MEng Civil Engineering

Surveying is an essential part of the design and construction of civil engineering projects.  It comprises measuring the shape, size and position of existing features, setting out markers for construction, and checking the completed works.

The unit is delivered by a combination of lectures, campus practical exercises, and a field course.  On the field course, students survey an area and make a map which they will later use for a design project.

The unit aims to enable students to describe and explain common civil engineering surveying instruments, procedures and calculations, and to perform the procedures and calculations in practice to produce a realistic site survey. In addition, the students learn about latest technologies relevant to surveying including 3D laser scanning and point cloud data registration.

The lectures and associated tutorial problems cover:

- Nature and purpose of civil engineering surveying

- Operating principles and procedures for "level" and "total station" and “3D laser scanner” instruments

- Height measurement by "levelling": procedures, calculations, checks and adjustments

- Height measurement by "trigonometric heighting": procedures, calculations and checks

- Coordinate systems and map projections

- "Control" surveys for accurate positioning by "triangulation" and "traverse": procedures, calculations, checks and adjustments
- "Detail" surveys for measuring features and relief: procedures, calculations, checks and adjustments

- Principals of 3D laser scanning and point cloud registration
- Basic theory of measurement errors and its application in surveying
- Introduction to GPS/GNSS and its surveying applications

The lecture material is assessed by an unseen examination.

Cluster computer sessions and exercises cover:

- Specialist surveying software, such as “Microsurvey Starnet” and “Topcon’s MAGNET”.

- Point cloud data registration and editing using “Leica’s Cyclone REGISTER 360”. This exercise will be assessed and marked by staff.

Campus practical exercise (group exercise):

- Total station: setting up the instrument and target over designated points, conducting (control survey) using total station instrument. This exercise will be assessed and marked by staff.

On the field course (approximately 5 days per student), students work in small teams to carry out various surveying tasks. These are organised so that the combined output from the teams is a map of the site (and associated data if relevant), which the students then use in a design project in Design 2.  The work is managed by student managers in each team, and by staff.  The students gain experience in surveying measurements, data checking and editing, paper and computer calculations, plotting, report writing, team working and management including risk assessment.  The field course is assessed on a written report (including measured data, calculations, plots, etc.) from each team and an individual peer assessment score for each student.

Assessed practicals will be marked and returned to students.
Feedback reports on the field course submissions will be provided.

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £37,500 per annum.

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 information about fees and funding, please see our undergraduate fees pages and check the scholarships and bursaries page.