Scope and Objectives
The rapid developments in the various scientific fields comprising the discipline of civil engineering during the last decades require the establishment of new programs of study for the specialized training of civil engineers following their first diploma-degree. (Notice: The diploma-degree in Greek Universities requires five years of study plus a thesis during the final semester and as such is more closely related to a general Masters-level Civil Engineering degree than to the usual Bachelor.)
One such field, which has a high priority in Greece because of continuous seismic activity across the entire country, is earthquake engineering with emphasis in earthquake resistant design of all types of infrastructure. This includes conventional structures such as buildings, industrial structures such as storage tanks, lifelines, bridges, roads, geotechnical construction, etc. The desired goal here is better seismic protection through new and/or improved design and construction techniques.
Towards this goal, the Civil Engineering Department at Aristotle University has established a post-graduate studies program (MS) on Antiseismic (i.e., Earthquake Resistant) Design of Structures (ASTE). This program is of interest to engineers who are involved in the analysis and design of earthquake resistant structures and who wish do gain a better overview of both fundamental concepts that underlie the field of earthquake engineering as well as of contemporary design methods used. The basic, yet non-exclusive pre-requisite for attending this program, is a degree in civil engineering. Also, a strong background in structural analysis and design is recommended, but not required.
The objectives of this post-graduate program are (1) to offer scientific training in a discipline that was hitherto fragmented and for the most part confined to the undergraduate programs, (2) to present practical and specialized training in a rather rapid fashion so that it becomes possible to graduate within a calendar year, (3) to give students the necessary background in this vital area of civil engineering for a successful career with government agencies or private practice and (4) to prepare students for entry into PhD programs in civil engineering.
