The word geotechnical refers to the geological components of the earth, like the earth

and soil, and also the groundwater. Geotechnical engineers evaluate the soil and other
components of the earth to determine whether a particular project site is a good one for
a given project, and work with the lay of the land for the best result. One cool thing
about geotechnical engineering that may appeal to some civil engineering majors is the
chance to do a lot of field work. Some of your work will also be in an office. Often the
division is fairly even. The majority of civil engineers, including geotechnical engineers,
work full time in their occupations.
If you choose this as your concentration, youll be studying a lot of geology along with
your civil engineering. Your knowledge will allow you to determine if the soil beneath a
future structure is substantial enough to support its foundations, and also to evaluate
potential hazards like landslides, earthquakes, and the like to ensure that structures are
safe for occupants and use. You may also do something called ground improvement,
where you treat the soil to improve its strength, stiffness, and permeability. This can
save costs and time and can support foundations for new structures. It also can provide
more flexibility in terms of location for new projects.
Geotechnical engineers do a lot of work relating to embankments, tunnels, channels,
reservoirs, and so forth, and may also do coastal and ocean engineering, building
wharves, jetties, and marinas. This field is closely related to something called
engineering geology. The latter is generally a concentration under geology, though,
whereas geotechnical engineering focuses more on the engineering aspect of things.
Check to see whether your school also offers engineering geology under the geology
major as a concentration.
Geotechnical engineering is grouped by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) under
civil engineering. The median annual pay listed for civil engineers in 2010 was $77,560
per year, or $37.29 per hour. The field is growing about as fast as average, and you can
get started with a bachelors degree. I suggest that you look up some of the classes
associated with the geotechnical engineering concentration at your school to see if this
is something you would enjoy. Also look into the related field of engineering geology.
There are a lot of possibilities out there for someone who shares these two specific
interests. Your projects can improve infrastructure and safety and also give you a
chance to work with soil and other components of the earths crust.