Civil Engineering Technician

This course describes in detail the materials and construction techniques required for residential construction. Topics include sustainable design, soils and foundations, framing and the building envelope. Various options are discussed for each topic. Students will also use sketching and drafting techniques to complete various construction details.

84 Hours

Communications I is a practical course designed to help strengthen essential oral and written communication skills. Students will be exposed to a variety of learning methods and communication formats. Emphasis will be placed on the use of appropriate structure, writing conventions, tone and style as well as the enhancement of interpersonal, teamwork and presentation skills. Students will also develop discipline-specific documents, practice proper business etiquette and learn the importance of ethical behaviour and professionalism in the classroom and workplace. Attention to detail is emphasized.

42 Hours

This course introduces the student to health and safety in their home, in society and within an occupational setting. Students learn about the social and personal benefits of safe work practices and the methods to best prevent accidents or injuries. Students will review the role, right and responsibilities of an individual in today’s health and safety conscious world. Students also learn how to read and interpret the Occupational Act and Regulations.

42 Hours

This is an introductory course designed to teach students the basics of using the AutoCAD drafting software to create 2 dimensional drawings. Lessons include using the draw, modify, layering and annotation commands.

56 Hours

This course is an introductory course into the study of physics. It consists of 6 theory units and a corresponding laboratory component. The topics covered include: measurement, motion, forces, work and energy, fluids and heat. The lab component gives students the opportunity to connect with the acquired theory.

56 Hours

This course covers basic algebra properties, graphing the straight line, basic geometry and trigonometry, and solving a system of equations graphically and algebraically. It also covers vector addition by components and by the cosine and sine laws.

56 Hours

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of Plane Surveying. The theory and use of theodolites/total stations, steel tapes and levels will be covered. Basic surveying calculations for direction, coordinates and area will be included.

42 Hours

This is an introduction to engineering statics/mechanics tailored to the needs of Mechanical and Civil students. The major topics include vectors, moments, couples, centroids and moment of inertia. Students will learn how to find the reaction forces at the supports and the internal force in members using the method of joints and the method of sections. Students will also learn how to calculate the centroid and the area moment of inertia for simple shapes and some commercial shapes. Applied statics/mechanics is the basis for all calculations in areas such as stress analysis, machine design, hydraulics and structural design.

56 Hours

Communications 2 is a one-semester course that applies the oral and written communication tools learned in Comm1 to specific business/technical applications as required by industry today. The student will enhance the writing skills acquired in COMM1 and learn to produce effective documents including business letters, emails, employment documents as well as reports applicable to their field of study. Students will also learn how to plan and participate in meeting situations and participate in mock interviews (as applicable) so that they are prepared to transition into the competitive employment market. Students will continue to learn and apply proper language and grammatical structures and apply editing strategies to business/technical documents through both in-class/online activities and through the usage of the customized Mylab online grammar tool. As with COMM1, the content will be inclusive and reflect the diverse workplace that students will experience in the future.

42 Hours

This course introduces students to the two basic tenets of fluids mechanics: hydrostatics and fluid flow. Hydrostatics relates to the study of fluids at rest and the forces they exert on surfaces or objects with which they come in contact. This aspect of fluid mechanics is bound to aid students solve problems relating to the design of dams, the walls of swimming pools, air tanks, and the numerous other modern daily necessities. Fluid flow, on the other hand, deals with the behaviour of fluids in motion and their interaction with the surfaces and objects with which they come in contact. Fluid flow studies will help the student in determining the size of pipes for a water distribution system, assessing the potential damage of river floods, harnessing rivers for hydroelectric power developments, and other hydraulics problems.

56 Hours

This course is primarily a laboratory course in concrete theory and soil mechanics. Ready mixed concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It is extremely versatile, strong, and economical in comparison to other materials. It lends itself well to a vast array of applications in construction. In addition, its attributes relative to sustainability are relevant to the entire construction industry. Concrete principles and theory constitute the first portion of this course.

The study of soil mechanics is important since soil is the most readily available construction material, and all structures must be supported on soil or rock. The student will learn the theory on which the most common laboratory and field tests are based, and perform related tests.

84 Hours

This general education course will provide students with an introduction to Canadian Indigenous Nations’ history, sovereignty, land titles, cultural history and current critical issues. Topics addressed include the content of Indigenous rights, economic and social development, community and political processes, and business law and policies, justice & social services. Canadian Indigenous History and Relations is a general education course that has been incorporated into all programs at Northern College.

42 Hours

In this course students will engage in a more applied approach to using AutoDesk software. With a combination of theory and applicable practice, the student will learn the process of planning and preparing Construction drawings. Lessons will familiarize the students on Design Principles and procedures and rules of thumb in preparation to complete the term project.

42 Hours

MA2104 is the second course in the math stream for students in an Engineering Technician / Technology program.  The emphasis of this course is on solving equations relating to quadratics, logarithms, exponentials, with sections on factoring, fractional equations, manipulating exponent and radical expressions, and complex numbers, and for some programs studying systems of linear equations and determinants.  Applications of the basic concepts, to particular fields of study, will be covered.

The second semester Mathematics course is designed to give the student the mathematical tools required to function in his/her special field of study.

Students are encouraged to seek help after class hours if problems are encountered in the course.  Every effort will be made to identify problem areas to the student, but in the final analysis, it is the responsibility of the student to ask for help.

Prerequisite: MA1100 – Mathematics I (with 60%)

56 Hours

Municipal Engineering involves the study of Engineering Surveys, Construction Surveys, blueprint reading and the design and construction of municipal infrastructure. Emphasis will be placed on sustainable urban infrastructure design and construction practices.

