MEng Civil Engineering / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Civil engineering at Manchester enables you to lay the right foundation for a career in civil engineering with a four-year course that will not only lead to a Master of Engineering (MEng) qualification, but also arm you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to enter an industry that, at its core, makes modern society work.

Civil engineering deals with the design, construction and maintenance of our built environment, from buildings to bridges, roads to railways - and considers what this means for the future of our planet and society.

During the first two years of our MEng in Civil Engineering, the course is broad-based and you will develop a strong understanding of essential topics such as structural analysis, hydraulics, geotechnics, construction materials, engineering design, project management and mathematics. What's more, you will do so using our fantastic array of facilities and equipment.

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 advanced units on civil engineering design and water engineering.

This degree will equip you to enter the civil engineering professions and fully satisfies the educational base for becoming a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

You will also benefit from our welcoming community, where you can join some of the Department's various student societies, such as The University of Manchester Civil Engineering Society, to meet like-minded people, make new friends and explore all things civil engineering. 

Aims

The course aims to:

  • Provide you with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of engineering science, analysis and management.
  • Give you an in-depth understanding of design
  • Help you to learn important transferable skills such as 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 civil engineer.
  • Give you a strong base of practical skills (eg in surveying and specialist computer software). 

Special features

Foundation Year available

You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our  foundation course first. 

Teaching and learning

At Manchester you will be taught by academic staff who are leading experts in civil engineering, in a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

We use a combination of teaching and learning methods, including 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 you to apply and develop your problem-solving and project management skills.

In the third year, you will undertake an individual project, allowing you to pursue an emerging subject or application area in greater depth.

Coursework and assessment

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.

Course unit details

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 advanced units on civil engineering design and water engineering.

Course content for year 1

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Hydraulics 1 CIVL10101 10 Mandatory
Materials 1 (Civil) CIVL10152 10 Mandatory
Geotechnics 1 CIVL10212 10 Mandatory
Design 1 (Civil) CIVL10321 10 Mandatory
Building Physics & Services CIVL10401 10 Mandatory
Mechanics (Civil) CIVL10602 10 Mandatory
Tools for Civil Engineers CIVL12201 10 Mandatory
Structures 1 (Civil) CIVL13001 10 Mandatory
Sustainable & Resilient Infrastructure CIVL14022 10 Mandatory
Civil Engineering Practice ENGM12112 10 Mandatory
Mathematics 1M2 MATH19662 10 Mandatory
Displaying 10 of 11 course units for year 1

Course content for year 2

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Structures 2 (Civil) CIVL20001 10 Mandatory
Design 2 (Civil) CIVL20012 10 Mandatory
Hydraulics 2 CIVL20041 10 Mandatory
Modelling & Simulation (Civil) CIVL20082 10 Mandatory
Materials 2 (Civil) CIVL20152 10 Mandatory
Geotechnics 2 CIVL20221 10 Mandatory
Surveying CIVL20252 10 Mandatory
Steel & Concrete Structures CIVL20322 10 Mandatory
Water Engineering 1 CIVL20402 10 Mandatory
Computing & Numerical Methods (Civil) CIVL20471 10 Mandatory
Project Management (Civil) ENGM21511 10 Mandatory
Mathematics 2M1 MATH29661 10 Mandatory
Displaying 10 of 12 course units for year 2

Course content for year 3

Course units for year 3

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Structural Design & Materials CIVL30792 10 Mandatory
Design 3 (Civil) CIVL31001 10 Mandatory
Individual Project CIVL31030 30 Mandatory
Structures 3 (Civil) CIVL33001 10 Mandatory
Hydraulics 3 CIVL34001 10 Mandatory
Geotechnics 3 CIVL35001 10 Mandatory
Geotechnics 4 CIVL36002 10 Mandatory
Resource Efficiency & Sustainable Waste Management CIVL30262 10 Optional
Nuclear Systems MECH30632 10 Optional
Renewable Energy Systems MECH31532 10 Optional

Course content for year 4

Course units for year 4

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Water Resource Planning & Management CIVL40402 15 Mandatory
Civil Engineering Design CIVL40691 15 Mandatory
Environmental Assessment CIVL41141 15 Mandatory
Civil Group Design Project CIVL41530 30 Mandatory
Earthquake Engineering CIVL40912 15 Optional
Computational Hydraulics CIVL42002 15 Optional
Fire Engineering CIVL42042 15 Optional
Legal Issues ENGM40461 15 Optional
Engineering Foresight ENGM41011 15 Optional

Scholarships and bursaries

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.

For information about scholarships and bursaries please see our  undergraduate fees pages  and check the  Department's funding pages .

Facilities

The University of Manchester offers extensive  library and online services  to help you get the most out of your studies. 

Most of the technical course units within our civil engineering programmes involve physical laboratory tests, and you will be able to use the Department's fantastic array of specialist equipment to facilitate this.

Our equipment includes dedicated structures, hydraulics and geotechnics laboratories, with facilities including wave flumes, structures and materials testing facilities, and a geotechnics centrifuge.

You can make use of a wide range of software in our dedicated computer clusters, including Revit, Abaqus, Oasys, Plaxis, Autocad, and many more, and you will get hands-on with industry-standard surveying equipment for your field work in the surveying unit.

We also have a 3D laser scanner that captures detailed 3D geometrics of civil infrastructure and topography to support your surveying activities.  

Manchester's Engineering Campus Development, MECD.

Get ready to collaborate, create and innovate in a brand-new £400m purpose-built building which will allow you, our future engineers and material scientists, to come together and make your mark on the world. The Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) will officially open from September 2022 and will include hundreds of flexible teaching and learning spaces with unrivalled world-class research facilities - whatever your inspiration, with MECD the possibilities are endless.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk