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Master of Science
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Civil Engineering
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ISSUE 1 REVISION O


APPROVED BY: ..



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Master Of Science in Civil Engineering

1.0 Introduction

The programme is intended for Engineers with suitable qualification and/or professional experience
who wish to study further or expand their range of expertise in specified fields of Civil Engineering.
The courses offered are tailored to meet the requirements for the building and construction industries
and institutions for Kenya's long term development for economic growth. In addition, the programme
is designed to help candidates develop the ability to pursue independent research and scholarly work.

2.0 Regulations for Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering

2.1 The common regulations for the Masters Degrees in all Faculties in the University shall be
applicable.
2.2 The common regulations for the Masters Degree in the Faculty of Engineering shall be
applicable.

3.0 Entry Requirements

3.1 The following shall be eligible for registration for the degree of Master of Science in Civil
Engineering.

3.1.1 Either a holder of at least second class honours Upper Division Bachelors of Science degree
in Civil Engineering

3.1.2 Or a holder of similar qualifications to 3.1.1 above from other institutions recognized by the
University Senate.

3.1.3 Or a holder of at least second class honours Upper Division Bachelor of Science degree from
other institutions recognized by the Senate in a discipline closely related to the selected Master
of Science option, who has in addition relevant practical experience.

4.0 Duration and Pattern of the Course

4.1 The Master of Science course shall extend over a minimum period of eighteen (18)months.

4.2 No candidate for Masters degree shall be registered as a full time student for more than thirty
six (36)months.

4.3 Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering shall be done by course work, examination and
thesis.

4.4 A Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering may be offered in any one of the following

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specialized areas:

(i) Global Environment and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) Engineering

(ii) Water Engineering

(iii) Transportation Engineering

(iv) Structural Engineering

4.5 A candidate shall take five (5) core course units and at least three (3) elective course units.

4.6 A unit is defined as the equivalent of fifty (50) 1 hour lectures. For this purpose 2 hours of
tutorial and 3 hours of laboratory work is taken to be equivalent to one lecture hour.

4.7 Each candidate shall take eight (8) units in his chosen area of study.

4.8 The first year of study shall be devoted to course work and examinations.

4.9 The second year of study shall be devoted to carrying out of research and presentation of
thesis.

5.0 Examinations

5.1 Part 1 Examinations

5.1.1 Candidates for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering shall be required to pass all the first
year units.

5.1.2 Each course unit in the first year shall be examined at the end of the semester in a three (3)
hour written examination paper. Research project shall be examined by seminar presentation
and by assessing project reports.

5.1.3 The written examinations shall constitute 70% of the overall mark in each course, the other
30% shall be made up of continuous assessment (comprising tests, assignments and
laboratory work).

5.1.4 The pass mark for each course unit shall be 50%.



Supplementary Examinations
5.1.5 A candidate who fails in one(1) or two (2) units may, on recommendation of the Board of
examiners and with approval of the Senate, be allowed to sit supplementary examinations in
the failed unit(s) within a period of three months after the end of the examinations.

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5.1.6 The maximum mark for any supplementary examinations shall be 50% and shall not include
continuous assessment.

Discontinuation

5.1.7 A candidate who fails in more than two course units in the regular examination shall be
discontinued.

5.1.8 A candidate who fails in any of the supplementary units shall be discontinued.

5.2 Part II Examinations

5.2.1 Research project shall be examined by seminar presentation and by assessing project reports in
addition to the Thesis.

5.2.2 The Masters thesis shall be submitted as specified in the common regulations for the Masters
Degree.

5.2.3 Candidates will be examined according to the University Regulations.

6.0 Course Distribution

6.1 Global Environment and ASAL Engineering

Year One

Core Units
CVE 3100 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
CVE 3101 ASAL Management
CVE 3102 Water Resources in ASAL
CVE 3103 Global Environmental Pollution and Monitoring
CVE 3104 Project Management

Elective Units* (a candidate to select any three units)
CVE 3105 Applied Environmental Engineering
CVE 3106 Solid Waste Management
CVE 3107 Natural Disaster Management
CVE 3108 Global Environment Conservation
CVE 3109 Renewable Energy Resources
CVE 3129 Industrial Waste Treatment
Year Two

