Master of Science in Arctic Engineering

The Masters of Science in Arctic Engineering degree curriculum is designed to provide graduate education via the World Wide Web for engineers who must deal with the unique challenge of design, construction, and operations in the cold regions of the world. Special problems created by the climatic, geological and logistical conditions of the Arctic and sub-Arctic require knowledge and techniques that are rarely presented in conventional
engineering courses. A thorough knowledge of heat transfer processes and properties of frozen ground and frozen water is basic to most engineering activities in the cold regions.
The subject areas of hydraulics, hydrology, materials and utility operations are also uniquely affected by Arctic considerations. The Arctic Engineering program requires completion of a
set of core courses that will prepare an engineer to understand and adapt prior engineering knowledge and skills to problems of cold regions. The program also allows students to study
advanced elective courses in a particular area of specialized interest. Research activities carried out by faculty of the UAA School of Engineering provide opportunities for project
reports dealing with current Arctic knowledge. A graduate Advisory Committee composed of at least three members, the Chair and one other members of which must be UAA Arctic Engineering faculty, is appointed to guide each admitted student to degree completion.
Additional program guidance is available via the URL referenced above.

On successful completion of the program, students will have gained sufficient knowledge to:
1. Recognize natural conditions and engineering challenges that are unique to cold regions,
2. Interpret associated specialized language and units of measure,
3. Locate, interpret, and apply public information about cold regions physical conditions,
4. Apply fundamental physical principles for solutions to common cold regions engineering problems,
5. Assess need for complex specialized Arctic engineering solutions,
6. Determine physical and thermal properties, evaluate frost heave rates, and estimate heat flow in soils, prevent foundation failure due to seasonally frozen ground or permafrost by appropriate project site exploration and design of constructed features,
7. Determine mathematical and physical properties governing heat and mass transfer in cold climates,
8. Determine temperature profiles in structure walls, roof, and foundations, predict moisture content and mass flow rates in structures,
9. Acquire, integrate, and interpret data from public archives regarding site conditions associated with planning and design of community utility systems and formulate field measurement programs to determine site conditions for planning and design,
10. Analyze properties of lake, river, and sea ice, predict behavior of ice under natural conditions, and predict ice forces on engineering structures, and
11. Apply the sum of specialized Arctic engineering knowledge and skills gained in the program toward solution of a practical engineering problem and report this to fellow specialists.