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Overview of the program

Disciplinary Area
AREA SCIENTIFICA-TECNOLOGICA
Credits
60
Department/Institution
DIPARTIMENTO DI INGEGNERIA CIVILE E ARCHITETTURA
Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori (IUSS) di Pavia
Duration
one-year
Fees
7.500 €
Application dates
from 17/07/2026 to 30/09/2026
Study format
In-person
Available places
from 7 to 30
Application on
DreamApply
Duration courses
from January 2027 to February 2028
Auditors
Yes
Language
English

The Vocational Program in Earthquake Engineering aims to train profiles with strong scientific and professional skills, having developed awareness of the cultural, technical and managerial contents of Earthquake Engineering. The main areas of study include aspects relating to:

  • geotechnical
  • seismology
  • behaviour of materials and structures
  • structural analysis
  • design of new structures
  • retrofitting of existing structures.

In addition, special emphasis will be placed on the (i) study of data acquisition methods and investigation methods for materials, technologies and structures, (ii) study of hazards and vulnerabilities to calculate risk, including for insurance and financial purposes, (iii) techniques for safeguarding elements and structures, and (iv) aspects related to sustainability and expected losses. The professional profile trained as part of the Vocational Program in Earthquake Engineering can find employment in the following sectors:

  • international structural design companies;
  • international construction companies;
  • companies producing building components and technological elements (isolators, dissipators, composite materials, monitoring instruments)
  • national and regional civil protection bodies
  • public authorities
  • local authorities and non-governmental organisations
  • universities and research institutions in Italy and abroad
  • large insurance, reinsurance and brokerage companies
  • banking institutions and property management companies.

Dynamic Analysis of Structures

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

The course aims to allow the participants to gain further insights into structure dynamics by studying the vibration characteristics and dynamic response of structural systems to dynamic excitations generated by earthquakes, wind,
impacts and explosions. At the end of the course, the students will have a basic understanding of the following topics:

  • discrete one-DOF (degree-of-freedom), multi-DOF and continuous vibration systems
  • free and forced vibration response of discrete and continuous systems
  • applications in structural design.

Fundamentals of Probability Theory

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

This course will attempt to cover some fundamental aspects of probability and statistics, focusing on practical issues and concepts rather than mathematical demonstrations.
During the first part of the course, the concepts and definitions of random variables, along with their various associated functions, will be introduced. Next, the course will focus on the most commonly used probability distribution functions in civil engineering. The final part of the course will cover topics in statistics and sampling, including goodness-of-fit tests, regression analysis, estimation of distribution parameters based on statistical data, and hypothesis tests and their interpretation. Finally, the basic concepts of Monte Carlo simulation and an overview of variance reduction techniques will be discussed.

Seismic Hazard and Engineering Seismology

GEOS-02/C | Geologia strutturale e tettonica
Language: English
CFU: 6
Contents:

The course aims to provide students with the essential knowledge and skills to tackle the most common problems of
seismology in engineering and applied geophysical practice. The course consists of two main modules.
The first module will cover topics of engineering interest, including intensity measurements, ground motion prediction equations, earthquake recurrence analysis, seismotectonics and seismic hazard assessment (deterministic and probabilistic). In the second module, concepts of theoretical seismology will be introduced, with a focus on wave propagation and seismic source representation.

Nonlinear Response Analysis

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 6
Contents:

The course will focus on gaining an advanced understanding of the nonlinear behaviour of structures under static and dynamic loads, with special emphasis on seismic loading. The lectures will cover advanced theoretical concepts of linear and nonlinear structural analysis, with a focus on constitutive material formulations, transformations for second-order geometric analysis and alternative elements for nonlinear analysis, including beam-column and link elements. State-of-the-art modelling techniques, particularly for steel and reinforced concrete structures, will be presented and applied through examples and exercises.

Fundamentals of Seismic Design

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 6
Contents:

The course will provide an overview of the key aspects of the dynamic behaviour of linear and nonlinear one-DOF (degree-of-freedom) systems, forming the basis for an understanding of seismic design. Subsequently, the concepts of seismic design of structures will be covered.
The core of the course will be a discussion of force-based (widely adopted) and displacement-based (under development) seismic design philosophies, with a focus on the tools and steps required for their application and verification. The principles of capacity design, which are fundamental to ensuring a predetermined hierarchy of ductile plastic deformations, will be explained. Special attention will be paid to the design and construction details of reinforced concrete structures in accordance with Eurocode 8 and other regulations and guidelines. Further attention will be devoted to the characterisation of the force-strain behaviour of reinforced concrete structural elements, as well as to the modelling and analysis of reinforced concrete structures using non-linear finite element approaches.

Advanced Strategies for Seismic Protection of Structures

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

The course provides knowledge on seismic assessment and retrofitting of buildings and infrastructure within a performance-based framework. It covers research on seismic strengthening through experimental, numerical, and analytical studies, post-earthquake evidence, and compares traditional and innovative strengthening techniques, including active control systems.