CVE 3200 Thesis


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6.2 Water Engineering

Year One

Core Units

CVE 3120 Water Resources Engineering
CVE 3121 Water and Waste Water Treatment
CVE 3122 Statistical and Probabilistic Models
CVE 3123 Applied Hydraulics & Hydrology
CVE 3104 Project Management

Elective Units* (a candidate to select any three units)

CVE 3100 Irrigation & Drainage Engineering
CVE 3105 Applied Environmental Engineering
CVE 3124 Groundwater Engineering
CVE 3125 River Engineering
CVE 3126 Waste Water Treatment in the Tropics
CVE 3107 Natural Disaster Management
CVE 3127 Advanced Hydraulic Structures
CVE 3128 Engineering Management
CVE 3108 Global Environment Conservation
CVE 3129 Industrial Waste Treatment

Year Two

CVE 3200 Thesis

6.3 Transportation Engineering

Year One

Core Units

CVE 3140 Transportation Planning
CVE 3141 Traffic Engineering
CVE 3142 Highway Design
CVE 3143 Pavement Design
CVE 3104 Project Management

Elective Units* (a candidate to select any three units)
CVE 3128 Engineering Management
CVE 3144 Highway Engineering Materials
CVE 3145 Statistics for Transportation Engineering

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CVE 3146 Soil & Rock Mechanics
CVE 3147 Groundwater and Surface Water Engineering
CVE 3148 Advanced Engineering Surveying
CVE 3149 Labour Based Technology in Road Construction

Year Two

CVE 3200 Thesis
.

6.4 Structural Engineering

Year One

Core Units
CVE 3160 Advanced Structural Analysis
CVE 3161 Advanced Structural Design
CVE 3162 Finite Element Methods
CVE 3163 Experimental Methods in Structures
CVE 3104 Project Management

Elective Units* (a candidate to select any three units)

CVE 3164 Advanced Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Design
CVE 3165 Advanced Steel Structures
CVE 3166 Structural Materials
CVE 3167 Analysis and Design of Composite Structures
CVE 3168 Structural Dynamics
CVE 3169 Marine Structures
CVE 3170 Timber Engineering
CVE 3171 Foundation Engineering
CVE 3172 Labour Based Technology in Structural Works

Year Two
CVE 3200 Thesis

* The elective units offered in any one year are subject to approval by the department.
7.0 Course Description

CVE 3100 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering


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Review of principles of irrigation Engineering. Optimal analysis of irrigation quantity and frequency.
Design of irrigation systems: sprinkler, trickle and surface irrigation. Sprinkler field tests, furrow trials
and field data analysis. Sprinkler distribution, uniformity coefficient and economic design. Irrigation
structures: design, operation and maintenance. Drainage of water-logged lands, irrigation lands, saline
and alkaline lands. Surface irrigation, runoff and reuse systems. Small scale irrigation development in
ASAL. Land improving techniques using irrigation and drainage engineering.

CVE 3101 ASAL Management

Introduction to ASAL: location, features, characteristics. ASAL planning and management. Use of
wind and solar energy. Nature of soil: chemical treatment and leaching to reduce salinity. Soil and
water conservation: terracing, subsurface dams, boreholes, ponds. Pastoral and farming. Information
and documentation of ASAL. Afforestation.

CVE 3102 Water Resources in ASAL

Hydrology of ASAL. Integrated water resources planning: surface water, rain water and sub-surface
water. Water balance. Water harvesting techniques: rain water runoff, shallow and deep groundwater,
artificial rain. Solar and wind water pumping. Rock catchments, earth dams, sand reservoirs, river
bank storage. Soil and water conservation techniques. River sedimentation problems.

CVE 3103 Global Environmental Pollution and Monitoring
Water pollution: reaction kinetics, oxygen sag curve, benthic demand, agricultural runoff and soil
erosion, stream and effluent standards, biological indicators of pollution, marine disposal of waste
waters. Sources of lake and reservoir pollution: trophic states of lake pollution. Air pollution: sources
and effects, smoke, nuclear radiation, dust and industrial processes. Disposal of hazardous wastes:
types, handling and transportation, dangers associated with hazardous wastes in the environment,
methods of disposal. Methods of monitoring and controlling pollution: land, surface, water, air; global
networks.

