Civil Engineering

Entry requirements

A good honours degree in Civil Engineering or a related subject, or equivalent industrial and work experience. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5

Months of entry

September

Course content

Why take this course?

Modern civil engineers plan, design, construct and manage the large-scale public works and amenities that underpin societies throughout the world.

Our course aims to provide you with a greater framework within which to understand the core disciplines of civil engineering. It will give you an opportunity to update your technical skills and to study issues of growing importance within the civil engineering and construction industries.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

• Attend lectures and seminars given by practitioners from client, contracting and consulting organisations
• Apply your skills to real-life practical problems as part of our partnership schemes with local and global organisations
• Opt to study overseas at a variety of European universities through the ERASMUS exchange scheme

What opportunities might it lead to?

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

• civil engineering
• site engineering
• construction
• consultancy
• project management

Module Details

The course is divided into three stages, the first two stages are generally taught through formal tuition, with stage three covering independent research in an academic or industrial setting.

You will build upon established fundamental civil/construction engineering and project management principles in order to confidently apply them to a range of complex construction project problems.

Here are the units you will study:

• Environmental Management for Civil Engineering: This introduces you to the main environmental issues associated with civil engineering projects and how they are considered and mitigated in the Environmental Assessment process.
• Civil Engineering Science: This unit seeks to integrate the topics of analytical structural analysis, numerical analysis and solving engineering problems. Whilst introducing you to the finite element method (FEM) and application of FEM software packages, this unit aims to give you the ability to solve engineering problems in the design of real structures.
• Civil Engineering Design Project: In this unit you will have the opportunity to simulate the design activities of a civil engineering consultancy. Project briefs are typically drawn from the work of professional contacts in the civil engineering industry. You will be required to make professional contacts, obtain advice and guidance, carry out research and conduct site visits outside the University.
• Strategic and General Management: On this unit you will cover management in the construction industry, and the development of organisational and project strategic direction, taking into account internal and external environments.
• Independent Research Project: This covers the generic research framework within which new knowledge is discovered, and involves the practical application of research skills and techniques to a chosen system within the construction industry.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice, alongside feedback from our students, to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional units may not run every year. If a unit doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative unit.

Programme Assessment

Teaching on this course will focus on small lectures, seminars and discussion groups. It will also centre on supporting your independent learning strategies, which tutorials will help to develop.

Assessment can take many forms and is geared towards the subject matter in a way that encourages a deeper understanding and allows you to develop your skills. Examples are:

• examinations
• coursework
• projects
• a dissertation

Student Destinations

In an uncertain and increasingly competitive environment, the civil engineer is required to develop a wide range of skills and abilities to stay abreast of current industrial needs. Therefore, this course is designed to equip you with knowledge, skills and competencies that employers in the construction industry expect. Alongside the technical topics, we will introduce you to commercial and interpersonal skills that illustrate the employment context of construction industry professionals.

Overall, the delivery of this course and its opportunities for you to interact with the industry throughout your studies means the employment rate of our civil engineering graduates is excellent.

Fees and funding

Qualification and course duration

MSc

Assessment