transportation Planning 3 3 VO Traffic Engineering 1.5 2 VO Transportation Planning 1.5 1.5 UE Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Law 2 3 VO Spatial Planning 1 1 VO Urban and Regional Planning 2 2 SE Urban Construction 2 3 VO Urban Construction 2 2 VO Geographical Information Systems 1 1.5 VO Visualisation of Geoinformation 2 2 VO Free Elective 3 3 Visualisation of Geoinformation 2 2 UE Design and Maintenance of the Road Infrastructure 1.5 2 VU Road Construction CC 1 1 UE Road Construction CC 2 3 SE Road Construction CC 2 2 SE Transportation Economics 1.5 2 VO Life Cycle Costs-Infrastructure 1 1.5 VO Freight and Public Transportation 1.5 2 VO Railway Operation 1.5 2 VO Electrical Engineering 1 1 VO Electrical Engineering Transportation Economics 4 4 VO Freight Transportation 1 1 VO Public Transportation 1 1 VO Railway Operation Engineering 1.5 1.5 VO Railway Operation Engineering 0.5 0.5 UE Guideway Engineering 1 2 VO Guideway Engineering 1 1 VO Urban and Regional Planning 2 3 VU Urban and Regional Planning 2 2 VO Environmental Protection in 2.5 2.5 VO Transportation Transportation and Environment 3 4 VO Environmental Protection in 1.5 1.5 SE Transportation Transportation Models 3 4 VU Transportation Informatics 2 2 VO Transportation Telematics 1.5 2 VO Transportation Informatics 2 2 UE Railway Construction 1.5 2.5 VO Railway Construction 2 2 VO Free Elective 1 1 Railway Construction 1 1 UE Infrastructure Excursion 1 1 EX Transportation Facilities Subject Excursion 1 1 EX Cable Railway Construction 2 3 VO Cable Railway Construction 2 2 VO

Bridge Construction 1.5 2 VO Bridge Construction 3 3 VO Bridge Construction 1.5 2 UE Bridge Construction 1.5 1.5 SE Project 1 4 5 PR Transportation Project 4 4 UE Soil Mechanics CC 3 3 VO Soil Mechanics and Foundation 5 6.5 VU Foundation Engineering CC 2 2 VO Engineering CC Foundation Engineering CC 0.5 0.5 UE Aquatic Ecology 1.5 2 VO Aquatic Ecology 1 1 VO Urban Water and Waste Managemenagement Urban Water and Waste Man- 2 3 VO 3 3 VO Water Quality 2 2.5 LU Urban Water and Waste Management 1.5 1.5 UE Aquatic Design 1 1 VO Landscape Hydraulic Engineering 3 4 VO Landscape Hydraulic Engineering 2 2 VO Landscape Design in Hydraulic Landscape Design in Hydraulic 1 1.5 VO Engineering Engineering 1 1 SE Hydrology CC 1.5 1.5 VO Hydrology CC 1 1 SE Hydrology 2.5 3.5 VU Hydrology Practical Training in the Field 1.5 1.5 UE EDP-Hydrology 1 1 VO Water and Waste Treatment 3 4 VO Water and Waste Treatment 3 3 VO Water and Waste Treatment 2 2 UE Infrastructure 2 3 SE Water and Waste Treatment 1 1 SE Pipeline Engineering 2 3 VO Pipelines and Containers 2 2 VO Facility Management 2 3 VU CC= Concentrated Course Facility Management 2 2 VO Facility Management 2 2 UE The Dean of Studies is responsible for any accreditations not listed in the table above. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 10 von 13

Part 2 of the Appendix: Free elective courses 11 ECTS credits of free elective courses have to be completed. The catalog below contains as list of recommended free elective courses. Recommended Free Elective Courses Water Management 2 VU 3 W Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling 3 VO 4.5 S Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering 4.5 VU 6.5 S Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering CC 5 VU 7 W Hydrogeochemical Practical Training 2 PR 2 S Pipeline Engineering 2 VO 3 W Bridge Construction 1.5 VO 2 S Bridge Construction 1.5 UE 2 S Technical Numerics 1 UE 1 W Concrete Technology 3 VU 4 W Ecological Assessment of Construction Materials 2 SE 2 S Quality Assurance and Certification of Construction Materials 1.5 SE 2 W Project Development 1 VO 1.5 W Project Management 2.5 VO 3.5 S Growth, Transportation and Environment 1.5 VO 2 S Financial Policy 2 VO 4 W Deregulation and Competition Policy 2 SE 4 W CC= Concentrated Course SH Type of Course ECTS Semester Free elective courses in the Civil Engineering Sciences Environment and Transportation master's program serve the purpose of setting individual focuses and the further development of students. They can be freely chosen from the courses offered at all recognized domestic or foreign universities. On average, each semester hour (SH) of a free elective course is worth 1 ECTS credit. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 11 von 13

Part 3 of the Appendix: Types of Courses (according to the guideline on types of courses of the Curricula Committee of the Senate of Graz University of Technology on 10 January 2005) 1. Lecture type courses: VO, VU In lecture type courses, students are given a didactically well-structured introduction to the sub-areas of the subject and its methods. Assessment takes place by examinations that are written, oral, written and oral as well as oral or written depending upon the examiner's choice. The examination procedure has to be defined in the course description. a. VO In lectures (VO), the content and methods of the subject are presented. b. VU Lectures with practical exercises (VU) offer instructions on how to acquire knowledge independently or how to apply it independently in examples in addition to an introduction to the sub-areas of the subject and its methods. The ratio of lectures to exercises is to be set down in the curriculum. The courses have an immanent examination character. 2. Seminar type courses: SE Seminar type courses promote scientific work and discussion and should be an introduction to the discursive and argumentative process of the subject. Students are required to submit written work and/or give an oral presentation as well as participate in the critical discussion. Seminars are courses with an immanent examination character. SE Seminars introduce students to scientific methods, to the working out and critical assessment of their own work results, to special topics in scientific literature and provide them with training in technical discussions. 3. Practical exercise type of courses: UE, LU, PR In practical exercises, abilities and skills are developed as part of the preprofessional education and training in order to consolidate and/or expand the material that was presented in the corresponding lectures by means of practical, experimental, theoretical and/or design work. Practical exercises are courses with an immanent examination character. The maximum group size is set down in the curriculum or determined by the Dean of Studies. Special consideration has to be given to the necessary room and equipment. The curriculum can make the successful completion of the practical exercise a prerequisite for registration for the corresponding lecture examination. a. UE In practical exercises, the students are trained to use their capabilities to solve practical problems. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 12 von 13

b. LU In laboratory exercises, students develop practical and experimental skills and are provided with the relevant theoretical fundamentals. The basic features are planning, carrying out and describing experiments. They can be performed as a team and are finished by a report on the experiment, which makes up one part of the assessment. c. PR In projects, experimental, theoretical and/or constructive/design applied work or small research projects are conducted that take all the necessary steps into consideration. Projects are completed by written work which is part of the assessment. Projects can be carried out as team or individual work, although the individual performance must still be able to be assessed when working in a team. The Granting of Places in Courses with a Limited Number of Participants: If more students register for a course than there are places, then additional groups or parallel courses are planned. If in exceptional cases the respective maximum number of participants for an elective course is exceeded due to a lack of resources, then it has to be ensured that the students registered obtain the opportunity to complete this course at the earliest possible point in time. Curriculum 2006 in der Version vom 1. 10. 2006 Seite 13 von 13