Scope and career in geotechnical engineering

Asked by: Guest - 09 Jul 16

I have passed my 12th in PCM and interested in Geotechnical engineering. My family and friends are not much supporting as they doubt its future scope. Please help me with the details regarding its career opportunities.

Our expert said - 09 Jul 16

Geotechnical engineering deals with the study of earth material, especially the subsurface materials and conditions. It can be considered as a part of civil engineering. This branch of study uses the principles of soil and rock mechanics to extract the details about the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of subsurface materials. The scope of geotechnical engineering mainly lies in mining, petroleum extraction and coastal engineering.

Government and private sector jobs are open for the geotechnical engineers. Every construction requires clearance from the geotechnical engineers for their approval for land to be suitable for the proposed construction. Apart from mining and petroleum extraction, extraction of natural gas is another field. These engineers are involved in tasks like site supervision for inspection of soil, rock, etc., Project analysis, Designing and construction of foundation of the structures, cost estimation etc.

Some of the organizations recruiting geotechnical engineers are:

- Construction firms
- Infrastructure development firms
- Mining organizations
- Consultation agencies
- Municipal corporations
- Urban planning departments
- Indian Railway Network
- Metro Rail corporation etc.

For those who doubt the scope as a geotechnical engineer can pursue Civil engineering and then do the specialization during post-graduation in geotechnical engineering. This course is also available as ME ? M Tech degree.