CVE 3104 Project Management
Applied statistical research methods: statistical distributions and inferences; analysis of variance;
decomposition of statistical observations; randomized block and factorial design. Research project:
identification, selection, development and appraisal. Participatory approach to research project
proposal development; donor agencies, community involvement, interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary
consultations, networking. Formats of project proposals; donor agencies, sectorial, NGOs, financial
organizations. Dissemination of project results; workshops, seminars, conferences and publications.
Operation and maintenance of engineering projects: planning, routine sequences, organization and
management. Project cycle management: pre- and post project evaluation. Project performance;
effects and impacts. Project evaluation; effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and sustainability. Project
design matrix; summaries, indicators, methods of verification.

CVE 3105 Applied Environmental Engineering

Functions and co-ordination of environmental sanitation programmes, role of national and

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international bodies. Water and sewage: beneficial and detrimental effects. Collection, treatment and
disposal practices. Noise. Lighting. Electromagnetic and nuclear radiation. Atmospheric pollution.
Housing: planning; principles of hygienic housing, functional design requirements, economics,
legislation. Diseases associated with poor environmental sanitation. Epidemiology, vector control.

CVE 3106 Solid Waste Management

Characteristics of solid wastes. Classification and sources. Quantities and collection of night soil,
refuse, sludge and other solid wastes. Methods of treatment. Disposal: incineration, composting,
sanitary landfill and digestion; non-biodegradable wastes. Monitoring the impact of land fill on
environment. Solid waste-communicable disease relationship and sanitation. Solid waste recycling and
re-use.


CVE 3107 Natural Disaster Management

Concepts of risk:event, asset and circumstances.Disaster; manmade and natural. Classification and
characteristics of natural disasters. Types and causes. Fast natural disasters: earthquakes, land slides,
hurricane, floods, bush fires, cyclones, storms, lightning. Slow natural disasters: permafrost, black
cotton soil, extremely high humidity, drought, soil degradation, exotic animal and human diseases,
locust plague. Disaster prediction, awareness and prevention methods. National and international
mechanisms for combating disasters; disaster rescue, land search operations, flood rescue operation,
storm damage operation. Evaluation and assessment of disaster damages. Natural disasters in Kenya.

CVE 3108 Global Environment Conservation

Overview of the global environment. Effects of the global environmental changes; global warming,
rise in sea level, ozone layer depletion and acid rain. Environmental impact assessment. Desertification
and revegetation. Policy of sustainable development. Science and policy of global warming. Air
pollution, adverse hydrological changes and their remedial measures. Causes and consequences of
forest decline. Damage due to acid rain and countermeasures. Degradation of surface and
groundwater resources. Flood and drought protection. Wide-spread freshwater pollution. Coastal and
marine pollution and control.


CVE 3109 Renewable Energy Resources

Renewable and non-renewable energy. Energy and development: sources of energy; energy demand,
uses and efficiency. Biomass: biomass production and potential; processes for conversion into
charcoal, biogas, ethanol, methanol, producer gas. Energy utilization systems: internal and external,
combustion engines, direct heat, electricity and heat generation systems. Solar energy: flat and
parabolic collectors, photovoltaics, solar energy for water heating, crop drying and electricity
generation. Wind energy: principles of wind systems, winds in Kenya. Principles of hydropower
systems. Geothermal energy utilization. Harnessing of energy from ocean waves. Electricity
development for agriculture and rural electrification.

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CVE 3120 Water Resources Engineering

Hydrogeology, hydrology and applied hydraulics as related to water supply and water "re-cycling.
Water sources and their yields. Soil supply and water conservation techniques. Regional and
catchment approach to water resources management and administration. Hydrological services and
organization networks. Multi-objective and multi-purpose water resource programs. Phase and stage
development of water schemes. Water resources system planning and analysis. Water law of Kenya
Chapter 372. National water master plan and policy. Finance, legislation, agencies and management
services for international and local water sources. Consulting, contracting, arbitration and maintenance.
Optimization techniques. Urban and rural water systems design, operations and maintenance.
Consulting, contracting and arbitration.

