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Master of Pavement Technology

(VO04968)

Course Objectives (MPT)

  • 8 Credit Points

  • 9 Units of Study

CPEE's flexible, online Master of Pavement Technology program is designed to train leaders by further developing the skills of professional engineers to efficiently and sustainably design, construct and maintain durable road and highway pavements. Our academics are recognised as leaders in their respective disciplines, bringing a wealth of both technical and practical industry experience to our programs.

The road pavement industry experience is that a specialist qualification is important in raising the status of professionals in the industry, and the online education mode allows courses to be readily offered to candidates throughout Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. To take the next step in your career, the CPEE Master of Pavement Technology program will provide you with skills, knowledge, and an Australian accredited and trusted qualification.

Program Code
VO04968

MPT

Post-nominal
MPavtTech
AQF Level
9
Duration
5yrs

Part Time Study

Mode
Online
CPEE is an accredited private provider of higher education programs listed on the National Register for Providers and Courses on the website of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) https://www.teqsa.gov.au/ as an 'Institute of Higher Education' (PRV12121).

Core

600: Fundamentals of Roads and Pavements
This unit is intended to refresh students’ knowledge across the very broad area of road pavement engineering and technology and provide a foundation for further studies in their program. The unit initially covers some of the main aspects of roads including; their role in the national economy, route selection, types of road pavement, how they transfer wheel loads from the surface to the subgrade, route selection and geometric alignment. After route selection it is essential to investigate and classify the soils that would be encountered along the route and to predict their behaviour under various operating environments. Prior to actual pavement design the types of construction materials that can be utilised must be considered and their uses evaluated. Pavement design is introduced through the use of design charts for sealed granular and bound flexible pavements and rigid pavements. Pavement construction is introduced with a focus on compaction control. Whole of Life concepts for road pavements are introduced covering design, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement. Finally, road pavements are considered as infrastructure assets.
613: Fundamentals of Road Construction
This unit provides students with the underpinning knowledge for road and street construction and as a pathway to further Units in the Program. It will impart cognitive skills to think critically about the differences between streets and roads, the application of GIS and total station control and the selection of materials and the methods used to construct a range of road facilities. The unit will enable the development of technical and creative skills relevant to current and future professional practice in road and street construction. It will introduce the practical and theoretical knowledge of the practices, procedures and equipment necessary for road and street construction.
629: Industry Research Proposal
This unit provides an introduction to the types of research and how any research is underpinned by a understanding of the contemporary international literature. It provides the opportunity for students to develop a research proposal. The proposal will subsequently be used in the Unit 630 Industry Research, where students will undertake research that will form part of a foundation for future learning and professional development. It will require students to think critically about developing a research question, hypothesis and objectives, which are supported by an initial investigative literature survey that establishes their proposal’s research niche. The unit will typically require the application of students’ skills and knowledge acquired through previously completed studies in the Master of Pavement Technology plus industry, work based skills.
630: Industry Research
This unit provides the opportunity for students to undertake industry-based research that will augment professional work in pavement engineering and form a foundation for future learning and professional development. It will impart cognitive skills to think critically about research methods, planning, analysis and presentation. The unit continues work undertaken in Unit 629 Industry Research Proposal and encompasses a thorough international literature review and the analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. The research provides an opportunity for the practical application and integration of the student’s professional background and skills, and studies in supporting units of the Master of Pavement Technology.

