Civil Engineering Technology: Structural Engineering Technology

Every beam, column and footing in a building has to be sized by someone who understands how loads travel down to the ground. RRC Polytech’s Structural Engineering Technology diploma trains that specialist over 32 months at the Notre Dame Campus in northwest Winnipeg: an eight-month general first year in Civil Engineering Technology, then two six-month years in the Structural option, with co-op work terms in between.

Year 1 covers Technical Drawing Fundamentals, Algebra & Trigonometry 1 and 2, Statics and Strength of Materials 1 and 2, Surveying 1 and 2, Chemistry, Professional Ethics and Applied Technical Graphics. Once you enter the Structural option, Term 4 brings Structural Analysis 1, Reinforced Concrete Design 1, Timber Design, Geotechnical Fundamentals, Structural Detailing Practices, Calculus & Statistics and Project Administration. The final term completes the design sequence with Steel Design, Foundation Design, Reinforced Concrete Design 2, Structural Analysis 2 and Materials Testing, alongside Engineering Economics, Supervisory Management and an Applied Research Project.

The programme is laptop-delivered on Windows machines running Autodesk drafting and Revit software, and it builds in mandatory six-month co-op work terms after Year 1 and Year 2, so you apply structural theory on paid projects before graduating. A capstone project ties analysis, detailing and design codes together on a real-world problem. Graduates may seek certification through CTTAM and CCTT, and later the Engineering Licensee (Eng. L.) licence from Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba. Pathways lead to the third year of RRC Polytech’s Construction Management degree and to credit at Lakehead University and the University of Manitoba.

Structural graduates work as structural designers, structural detailers, site inspectors, materials testing and quality control technologists, contract administrators and estimators, or building component fabricators. The programme suits strong maths students who think visually, enjoy precise detail, and want a design role in construction without first completing a full engineering degree.