Graduates can pursue careers in construction, infrastructure development, and transportation. What makes this program unique is its specific focus on earthquake-resistant design and construction, preparing students to contribute to the resilience of infrastructures in earthquake-prone regions. Major subjects that have to be studied in M.Sc. in Earthquake Engineering are:

Engineering Seismology 4 (3-1-0)
Propagation of elastic waves, body and surface waves, laws of reflection, refraction and attenuation, travel time curves, seismicity and internal structure of earth, important Himalayan earthquakes, plate tectonics, of earthquakes, magnitude, intensity and energy, return period and frequency of earthquakes, recording causes of earthquake instruments-seismographs, interpretation of earthquake data, earthquake prediction and design earthquakes, principles of seismic protection in national, international and IAEA standard.

Theory of Vibration 4(3-1-0)
Source of vibration, degree of freedom, single and multiple degree of freedom system, Fundamental of dynamics, free and force vibration analyses, various kinds of damping, transverse vibrations, random
vibrations, vibration of continues system, earthquake response of system.

Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering 4(3-1-0)
Soil dynamics, seismic hazard assessment, site specific response spectra, soil structure interaction, site response analysis, liquefaction, seismic analysis of retaining structures.

Finite Element Method 4(3-1-0)
Introduction to FEM, concept of notes and element, FEM modulation, stress, strain, constitutive relationships, failure theories, variational principle, mininum potential energy principle, shape functions, various type of elements, plane stress, plane strain and axi-symmetric elements, 2D & 3D elements and their formulation and solutions, dynamics problems, pre & post processing, application of FEM in civil engineering problems.

Seismic Resistant Design of Structures 4(3-1-0)
Mode shapes and frequencies of multi degree structures, response spectrum analysis, analysis of shear walls, time history analysis, hydro-dynamic effect due to earthquakes, seismic resistant design of sub and superstructures.

Seismic Risk Analysis 4(3-1-0)
Hazard, Vulnerability, fragility, pushover analyses, risk assessment of existing structures, capacity and demand spectrum, retrofitting techniques, seismic risk management of lifelines and critical facilities and structures, risk mitigation.

Numerical Methods for Dynamics System 4(2-0-2)
Basic programming concept numerical time integration methods, formulation, stability and accuracy, response calculation. of structures and ground

Non linear Structural analysis 4(3-1-0)
Sources of nonlinearities in structural behavior, Geometrical non-linearity, Large displacement
analysis of frames structure, non- linear solution procedures.

Advance Soil Mechanics and Ground Exploration 4(3-0-1)
Static and Dynamics strength characteristic of soil, pore pressure, quefaction, sensitivity of clay, effect of strain level on dynamics property of soil, shear strength test: unconfined compression test, triaxial test, direct shear test, vane shear and tortional vibration apparatus, estimation of dynamic soil properties, ground exploration: method of boring, bore hole stabilization, samplers and sampling methods, insitu test: SPT, CPT, DCPT, plate load test, flato dialatometer test, pressuremeter test, pile load test, block vibration and block shear test.

Structural Control and Base Isolation 4(3-1-0)
Importance of damping in structural engineering, introduction to structural control and energy dissipation systems, energy dissipation devices, passive energy dissipation systems, passive control earthquake induced, structural response, modeling of passive energy dissipation devices, introduction to active and semi-active energy dissipation devices, their use in structures, modeling and design, implementation of energy dissipation devices in structures, introduction to seismic base isolation systems, importance and use in structures, design of individual elastomeric and sliding bearings, and seismic isolation systems.

Earthquake Resistant Design of Foundation 4(3-1-0)
Function and general requirement of foundation, type of foundation and selection methods, seismic data for design, response spectra, factors consider in foundation design, design and construction: Isolated foundation, combined foundation, raft foundation, pile foundation: bearing capacity of pile, group action, wave equation method of pile analysis, laterally loaded pile, dynamics analysis, caisson and well foundation: bearing capacity of well, stability analysis of well, dynamics analysis of well, bearing capacity
under earthquake types load.