CVE 3121 Water and Waste Water Treatment

design of water and waste water treatment systems, aeration and gas transfer, screening, floating,
filtration, sludge dewatering, evaporation and drying, osmosis and electrodialysis, maintenance.
Chemical processes: Unit processing involving precipitation, coagulation and flocculation, oxidation-
reduction, neutralization, - absorption and ion-exchange reaction, chemical changes in gas transfer
reactions, desalination, disinfection, maintenance. Biological processes: theory of biological slurry and
film reactors, application to the design of aerated lagoons, oxidation ditches, biofilters and activated
sludge systems; nitrification and denitrification, sludge treatment and disposal, composting; design,
construction, maintenance and performance of stabilization ponds: anaerobic, facultative, maturation
and high rate.

CVE 3122 Statistical and Probabilistic Models

Fundamentals of probability and statistics: random space, sample space, probability measure. Random
variables and distribution. Sample statistics and their distributions. Statistical inference and
applications: parameter estimation techniques, hypothesis testing. Univariate probabilistic models:
elements of frequency analysis, plotting positions and probability papers, estimation of model
parameters. Statistical linear models (bivariate and multivariate): optimization methods, stepwise
regression analysis, time series analysis, time series analysis and synthesis, autoregressive models,
moving-average models. Hydrological models and water quality models.

CVE 3123 Applied Hydraulics and Hydrology

Flow in open channels: non-uniform flow, gradually and rapidly varied flow. Hydraulic model.
Hydrology in the tropics: rainfall-runoff relation, flood routing through reservoirs and channels, arid-
zone hydrology, wetland hydrology, urban hydrology, hydrology of coastal areas and lake basins.
Design flood, flood control reservoirs. Coastal sedimentation.

CVE 3124 Groundwater Engineering

Hydrogeology and geophysical exploration for groundwater. Concepts of permeability and storage.

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Theory of groundwater flow. Well hydraulics. Well design, screen selection and installation.
Methods of drilling wells. Sanitary protection of wells. Well maintenance. Pump selection and
installation arrangement. Groundwater: balance and modelling; recharge; chemistry and pollution.
Groundwater in Kenya.

CVE 3125 River Engineering

River morphology: natural river behaviour, meandering, river regulation, regulation structures,
transport of sediment, degradation and aggradation. Sediment computations, measurements of
discharge of water and sediment. Artificial interferences: dams, flood diversions, levees, channel
improvement. Dam sedimentation. River characteristics in Eastern Africa.

CVE 3126 Waste Water Treatment in the Tropics

Stoichiometry, Redox-equilibria, reaction kinetics, reactor design; Batch, continuous flow and plug
flow. Microbiology in waste degradation. Conventional waste treatment: Trickling filter, rotating disks,
activated sludge.Stabilization ponds; design consideration, typical design models and their application
in Kenya, optimum construction. Nitrification and denitrification, Reuse of sewage effluents.
Individual waste water treatment units. Sludge Treatment.

CVE 3127 Advanced Hydraulic Structures

Hydraulic structures in the river and catchment. Bridges: scour and protection. Gravity, earth and
rock-fill dams. Design, stability analysis and methods of dam construction. Weirs on permeable
foundation. Reservoirs and abutment structures, spillways, protection against scour and crest gates.

CVE 3128 Engineering Management

Mathematics of finance, interest, present value, annuities, capital cost and annual cost. Measurement
of benefits, cost-benefit analysis: for water and highway engineering projects. International
construction and law, international construction contracts, international conditions, inflation
construction indices, human resources, management of engineering organizations. Selection of
projects. Operations research, linear programming, maintenance and replacement, decision analysis,
line of balance. Construction economics, construction control, government and construction, plant
selection, plant costing, work study.

CVE 3129 Industrial Waste Treatment

Types of industrial waste: solid and sludge. Characteristics of industrial wastes; physical, chemical and
biological. Surface and colloid chemistry; Mass transfer; adsorption isotherms, gas transfer. Treatment
of specific industrial wastes; textile, tannery, food processing, pulp and paper, coffee and other
agricultural wastes.

