Structural Engineering

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 honours degree (BEng, MEng, BSc) in civil or structural engineering or other appropriate engineering or science subject. We’ll consider your application for any course if you have appropriate professional qualifications and work experience, but you’ll need a strong background in the areas covered on the course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

About the course

Develop skills in the analysis and design of steel and concrete structures. You can tailor the course to your specific interests, so it’s ideal for practising structural engineers who want to enhance their skills or for anyone pursuing a career in this field.

About us

We are one of the largest and most active civil engineering departments in the UK. All our masters courses are informed by our own world-leading research and industry needs. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) puts us in the UK top four.

Our structures-based courses are accredited by The Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and Institute of Highway Engineers as satisfying part 2 academic base requirements for a Chartered Engineer under UK-SPEC.

Your career

Our graduates work for top UK and international consultancies, contractors, regulators, universities and other private and public sector organisations.

Many of them join engineering consultancies, in roles such as Structural Engineer, Building Services Engineer and Sustainability Consultant. Some join architecture practices. Employers include Arup, Buro Happold, Capita Symonds, Roger Preston and Partners, Cundall and Foster and Partners.

Specialist facilities

Our laboratories are equipped to a very 
high standard, with specialist facilities for each area:

Structural engineering

Multi-axial testing equipment at elevated temperature; testing rigs for ambient and fire conditions; dynamic testing of full-scale civil engineering structures; cement and concrete durability testing and material characterisation; field laboratory for full- scale impact and explosion research.

Water engineering

Static and tilting research flumes; urban drainage test rigs and laser and video- based measurement systems; full-scale experimental siphonic roof drainage system; pilot-scale water distribution systems; field measurement equipment and modelling software.

Geotechnics

Large-scale tri-axial apparatus for stress path and cyclic load testing; flexible walled tri-axial calibration chambers; optical microscopy, digital camera and measurement software; model pile testing and durability testing facilities. We have recently established the Centre for Energy and Infrastructure Ground Research that is home to our world leading 4m diameter beam centrifuge and complementary £1m teaching facility.

Groundwater protection and restoration

Modern, fully equipped laboratory for microbiological, chemical and pollutant analysis; experimental facilities for investigating environmental processes and pollutant interactions in the geosphere; extensive field sampling, monitoring and testing equipment; the latest evaluation and modelling software.

Architectural Engineering Design

Monitoring equipment for assessing the real-life performance of buildings: energy monitors, indoor environment monitors, heat flux monitors, thermal camera; wind tunnel suitable for assessing the impact of wind on urban forms at 1:200 scale.

Study options

Study full-time in one year or part-time over two years. The part-time option involves taking semester one in the first year and the remainder in the second year.

Most modules are taught in blocks; visit our website for course structure and module descriptions. Our MSc(Eng) courses can form Part 2 (Further Learning) of the educational base for Chartered Engineer status. For details see www.ice.org.uk

Core modules

Linear Systems and Structural Analysis; Structural Design; Computational Structural Analysis and Research Skills; Structural Dynamics and Applications to Earthquake Engineering and Vibration.

Examples of optional modules

Innovations in Structural Concrete; Advanced Concrete Design; Structural Design and Fire Resistance of Medium Rise Steel-framed Buildings; Advanced Simulation of High Strain Rate Dynamics; Blast and Impact Effects on Structures; Design of Earthquake Resistant Structures; Geotechnical Design; Sustainable Concrete Technology.

Information for international students

Overall IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

Qualification and course duration

MSc(Eng)

PGDip

PGCert