Rock Mechanics, its applications, rock rheology, basic concepts of rock excavation and its utility. Open excavations: dams, reservoirs, canals, outfalls, trenching, cutting, ripping, highways. 
Underground excavation: Tunnels, Caverns, Bunkers. Engineering rock properties and its applications and determination, in-situ stress measurement techniques, flat jack, hydrofracturing, drilling and blasting practices, water-rock interaction – effect on physical properties, stress-distribution in and around openings, stabilization and strengthening of structures.
Soil/rock transportation and erosion, fluid migration through porous media and its effects on time dependent behaviour of rock, rock dynamics, rock mechanics aspects of reservoir performance, fracture mechanics, damage mechanics and naturally fractured reservoirs, numerical and physical modeling for rock excavations, earth pressure theories, settlement analysis, liquefaction, rock mass rating for design and construction, health monitoring of various type of structures, rock engineering system.