Web Site of the Program 

Head of Program : Prof. Dr. Halûk Özener

Professors : D. Sinan Akkar, Mustafa Aktar*, M. Nuray Aydınoğlu*, Eser Çaktı, Ayşe Edinçliler, Mustafa ErdikI, Semih Ergintav, Cemil Gürbüz*, Onur Gürkan*, Hayrullah Karabulut, Nurcan Meral Özel, Haluk Özener, Erdal Şafak, S. Bülent Tank, Niyazi Türkelli*

Associate Professors : Fatih Bulut, Çağrı Diner, Aslı Doğru, Ufuk Hancılar, A.Özgün Konca, Gülüm Tanırcan

Assistant Professors : Karin Şeşetyan.

Intructors: Dr.H.Onur Yılmaz

* Part-time
† Professor Emeritus
 

A broad spectrum of topics from earthquake physics to earthquake damage mitigation strategies are offered with the purpose of establishing a graduate program to those who need to specialise in earthquakes and earthquake risk mitigation due to their professional employment (in insurance sector, disaster affair departments, engineers and architects in municipalities, earthquake rescue teams, etc.) and thus to increase the number of educated and trained people in earthquake risk mitigation in related sectors.

The program requires three semesters to complete a minimum of 35 credits of course work with a minimum of 12 courses and a graduate project.  It is required to take a minimum of 14 credit from the required courses and a minimum of 6 elective courses. A maximum of 3 courses may be selected from the undergraduate programs if the student did not take these courses during his or her undergraduate education.

The students who have successfully completed the requirements of the Earthquake Risk Reduction Program will receive a Master of Science (M.S.) in Earthquake Risk Reduction degree.

Required Courses

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Required Courses

ERR 500 Communication Skills (1+0+2) 2 ECTS 6
(İletişim Becerileri)
Development of oral and written communication skills; fundamentals of report writing and technical document preparation; fundamentals of preparing and delivering public speech and presentations; design of research in managerial decision making; design and presentation of survey studies.

ERR 501 Statistics and Probability (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6  
( İstatistik ve Olasılık) 
Descriptive statistics. Sets, events, and probability. Random variables, discrete and continuous distributions. Mathematical expectation and correlation analysis. Discrete probability distributions, Poisson process. Continuous probability distributions. Introduction to reliability theory and failure.

ERR 502 Seismology and Plate Tectonics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Sismoloji ve Levha Tektoniği)
Introduction to disciplines of earthquake sciences: Seismology, geology, geodesy and geomorphology. Plate tectonic theory with emphasis on physical processes and geophysical aspects related to the evolution of earth's plate system. Introduction to seismic wave propagation and seismological concepts. Local and global seismological observations from large earthquakes. Seismicity and its relation to plate tectonics in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

ERR 503 Seismic Hazard and Microzonation (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Deprem Tehlikesi ve Mikrobölgeleme)
Seismicity, attenuation, deterministic and probabilistic assessment of the seismic hazard; cyclic behaviour of soils and soil layers, site response analysis, and liquefaction.  Methods of microzonation; microzonation with respect to site amplification, liquefaction susceptibility and landslide hazards during earthquakes.

 ERR 504 Urban Earthquake Loss Assessment (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Kentlerde Deprem Hasarının Değerlendirilmesi)
Earthquake scenarios, definition of input earthquake characteristics, evaluation of local site conditions, estimation of the variation of earthquake characteristics on the ground surface, compiling urban inventories, assessment of earthquake response of buildings, transportation and lifeline systems and networks, estimation of damage distribution and casualties, disaster planning and management, development of a disaster plan, disaster management tools, risk assessment methods, non-structural and structural mitigation, implementation of mitigation strategies.

