The School of Engineering offers three Undergraduate Degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering: our flagship Civil Engineering degree, and two specialist variants, Structural and Fire Safety Engineering and Structural Engineering with Architecture, both of which are tailored to current industry needs. All three degrees are offered in both 4 year BEng and 5 year MEng variants. Within the main Civil Engineering degree, we offer flexibility to specialise in various aspects of Civil Engineering, these are formalised in three specialisation streams: Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Construction Project Management. Details of these degrees and streams are given below.
We are continuously improving our degree programmes, so please note that the courses that we offer may change to best meet the needs of our graduates and the future profession.
Year 1
Engineers are creative problem solvers, adept at working in professional, interdisciplinary teams to tackle society’s ever-more complex challenges. In Engineering Principles you will experience a wide range of such challenges, developing essential engineering skills and gaining an understanding of the subject’s breadth and the role your chosen discipline plays. In Engineering Design you will work as part of a team on an interdisciplinary engineering task – getting involved in design, and using your engineering judgement to evaluate your solution to a task. These introductory courses will help you to develop the confidence, advanced thinking, teamworking and problem-solving skills that you will later rely on as a professional engineer.
You will also study mathematical topics with particular relevance to engineers. In addition, you will choose courses from across the University to complement your engineering studies, with options available in sciences, arts and humanities.
Year 2
In year 2 you specialise in core civil engineering topics, including structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, tools for engineering design and environmental engineering and sustainability. Those studying Structural Engineering with Architecture will also study architectural history. These courses prepare you for further specialisation at honours level, covering technical concepts and where possible, giving you the opportunity to apply these in a practical situation. You will study programming to develop your skills in computer control and simulation – essentials in the engineer’s toolkit. Engineering mathematics is also studied. You will continue your professional development with a course on essential professional skills for engineers, and select two further electives from options within the School, including fire science and engineering.
Year 3
Students study advanced courses in water engineering, structural analysis, infrastructure and construction, and geotechnical engineering. Our students tackle sustainable design in their projects and regularly win national design competitions for their work. There is a choice of electives in environmental engineering, fire safety engineering, structural design philosophy, and culture and performance in the history of construction.
Years 4 and 5
The final years allow students to specialise by selecting from a range of optional courses, such as structural dynamics and earthquake engineering, water and wastewater systems, structural design for fire, and infrastructure sensing using ground penetrating radar. Students apply the skills they have learnt earlier in our degree programmes to tackle realworld engineering problems, including intensive design projects such as our bridge design project, led by industry professionals. A substantial thesis project that examines the state-of-the-art of an engineering topic, using our laboratory and computational research facilities, is undertaken in final year and all our students work closely with their academic supervisor.