28 Hours

Students are introduced to proper measurement techniques of construction items and components found in a commercial and municipal projects. Emphasis is placed on accuracy of measurement, quantity take-off concept, sound estimating principles, and construction materials. Appropriate software solutions will be applied.

56 Hours

In this course, the student will learn about the many different concepts related to the design of highways. From sight distances to minimum curve radii; and from superelevation to road classification this course will attempt to encompass the many considerations one must make when designing a highway. Simple highway design will be examined. Civil 3D functionality with respect to highway design will be introduced.

28 Hours

Municipal Design II is a combination of wastewater collection system design and urban storm design. Sewers are underground conduit that conveys wastewater mostly under gravity to the treatment plant. Hydrologic design entails the collection of surface water runoff to safer conduits on to points of discharge. This course will be an interaction of three content areas: Biology, Chemistry and Hydraulics. Biochemistry will focus on sources of wastewater contamination and treatment thereafter. Hydraulics will deal with the sizing of appropriate pipes to convey the design flow.

This course covers topics such as: graphs of trigonometric functions, trigonometric identities and equations, the study of analytic geometry including the properties of the straight line, the circle and the parabola. The students will also be introduced to Calculus. The course expands with the study of the rate of change and the derivative of algebraic functions with applications to graphing, optimization and minimum and maximum problems. The students will also be introduced to integration of algebraic functions with applications to area.

70 Hours

This course is a continuation of Surveying Principles. The use of total station field instruments will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on practical field applications.

42 Hours

This course examines the behaviour of engineering materials under various loading conditions. The concepts of stress and strain are critically examined with emphasis on the application of those concepts to practical design and analysis problems. Topics include direct normal and shear stresses; axial deformation and thermal stress; torsional shear stress and torsional deformation; shearing forces and bending moments in beams; pressure vessel stresses; welded and bolted (riveted) connections.

56 Hours

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

Project Documentation consists of specification contract writing and project planning, all are integral parts of any project. The specifications contain the legal documentation as well as the trade section for various building materials. Project planning is a series of activities strung together using critical path management principles to create a time line for estimating and construction purposes. This course reviews the process of tendering a construction project, the documents that form part of a standard construction contract as well as aspects of project planning and scheduling. Students will write and modify existing specifications, review CCDC2 the stipulated price contract and use MS project to create a Gantt chart.

Pre-requisites: AR1016 Methods and Materials I/Detailing

42 Hours

This course also has an emphasis on the mathematics of road design including the calculation of circular curves, vertical curves, and spiral curves. The student will also manually draft cross sections from field notes in accordance with an approved road design. Finally, time permitting, the student will calculate and lay off a spiral-circular-spiral curve arrangement. Continuation of advanced Civil 3 D applications.

42 Hours

In this course, students will work on environmental and sustainable practices related to Civil Engineering projects. Students will research environmental legislation, evaluate potential hazards, and offer remediation methods for different site work.

42 Hours

This course exposes the students to Part-9 Foundations and Structural Framing, Part-3 Building Classification and Construction, and Part-4 Structural Design with reference to the Ontario Building Code.

42 Hours

This course examines the relationships between bending moment and flexure stress, and between vertical shear and shear stress are used in the analysis and design of beams. More design involving flexural members will be examined. Beams under torsional loading will also be looked at. The concept of combined stresses will be investigated. Furthermore, this course will examine the general case and special case of combined stress and Mohr’s circle and finally the calculation of beam deflections utilizing various methods. Finally, time permitting, we will delve into the area of indeterminate structural analysis.

42 Hours

This course will cover such topics as: classification of data using Excel, x-y graphs, bar graphs and pie charts; organization of data into frequency distributions, calculation of the mean, the median, variance and standard deviation for grouped data; probability and frequency distributions,  binomial and normal distributions, estimation of population means, standard deviation and proportions within a given confidence interval; control charts for statistical process control; and regression and correlation analysis.

Pre-requisites: MA1100 Mathematics I

42 Hours

Gain an understanding of GIS fundamental concepts and terminology including the role of GIS in business, government, surveying and natural resources. Learn how to create and manipulate data using GIS. Examine the collection, management, analysis and presentation of spatial data, concepts of database systems, data modeling and digital mapping.

42 Hours

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

1. Develop and use strategies to enhance professional growth and ongoing learning in the civil engineering field.
2. Comply with workplace health and safety practices and procedures in accordance with current legislation and regulations.
3. Complete duties and assist in monitoring that work is performed in compliance with contractual obligations, applicable laws, standards, bylaws, codes, and ethical practices in the civil engineering field.
4. Carry out sustainable practices in accordance with contract documents, industry standards and environmental legislative requirements.
5. Collaborate with the project team and communicate effectively with project stakeholders to support civil engineering projects.
6. Collect, process and interpret technical data to produce written and graphical project-related documents.
7. Use industry-specific electronic and digital technologies to support civil engineering projects.
8. Participate in the design and modeling phase of civil engineering projects by applying engineering concepts, basic technical mathematics, and principles of science to the review and production of project plans.
9. Assist in the scheduling, cost estimation and monitoring of the progression of civil engineering projects by applying principles of construction project management.
10. Perform quality control testing and the monitoring of equipment, materials and methods involved in the implementation and completion of civil engineering projects.
11. Apply teamwork, leadership and interpersonal skills when working individually or within multidisciplinary teams to complete civil engineering projects.