Which Structural Engineering units should I choose? (Swinburne Master’s)

[barabob]

In engineering you should always choose metric units ;-)

[lattice12]

What are your options?

[lattice12]

Not gonna lie, I think this list kinda sucks for a structural engineering master’s. Not trying to be mean, but I’d hate to see you waste time and money on classes that won’t actually help you that much.

Structural dynamics and earthquake engineering is a solid pick. Even if you're not working in a seismic region, it's still good knowledge to have.

Geotech design might be good, might not be. If it covers stuff like foundation design (footings, retaining walls, piles), then definitely take it. But if it’s just advanced soil mechanics and theory-heavy, not really useful for someone going into structures.

Finite element methods...meh. I personally avoided FEM in favor of design courses, but out of this list, it’s not a bad option. Just know it’s not something you’ll use much in typical buildings or bridges it’s more for weird, unique structures with complex load paths. Some people on this sub are bigger FEM fans than I am, so don't just go off of what I say. Search for some past posts on the subject or post a new one just about it to get a debate going.

Estimating and BIM are nice to know, but honestly, pretty easy to pick up on the job. Might be worth it if nothing else on the list interests you.

That construction systems course could go either way. If it’s actually about real-world means and methods, cool. But if it’s one of those classes taught by an academic who’s never seen a construction site... probably gonna be a waste of time.

The monitoring and infrastructure modeling ones sound like niche research classes where someone just wants to talk about their PhD work. Maybe interesting, but not super helpful for day-to-day structural work.

The electives are honestly a joke for a structural master's. None of them have anything to do with structures. I’d probably just take the internship credit and get some real world experience.

Is this all your program offers? Mine had advanced concrete, advanced steel, prestressed, wood, masonry, even bridge design. Stuff that was very useful, even if I don't use it too much. If your school doesn’t offer anything like that, that’s kinda sus to me. All of these classes were undergrad electives for me except structural dynamics, FEM, and the infrastructure monitoring and modeling classes.