Electives

601: Road Pavement Design
This unit provides advanced knowledge for professional work with the design of road pavements and as a pathway to further learning. It will impart cognitive skills to think critically about materials employed and the methods used to design pavement structures. The unit will also provide specialised technical and creative skills relevant to current and future professional practice. It will further develop the basic skills and knowledge imparted in the core unit Fundamentals of Roads and Pavements.
602: Pavement Construction
This unit provides student with the opportunity to attain advanced professional knowledge in road pavement construction. It will impart cognitive skills to think critically about the materials employed and the methods used to construct flexible and rigid pavements. The unit will also provide specialised technical and creative skills relevant to current and future professional practice. It will further develop the basic skills and knowledge imparted in the core units.
603: Road & Pavement Surfacings
This Unit explores the broad range of road and pavement surfacings employed to provide both functional characteristics and preserve structural capacity for a national road network. Students are able to develop their skills and knowledge in the investigation, treatment selection, design and performance of road and pavement surfacings across the spectrum of asphalts, spray seals, specialist propriety products and gravel. Students will be provided with the opportunity to hone their critical analysis abilities by undertaken whole of life analysis of alternate surfacing techniques, to provide best value to stakeholders. Communication skills will be enhanced through the preparation of professional level design reports.
606: Heavy Duty Pavements
This Unit provides students with information on the design and construction of heavy duty pavements for applications such as heavy duty roads, major airports, industrial areas, intermodal facilities and port terminals. Such pavements are similar to those for roads and highways but are required to service vehicles with much higher wheel loads and tyre pressures. They also incur high dynamic and static loads and have different performance requirements. The Unit initially considers pavement types, nomenclature and definitions before introducing heavy duty pavement design concepts. Topics include; the design of flexible and rigid pavements for airports, port and industrial pavement design and heavy duty pavement construction. The Unit culminates with a review of contemporary and emerging Issues in broad area of heavy duty pavements.
609: Road Asset Management
This unit enables students to attain advanced knowledge in road asset that will enhance their professional engineering skills. The unit will impart cognitive skills to think critically about the management methods employed in the sector. The unit will also provide specialised technical and creative skills that are key to current and future professional practice. The increasing emphasis on asset management by owners and stakeholder stems from a broad spectrum of complex influences. These include; the ageing of road assets built during the post-war expansion of the road network, increased community demands for transparency in investment decisions and a growing understanding of the social, economic and environmental outcomes of investment in transport infrastructure. The complexity is magnified by new areas of government expenditure competing for limited public funds and the increasing role of the private sector in management of public infrastructure. The unit will present students with the tools to investigate, analysis and manage the complexities faced by the expert practitioners employed by road agencies.
616: Pavement Preservation and Rehabilitation
Pavement Preservation and Rehabilitation enables students to attain advanced professional knowledge for the evaluation and renewal of road pavements. It will impart cognitive skills to think critically about the methods used to assess the condition of road pavements, and about the materials employed to implement necessary rehabilitation treatments. The Unit examines the different ways in which pavements and wearing surfaces show distress, both structural and non-structural. Defects such as deformation, cracking and many others are described together with problems relating to safety and damage caused by external factors. Evaluation techniques are presented, which can be used to assess the condition of a pavement with respect to rideability and/or road user comfort, structural capacity and safety. The Unit then considers pavement rehabilitation options with details of restoration using a variety of materials and techniques by application of Whole of Life Costing.
617: Road & Pavement Maintenance
The Road and Pavement Maintenance unit provides advanced knowledge for professional work with the maintenance of roads and road reserves and as a pathway to further learning. It will further develop the basic skills and knowledge imparted in the core unit Introduction to Pavements. Maintenance aims to preserve the road structure, particularly the pavement and wearing surface, so that it does not deteriorate below condition targets based on user expectations, safety and economics. The unit examines the different ways in which both flexible and rigid pavements show distress, both structural and non-structural. Defects such as deformation, cracking and many others are described together with problems relating to safety and damage caused by external factors. Shoulder and drainage maintenance treatments and other road maintenance activities are discussed and the unit concludes with coverage of maintenance management issues and finally a discussion on pavement management systems.
619: Contracts: Principles, Management & Risks
This unit provides students with the opportunity to attain advanced knowledge for professional level work with engineering construction contracts, their management and delivery. It will help to impart cognitive skills to think critically about the administration, management, supervision, construction and delivery of engineering projects, within the context of the relevant legal, risk and conflict resolution frameworks. While the specific terms of a construction contract may change by way of revisions to standard or industry based contracts, the legal principles underlying each of the terms remain constant. This unit will help ensure the development of the specialised technical, managerial and creative skills required to successfully manage and deliver engineering contracts.