ERR 505 Introduction to Vulnerabilities (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Hasar Görebilirliğe Giriş)   
Earthquake vulnerability behaviour and characteristics of building structures. Inventorization and classification of buildings in terms of their earthquake vulnerabilities. Intensity and other quantifiable ground motion parameter dependent vulnerability relationships and associated uncertainties. Structural and non-structural physical damages and direct financial losses. Physical damage and secondary damage related casualties and associated vulnerabilities. 

ERR 590 Project (0+4+0) 0 ECTS 8
(Proje)
Individual interdisciplinary projects supervised by a faculty member with a special focus to designing a solution procedure for a real-life problem. Written midterm progress report and a final report.

Elective Courses

ERR 510 Introduction to Applied Geophysical Methods  (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Uygulamalı Jeofizik Yöntemlerin Tanıtılması) 
Basic physics underlying different applied geophysical methods. An overview of field procedures employed in collecting different types of geophysical data as well as techniques of data interpretation for engineering purposes. Geotechnical analyses such as site characterization and microzonation. Examples from case studies related to microzonation.

ERR 512 Observational Seismology (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Gözlemsel Sismoloji) 
Propagation, reflection and refraction of elastic waves; body waves and surface waves. Travel times and amplitudes of seismic waves at local and teleseismic distances. Local and global observations of great earthquakes. The effect of large scale structure of the earth on the seismograms. Faulting and earthquake source mechanisms. Global distribution of seismic sources and seismic instrumentation. 

ERR 514 Strong Ground Motion and Simulation  (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Kuvvetli Yer Hareketi ve Modellenmesi) 
Elements of strong ground motion; time and frequency domain characteristics of strong ground motion; spatial variation of strong ground motion: Definition and models. Strong motion instrumentation (field and building instrumentation), analysis and interpretation of strong motion data. Ground motion prediction models and their elements, earthquake source models, propagation characteristics of earthquake waves; local site effects; models and approaches for simulation of strong ground motion; characterization and modelling of special issues such  as directivity and basin effects.

ERR 516 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Geoteknik Deprem Mühendisliği)  
Seismicity, influence of soil conditions on site response, seismic site response analysis, evaluation and modelling of dynamic soil properties, analysis of seismic soil-structure interaction, evaluation and mitigation of soil liquefaction and its consequences, seismic code provisions and practice, seismic earth pressures, seismic slope stability and deformation analysis, seismic safety of dams and embankments, seismic performance of pile foundations.

ERR 518 Earthquake Response Analysis of Structures I (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Yapıların Deprem Davranışı Analizi I)
Free vibration and linear earthquake response analysis of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems, extension to generalized SDOF systems, equivalent seismic load and response spectrum concepts, three-dimensional free-vibration and linear earthquake response analysis of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems, the mode-superposition method and spectral analysis techniques.

ERR 520 Experimental Methods in Earthquake Engineering (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Deprem Mühendisliğinde Deneysel Yöntemler) 
Similitude laws, design of structural models, instrumentation and measurement techniques; use of computers to acquire data and control tests; pseudo-dynamic testing method; standard proof-testing for capacity assessment; non-destructive testing for condition assessment, and virtual experimentation.

ERR 522 Structural Monitoring and System Identification  (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 20
(Yapı İzlenmesi ve Sistem Tanımlaması)  
Sensors and recorders for structural monitoring, fundamentals of digital data processing, Fourier and Z transforms for discrete signals, spectral analysis, calculation of dynamic properties from recorded signals, advanced techniques for system identification, real-time monitoring and data analysis, system identification for nonlinear systems. 

ERR 524 Urban Information Systems (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Kent Bilgi Sistemleri)
Introduction to urban information systems. Concepts of data, modelling, technical, judicial, and economic requirements. Reorganization activities in urban information systems. Spatial information analysis. Software and hardware requirements. Importance and role of Urban Information Systems in urban planning. Applications.

