Soil Mechanics, Bearing Capacity and Slope Stabilization Seminar
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 am – 12:15 pm
Lunch (On your own): 12:15 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon Session: 1:15 – 4:30 pm
Soil Investigation and Classification
Properties of soil
• Importance of recognizing soil properties
• Formation of soils
• Types of soils
Soil investigation
• Site reconnaissance
• Geology and visual observations
• Drilling and boring
• Test pits
• Obtaining and reviewing geotechnical reports
Reviewing Hydraulic and Mechanical Properties of Soils
Soil permeability
Compressibility of soil
Soil hydraulics
• Saturation, hydraulic gradient, and conductivity
Drained and undrained shear strength
• Vertical and lateral earth pressure
Stress and failure in soils
Determining and Increasing Bearing Capacity
Calculating bearing capacity
Bearing capacity of shallow foundations
Bearing capacity of piers and piles
Increasing bearing capacity
• Draining and compaction
• Soil improvement
Determining and Increasing Slope Stability
Natural and engineered slopes
Reviewing basic concepts of slope stability
Understanding slope failures
Impact of surface water and groundwater
Examining slope stabilization methods
• Unloading
• Draining and compaction
• Reinforcement
• Soil improvement
Credits
Professional Engineers
6.5 PDHs
Architects
6.5 HSW Continuing Ed. Hours
6.5 AIA HSW Learning Units
Contractors
Non-Credit Continuing Ed.
Geologists
6.5 PDHs
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 6.5 PDHs to professional engineers and 6.5 continuing education hours to architects in all states, except Florida architects. This course also offers 6.5 PDHs to Pennsylvania geologists. Educators and courses for Pennsylvania engineers and geologists are not subject to pre-approval.
This seminar is approved by the American Institute of Architects for 6.5 Learning Units (Sponsor No. J885). Only full attendance can be reported to the AIA/CES.
HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved architect continuing education sponsor in New York. HalfMoon Educationis an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey (ApprovalNo. 24GP00000700), New York (NYSED Sponsor No. 35), North Carolina, and North Dakota.
This program offers a non-credit continuing education opportunity to construction contractors. It has not been submitted to any state contractor licensing entity for continuing education approval.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not availableat the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Daniel P. Messmer, P.E., D. GE
Project Manager with The Gateway Engineers, Inc., in PittsburghMr. Messmer has over 30 years of engineering experience in analysis, design, plan/specification development, and project management/personnel supervision for geotechnical, foundation and structural engineering projects in the transportation, industrial, municipal and commercial fields of civil engineering. Throughout his career he has placed an emphasis on quality control and staff training. Mr. Messmer is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Highway Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers. He earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Messmer was accepted into the Academy of Geo-Professionals in 2013.
