BEng Civil Engineering

This is the first out of the four Geotechnics modules that the students will come across in the School of Engineering. In this introductory module the students will understand why the module is important for their curriculum by looking at various civil engineering projects and appreciating the relevacen of geotechnical engineering in each one of them.

- To understand the basic background behind soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering and their importance and relevance in civil engineering.
- To understand the importance of basic geology in civil engineering and learn about the three rock groups and origin of soils.
- To classify different type of soils.
- To understand the principle of soil compaction and representing soil as a three-phase system.
- To understand the mechanics behind the flow of water through soils and to understand the concept of permeability of soils.

The unit comprises of the following 3 broad topics:
1. Geology
- Learning about the different types of rocks and how they disintegrate to form soils.
- Learning about basics of folds, faults and joints and they relate to various civil engineering projects.
- Learning about the engineering classification of rocks by understanding the RQD and RMR techniques.

2. Origin of soil and classification
- Learning about how soils are formed and the methods with which they are classified.

3. Phase relations, soil compaction and flow of water through soils
- Learning various mass-volume relationships as used in geotechnical engineering.
- Learning about the principle of soil compaction and understanding its importance in civil engineering projects.
- Learning about the mechanism of the follow of water through soils and understanding the Darcy’s law and soil permeability.

The unit comprises of the following 2 lab based activity:

1. Rock Identification Lab – a 2 hour session in which the students describe, classify and name 10 handheld samples of rocks that they are given.
2. Index tests and soil classification lab – a 2 hour session in which students do basic index tests and watch demonstrations of some other tests.

After the examination, via the Blackboard.

Report - Via comments on the individual scripts + Class feedback

Tuition fees for home students will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year. In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap, which the Government has announced will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year.

Government policy is to increase the fee cap on an annual basis to reflect inflation (i.e. increasing costs), and the tuition fee home students pay in subsequent academic years will reflect any increases in the Government fee cap (which we will communicate to you as soon as we can in advance of the relevant academic year).

Tuition fees for international students will be £37,500 for the 2027/28 academic year. For subsequent academic years, the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fee by up to 7% each year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our education and wider student experience.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

There is acompulsory field course for Civil Engineering students which incurs a subsidised fee* (approx. £100) that contributes to travel, accommodation, and subsistence. You are expected to bring your own wet weather clothing and footwear.

The exact cost and dates of the trip are confirmed at the start of your second year.

*In accordance with current university policy, this fee is restricted to be not more than 1% of the annual tuition fee of the course.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

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 further information about scholarships and bursaries, please see our undergraduate fees pages or visitour scholarships and bursaries page.