CVE 3140 Transportation Planning


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Land use planning. Comprehensive transport planning process, trip generation, assignment, modal
split. Classification of transportation facilities, inventory of transport facilities, urban travel need
characteristics, population and economic factors. Mass transportation systems: airports, highway,
railways. Terminals facilities (unified treatment in planning and design). Transportation safety; and
pollution control: comparative review of current practices, economics of safety & human factors an
pollution control by Transportation modes, analysis of accidents of all transportation modes, safety
promotions, education activities, economics of safety, noise, air-pollution and human factors in
transportation. Forecasting models.

CVE 3141 Traffic Engineering

Organization and importance of traffic engineering in Kenya. Surveys: Origin Destination (OD),
Parking, on- and off-ramp; use of photographic techniques in surveys. Theory of traffic flow
parameters; dynamic kinematic. Statistical distributions:queuing theory, stochastic approaches to delay
problems and simulation of traffic problems. Design speed, stopping distance, intersection sight
triangle. Highway capacity and level of service. Forecasting models.

CVE 3142 Highway Design

Geometric Design: speed; driver behaviour and expectation; AASHTO; environment; selection of
speed environment; speed on curves; side friction factor; curve design speed. Sight Distance; basic
considerations; stopping, passing, recommended values. Horizontal alignment: alignment, user costs
and accidents; vehicle movements on a circular curve; minimum curve radius. Transition curves.
Superelevation run off method rate of pavement rotation method. Pavement widening on curves.
Vertical alignment Gradient; vertical curves; Phasing of vertical and horizontal alignment. Cross-
sections: road width, shoulder width, pavement crossfall, shoulder cross fall. Intersections:
classification, design, conflict at intersections; Storage lanes: dCVEleration lanes; acceleration lanes;
channel station. Field and desk assignments.



CVE 3143 Pavement Design

Pavement types, stresses in flexible pavements using elastic and visco-elastic theories, axle load surveys
and wheel load characteristics, empirical design methods, the American Association of State Highways
and Transport Officials (AASHTO) road test, Road Note 29 and Road Note 31. Analytical design
methods, the MOTC roads department design method. Rigid and flexible pavements. Air-field
pavements: construction plant, principles of runway design. Stabilization (lime, cement, bitumen),
evaluation of pavements, pavement deflection, strengthening of pavements, stage construction, labour-
intensive methods, equilibrium moisture content beneath pavements, pavement deterioration and
maintenance, graveling, grading, bushing, maintenance management strategies, computer based data
retrieval systems, CAD in highways. Design using RTIM and HDM3 methods.

CVE 3144 Highway Engineering Materials


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Pavements materials:bitumens, polymers, ceramics and cementation materials. Bitumens: petroleum
asphalt; emulsified asphalt; cut back asphalt. General uses. Bituminous stabilization: hot-mix, cold-mix;
design. Cracking: air blowing; general bitumen tests. Polymers, ceramics, cementation materials:
aggregates;chemical stability of aggregates;special aggregates; hard, coloured, recycled. Soils and clay
products: common soil types; soil properties; soil classification; moisture and density relationships.

CVE 3145 Statistics for Transportation Engineering

Descriptive statistics: presentation of data, probability, hypothesis testing: Binomial, Poison and
Normal distributions: applications; queuing models. Bayer's rule and its applications. Fitting
distribution to data: chi-square test, sampling, t-tests, type I and type II errors, consumers and
producers risks.

CVE 3146 Soil and Rock Mechanics

Consolidation of soils.Clay mineralogy and soil structure: gravitational and surface forces; primary
valence bonds; basic structural units of clay minerals; isomorphous substitution; kaolinite mineral;
montmorillonite mineral; illite mineral; electrical charges on clay minerals; base exchange capacity;
diffuse double layer; adsorbed water; soil structures. Settlement. Stress and strain relations. Stress
paths. Shear strength of soils. Methods of analyzing of geotechnical engineering problems: critical state
line, state boundary surface, partly saturated soils. Rock: classification and characteristics; geological
classification; structural features; classification based on strength; quality designation; mass quality
designation; mass rating; hardness. Site investigations: objective, stages; reconnaissance, feasibility,
organization, specifications, scope and programming the exploration. Methods of surface and sub-
surface exploration: map and photo information sources. Recording and reporting of data.