Graduate Statement

The CPEE Master of Pavement Technology Graduate will lead the design, building and maintenance of their nation’s complex transportation infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

Graduate Attributes

The CPEE Graduate Attributes underpin Programs that seek to graduate students who are thinkers, innovators, communicators, leaders and are socially, cultural, ethically and environmentally aware.

  1. In-depth knowledge & skills in a discipline area: an in-depth knowledge within the field of study, based on current and emerging national and international practice. 
  2. Judgement, analysis and problem solving: the ability to define, analyse and create viable solutions to a range of problems and to reflect on potential outcomes. 
  3. Creativity and inventiveness: the ability to generate creative and innovative solutions to discipline and social challenges. 
  4. Effective communication and collaboration: the abilities to collaborate, communicate and present information and concepts clearly, fluently and within context to diverse audiences via multiple media.
  5. Sustainability, socially and ethically focussed: the ability to respond appropriately to discipline issues with a commitment to sustainability, social and high ethical standards. 
  6. Information and digital literacy: the ability to recognise when information is needed and to locate, interpret, evaluate, and effectively use the information as required. 
  7. Lifelong learning to increase self-potential: the ability to pursue personal and work based development in a changing environment through self-managed learning. 

Program Structure

CodeNameRequisite
600
Fundamentals of Roads and Pavements

Core

View Full details
613
Fundamentals of Road Construction

Core
600Co

View Full Details
629
Industry Research Proposal*

Core
600, 613 plus 3 Electives

View Full Details
630
Industry Research*

Core
600, 613, 629 plus 4 Electives

View Full Details
601
Road Pavement Design

Elective
600, 613

View Full Details
602
Pavement Construction

Elective
600, 613

View Full Details
603
Road & Pavement Surfacings

Elective
600, 613

View Full Details
606
Heavy Duty Pavements

Elective
600, 613, 601

View Full Details
607
Pavement Management Systems and Performance

Discontinued

609
Road Asset Management

Elective
600, 613

View Full Details
616
Pavement Preservation and Rehabilitation

Elective
600, 613, 601

View Full Details
617
Road & Pavement Maintenance

Elective
600, 613

View Full Details
619
Contracts: Principles, Management & Risk

Elective
600, 613Co

View Full Details
* Unit 629

Unit 629 Industry Research Proposal is a prerequisite unit for Unit 630 Industry Research.  The focus of Unit 629 is to formulate the topic for the Industry Research thesis. Unit 629 is normally undertaken in the semester preceding enrolment in Unit 630. Refer to the 629 Unit Specification for details.

* Update to Units 629 & 630

There has been an update to the Credit Point Value (CPV) allocation and fee allocation for these two units. Beginning in Semester 2 2023, for the next 3 semesters the changes will be implemented as follows.

CPV Changes:

  • Beginning in Semester 2 2023, Unit 629 will be allocated 0.10 (10%) CPV
  • Beginning in Semester 1 2024, Unit 630 will be allocated 0.90 (90%) CPV
  • Thus together Unit 629 and 630 will make a CPV of one (1).

Please note : the total CPV for the MPT program remains unchanged at 8.00.

Fees Changes:

  • For Semester 2 2023 (next semester), no changes to the fees will occur
  • Beginning in Semester 1 2024, Unit 629 will incur a semester fee of 10% of the unit fee (domestic or international) in that year.
  • Beginning in Semester 2 2024, Unit 630 will incur a semester fee of 90% of the unit fee (domestic or international) in that year.

Please note : the total fee for the MPT program remains unchanged.


Admission Requirements

Admission is based on meeting the equivalent of AQF Level 8 in a cognate discipline and meeting the minimum English language requirements, as per PR006 and PR007. Examples of meeting the equivalent AQF Level 8 in a cognate discipline are provided in (a) to (c) below.

  1. A four (4) year undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline at AQF Level 8; or
  2. A three (3) year undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline at AQF7, plus at least three (3) years of documented and verified relevant work experience that equates to AQF Level 8; or
  3. Demonstrated relevant formal, non-formal and informal prior learning deemed equivalent to items a) or b) above that equates to AQF Level8.

Program Requirements

To be eligible for the Master of Pavement Technology a candidate must complete all core units plus any five (5) elective units.

