Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design
Online
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Apr 23 - 24, 2026
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Course Code: 16-0412-ONL26
- Overview
- Syllabus
- Instructor
Overview
This course is held online over 2 days on the following schedule (All times in Eastern Time Zone):
10 am to 6 pm (Will include the usual breaks)
This course provides the basic knowledge required for taking the advanced course “Seismic Analysis and Design of Steel and Reinforced Concrete Buildings, according to NBCC.” This advanced course covers seismic provisions of the National Building Code in detail and reviews the seismic design and detailing requirements of CSA A23.3 and CSA S16.
After participating in this course, you will be able to:
- Important characteristics of earthquakes and seismicity in Western and Eastern Canada.
- Seismic hazard analysis and its design implications.
- Analysis of SDOF and MDOF systems under dynamic loads.
- How to perform seismic analysis of simple structures both manually and using computer tools.
- An overview of the seismic design provisions of the National Building Code of Canada.
- The concept behind seismic design provisions of CSA codes.
Description
To effectively apply the seismic provisions of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC 2020), engineers need a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of earthquake engineering, including ground motion seismology, structural dynamics, and the concept of capacity design.
This course provides an opportunity to learn the principles of earthquake engineering and seismic analysis and to gain a basic knowledge of the design of earthquake-resistant structures. The course covers the static and dynamic seismic analysis of simple structures using hand-calculation methods and computer software.
This course provides the basic knowledge required for taking the advanced course “Seismic Analysis and Design of Steel and Reinforced Concrete Buildings, according to NBCC.” This advanced course covers seismic provisions of the National Building Code in detail and reviews the seismic design and detailing requirements of CSA A23.3 and CSA S16.
Who Should Attend
Those who have no prior knowledge of earthquake engineering and would like to learn the basic principles of seismic analysis and design. Structural Engineers, Forensic Engineers, Designers, Consulting Engineers, and Project Engineers who would like to get involved with seismic design and assessment of structures or would like to refresh their knowledge of structural dynamics can all benefit from this course.
Special Features & Requirements
It is highly recommended that upon completion of this basic course, participants take the advanced course of "Seismic Analysis and Design of Steel and Reinforced Concrete Buildings according to NBCC" to enhance their knowledge of seismic analysis and design. This advanced course provides a thorough review of the seismic provisions of the National Building Code and covers the seismic design and detailing requirements for reinforced concrete and steel buildings according to the CSA A23.3 and CSA S16 codes.
More InformationTime: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Please note: You can check other time zones here.
Syllabus
Day I
Welcome, Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Method
Earthquake Ground Motions Characteristics
- Historical overview of earthquake engineering
- Causes and effects of earthquakes
- Seismic waves
- Characteristics of earthquakes
- Overview of seismic hazard analysis
- Seismicity in Western and Eastern Canada
Response of a Single-Degree-of-Freedom System
- Elements of structural dynamics
- Free vibration response
- Response to harmonic loads
- Elastic response spectrum
- Introduction to design response spectrum
Day II
Seismic Analysis of Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Structures
- Free vibration of undamped systems
- Forced vibration of damped systems
- Time history analysis method
- Response spectrum analysis method
Overview of Seismic Provisions of the National Building Code of Canada
- Overview of various design requirements
- Design response spectrum
- Types of seismic force-resisting systems
- Overview of equivalent static force procedure
- Principles of seismic design
Questions and Answers and Feedback to Participants on Achievement of Learning Outcomes
Instructor

Dr. Sadeghian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University. Prior to joining Carleton, he worked at the Structural Group of Arup in Toronto. He received his Ph.D. and MASc degrees from the University of Toronto, and his BASc from the University of Tehran.
With over 10 years of experience in teaching, research, and consulting, Dr. Sadeghian is a registered PEng with Professional Engineers Ontario. He has authored more than 35 peer-reviewed scientific publications in different areas of structural engineering. His research interests mainly focus on seismic design and assessment of buildings, nonlinear analysis, the behaviour of aging and repair structures, and structures built using innovative materials and construction techniques.

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Fee & Credits
$1295 + taxes
- 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
- 14 Continuing Professional Development Hours (PDHs/CPDs)
- ECAA Annual Professional Development Points
Group Training
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