ERR 526 Earthquake Protection of Historical Structures (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Tarihi Yapıların Depremden Korunması)
Damage diagnosis of historical structures: Mapping and in-situ measurements. Experimental methods in diagnosis:  Non-destructive techniques. System Identification: Ambient vibration experiments, strong motion networks, data analysis. Numerical methods applied to the conservation of historical monuments. Criteria and evaluation methodology in interventions for rehabilitation and strengthening. Techniques and materials for the earthquake protection of monuments. Strategic planning of interventions for the protection of monuments. Urban planning and management aspects for safeguarding cultural heritage. Systems for structural health monitoring; quality control and conservation management of historic buildings. Innovative technologies for the conservation of monuments. Example applications.

ERR 528 Vulnerabilities II (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7  
(Hasargörebilirlik II)  
Earthquake vulnerability characteristics of civil engineering structures (lifelines, dams, power plants and industrial facilities). Inventorization and typification  of  civil engineering structures. Primary and secondary (consequential) losses. NaTech incidences and related losses. Rehabilitation time and socio-economic losses. Intensity and other quantifiable ground motion parameter-dependent vulnerability relationships. Physical damage and secondary damage related casualities and losses.

ERR 530 Earthquake Response Analysis of Structures II  (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Yapıların Deprem Davranışı Analizi II)
Essentials of performance-based seismic evaluation and design. Evaluation of strength-based and displacement-based seismic analysis and design methodologies. Theoretical background to inelastic seismic capacity (pushover) analysis. Development and use of constant-strength response spectra. Estimation of seismic demand and acceptance criteria at structural member level.

ERR 532 Space Geodetic Techniques (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Uzaysal Jeodezik Teknikler)
Introduction to Global Positioning System (GPS) and its geodetic applications. Fundamentals of satellite navigation. Geodetic instruments, methods of measurement and computations. Space geodetic techniques (Very Long Baseline Interferometry - VLBI, Satellite Laser Ranging - SLR, Doppler Orbitography and Radiolocation Integrated by Satellite - DORIS). GPS Positioning methods. GPS errors and error sources. GPS applications.

ERR 534 Earthquake Insurance (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Deprem Sigortası)  
Insurance and Insurance Industry, the law of Large Numbers, Insurability Conditions, Reinsurance, Types of Insurance, Earthquake Insurance Risk Assessment. Probable maximum loss, CRESTA Zonation, Probabilistic Earthquake Insurance Loss Estimation. Application of Probabilistic Earthquake Risk Models in Managing Earthquake Insurance Risks in Turkey. Dynamic Financial Analysis, Government Earthquake Insurance Pools: California Earthquake Authority, Japan Earthquake Reinsurrance Company and  Turkish Catastrophic Insurance Pool, New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission., Alterative Risk Transfer, Catastrophe (CAT) Bonds

ERR 536 Urban and Regional Planning  (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Şehir ve Bölgeleme Planlama)
Elements of urban pattern systems. Pattern analysis. Evaluation of urban pattern in historical development process. Organic and inorganic settlement pattern. Man-environment interaction. Perception and symbolism. Public places. Form characteristics. Urban morphology. Urban typology. Urban identity and image. Concept of orientation, segregation, homogeneity, order and diversity in urban pattern system.

ERR 538 Urban Sociology and Disasters (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Kent Sosyolojisi ve Afetler)
History of sociological research on disasters. Overview of disasters and hazards in Turkey today. All hazards emergency management. Understanding disaster warnings. Community evacuation behaviour. Building effective warning systems. Disaster research methods. Constructing theoretical models. Victim/ non victim responses to disaster. Understanding looting behaviour. Emergent social groups in disaster. Organizational responses to disaster. Crisis decision making. Community functions and responses to disaster. Disaster recovery and community change. Disaster stress. Media in disaster. Strategic planning by local emergency managers. Implementing emergency management information technology. Disaster mitigation exercise and analysis. Disaster denial and disaster preparedness behaviour.

ERR 591-595 Special Topics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Deprem Riskinin Azaltılmasında Özel Konular)
In depth study of a special topic in the area of Earthquake Risk Reduction.