Non-Structural Elements in Earthquake Engineering

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

The course introduces seismic analysis and design of non-structural elements, covering their classification, earthquake behaviour, and main design methods according to current regulations. It provides tools for analysis, design, and seismic qualification to improve resilience and building safety.

Advanced Seismic Hazard Analysis

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

The course explores advanced methodologies for seismic hazard assessment, focusing on uncertainty quantification and complex seismic scenarios for engineering applications. Topics include site-specific hazard analysis, site effects, ground motion selection and simulation, physics-based and data-driven approaches, and computational tools for ground motion prediction.

Risk Assessment and Loss Estimation

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 6
Contents:

The first part of the course will aim to introduce the basic concepts of risk assessment and loss estimation for assets exposed to natural events such as earthquakes and tropical cyclones. In addition, the fundamentals of seismic hazard analysis will be covered, with both probabilistic and deterministic approaches.

The course will then focus on the theory of catastrophic risk modelling for a range of structures, with special emphasis on earthquakes. However, tropical cyclones will also be touched upon. The applications discussed will mainly pertain to the insurance and reinsurance sectors. Next, seismic risk concepts for individual structures will be presented and compared with the approach taken for a portfolio of assets. The second part of the course will involve applying the theory of seismic risk assessment to real case studies. During this stage, reliance will be made on models that have already been developed, with a view to learning how to calculate and interpret the results. Finally, the third and last part of the course will explore in detail the more advanced approach for seismic risk assessment of individual buildings, both in terms of collapse and loss estimation. The techniques learnt will be applicable to both the design of new buildings and the assessment of existing buildings.

GEM Models, OpenQuake Engine and Tools Training

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

Students will learn the fundamental concepts of seismic risk assessment, together with the basic features of the calculation engine of the OpenQuake open-source software. Classes will be broken down into sections, each covering a different type of calculation using OpenQuake-engine. Each section will involve a technical and practical approach, including theoretical introductions to the problem, guiding examples, and insights into the OpenQuake tools. The study sections refer to the introduction of OpenQuake, single earthquake scenarios with associated losses and damage, probabilistic seismic hazard assessment, risk analysis with calculation of annual losses per building portfolio.

Seismic Assessment of Masonry Structures

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 3
Contents:

The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to materials, construction practices, structural behaviour, analysis methods and the main regulatory requirements for the seismic design of masonry buildings, as well as for the seismic assessment and adaptation/improvement of existing buildings.

Bridge Structures

CEAR-07/A | Tecnica delle costruzioni
Language: English
CFU: 6
Contents:

This course aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the bridge design process, starting from conceptual design through to the detailed design of individual components.
The course is also designed to help students understand the transmission mechanism of applied loads, such as heavy traffic loads, impacts, horizontal braking/centrifugal forces, wind and seismic loads on bridges.

Other activities

  • Internship/Stage

    CFU:
    6
    Contents:

    The internship will take place at research or professional organizations that have agreements with the master’s program. The internship will be supervised by a faculty member and a supervisor from the host organization. The activities carried out by the student will be agreed upon by the respective supervisors.

  • Final exam

    Language:
    English
    CFU:
    3

Information notice

Students will attend the Nigel Priestley Seminar free of charge.

(LM-4) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Architettura e ingegneria edile-architettura
(LM-4 c.u.) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Architettura e ingegneria edile-architettura (quinquennale)
(LM-23) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Ingegneria civile
(LM-24) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Ingegneria dei sistemi edilizi
(LM-26) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Ingegneria della sicurezza
(LM-35) Classe delle lauree magistrali in Ingegneria per l'ambiente e il territorio

Ordinamenti previgenti e altri titoli di studio accettati/eccezioni:


(4/S) Classe delle lauree specialistiche in architettura e ingegneria edile
(28/S) Classe delle lauree specialistiche in ingegneria civile
(38/S) Classe delle lauree specialistiche in ingegneria per l'ambiente e il territorio

SCHOLARSHIPS
The Vocational Program offers:

  • 5 tuition-waver awarded by the EUCENTRE Foundation (European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering)
  • 2 tuition-waver awarded by the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of UNIPV
  • 1 tuition-waver awarded by the GEM Foundation (Global Earthquake Model).

These tuition-waivers will be awarded on the basis of a selection process carried out according to the criteria listed in Article 7 of the Annex to the Call for Application.

The Academic Board reserves the right to increase the number of tuition-waivers awarded, as a result of new partnerships currently in progress, and to announce this before the application deadline.

Further information will be provided, at a later date, on the relevant website: https://www.roseschool.it/tuition-and-funding/ .

The Organizational Secretary will be based at:

Fondazione "European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering" (EUCENTRE)
Via Adolfo Ferrata, 1 - 27100 Pavia (PV)
E1: info@roseschool.it
E2: applications@roseschool.it
PH: +39 0382.5169876.