| Code | Faculty |
|---|---|
| 02133043 | Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences |
| Credits | Duration |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 3 years | Total credits: 420 |
The following persons will be considered for admission: a candidate who is in possession of a certificate that is deemed by the University to be equivalent to the required Grade 12 certificate with university endorsement; a candidate who is a graduate from another tertiary institution or has been granted the status of a graduate of such an institution; and a candidate who is a graduate of another faculty at the University of Pretoria.
Life Orientation is excluded in the calculation of the Admission Point Score (APS).
Grade 11 results are used for the provisional admission of prospective students. Final admission is based on the Grade 12 results.
Minimum requirements | ||||||||||||
Achievement level | ||||||||||||
Afrikaans or English | Mathematics | Physical Science | APS | |||||||||
NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | |
5 | 3 | C | C | 5 | 3 | C | C | 5 | 3 | C | C | 32 |
Candidates who do not comply with the minimum admission requirements for BSc (Environmental and Engineering Geology), may be considered for admission to the BSc – Extended programme for the Physical Sciences. The BSc – Extended programme takes place over a period of four years instead of the normal three years.
BSc - Extended programme for the Physical Sciences:
Minimum requirements | |||||||||||||
Achievement level | |||||||||||||
| Afrikaans or English | Mathematics | Physical Science | APS | |||||||||
NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | NSC/IEB | HIGCSE | AS-Level | A-Level | ||
BSc - Extended programme for the Physical Sciences | 4 | 3 | D | D | 4 | 3 | D | D | 4 | 3 | D | D | 26 |
A student must pass all the minimum prescribed and elective module credits as set out at the end of each year within a programme as well as the total required credits to comply with the particular degree programme. Please refer to the curricula of the respective programmes. At least 144 credits must be obtained at 300-/400-level, or otherwise as indicated by curriculum. The minimum module credits needed to comply with degree requirements is set out at the end of each study programme. Subject to the programmes as indicated a maximum of 150 credits will be recognised at 100-level. A student may, in consultation with the Head of Department and subject to the permission by the Dean, select or replace prescribed module credits not indicated in BSc three-year study programmes to the equivalent of a maximum of 36 module credits.
It is important that the total number of prescribed module credits is completed during the course of the study programme. The Dean may, on the recommendation of the Head of Department, approve deviations in this regard. Subject to the programmes as indicated in the respective curricula, a student may not register for more than 75 module credits per semester at first-year level subject to permission by the Dean. A student may be permitted to register for up to 80 module credits in a the first semester during the first year provided that he or she obtained a final mark of no less than 70% for grade 12 Mathematics and achieved an APS of 34 or more in the NSC.
Students who are already in possession of a bachelor’s degree, will not receive credit for modules of which the content overlap with modules from the degree that was already conferred. Credits will not be considered for more than half the credits passed previously for an uncompleted degree. No credits at the final-year or 300- and 400-level will be granted.
The Dean may, on the recommendation of the programme manager, approve deviations with regard to the composition of the study programme.
Please note: Where elective modules are not specified, these may be chosen from any modules appearing in the list of modules.
It remains the student’s responsibility to acertain, prior to registration, whether they comply with the prerequisites of the modules they want to register for.
The prerequisites are listed in the Alphabetical list of modules.
General promotion requirements in the faculty
All students whose academic progress is not acceptable can be suspended from further studies.
Minimum credits: 140
Minimum credits:
Fundamental = 12
Core = 128
Additional information:
Students who do not qualify for AIM 102 must register for AIM 111 and AIM 121.
Student wishing to take second-year Mathematics or Applied Mathematics modules to complement the Mechanics modules, must take WTW 114 and WTW 124 instead of WTW 158 and WTW 164
Module content:
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate technology. Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic information.
Module content:
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate technology.
Module content:
Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic information.
Module content:
The module aims to equip students with the ability to cope with the reading and writing demands of scientific disciplines.
Module content:
General introduction to inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry. Atomic structure and periodicity. Molecular structure and chemical bonding using the VSEOR model. Nomenclature of inorganic ions and compounds. Classification of reactions: precipitation, acid-base, redox reactions and gas-forming reactions. Mole concept and stoichiometric calculations concerning chemical formulas and chemical reactions. Principles of reactivity: energy and chemical reactions. Physical behaviour gases, liquids, solids and solutions and the role of intermolecular forces. Rate of reactions: Introduction to chemical kinetics.
