Civil engineering
STAAD.Pro: Structural Analysis and Design
Build, load and check frames and trusses in STAAD.Pro, then run steel and concrete design, with every result checked by hand.
- Free
- Intermediate
- 22.6 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Build frame and truss models with the wizard and by coordinates
- Apply dead, live, wind and seismic loads and the code combinations
- Run linear, P-delta and modal analysis and judge the results
- Check beams, frames and trusses by hand against the output
- Read steel code checks and concrete reinforcement output
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who will model and check frames and steel structures in STAAD.Pro.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. For civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who know statics, bending moment diagrams and the basics of steel and reinforced concrete design. No STAAD.Pro experience is needed. The course follows an industrial portal-frame steel shed and a three-storey steel office frame; a separate ETABS and SAFE course covers a reinforced concrete multi-storey building.
What you need
Software: Bentley STAAD.Pro, year-named releases (STAAD.Pro 2025 or later; earlier CONNECT Edition versions use the same workflow), Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Bentley offers a free trial on request, with eligibility confirmed by a Bentley representative, and free access to Bentley software for students and educators through Bentley Education; check the terms on Bentley's own pages. A spreadsheet, or a few lines of Python or JavaScript, for the hand checks. The worked examples use AISC 360 steel design with ASCE 7 loads, and ACI 318 for concrete; the steps are the same under Eurocode 3 and 2 with EN 1990 and EN 1991..
Hardware: A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 computer. Bentley lists 8 GB of memory or more as better for complex models, a modest processor and about 500 MB of disk for a typical install. Small learning models run on an ordinary laptop. The video lessons run on any device..
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
14 modules in order, at your own pace. 22.6 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1STAAD.Pro in the structural workflow32m
- 2Units, coordinates, the command file and nodes and members33m
- 3Structure wizard, repeat tools and a 2D frame57m
- 4Section properties, materials, supports and releases1h 8m
- 5Dead, live and area loads40m
- 6Wind loads on buildings and open sheds54m
- 7Seismic load and load combinations59m
- 8Analysis types: linear, P-delta and modal1h 28m
Show the other 6 modules
- 9Reading results and checking them by hand1h 22m
- 10Steel design: code check, utilisation ratio and member selection1h 2m
- 11Case study: the industrial portal-frame shed1h 6m
- 12Concrete design: beam and column reinforcement56m
- 13Connections, foundations and the calculation report1h 22m
- 14Final assessment
What you practise
Course project, about 10 hours
Verification pack for a steel distribution shed and a four-storey frame: loads, wind, a truss, seismic force, a beam and a footing
Build the hand-check pack that goes with a STAAD.Pro model of a small steel distribution shed and an office frame. You work the roof load, the wind couple, a truss, the equivalent static seismic force, one beam and one footing, then write the checking note.
- 5documents in the pack
- 6steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 10 hof work, at your pace
- ReportDesign basis and roof load take-off, Kessel Road Distribution Shed
- ReportWind couple on a shed frame and a roof truss by the method of joints
- ReportSeismic force, floor beam and footing hand checks, office frame G
- RegisterHand-check register
- ProcedureChecking procedure for a frame model
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Project work you can show
Weekly briefs and a work record, online. Pick the internship that fits you. Finish the 4 weeks and get a free Internship Completion Certificate, with a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
Find an internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- PLC programmer
- Controls engineer
- Automation technician
- Commissioning engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Premium internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Bentley Education, Bentley Structural, Engineering Academy, SIMPLY STRUCTURAL, DECODE BD, Crumpled Underfoot, Aspire civil studio, Civil Nirman, Surojit Ghosh, Parag Pal. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Bentley Education · Bentley Structural · Engineering Academy · SIMPLY STRUCTURAL · DECODE BD · Crumpled Underfoot · Aspire civil studio · Civil Nirman · Surojit Ghosh · Parag Pal. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What is the STAAD.Pro course?
It is a free-to-learn course that follows an industrial portal-frame steel shed and a three-storey steel office frame through Bentley's STAAD.Pro: units and the command file, geometry, sections, supports and releases, loads and combinations, linear, P-delta and modal analysis, steel and concrete design, then connections, foundations and the calculation report. Every result is checked by hand.
Who is the STAAD.Pro course for?
Civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who know statics and the basics of steel and reinforced concrete design. No STAAD.Pro experience is needed. Engineers in design offices around the world use the program for frames, trusses and steel structures, so the course starts from the workflow they follow.
Which software and version does the course use?
Bentley STAAD.Pro, the year-named releases (2025 was the latest release this course could confirm from Bentley's own pages on 1 November 2026; earlier CONNECT Edition versions use the same workflow). Check the current version on Bentley's page. You can follow every lesson and every hand check with only a spreadsheet.
How do I get a free trial or student licence?
Bentley's STAAD.Pro page says you request a free trial on a form, and a Bentley representative confirms eligibility. It also offers students and educators free access through Bentley Education. Terms can change, so read them on Bentley's own pages. Never use cracked or unofficial copies.
Which design code does the course use?
The worked examples use AISC 360 steel design with ASCE 7 loads, and ACI 318 for the concrete beam, one code family per example. The steps are the same under Eurocode 3 and 2 with EN 1990 and EN 1991. Regional codes such as IS 800 and IS 456 follow the same workflow with different factors.
Can I design a real structure with what I learn here?
No. Real structures must be designed and signed by a qualified structural engineer working under local regulations, and software output must always be checked by hand. The course teaches the workflow and the checks, and it is not a licence to practise.
Is this a Bentley certification?
No. The certificate is a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens, not a Bentley certification or a professional engineering qualification. STAAD.Pro is a trademark of Bentley Systems, named only to describe the software taught.
How long does the course take, and what certificate do I get?
About 13 hours of video and around 23 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice, at your own pace. Everything is free to learn. You get a verifiable certificate of completion when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent. It has a unique number, a QR code and a public verification page.
Start free today
STAAD.Pro: Structural Analysis and Design, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.