Urban Excavation and Settlement Control Course
Online course of 300 hours in urban excavation and settlement control, structured in 6 modules covering excavations in urban settings, settlement mechanisms, numerical modelling, control and protection measures and monitoring with the observational method, with an assigned technical tutor.
Urban Excavation and Settlement Control Course — studying from the United Kingdom
Civil and infrastructure engineering is a major employment sector in the United Kingdom, with significant activity in transport, water, energy and urban regeneration. Rail projects such as HS2 and ongoing network upgrades by Network Rail create demand for engineers in track, signalling, structures and systems. Smart city initiatives in cities including Manchester, Glasgow and Milton Keynes apply digital technologies to mobility, utilities and public services. Major contractors and consultancies including Balfour Beatty, Arup and AECOM employ civil and rail professionals across the country.
Fees for the United Kingdom: £664 (Pound sterling), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in the United Kingdom
Typical roles
Questions from the United Kingdom
Which UK professional bodies are relevant to civil and rail engineering qualifications?
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and, for rail, bodies such as the Permanent Way Institution and the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers are relevant in the UK. Chartered status is handled through the Engineering Council. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by these bodies, so you should confirm with ICE or the relevant institution how your study would be treated.
Do UK civil, rail and smart city employers recognise online private qualifications?
UK infrastructure employers, including consultancies, contractors, rail operators and local authorities, generally recruit based on competence, professional registration and project experience. A private qualification can add to your profile, but employers decide its relevance. Practical experience and progress towards professional registration usually carry more weight.
How does online study fit with a UK working schedule, and what about funding?
Online study lets you keep working in the UK, and no student visa is needed to study from home. Fees are payable in instalments, and some employers support job-related training, which is common practice in general terms but varies by employer. Each programme has a defined number of hours and an assigned technical tutor. Review the hours and funding options before enrolling.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Identify the risks that urban excavation poses to its surroundings.
Estimate settlements with empirical and analytical methods.
Model staged excavations with finite elements.
Assess potential damage to adjacent buildings.
Select protection measures and ground treatments.
Design monitoring plans with alert thresholds.
Prepare a settlement control plan for a real project.
Who it's for
- Geotechnical engineers.
- Tunnel engineers working in urban areas.
- Monitoring managers.
- Excavation site managers.
- Building pathology consultants.
- Construction control technicians.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to work in tunnel construction.
What you'll work with
- UNE-EN 1997-1 Eurocode 7 (geotechnical design)
- Spanish Technical Building Code DB SE-C (foundations and geotechnics)
- UNE-EN ISO 18674-1:2016 (geotechnical monitoring by field instrumentation)
- UNE-EN 1538:2011 (execution of diaphragm walls)
- UNE-EN 12716 (execution of jet grouting)
- UNE-EN 1537:2015 (execution of ground anchors)
- UNE-EN 14199 (execution of micropiles)
- PLAXIS 2D
- PLAXIS 3D
- GEO5
- Midas GTS NX
- Microsoft Excel
6 modules
1.1Types of urban excavation1.2Risks to adjacent buildings1.3Affected utilities and interferences1.4Groundwater constraints1.5Open excavation and supported excavation1.6Shallow tunnels and surface effects1.7Framework of technical responsibility1.8Notable damage cases1.9The cost of settlements1.10Case study: damage around a basement excavation
2.1Volume loss in tunnels2.2Peck's Gaussian settlement trough2.3Settlements due to diaphragm wall excavation2.4Wall deflection and horizontal movements2.5Consolidation due to groundwater lowering2.6Long-term settlements2.7Empirical methods of Clough and O'Rourke2.8Angular distortion and horizontal strain2.9Building damage according to Burland2.10Practical exercise: settlement trough of a tunnel
3.12D and 3D excavation models3.2Hardening Soil constitutive models3.3Excavation and propping stages3.4Soil-structure interaction3.5Modelling of adjacent buildings3.6Dewatering and groundwater flow3.7Parameter sensitivity analysis3.8Calibration with monitoring data3.9Limitations of the models3.10Lab: staged excavation in PLAXIS
4.1Stiffness of the support system4.2Props and ground anchors4.3Underpinning and micropiles4.4Jet grouting and ground treatment4.5Compensation grouting4.6Protective barrier walls4.7Face pressure control in TBMs4.8Cut-off walls and groundwater barriers4.9Optimal construction sequences4.10Workshop: selecting protection measures
5.1Monitoring plan5.2Precise levelling5.3Inclinometers and extensometers5.4Piezometers5.5Robotic total stations5.6InSAR radar interferometry5.7Green, amber and red alert thresholds5.8The Eurocode 7 observational method5.9Data and alert management5.10Case study: settlement alert at a basement excavation
6.1Description of the excavation6.2Ground characterisation6.3Empirical settlement estimate6.4Numerical model6.5Building damage assessment6.6Protection measures6.7Monitoring plan and thresholds6.8Action plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The programme is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so you can combine it with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PLAXIS 2D, PLAXIS 3D, GEO5, Midas GTS NX and Microsoft Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Exercises are based on real procedures: estimating the settlement trough of a tunnel, staged modelling of a diaphragm-walled excavation and a monitoring plan with alert thresholds. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final project.
Standards covered: UNE-EN 1997-1 Eurocode 7, Spanish Technical Building Code DB SE-C, UNE-EN ISO 18674-1:2016, UNE-EN 1538:2011, UNE-EN 12716, UNE-EN 1537:2015, UNE-EN 14199.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with PLAXIS 2D, PLAXIS 3D, GEO5, Midas GTS NX, Microsoft Excel, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, a computer capable of running the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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