CVE 3147 Ground Water and Surface Water Engineering

Ground water: hydraulics of flow; Darcy's law, aquifer conductivity and transmissivity. Mathematical
models of ground water flow; mass conservation equation, boundary conditions, analytical, analogue
and finite difference schemes and applications. Hydraulics of pumping and recharge; multiple wells,
well pumping and recharge equipment, well field networks. Ground water exploration. Surface water:
rainfall; intensity, duration, frequency, run-off from paved area, flood run-off from natural catchments.
Design of drainage system; rational method, Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
hydrograph method, kinematic hydrograph model, hydraulic design of bridges and culverts.

CVE 3148: Advanced Engineering Surveying

Aerial Surveying: Orientation of photographs and stereo models, data compilation, analytical approach,
basis of aerial triangulation, digital terrain models. Applications in civil engineering. Remote Sensing:
Characteristics of satellite imageries. Scale and accuracy of image. Interpretation. Applications: route
selection, geological surveys, hydrographic surveying, agriculture, forestry. Space techniques: Large
format space cameras, global positioning systems, satellite configuration, rCVEivers:types and

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characteristics, fixation mode, accuracy, applications. Automation in Surveying: trend, scope,
potentiality.

CVE 3149 Labour Based Technology in Road Construction

Labour Construction methods: setting out, pavement formation, hauliage. Research in use of available
local resources, Models in capacity building, Community participation and site establishement.
Labour based equipment, research, design, fabrication and maintenance. Improvement works;
hydraulics structures, erosion control works, gravelling works, surface finishes. Road maintenance:
appropriate tools, quality assurance, routine scheduling. Contracting procedures, site organization and
reporting. Labour based constructed roads in Kenya

CVE 3160 Advanced Structural Analysis
Theories of stress and strain; review of two-dimensional state, three-dimensional state. Torsion of
bars having non-circular cross-section. Non-symmetrical bending of straight beams. Curved beams.
Beams on elastic foundation. Theory of plates and shells; bending theory of thin elastic plates with
small deflections, application to rectangular, circular and continuous plates, fundamental membrane
and bending theories of shells, membrane stresses and deflections. Yield line theory.

CVE 3161 Advanced Structural Design
The nature and function of structure, fundamental criteria for the design of structures. Earthquake
resistant structures; Earthquakes, response of structures to earthquake motions, current practice in
design for earthquake motions. Design of shell structures. Design of sanitary structures.
Introduction to the design of space structures. Computer aided design.


CVE 3162 Finite Element Methods
Approximations with finite elements. Type of elements. Variational formulation of engineering
problems. Matrix formulation of finite element method. Numerical procedures. Nonlinear analysis;
static analysis, dynamic analysis. Practical applications of finite elements; modeling of reinforced
concrete structures, composite structures, shell structures. Implementation of Finite Element
Method in computer programs.

CVE 3163 Experimental Methods in Structures
Purpose and classification of structural experiments. Testing machines; universal testing machine, oil
jacks, dynamic testing machine. Sensors and measuring equipment; strain gages, load cells, linear
variable displacement transducers, theory and operation of strain-meters. Procedure and process of
structural experiments; principles of modeling, model fabrication techniques, instrumentation,
loading systems, material tests, element tests, structure test. Computer aided structural testing. Data
processing and analysis. Verification of elementary theory of structures. RCVEnt developments in
structural testing methods.

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CVE 3164 Advanced Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Design
RCVEnt developments in design codes for reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Design of
towers, bunkers and silos. Design of high-rise structures; residential and commercial buildings,
parking structures. Bridges; new trends in prestressed concrete bridges, external prestressing, analysis
and design of decks for long-span bridges. Maintenance and repair.

CVE 3165 Advanced Steel Structures
Elastic and inelastic behaviour. Stability; buckling of beams, buckling of plates, buckling of frames,
coupled instability of columns, stability of arches. Principles of plastic analysis and design. RCVEnt
developments in design codes for steel structures. Design of box girders, towers, latticed masts,
arches and grid frameworks. Design of high-rise structures; residential and commercial buildings,
parking structures. Design of long-span bridges. Design of falsework. Maintenance and repair of
steel structures.

