Who Builds Big Index | Engineering Webography | Career Info Index
Geotechnical engineers evaluate and stabilize foundations for buildings, roads, and other structures. Earthquakes and geothermal activity are of special interest to geotechnical engineers.
Meet a geotechnical engineer: Tom O'Rourke
Most geotechnical engineers have advanced degrees in civil engineering. In college, students are required to take courses in calculus, statistics, physics, geology, and chemistry. By their junior year, students must take advanced courses, including soil mechanics and plate tectonics.
Number of people in profession: 23,310*
Percentage male: 92
Percentage female: 8
Average salary: $59,000
Civil engineers, structural engineers
* Based on a 1999 National Science Foundation survey
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