University of Canterbury Department of Civil and Natural Resources ...
University of Canterbury Department of Civil and Natural Resources ...
University of Canterbury Department of Civil and Natural Resources ...
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Message from the Head <strong>of</strong> <strong>Department</strong><br />
Welcome to the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> Engineering.<br />
The <strong>Department</strong>, which has existed as the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Civil</strong> Engineering since<br />
about 1930, has recently changed its name to the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Natural</strong><br />
<strong>Resources</strong> Engineering. The new name reflects the fact that we <strong>of</strong>fer two BE<br />
(Hons) programmes, one in <strong>Civil</strong> Engineering (this has been <strong>of</strong>fered at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> since 1888) <strong>and</strong> one in <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> Engineering<br />
(this started in 1967 as Agricultural Engineering, <strong>and</strong> became the responsibility <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Department</strong> in 2004, when Lincoln <strong>University</strong> withdrew its support).<br />
The <strong>Department</strong> has a long history <strong>of</strong> educating Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Engineers to a high<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ard, with the BE (<strong>Civil</strong>) degree being the first degree outside the United<br />
Kingdom to be accepted by the UK Institution <strong>of</strong> <strong>Civil</strong> Engineers as meeting their<br />
academic requirements for a Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Engineer.<br />
Both the <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> programmes have recently been re-accredited<br />
by the NZ Institution <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Engineers, <strong>and</strong> this means that the two degrees<br />
are recognised internationally, so you can (once you have completed either degree)<br />
practise as a Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Engineer around the world. The degree programmes must<br />
ensure students achieve an appropriate st<strong>and</strong>ard in certain topics, otherwise they<br />
will lose accreditation. Hence, all topics in the programmes are important <strong>and</strong><br />
relevant to the education <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Engineers.<br />
The dem<strong>and</strong> for our graduates is very high <strong>and</strong> is expected to remain high for the<br />
foreseeable future. Our graduates work in a very wide range <strong>of</strong> ‘practice areas’,<br />
including <strong>Civil</strong>, Transport, Structural, Waste/Water, Environmental/Ecological,<br />
Geotechnical <strong>and</strong> Fire. There are plenty <strong>of</strong> opportunities, challenges <strong>and</strong> rewards in<br />
all these areas; none is inherently more challenging, exciting, rewarding or ‘highstatus’<br />
than the others.<br />
Both BE (Hons) programmes are designed to provide you with a good<br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> a wide range <strong>of</strong> topic areas; indeed, the most common ‘practice<br />
area’ for our graduates is <strong>Civil</strong>, which involves a wide range <strong>of</strong> activities. You will<br />
be able to specialise to a limited extent during the BE (Hons), <strong>and</strong> you will be able<br />
to choose courses related to the particular practice area that appeals to you. If you<br />
wish to become a real specialist in any area, you will need to undertake<br />
postgraduate study, <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Department</strong> already has a number <strong>of</strong> specialist Masters<br />
programmes (with others under development) <strong>and</strong> a PhD programme. We look<br />
forward to seeing a substantial proportion <strong>of</strong> you returning for postgraduate studies.<br />
Finally, I hope your studies go well, but remember that what you learn depends to a<br />
considerable extent upon the effort that you make.<br />
Alan Nicholson<br />
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