Civil Engineering MSc

The main aim of this MSc course is to provide a more general MSc programme for Civil Engineering students and engineering professionals who wish to enhance their skills which covers all main sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering. The course MSc Civil Engineering is designed to include subjects from across the major sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering and equip our students with holistic knowledge and experience in Civil Engineering.

From the perspective of the needs of industry and government, such graduates with a broader understanding of Civil Engineering problems would be able to contribute to global challenges that require more holistic knowledge such as fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) and addressing climate emergency. The structure of the programme includes seven compulsory modules and seven optional modules, two of which must be taken. A range of compulsory and optional modules are provided from all Civil Engineering sub-disciplines such as Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Water and Hydraulic Engineering and Project and Infrastructure Management.

Students will access our technical laboratory facilities in various fields of Structural, Geotechnical and Hydraulic Engineering during the delivery of the modules and for their MSc dissertations. The latest industry-standard engineering software packages are available for students to use in the purpose-built computer laboratories which can be also used for their dissertation works.

The aims of this MSc course are:

• Offer postgraduate education in Civil Engineering with a broad knowledge/experience from all major sub-disciplines within Civil Engineering
• Provide advanced design capabilities and required versatilities for contributing to the most complicated contemporary Civil Engineering tasks in industry

Provide a solid pathway for graduates towards their continuing professional development and potential progression to the membership/chartership of appropriate institutions such as the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and The Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM).     

This course can be studied 1 year full-time, starting in September. Or this course can be studied 14 months full-time, starting in January.

An MSc Civil Engineering degree will equip you with advanced knowledge and skills to work on a vast range of modern projects in the construction and civil engineering sector. From the perspective of the needs of industry and government, graduates of this MSc, who will have a broader understanding of Civil Engineering problems, would be able to contribute to global challenges that require more holistic knowledge such as fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) and addressing climate emergency.

Many of our civil engineering graduates have technical and creative roles with contractors and consultants working on large infrastructure projects.

Some go on to jobs with national and local government agencies or major firms of consulting engineers. Others specialise in construction, sustainability, innovative materials, foundation engineering, geotechnical exploration, and highway engineering.

• A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in an Engineering, Science or technology subject. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis.

• IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
• Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
• BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17) 

An integrated holistic approach is taken for delivering the teaching including classroom lectures/seminars, self-studies, individual research reports, laboratory experiments and field trips. A number of practical (physical or computer labs) and field works are employed for delivering the module blocks. The labs (physical or computer labs) and field trips will be delivered using a hybrid model (online and face-to-face).

Some teaching innovations introduced in recent years improve the teaching and learning experiences including Team-Based Learning (TBL) and the use of digital media for teaching and assessment. The CEE’s Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) facilitates speakers/guest lecturers from industry providing practical inputs towards making the teaching/learning process more relevant to industry.

It is ensured that the teaching/learning strategy is aligned with nine attributes recommended by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) through addressing them in various study blocks. Although students are not expected to fully meet ICE attributes during their study or even a few years after graduation, it is important that they learn about the professional attributes and plan to fully comply with them during and after their studies.

The assessment strategy is aimed at covering all learning outcomes and helping students to achieve the programme aims. The assessment is arranged through a series of summative and formative assessment across various modules.

The envisaged summative assessments are final exams (from 50% to 70%), oral presentations, assignments and design projects. The final exams are time-limited (2-3 hours) and are held either in January or May in a closed-book format (except for the pandemic time where exams are held in an at-home style).

The assignments and design projects are planned across all modules and give students the opportunity to apply the knowledge to real-world situations. Assignment briefs are prepared beforehand by module leaders and are communicated to students at least one month before assignments’ due dates. Module leaders provide support to help students accomplish the tasks requested by assignments and design projects.