CUGB
Undergraduate Major:Groundwater Science and Engineering

1. Major Introduction

Groundwater Science and Engineering studies the genesis, distribution, movement and change of groundwater based on the principles of geosciences. It covers the development, management and protection of groundwater resources, and the investigation, monitoring, assessment, treatment and remediation of groundwater environments. Graduates are normally engaged in scientific research, teaching, management and designing in departments/institutes of land resources, water conservancy, urban construction, environmental protection and communication. 

2. Academic Objectives

Students should love our country, support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, love work and labor, obey the law, and have good moral, and social morality and professional ethics. They should be both physically and mentally healthy, have the necessary military training, and meet the requirements of the national college sports and military training standards.

Students are expected to be knowledgeable in mathematics and social sciences and familiar with the principles of geosciences. They are able to use computers and one foreign language. They also have to grasp mechanisms of groundwater genesis and evolution, investigation, monitoring, assessment, development and treatment of groundwater resources and environment. Most of all, they will learn to do independent thinking and research and will put their creativity into play. With sufficient specialized knowledge and skills they are expected to work as researchers, teachers, managers and designers in governmental agencies, academic institutes or industries related to land resources, water conservancy, urban construction, environmental protection and communication. They will be qualified engineers with the corresponding titles in five years after graduation, and will become senior specialists in hydrogeology, environmental geology and relevant areas.

3. Academic Requirements

After the four-year courses, the students should acquire the following knowledge and abilities:

(1) Engineering knowledge:Students will master the basic knowledge and basic principles in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer, and geosciences. They will also master the basic methods of field work, and will possess the knowledge reserves for resolving groundwater problems.

(2) Problem analysis:Students will be able to identify and describe scientific problems by applying the basic principles of engineering science. They will know about the development trends of the specialty by inquiring about and doing research on Chinese and foreign literature. Students will possess the ability to design experiments, to carry on experiments and to analyze the results of experiments. They will learn how to analyze complex engineering problems and draw valid conclusions.

(3) Designing and Developing Solutions:Students will grasp the formation, distribution, movement and changes of groundwater resources; master the principles, major functions, factors of the formation of groundwater chemical components, the classification, zoning of groundwater chemical components, and research methods of groundwater chemistry. Besides, students will grasp the basic theories, mathematical models and computing methods, learn the basic knowledge and field investigation methods for groundwater exploration, monitoring, assessment, management and protection. They will learn the methods for groundwater pollution investigation, assessment, control and remediation and grasp the methods of geological hazards identification, investigation, assessment and monitoring. They will understand the basic principles of designing of geological hazard prevention and management. With these, students are expected to have the ability to design solutions for groundwater science and engineering problems under different hydrogeological conditions with the sense of innovation and with considerations of society, health, safety, law, culture and the environment.

(4) Research:They will do research on complex engineering problems based on scientific principles by designing experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and drawing reasonable and effective conclusions through information integration. They will gain the initial ability of writing papers and participating in academic meetings.

(5) Using modern tools:They will be able to develop, select and use appropriate technology, resources, modern engineering tools and informational technology to solve complex engineering problems. They will grasp the methods to use professional equipment and instruments in groundwater investigation, monitoring, sampling and analytical tests. They will be learnt to use some professional software for water chemical analysis, hydrogeological mapping, hydrogeological concept model building, groundwater simulation, etc. Students will be able to make quantitative analysis of groundwater science and engineering issues.

(6) Engineering and society:Students will make reasonable analysis based on engineering related background knowledge, and evaluate the effects of engineering practice and pollution prevention schemes on society, health, safety, law, and culture, and they will understand relevant responsibilities.

(7) Environment and sustainable development:Students will be able to understand and evaluate the effects of groundwater engineering practice upon the environment and social sustainable development. They will understand the national sustainable development strategy, and relevant laws and regulations. They will develop the sense of environment protection in engineering designs, and will take sustainable development of society into account when designing engineering projects and carrying on the designs.

(8) Career Development:Students will have a sound understanding of social sciences, a strong sense of social responsibilities, and a healthy body. They should abide by professional ethics and norms, and fulfill professional duties in the engineering practice. They will develop correct outlooks of life and values and positive personal attributes. They will be familiar with laws and regulations, and the related national and industry standards of environmental engineering. In engineering practice, they will understand and comply with engineering ethics and norms, possess engineering safety consciousness, be able to earnestly perform their duties, and have sense of social responsibilities.

(9) Individuals and teams:Students will get to know the importance of teamwork as well as responsibilities and obligations of various roles through participating in practices, National College Students' innovation experiment projects, graduation projects, and thesis writing, etc. Teachers will train students' awareness of team cooperation and coordination, and each student should be able to work in inter-disciplinary settings. Students will develop some good personal qualities and teamwork spirit. They will be able to assume corresponding responsibilities as required in a team with multi-disciplinary backgrounds.

(10) Communication: Students will be able to communicate effectively with their counterparts and the public about complex engineering problems through writing papers and reports, delivering speeches at conferences or talking personally. Students will master a foreign language up to the national level Four. They will acquire communication skills of the foreign language, will develop certain international visions, and will be able to communicate with professionals of different cultural backgrounds.

(11) Project management:Students will understand and master principles of engineering management and will be able to apply the principles in multi-disciplinary fields.

(12) Lifelong learning:Students will have the awareness of autonomous, lifelong learning and will have the ability to learn continuously to adapt to new developments of environment engineering and society.

4. Length of Schooling and Degree

The length of schooling is four years of full-time study. Students will be awarded the Bachelor Degree of Engineering when they have completed the required minimum credits and have met all other requirements.

5. Core Courses

Specialized Core Courses: Assessment of Groundwater, Investigation and Exploration of Groundwater, Groundwater Monitoring, Contamination Hydrogeology, Groundwater Hydraulics, Groundwater Chemistry, Special Topics on Groundwater Sciences, Geological Hazard and Control, Engineering and Soil Mechanics, Specialty English for Groundwater Science and Engineering, Mechanics of Engineering Rock Mass.

Practice courses: Surveying Practice, Geological Survey Field Trip in Beidaihe, Geological Survey Field Trip in Zhoukoudian, Professional Practice, Practice for Groundwater Contamination Investigation and Evaluation, AutoCAD and Mapping for Hydrogeology, Application of GIS to Hydrology, Design for Groundwater Survey, Graduation Design (Thesis).