PhD Geological Engineering

Lectures, seminars and course discussions

Classroom teaching sessions

Reading materials and course resources

Examinations

Supervision meetings for the PhD thesis

Field and laboratory practicals, including field visits and surveys

Presentations and the PhD thesis oral examination

GED 579 Engineering Data Analysis

Statistical concepts and methods for solving engineering and scientific problems. Covers statistical distributions, error propagation, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, hypothesis testing and confidence intervals, regression analysis and modelling, parameter estimation, time series analysis, principal component and correspondence analysis, and strategies for solving linear and non-linear least-squares and inverse problems.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and laboratory work.

GED 573 Applied Geophysics

Overview of geophysical techniques and their use in solving exploration, engineering and environmental problems, with hands-on field surveys and data analysis. Covers data collection, reduction and interpretation for seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, resistivity, induced polarization, ground penetrating radar, borehole geophysics and time domain electromagnetic methods, and their application to civil engineering, earthquake engineering, soil dynamics and vibrations in construction.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 577 Structural Geology for Engineers

Morphology of geological structures and the role of tectonics and deformation in forming them. Covers plate tectonics, stress and strain analysis, rock failure, primary and secondary structures, stereographic analysis of structural data, and the role of structures in exploration for minerals, oil, gas and water in Ghana. Includes field mapping techniques and visits to different formations in Ghana.

Mode of delivery: Lectures, field practical and laboratory work.

GED 589 Advanced Engineering Geology

Skills for evaluating the suitability of sites and materials for engineering projects using geological information and techniques. Covers geologic processes that affect highways, dams, power plants, buildings and waste disposal sites, the mechanisms by which they affect structures and how to quantify them, ways of avoiding or remediating their effects, and communicating geological information. Includes field visits.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 583 Geochemical Exploration Techniques

Techniques in geochemical mineral exploration, and the evaluation, presentation and interpretation of geochemical data. Covers litho-, soil-, hydro-, bio-geochemical and stream sediment methods, dispersion patterns and element associations, assaying and rock dissolution techniques, data integrity and transformation, identification of anomalies using univariate and multivariate methods, levelling of surveys, and exploration tenement acquisition.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 575 Advanced Hydrogeology

Hydrogeological skills for solving groundwater-related problems in society. Covers groundwater occurrence, movement and hydraulics, abstraction techniques, well design, pumping (aquifer) tests, groundwater quality assessment, contaminant transport, resource management and the implications of climate change, and groundwater modelling, with field practicals and case studies.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and practical.

GED 594 Research Methodology

Writing research proposals, undertaking independent research and writing technical reports, theses and papers for publication. Covers types of research, research organisation and management, information search, literature review and clear objectives, thesis forms and structure, effective reading and writing, drawing sound conclusions, planning experiments, data collection, and data preparation and analysis.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and seminars.

GED 578 Environmental Impact Assessment

Skills for applying resource and environmental management in practice, including monitoring and management tools and the impacts of energy, water and waste flows. Covers environmental plans and management systems, and the EIA process: screening, scoping, alternatives, impact prediction, mitigation, preparing and reviewing reports, consultation and participation, decision-making, monitoring and auditing.

Mode of delivery: Lectures.

GED 598 Applied GIS and Remote Sensing

Hands-on application of GIS and remote sensing in geological engineering. Covers spatial data models, creation of spatial data and geodatabases, acquisition and validation of remote sensing data, geoprocessing, spatial analysis and statistics, geostatistical methods for spatial modelling, satellite image processing, spatial data integration, and practical use of modern software packages.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and practical.

GED 584 Geophysics for Mineral Exploration

Practical use of electrical, electromagnetic, gravity and magnetic methods in mineral exploration. Covers gravity and magnetic theory, potential field interpretation, anomaly analysis, ambiguity and resolution, regional and residual separation, aero-gravity, aeromagnetic, borehole and micro-gravity surveys, electrical properties of rocks, resistivity, induced polarization, self-potential, electromagnetic methods and ground penetrating radar, instrumentation, and interpretation of field data. Includes field surveys.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 576 Advanced Rock Engineering

Theory of rock mechanics and the practical rock engineering knowledge needed by an engineering geologist in civil, mining and related fields. Covers stress and strain analysis, rock behaviour and failure criteria, the state of stress around underground openings, in situ stress measurement, support and pillars, numerical modelling with software such as RS2, DIPS and Slides, laboratory testing, rock mass classification (Q, RMR, GSI), rock slope stability, and tunnelling methods, support systems and hazards.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and practical.

GED 564 Subsurface Methods in Petroleum Geology

Concepts and subsurface techniques used in exploring for, evaluating and developing hydrocarbons. Covers source rocks and the origin of petroleum, fluid migration, reservoir rocks and traps, correlation and mapping of subsurface features, sedimentary geology concepts, petrophysical log evaluation, and an introduction to reservoir evaluation and hydrocarbon production. Includes field surveys.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and laboratory practical.

GED 566 Groundwater Geophysics

Techniques used in different environments for finding and using groundwater. Covers the geology of groundwater occurrence, characteristics of water-bearing formations, reconnaissance survey, geological, geophysical and remote sensing techniques for siting wells and boreholes, locating safe drilling sites, predicting aquifer yields, and imaging the top 100 metres of the earth. Students acquire data on or near campus for interpretation and computer modelling.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 586 Ore Geology and Metallogeny

The geology of metallic ore and some industrial mineral deposits, with emphasis on the processes that concentrate commodities to economic levels. Covers classification and genesis of ore deposits, igneous, magmatic-hydrothermal, hydrothermal, surficial, supergene and sedimentary ore-forming processes, fluid inclusions, global tectonics and metallogeny, gem deposits, diamond exploration, strategic metals and REE deposits. Laboratory work introduces ore study in reflected light microscopy.

Mode of delivery: Lectures and field practical.

GED 592 Mineral Exploration and Evaluation

Exploration techniques for detecting mineral anomalies in known mining areas and virgin territories, and for data evaluation, presentation and interpretation. Covers global trends, safety and logistics, mineralisation types and associations, geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys, drilling, sampling and analyses, resource and reserve estimation, resource classification, and valuation of mineral properties.

Mode of delivery: Lectures, field practical and laboratory exercises.

PhD Thesis Research

Independent research leading to an examinable thesis. Candidates formulate, define and justify a research topic, carry out a comprehensive literature review, apply scientific procedures and tools, and demonstrate critical analysis of results and thesis writing.

Mode of delivery: Supervision of independent research and report writing.

Academic Facility User Fee (AFUF): Payable to the University.

Programme Levy: Payable to the Department