What is Geological Engineering? 

UBC’s Geological Engineering program is a fully accredited discipline recognized internationally for its excellence in undergraduate teaching and graduate research. As the first program of its kind in Canada, it has a proud history dating back to UBC’s founding in 1915, when Geological Engineer Reginald W. Brock—one of the university’s first five professors—became the inaugural Dean of Applied Science. 

Today, the program trains engineers to solve critical environmental and infrastructure challenges by combining Earth science with risk-informed engineering. The program integrates geology, environmental science, engineering principles, and risk analysis to support projects ranging from tunnel design and slope stabilization to resource development and groundwater remediation. Graduates are in high demand across sectors—including mining, energy, environmental protection, civil infrastructure, water resources, and natural hazard mitigation—and frequently have more job opportunities than peers in other disciplines. GEOE graduates are trained to work across both field and office settings, often on interdisciplinary teams, where adaptability and problem-solving are essential. Many go on to become industry leaders, technical consultants, or pursue advanced research and graduate studies.

Learn about our Undergraduate and Graduate programs in Geological Engineering.

Research in Geological Engineering

Faculty members conduct research in areas such as: 

• Landslides, debris flows, hazard assessment, and runout analysis
• Groundwater hydrology, contamination and remediation, reactive transport modeling
• Rock mechanics, underground and open-pit mine design, and tunnelling
• Environmental geochemistry, applied geophysics, and geotechnical engineering

Check out the research at GEOE.