Advance Design of Bridges 4(3-1-0)
Introduction to bridge structure, types of bridges, site selection and bridge type selection, fundamentals for design and analysis, load and forces, analysis of design of bridge super structures: Solid slab, T-girder, truss, prestress concrete bridge, analysis and design of bridge. substructure and, foundations, finite element modeling for bridge structures, bridge bearing and expansion joints, bridge construction methods, evaluation of existing bridges, bridge maintenance and rehabilitation.

Probabilistic Design of Structures 4(3-1-0)
Planning concept of structures, probabilistic concept, annual maximum events, probabilistic earthquake model, FOSM reliability, limit state design, optimum reliability concept, performance of structures, probability of failure and reliability index, structural safety analysis.

Design of Seismic Resistant Masonry 4(3-1-0)
Structural design of masonry: working and ultimate strength design, In-plane and out-of-plane design criteria for infills, connecting elements and ties, consideration of seismic loads, Code provisions, seismic
evaluation and retrofitting.

Construction Material, Techniques and Management 4(3-1-0)
Properties of construction material and testing, Life cycle analysis, project delivery strategy, contract types and management, leadership, construction project economics, preconstruction and mobilization, bid,quality control, risk, safety, construction equipment.

Structural Health Monitoring 4(3-1-0)
Modal testing overview and applications, theoretical model analysis, frequency response measurements, modal parameter estimation, system identification through ambient vibration, experimental work on real structures

Disaster Risk Management 4(3-1-0)
General meaning and definition of disaster related terminology, type and sources of disasters, concept of disaster cycles (pre, during and post), preparedness plan of pre, during and post disaster, parading of disasters, risk management, rescue and recovery activities during and post disaster, level of disaster and process of declaration, national and local disaster risk management and key institutions, international agencies and institution involved in disaster risk management, basic concept of disaster risk assessment, hazard mapping, risk mapping, damage ratio, primary and secondary impact of any disasters, concept of national and UN cluster approaches for disaster risk management, mitigation and adaptation measures (structural and nonstructural), national and international norms, rules and regulations in disaster risk management, minimum standard of relief items (introduction to sphere project).

Ground Improvement Techniques 4(3-1-0)
Introduction, importance of Ground Improvement Techniques (GIT), type of GIT, Hydraulic modification and preloading, mechanical modification: shallow and deep compaction, physical modification: Using fines or course soil, cement, lime and chemicals, grouting: methods and application, freezing: Methods and application, geosynthetics: types and use, reinforced earth.

Dynamic Analysis of Plates, Shells and Arches 4(3-1-0)
Plates’ analysis of rectangular plates under static vertical loads, free vibration of rectangular and circular plates, effects of transverse and rotatory inertia and interdiction to large deflection theory of thin plates, shells: membrane solution under axi-symmetric and non-symmetric static loads, analysis and design of shell roofs, beam theory and DKJ theory, arches: free vibration of curved members equation of motion for thin curved member, expression of natural frequencies and mode shapes for hinged and fixed circular arches, free vibration of shells roofs.

Design of Industrial Structures 4(3-1-0)
Structural Steel: Structural connection, Design of single and multibay industrial structures in steel and concrete, Roof structures folded plates, north light roofing, cylindrical shells etc. Gantry girder design, Transmission towers, Bunkers and silos, Pressure vessels, chimneys and cooling towers, Large span roof, structures including suspension roofs, flat slabs, waffle slabs etc. Design consideration for vibrating structures.


All these contents presented above is based on syllabus of M.Sc. in Earthquke Engineering at IOE.

For more details about M.Sc. in Earthquake Engineering at Thapathali Campus, IOE, click on the link. https://tcioe.edu.np/masters


Handwritten Notes of some subjects:


Some Important Books required for Earthquake Engineer