MEng Civil Engineering / Course details

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. 

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). 

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. 

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.

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.

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.