Module content:
Theory: General physical-analytical chemistry: Chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, buffers, solubility equilibrium, entropy and free energy, electrochemistry. Organic chemistry: Structure (bonding), nomenclature, isomerism, introductory stereochemistry, introduction to chemical reactions and chemical properties of organic compounds and biological compounds, i.e. carbohydrates and aminoacids. Practical: Molecular structure (model building), synthesis and properties of simple organic compounds.
Module content:
Solar system; structure of solid matter; minerals and rocks; introduction to symmetry and crystallography; important minerals and solid solutions; rock cycle; classification of rocks. External geological processes (gravity, water, wind, sea, ice) and their products (including geomorphology). Internal structure of the earth. The dynamic earth – volcanism, earthquakes, mountain building – the theory of plate tectonics. Geological processes (magmatism, metamorphism, sedimentology, structural geology) in a plate tectonic context. Geological maps and mineral and rock specimens.
Module content:
This module will give an overview of earth history, from the Archaean to the present. Important concepts such as the principles of stratigraphy and stratigraphic nomenclature, geological dating and international and South African time scales will be introduced. A brief introduction to the principles of palaeontology will be given, along with short descriptions of major fossil groups, fossil forms, ecology and geological meaning. In the South African context, the major stratigraphic units, intrusions and tectonic/metamorphic events will be detailed, along with related rock types, fossil contents, genesis and economic commodities. Practical work will focus on the interpretation of geological maps and profiles.
Module content:
SI-units. Significant figures. Waves: intensity, superposition, interference, standing waves, resonance, beats, Doppler. Geometrical optics: Reflection, refraction, mirrors, thin lenses, instruments. Physical optics: Young-interference, coherence, diffraction, polarisation. Hydrostatics and dynamics: density, pressure, Archimedes’ principle, continuity, Bernoulli. Heat: temperature, specific heat, expansion, heat transfer. Vectors. Kinematics of a point: Relative, projectile, and circular motion. Dynamics: Newton’s laws, friction. Work: point masses, gasses (ideal gas law), gravitation, spring, power. Kinetic energy: Conservative forces, gravitation, spring. Conservation of energy. Conservation of momentum. Impulse and collisions. System of particles: Centre of mass, Newton’s laws. Rotation: torque, conservation of angular momentum, equilibrium, centre of gravity.
Module content:
Equivalent force systems, resultants. Newton's laws, units. Forces acting on particles. Rigid bodies: principle of transmissibility, resultant of parallel forces. Vector moments and scalar moments. Relationship between scalar- and vector moments. Couples. Equivalent force systems on rigid bodies. Resultants of forces on rigid bodies. Equilibrium in two and three dimensions. Hooke's law. Trusses and frameworks. Centroids and second moments of area. Beams: distributed forces, shear force, bending moment, method of sections, relationship between load, shear force and bending moment.
Module content:
*This module is designed for first-year engineering students. Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree: WTW 158, WTW 114, WTW 134, WTW 165.
Introduction to vector algebra. Functions, limits and continuity. Differential calculus of single variable functions, rate of change, graph sketching, applications. The mean value theorem, the rule of L'Hospital. Indefinite integrals, integration.
Module content:
*This module is designed for first-year engineering students. Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree: WTW 146, WTW 148 and WTW 124,
Vector algebra with applications to lines and planes in space, matrix algebra, systems of linear equations, determinants, complex numbers, factorisation of polynomials and conic sections. Integration techniques, improper integrals. The definite integral, fundamental theorem of Calculus. Applications of integration. Elementary power series and Taylor’s theorem. Vector functions, space curves and arc lengths. Quadratic surfaces and multivariable functions.
Minimum credits: 142
Minimum credits:
Core = 94
Elective = 48
Additional information:
A block of 48 elective credits must be selected from the following-
Chemistry: CMY 282, CMY 283, CMY 284, CMY 285 (48 credits)
Mathematics: WTW 211, WTW 218, WTW 220, WTW 221 (48 credits)
Applied Mathematics: WTW 211, WTW 218, WTW 248, WTW 286 (48 credits)
GIS/Geomorphology: GGY 252, GIS 220, GGY 266 (48 credits)
Module content:
*GIS 221 does not lead to admission to any module at 300 level.
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), theoretical concepts and applications of GIS. The focus will be on the GIS process of data input, data analysis, data output and associated technologies.This module teaches students to use GIS as a tool.