Units can only be attempted following successful completion of the required pre-requisites or by concurrent enrolment in specified co-requisites.

Enrolment Pattern

The default and minimum enrolment pattern for the Master of Pavement Technology is one (1) unit per semester. A maximum enrolment of two (2) units per semester is normally permitted.

Elective units will normally be offered every 2 to 3 semesters. For the current schedule refer to the Units of Study & Availability

Maximum Completion Time

The standard maximum time for completion of the Master of Pavement Technology is 5 calendar years dated from the time of initial enrolment. Refer to PO028 Policy on Program Duration regarding program completion times, Leave of Absence and Compassionate and Compelling Circumstances.

Awarding of Credit

Credit for previous equivalent formal, non-formal or informal prior learning or cross institutional study undertaken is awarded in line with PR042: Procedure for Awarding of Academic Credit.

To apply for credit you will need to submit the following form:

Articulation

Applicants who have completed the Graduate Certificate in Pavement Technology can apply to enter the Master of Pavement Technology with credit for the units completed in the Graduate Certificate in Pavement Technology.

Study Load

We estimate that students devote approximately 10 study hours per week, per unit. These study hours are inclusive of teaching time (e.g. lectures, online teaching), independent study, assessment tasks and/or examination time. Our semesters are broken down into study and exam periods. The study period is 15 weeks duration per semester. We state that the student study workload for each unit is calculated as per below:

15 study period weeks x 10 hours study per week Resulting in the average unit requiring 150 hours over the study period
Credit Points

Each CPEE unit is worth one (1) credit point unless otherwise specified. One credit point involves a student workload of approximately 10 hours per week over a semester.

Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL)

Each of our units has an equivalent full time student load (EFTSL) of 0.125 (12.5%). The study of one unit in a semester would be an ETFSL of 12.5%. A standard full-time load is eight units in the academic year (8*12.5%= 100% or 1 EFTSL). For our programs a full time study load would be 4 units per semester.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

CPEE has determined that one CPEE Postgraduate Unit of academic study, that has been successfully completed with a passing grade, is equivalent to 150 CPD hours.


Semester Unit Fee Schedule

2025  (All fees are GST free) Student Type  
Domestic (AUD) International (AUD) Field of Education
Program Standard
Per Unit
Standard
Per Unit
Code
Graduate Certificate in Asset Management $3,700.00 $4,250.00 080315
Graduate Certificate in Project Management $3,700.00 $4,250.00 080315
Graduate Certificate in Pavement Technology $3,700.00 $4,250.00 030999
Master of Pavement Technology $3,700.00 $4,250.00 030999
MPT:  Unit 629 Industry Research Proposal $370.00 $425.00  
MPT:  Unit 630 Industry Research $3,330.00 $3,825.00  
Single Unit (Non Award) $3,700.00 $4,250.00 030999

New Student offer

This offer is available to New Students undertaking study with CPEE for the first time. A 10% discount off the standard applicable unit enrolment fee for the reference period will be applied to the first (1) unit of study automatically on receipt of student unit enrolment. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.

Alumi offer

This Alumni offer is available to students who have completed a CPEE Graduate Certificate or Master level award program. A 25% discount for up to two (2) units of study in 2024 when begining a new CPEE Award program in 2024. A completed unit enrolment(s) form must be received prior to the the 21st February 2024 to receive this discount.

Payment:

  • Semester 1 unit enrolment(s) 14 days prior to semester start.
  • Semester 2: June 30th 2024

This discount will be applied automatically on receipt of a completed student unit enrolment form prior to 21st February 2024. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.

IPWEA current member offer

This offer is available to current Members of IPWEA undertaking study with CPEE for the first time. A 25% discount off the standard applicable unit enrolment fee for the reference period will be applied to the first (1) unit of study automatically on receipt of student unit enrolment. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.

Asset Management Council current member offer

This offer is available to current Members of Asset Management Council undertaking study with CPEE for the first time. A 25% discount off the standard applicable unit enrolment fee for the reference period will be applied to the first (1) unit of study automatically on receipt of student unit enrolment. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.