MEng Civil and Structural Engineering / Course details

This is a four year course leading to a Master of Engineering qualification (MEng) in Civil and Structural Engineering. During the first two years, the course is broad-based and covers topics such as structural analysis, hydraulics, geotechnics, construction materials, engineering design, project management and mathematics. In later years, you have considerable flexibility to steer your degree towards your interests by taking optional subjects such as renewable energy systems, fire engineering, earthquake engineering and computational hydraulics.

In year 3, you will undertake an individual research project on an emerging topic in civil engineering and, in year 4, you undertake an industry-supervised group design project and units on advanced structural analysis and design. This degree will equip you to enter the civil engineering professions and fully satisfies the educational base for becoming a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

The aims of this course are to provide you with:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of engineering science, analysis, and management
• A strong base of practical skills (eg in surveying and specialist computer software)
• An in-depth understanding of design
• Competence in transferable skills (problem solving, team working, creativity, oral and written communication, IT skills)
• A broad understanding of the economic, social, ethical and environmental contexts relevant to becoming a professional engineer and a leader in civil or structural engineering

The course is taught via a combination of lectures, tutorial classes, practical laboratory sessions and computer-based sessions. There is a design project each year, which involves teamwork in small groups, and allows students to apply and develop their problem-solving and project management skills. In the third year, each student undertakes an individual project, allowing them to pursue an emerging subject or application area in greater depth.

Most course units are assessed through an examination (at the end of the semester) and coursework which is undertaken throughout the year. Parts of the coursework are, in many instances, associated with practical laboratory sessions, whilst others may be based on problem sheets, reports etc. A few subjects, for example Design, are assessed purely on coursework. For detailed information about how different subjects are assessed, please see the course unit specifications below.

Most of the technical course units within the Civil Engineering programmes involve physical laboratory tests. The Department has dedicated structures, hydraulics and geotechnics laboratories, with equipment including wave flumes, structures and materials testing facilities, and a geotechnics centrifuge. The computer clusters contain a wide range of software for teaching and research in Civil Engineering, such as Revit, Abaqus, Oasys, Plaxis, Autocad and many others. Civil Engineering students use industry-standard surveying equipment for their field work as part of the surveying unit. The Department also possesses a 3D laser scanner to support surveying activities that captures detailed 3D geometries of civil infrastructure and topography.