Module content:
Origin and development of soil, weathering and soil formation processes. Profile differentiation and morphology. Physical characteristics: texture, structure, soil water, atmosphere and temperature. Chemical characteristics: clay minerals, ion exchange, pH, buffer action, soil acidification and salinisation of soil. Soil fertility and fertilisation. Soil classification. Practical work: Laboratory evaluation of simple soil characteristics. Field practicals on soil formation in the Pretoria area.
Module content:
Introduction to sedimentology; grain studies; composition and textures of sedimentary rocks; flow dynamics and behaviour of sediment particles in transport systems; description and genesis of sedimentary structures; diagenesis; depositional environments and their deposits, modern and ancient; chemical sedimentary rocks; economic sedimentology; field data acquisition from sedimentary rocks and writing of reports; sieve analysis; Markov analysis; analysis of palaeocurrent trends; interpretation of sedimentary profiles.
Module content:
Fundamental concepts in mineralogy, and practical applications of mineralogy, including: the basics of crystal structure; the crystallographic groups; the rules of atomic substitution; phase transitions and phase diagrams; the structure and uses of olivine, pyroxene, feldspar, amphibole, mica, aluminosilicates, garnet, cordierite, and more uncommon mineral groups such as oxides, sulphides and carbonates; the calculation of mineral formulae from chemical analyses using various methods. Practical sessions: the basics of optical mineralogy and the use of transmitted light microscopy for thin section examination of minerals and rocks; the practicals will develop mineral identification skills for the minerals covered in the lectures, and cover basic textural identification.
Module content:
Classification and nomenclature of igneous rocks. The nature of silicate melts; physical and chemical factors influencing crystallisation and textures of igneous rocks. Phase diagrams, fractional crystallisation and partial melting. Trace elements and isotopes, and their use in petrogenetic studies. Global distribution of magmatism and its origin. Mid-oceanic ridges, active continental margins, intraplate magmatism.
Module content:
Classification of metamorphic rocks. Anatexis, migmatite and granite; eclogite. Metamorphic textures. PT-time loops. Metamorphism in various plate tectonic environments.
Module content:
Stresses, strains and the mechanical properties of materials: Normal stress and shear stress, tension and compression, equilibrium in shear, factor of safety, design, shear strain, stress/strain diagram, Hooke’s Law, Poisson’s Ratio and the shear stress/strain diagram. Axial loads: Elastic deformation, displacements, statically determinate and indeterminate structures and thermal effects. Torsion: Torsion of circular bars and power transmission bending of straight members and composite beams. Transverse shear: Shear in straight members and shear flow. Combined loads: Thin walled pressure vessels and stresses as a result of combined loads. Stress transformation: Plane stress transformation, principle stresses, maximum values and stress variation in prismatic beams. Strain transformation: Plane strain transformation, principle strains, maximum values, strain gauges and rosettes and the relationship between E, G and ?. Design of beams from section characteristics. Deflection of beams: The elastic curve, integration method, Macaulay’s method and superposition.
Module content:
Theory: Classical chemical thermodynamics, gases, first and second law and applications, physical changes of pure materials and simple compounds. Phase rule: Chemical reactions, chemical kinetics, rates of reactions.
Module content:
Theory: Statistical evaluation of data, gravimetric analysis, aqueous solution chemistry, chemical equilibrium, precipitation-, neutralisation- and complex formation titrations, redox titrations, potentiometric methods, introduction to electrochemistry.
Module content:
Theory: Resonance, conjugation and aromaticity. Acidity and basicity. Introduction to 13C NMR spectroscopy. Electrophilic addition: alkenes. Nucleophilic substitution, elimination, addition: alkyl halides, alcohols, ethers, epoxides, carbonyl compounds: ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids and their derivatives.
Module content:
Theory: Atomic structure, structure of solids (ionic model). Coordination chemistry of transition metals: Oxidation states of transition metals, ligands, stereochemistry, crystal field theory, consequences of d-orbital splitting, chemistry of the main group elements, electrochemical properties of transition metals in aqueous solution, industrial applications of transition metals.Fundamentals of spectroscopy and introduction to IR spectroscopy.
Module content:
Physical processes that influence the earth’s surface and management. Specific processes and their interaction in themes such as weathering; soil erosion; slope, mass movement and fluvial processes. Practical laboratory exercises are based on the themes covered in the module theory component.
Module content:
*This module is for Architecture and Landscape Architecture students only.
The theory component covers geomorphological aspects of the built environment including landscape identification; weathering or deterioration of natural stone and application to design and preservation of buildings and monuments; slope hydrology and stability conditions; soil erosion processes and construction impacts; drainage modification in urban areas; wetland identification, human impacts and rehabilitation; recreational impacts and management. In addition to the theory a field-based project is undertaken.