CVE 3166 Structural Materials
Relevance of materials properties as determined by test procedures to practical structural
engineering requirements. Material constitutive laws; basic concept of flow theory, Tresca and von
Mises models, Coulomb model, Drucker-Prager model. Concrete; general properties, environmental
effects and durability, high performance concrete, fibre reinforced concrete. Steels; general
properties, environmental effects and durability, fire resistance, high performance steels.
Introduction to advanced structural materials; Polymers, Fibre-reinforced polymers, Ferrocement,
Aluminium. Local or indigenous construction materials; sources and properties of concrete
aggregates in Eastern Africa, earth, stabilized soil. Quality control; statistics, site applications, economics.
CVE 3167 Analysis and Design of Composite Structures
Types and performance of composite members. Results of rCVEnt research. Analysis and design of
composite beams; steel beam-reinforced concrete slab, Prestressed concrete beam-reinforced
concrete slab, steel reinforced concrete (SRC) beam. Analysis and design of composite columns;
steel reinforced concrete (SRC) column, concrete filled tubular steel (CFT) column. Analysis and
design of composite floor systems; profiled steel-reinforced concrete, Prestressed concrete-
reinforced concrete. Composite connections.

CVE 3168 Structural Dynamics
Single-Degree-of-Freedom Systems; Formulation of the equation of motion, analysis of free
vibrations, response to harmonic, periodic and impulsive loadings, response to general dynamic
loading, analysis of nonlinear structural response. Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Systems; Formulation
of the MDOF equations of motion, free vibrations, analysis employing finite element models.
Continuous systems; mathematical models, free vibrations. Analysis of structural response to
earthquakes; seismological background, analysis of linear and nonlinear response to Earthquakes.

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CVE 3169 Marine Structures
General considerations; material requirements, environmental considerations. Durability and
corrosion protection. Construction methods and procedures. Design of marine structures; wharves,
jetties, offshore platforms, floating structures, bridge piers, sub-aqueous tunnels, underwater
pipelines. Maintenance and repair of marine structures.

CVE 3170 Timber Engineering
Properties of wood and lumber grades. Environmental effects and durability of timber. Timber and
fire. Structural glued laminated timbers. Built-up and composite members: plywood-lumber beams,
sandwich panels, wood beams reinforced with metal. Wood connectors. Design of formwork for
concrete: design forces, beam, column and wall formwork, formwork for roof and floor slabs.
Design of structural wood panels, diaphragms, shear walls and frameworks. Design of timber
structures; arches, domes and bridges. Maintenance of timber structures.

CVE 3171 Foundation Engineering
General mechanics of soils and rocks. Soil-structure interaction. Earthworks; formation, stability,
settlement, drainage, soil stabilization, reinforcement and anchoring. Embankments; formation,
cutting and stability. Foundations of dams; design, sliding stability, earthquake response of dams.
Design of strutted trenches, rigid walls, deep basements, piled foundations and bridge abutments.
Protection of foundations against attack by soils and ground water.



CVE 3172 Labour Based Technology in Structural Works
Labour construction methods. Maintenance and repair works; timber bridges, informal settlement
structures, concrete paving block roads. Theoretical basis for employment creation in the
construction and maintenance of infrastructure. Detailed consideration of the productivity of labour
and equipment, design and technical standards, site organization and wage rates, training and
community participation, use of local resources. Case studies of various infrastructure projects; dam
construction, irrigation projects, road and bridge construction, municipal infrastructure (roads, water
supply, sanitation, storm water drainage). Case study of labour based technology in Kenya and
surrounding regions.

CVE 3200 Thesis

Each candidate shall prepare a thesis following research based on an approved research project by the
department of civil engineering. The thesis is expected to: demonstrate a mature, informed scholarship
and critical judgement on the part of the candidate, and; indicate the ability to communicate the
research findings in writing in a satisfactory style.

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The thesis must contain a critical review of the pertinent theoretical and empirical literature, and place
the work undertaken in the context of this critical review of existing knowledge in the field of study.
The hypothesis, research design, results and discussion of results shall be presented in the normal thesis
format as approved by the faculty regulations.

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