Professional Certificate of Competency in Practical Seismic Design of Concrete Buildings in Australia

The course is composed of 12 modules. These modules cover a range of aspects to provide you with maximum practical coverage in the field of Civil Engineering.

Module 1: Seismic Design in Australia: Why Now and What’s Changed

• The growing recognition of Australia’s seismic risk and what it means for everyday buildings
• How the rules fit together (NCC, AS 1170.4, AS 3600)
• What’s new: AS 1170.4:2024 plus the 2026 amendment now in force, and the AS 3600 seismic changes on the way
• The seismic design workflow roadmap
• Introducing the reference building and its design brief

Module 2: How Buildings Respond to Earthquakes: The Essentials

• Ground shaking and inertia
• Natural period, response spectra and damping explained practically
• Strength versus ductility, the central trade in seismic design
• Ductility levels in Australian practice
• Estimating the reference building’s period and reading the spectrum

Module 3: Starting the Design: Site, Hazard and Earthquake Design Category

• Finding the hazard value and what the 2024/2026 update changed
• Sub-soil classification and its effects
• Importance levels
• The Earthquake Design Category decision path step by step
• Walking the reference building through to its EDC

Module 4: Calculating the Seismic Loads

• The equivalent static method from start to finish
• Base shear and its vertical distribution
• The μ and Sp factors in practice
• Load combinations and accidental torsion
• The reference building’s seismic loads calculated by hand, beginning the course calculation set

Module 5: Choosing and Configuring the Lateral System

• How walls, cores and frames resist earthquakes
• Regular versus irregular buildings and what irregularity costs
• Selecting the ductility level and the limited-ductile norm in Australian practice
• Capacity design thinking
• Confirming the reference building’s wall and core system

Module 6: Building the Seismic ETABS Model

• What makes a seismic model different: mass source, cracked sections and diaphragm assumptions
• Modelling walls and cores properly
• Entering the AS 1170.4 response spectrum
• Common modelling errors to avoid
• The reference model built step by step, follow-along

Module 7: Running the Analysis: Static and Dynamic

• Equivalent static analysis in ETABS
• Response spectrum analysis, when the code requires it and how to run it
• Scaling and combining results, the practical rules
• Static and dynamic results compared on the reference building

Module 8: Verifying the Model and Interpreting Results

• Model verification: base shear reconciliation, mode shapes and mass participation
• Drift checks and what to do when limits fail
• Extracting design forces for the elements
• Keeping the analysis record
• Full verification pass on the reference building

Module 9: Designing Walls and Cores for Earthquake

• Wall and core behaviour under seismic load
• Design to the current AS 3600: strength, stability and boundary regions
• Squat and slender walls and coupling beams
• The reference building’s core and walls designed from its own analysis forces

Module 10: Diaphragms and Foundations: Completing the Load Path

• Diaphragms and how floors deliver earthquake forces to the walls
• Chords, collectors and openings
• Podium and transfer diaphragm considerations
• Foundations under seismic actions including overturning, uplift, footings and piles
• Completing the reference building’s load path from floor to ground

Module 11: Seismic Detailing: The Rules That Matter

• Reinforcement detailing for seismic and what changes on the drawings
• Wall and boundary detailing under the current AS 3600
• The draft AS 3600 wall detailing changes, clearly flagged, and how to prepare for them
• Common detailing failures and how good detailing prevents them
• The reference building’s detailing decisions

Module 12: The Seismic Calculation Set: Pulling It All Together

• What a complete, defensible seismic submission contains
• Assembling the calculation set as a reusable professional template
• Compliance statements and communicating design decisions
• Staying current as the AS 3600 changes arrive
• The finished model and calculation set reviewed front to back

This course is ideal for:

• Structural engineers involved in the design of concrete buildings in Australia.
• Civil engineers looking to develop practical seismic design skills and expand their technical capabilities.
• Consulting engineers seeking to apply the latest requirements of AS 1170.4:2024 and upcoming changes to AS 3600.
• Design engineers who use, or are planning to use, ETABS for seismic analysis and modelling.
• Building and infrastructure professionals wanting a practical understanding of earthquake-resistant design principles.
• Engineers working on mid-rise commercial, residential, industrial, and institutional building projects where seismic considerations apply.
• Experienced engineers looking to refresh or update their knowledge in line with recent Australian standards changes.

To obtain a certificate of completion for EIT’s Professional Certificate of Competency, students must achieve a 65% attendance rate at live, online fortnightly webinars. Detailed summaries/notes can be submitted in lieu of attendance. In addition, students must obtain a mark of 60% in the set assignments which could take the form of written assignments and practical assignments. Students must also obtain a mark of 100% in quizzes. If a student does not achieve the required score, they will be given an opportunity to resubmit the assignment to obtain the required score.

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Our courses are delivered by experienced engineers and technical experts from around the world. Many have tackled real-world engineering challenges and bring practical, applied knowledge directly into the classroom.

We draw from a global pool of instructors and lecturers across our organisation. Explore our full team of expert educators on the Instructors & Lecturers page here.

Please note: Not all lecturers and instructors listed on this page will teach every course. The team teaching your course will be confirmed as part of your course enrolment.

You are expected to spend approximately 5-8 hours per week learning the course content. This includes attending fortnightly webinars that run for about 90 minutes to facilitate class discussion and allow you to ask questions. This program has a 65% attendance requirement in the live webinars in order to graduate from the program. If you are unable to attend the live webinars, you have the option of watching the recording of completed webinars and sending a summary of what you have learnt from the webinar to the Learning Support officer. The summaries go towards your attendance requirement for the program.

This program is run online on a part-time basis and has been designed to fit around full-time work. It will take three months to complete.

We understand that sometimes work commitments and personal circumstances can get in the way of your studies, so if at any point you feel that you are struggling with the pace of the course or finding a particular module challenging, you are encouraged to contact your designated Learning Support Officer for assistance.

Please ensure you book your place at least one week before the course start date.

If the course is not currently scheduled, please contact us. We can let you know when it will be offered next, or explore the possibility of creating a special intake if there is a group.