Module content:
An urbanising world. Urban structure and land use. Urban processes. The urban environment. Social structure and change in cities. Living in the city. Economy, society and politics in the city. Third-world cities and South African cities. Urban futures.
Module content:
The nature of geographical data and measurement.Application of statistics in the geographical domain. Probability, probability distributions and densities, expected values and variances, Central Limit theorem. Sampling techniques. Exploratory data analysis, descriptive statistics, statistical estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation analysis and regression analysis.
Module content:
This is an introduction to linear algebra on Rn. Matrices and linear equations, linear combinations and spans, linear independence, subspaces, basis and dimension, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, similarity and diagonalisation of matrices, linear transformations.
Module content:
Calculus of multivariable functions, directional derivatives. Extrema and Lagrange multipliers. Multiple integrals, polar, cylindrical and spherical coordinates.
Module content:
Properties of real numbers. Analysis of sequences and series of real numbers. Power series and theorems of convergence. The Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem. The intermediate value theorem and analysis of real-valued functions on an interval. The Riemann integral: Existence and properties of the interval.
Module content:
Abstract vector spaces, change of basis, matrix representation of linear transformations, orthogonality, diagonalisability of symmetric matrices, some applications.
Module content:
Vectors and geometry. Calculus of vector functions with applications to differential geometry, kinematics and dynamics. Vector analysis, including vector fields, line integrals of scalar and vector fields, conservative vector fields, surfaces and surface integrals, the Theorems of Green, Gauss and Stokes with applications.
Minimum credits: 138
Minimum credits:
Core = 122
Elective = 16
Additional information:
Either GLY 367 (24 credits) or SGM 323 (16 credits) must be taken in the second semester.
Module content:
The more exact chemistry of soils systematically explained by understanding the particular chemical principles. Charge origin. Chemical equilibriums. Manifestations of sorption. Ion exchange. Acidic soils, saline soils and the organic fraction of soil. The chemistry of the important plant nutrient elements P, K and N is explained.
Module content:
A taxonomic system for South Africa. USDA’s Soil Taxonomy. Land suitability evaluation. Optimal resource utilization. The conservation component. Ecological aspects. Ecotype, land types. Soil maps. Practical work: Field practicals and compulsory excursion. Identification of soil horizons, forms and families. Land suitability evaluation. Elementary mapping exercise.
Module content:
Definition and scope of engineering geology; engineering geological properties and problems of rocks and soils within different stratigraphic units and climatic regions in southern Africa.
Module content:
Strength and failure modes of rock material and rock failure criteria. The characteristics of joints in rock. Joint line surveys and interpretation of data. Characteristics of a rock mass, rock mass classification and determination of strength. Slope stability in surface mines. Induced seismicity due to deep mining and rock bursts.
Module content:
Integrated theoretical and practical course dealing with the princples of rock deformation and analysis of deformed rocks. Stress, strain and rheology, joints, experimental rock deformation, fault systems and Anderson's theory of faulting. Folds and interference folding, tectonic fabrics, shear zone, prograssive deformation. Stereographic projection and structural analysis.
Module content:
Origin and classification of groundwater; classification of aquifers; groundwater movement; equations for groundwater flow into boreholes; the La Place equation and solutions for pump tests; execution and interpretation of pump tests; contaminant transport; low temperature aqueous geochemistry; groundwater exploration and management.
Module content:
Introduction to soil mechanics. Introduction to clay mineralogy. Mass, volume relationships and phases of soil. Groundwater flow and permeability. Effective stress principles. Suction pressures in saturated as well as partially saturated soil. The Mohr circle and stresses at a point. The Mohr-Coulomb strength theory and the stress-strain properties of soil. The Boussinesq theory. Consolidation theory and soil settlement.
Module content:
This module details the genesis and exploitation of major ore deposits, with an emphasis on South African examples. The processes through which ore deposits are formed and modified will be discussed, highlighting the relevance of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous processes in the genesis of world-class ore bodies. The module will also address the methods of mining commonly used, and the international commodity market, including a brief introduction to ore reserve estimation and the evaluation of potential ore deposits.
Module content:
Application of consolidation theory. Bearing capacity of soil and foundation design, Terzaghi and general methods. Horizontal stresses in soil and design of retaining structures, Rankine and Couloumb’s methods. Slope stability including Bishop’s method of slices. Introduction to site investigation.
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