This course produces graduates who will gain the specialist technical skills and knowledge required to become a successful consulting or contracting civil engineer. Typically these degrees will focus on the study of real life case studies as well as work-based and work related learning, coupled with surveying field trips and site visits.
Much emphasis is placed upon practical work, in the form of laboratory classes, physical and computational modelling projects. During the first year learn about the building of bridges, airports and structures. Following on from this it will help to develop in students a sense of professional discipline and a critical understanding of how to find solutions to design problems. In today’s competitive world the programme will help you to develop a career in construction and management by giving you the skills to come up with practical solutions to the problems of the real world.
Enhance your knowledge and intellectual skills by studying a wide range of potential areas within civil engineering. You will gain the critical powers and skills required to solve Civil Engineering problems related to dams, roads, low-carbon housing and treating solid or hazardous waste. It will give you the necessary skills required to ensure the safe, timely and well-resourced completion of projects.
A sample of the modules and topics studied on a civil engineering degree course
- Sustainable development
- Fluid dynamics
- Structural engineering
- Architecture
- Engineering analytics
- Technological science
- Geotechnical engineering
- Coastal engineering
- Water engineering
- Geology and soils
- Sustainable energy
- Construction engineering
- Earthquake engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Materials engineering
- Planning legislation
- Procurement and cost
- Land Surveying
- Transportation engineering
- Urban engineering
- Fluid flow
- Steelwork
- Reinforced concrete
- Geotechnical design
- Computing and surveying
- Mathematics
- Macro engineering
- Pavement engineering
- Mapping
- Structural analysis
- Site investigation
- Modelling Concepts and Tools
- Electrical, Electronic and Computer Systems
- Properties and structures
- Floods and River Systems
- Construction contracts
- Infrastructure engineering
- Construction Practice
- River Basin Management
- Applications software
- Foundation Engineering
- Technology in International Development
- Concrete Structures
- Project planning
- Steel structures
- Environmental protection
- Resource management
- Ariel photography
- CAD for Civil Engineers
- Advanced design concepts
- Soil-structure interaction
- Finite element analysis of structures
- Site Management and Safety
- Labour and personnel management
- Structural Method and Analysis
- Bridge Design and Assessment
- Blueprints
- Highway Engineering
- Global Engineering
- Deadline management
- geographical information systems
- Docks and harbours
- Irrigation systems
Skills you will learn on a civil engineering degree course
- The ability to plan, manage and organise your time and also teaching resources.
- Ability to make critical judgments.
- Dispute resolution
- Preparing for design presentations.
- Decision making abilities.
- Solving problems creatively.
- Construction project management.
- Learning to work as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team.
- Ability to work individually on projects.
- The ability to work as part of a team with building contractors, surveyors and architects etc.
- Assessing the financial costs of labour, time and materials.
- How to inspect sites and monitor the progress of construction projects.
- Working in collaboration with engineering students from other fields.
- Harnessing technical and management skills to solve a civil engineering problems.
- infrastructure, utilities and buildings of the future.
- Understand civil engineering management
- Computer-aided drafting
- Research methodology
- Preparing bids for tender.
- Computer modeling software.
- Reporting to clients.
- Determining a projects feasibility.
- An understanding of the commercial environment within the construction industry.
Civil engineering personal statement
You need to write a concise article that will show off your communication skills and enhance the reader’s ability to understand what you are trying to get across. Remember that in some highly sought after courses where there may be little difference between you and your fellow applicants a personal statement can make all the difference. The example below is for guidance purposes only and you are strongly advised not to copy or plagiarise it, instead use it as a resource to inspire your own creative writing.
Example
“As a highly capable individual with a strong academic background, I am proud to say that I already possess a comprehensive understanding of the technical elements of civil engineering.
From an early age I have always been a hands on person with a knack for fitting things together and helping to solve practical problems. As I became a teenager I started to become more interested in how buildings were constructed and stood up. At school and college this curiosity led me to choosing subjects that included elements of construction and engineering. On projects I gained great satisfaction from utilising mathematics, natural sciences, and common sense to design and build things that actually worked. This passion for engineering has led to an ambition to gain a degree qualification which I can then use as a stepping stone to becoming a civil engineer.
Since the start of the year I have undertaken a part time job with a local engineering company. This work experience and what I have learnt from it about material science, design projects, building environment and geotechnics has only encouraged me in my desire to become a qualified engineer. My position as an assistant to a professional engineer has enabled me to develop not only specific engineering industry competencies, but also a valuable set of transferable skill sets which will help me to excel in any job.
When it came to choosing which university to apply for, I had a few criteria in mind such as large campus, exciting social scene and a top ranking civil engineering school. You university ticked all of these boxes. Other points that attracted me to your institution was the diversity of your degree programme, the fact that your Civil Engineering School is one of the most admired in the country and the knowledge that you allow students to specialise in subjects which they enjoy.
I believe that I have the enthusiasm and real interest in civil engineering that will make me a suitable candidate for this degree course.”
More Civil Engineering personal statement examples
University interview questions and answers
Why do you want to become a civil engineer?
Answers
- I get satisfaction from being involved in designing and building projects which will improve the quality of peoples lives i.e. buildings, bridges and roads.
- Knowing that I can use the skills I have learnt to impact on peoples lives in a very practical way.
- I get the opportunity to be involved in projects from design right through to construction and completion.
- I see it as a fast-moving, challenging and rewarding profession.
- I get a chance to solve real world problems and to see the tangible results of my hard work being constructed before me.
What qualities and skills can you bring to the course?
Answers
- My ability to work as part of a team and to co-operate with a variety of individuals in a multidisciplinary setting.
- A passion for continuous professional development.
- An innovative approach to solving problems.
- An ability to make the best and most efficient use of available resources and technology.
Degree accreditation and abbreviation
BEng
CEng
MEng
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