MSc Structural Engineering

Entry standards

A minimum of 60 percent in an honours degree in civil engineering or equivalent. Alternatively, at least five years’ relevant industrial experience (preferably design) or a professional qualification. 

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MSc Structural Engineering - structure and modules

Module Titles

Modules include: 

• Steel Building Design 
• Concrete Building Design 
• Space Structures 
• Design of Masonry Structures 
• Structural Safety and Reliability 
• Earthquake Engineering 
• Structural Mechanics and Finite Elements 

Module Overview

There are over 30 modules available, each worth 15 credits, covering the general areas of bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, water engineering, transport planning and construction management. The MSc is classified as technical for the purpose of accreditation by the relevant professional bodies.

Modules include: 

Steel Building Design 

Important characteristics of structural steelwork; limit state design of tension, compression, beam and beam-column members; principles of plastic design; analysis and design of single- and multi-bay industrial buildings; portal frame stability, sway, snap-through and deflection calculations; analysis and design of welded and bolted connections; design of cold-formed steel elements. 

Concrete Building Design 

Code requirements for fire safety, robustness, stability and durability; design for flexure, shear, torsion, deflection and crack control in beams and flat slabs; design of short and slender columns; design of foundation rafts and/or piles; structural forms and layout of low- and high-rise reinforced concrete buildings; braced and unbraced frames; analysis of shear walls, cores and tube structures; load combination and moment redistribution. 

Space Structures 

Description of the main types of space structures, including grids, domes, towers, radar dishes, membrane structures and cable systems; notable space structures; methods of analysis applicable to space structures; computer-aided analysis of space structures, techniques for efficient generation of data, graphical presentation of results; formex configuration processing; polyhedral and geodesic forms, tensegrity systems, retractable structures; use of material, loading, safety, cladding and foundations. 

Design of Masonry Structures 

Introduction to masonry construction; use of Eurocode 6 and the Construction Products Directive; design for vertical, lateral, combined and concentrated loads; reinforced masonry; design of diaphragm and basement walls. 

Structural Safety and Reliability 

Theory and application of reliability concepts; component and system reliability methods; application in code calibration and design optimisation; risk-based re-assessment, inspection and maintenance optimisation; whole-life planning of structures and optimum strategy optimisation; application case studies (for example, on bridges and offshore structures); benefits from the application of these techniques. 

Earthquake Engineering 

Geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering; dynamic analysis of SDOF systems under free and forced vibrations; analysis of generalised SDOF systems; time domain dynamic analysis and earthquake spectra; modal analysis; general earthquake design concepts; general EC8 requirements; design of steel buildings according to EC8; design of steel members according to EC8 and EC3. 

Structural Mechanics and Finite Elements 

To achieve the MSc Structural Engineering you will need to pass eight modules, with at least four being chosen from the Structural Engineering group of modules and a further two being chosen from the structural or Bridge Engineering groups of modules. The remaining two modules are a free choice from all the Civil Engineering module groups.

Programme Structure 

The modular arrangement is intended to tailor the programme to your individual needs and provide maximum flexibility in terms of attendance of full-time and part-time students. 

The majority of modules run for ten weeks and comprise approximately 30 hours (three hours per week) of class time and 120 hours of self-study and assignments. 

Successful completion of four modules is required for a student to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, eight modules for a Postgraduate Diploma. Eight modules and a dissertation are required for the award of an MSc. 

Individual modules can be used to contribute towards a continuing professional development programme.

Mode of Study 

Apart from the usual full-time mode, there are also part-time options. The majority of Bridge, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering modules can be studied by distance learning through the use of an interactive web-based e-learning platform (ULearn). 

Civil Engineering Module Groups 

MSc programmes in Bridge Engineering, Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering share module options. The modules fall under six streams of study: 

Bridge Engineering modules 

• Bridge Management 
• Bridge Deck Loading and Analysis 
• Durability of Bridges and Structures 
• Pre-stressed Concrete Bridge Design 
• Steel and Composite Bridge Design 
• Long Span Bridges 

Structural Engineering modules 

• Steel Building Design 
• Space Structures 
• Structural Mechanics and Finite Elements 
• Concrete Building Design 
• Structural Safety and Reliability 
• Earthquake Engineering 
• Design of Masonry Structures 

Construction Management modules 

A number of management modules will be available covering:

• Construction Organisation 
• Project and Risk Management 
• Construction, Management and Law

 Geotechnical Engineering modules 

• Soil–Structure Interaction 
• Geotechnics Engineering 2

Water Engineering modules* 

• Environmental Health 
• Water Treatment 
• Wastewater Treatment and Sewerage 
• Applied Chemistry and Microbiology (Intensive) 
• Pollution Control and Waste Management 
• Groundwater Control 
• Regulation and Management 
• Water Resources Management and Hydraulic Modelling 

* Currently under review.

* Students must meet prerequisites for some of these modules to be able to take them. 

Transport Planning and Practice modules

• Transport Policy 
• Transport Strategies and Interventions 
• Developing Transport Solutions 
• Transport Appraisal Methods 
• Design and Analysis of Transport Schemes 
• Asset Management and Maintenance 
• Transport Modelling 

MSc Structural Engineering - entry standards

Entry standards

A minimum of 60 percent in an honours degree in civil engineering or equivalent. Alternatively, at least five years’ relevant industrial experience (preferably design) or a professional qualification. 

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Planned intake

Unlimited

Start date

September, February

Programme Director

• Professor Gerry Parke

MSc Structural Engineering - fees and funding

Fees

Structural Engineering (full time):

UK/EU - £5,740 
Overseas - £14,830

Structural Engineering  (part time - per module and for the dissertation):

UK/EU - £638 
Overseas - £1,648

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

Funding

Overseas students should contact the British Council in their home country for available funding.

MSc Structural Engineering - professional context

Professional recognition

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineering (CEng) candidate who has already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) or Accredited IEng (Full) BEng /BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.

MSc Structural Engineering - teaching

Teaching hours

Each module corresponds to 150 hours of work, which includes 30 hours of lectures in the case of contact students.

Staff perspective

Mr Tony Thorne

As with the Structural Engineering and Bridge Engineering MScs, the Civil Engineering MSc is available by distance learning and benefits from the module notes and e-learning support in place to aid the module learning.  

As a distance-learning student, you will have the benefit of contact through e-learning with other distance-learning students and the campus-based students. As a campus-based student, you will have e-learning contact with the distance-learning students many of who will be working full time in the industry.

A project is a compulsory element of the MSc programme and to meet this requirement the Department has excellent laboratories and computing facilities, enabling a wide range of projects to be undertaken based upon current research or new, relevant industrial practice

MSc Structural Engineering - learning

Academic Support, Facilities and Equipment 

Modules related to the different groups are taught by a total of 17 full- or part-time members of staff as well as over 20 visiting lecturers. 

An extensive library, which stocks more than 85,000 printed and e-books and more than 1400 (1100 online) journal titles, all in the broad area of engineering, caters for the students’ studying needs. The library support can be extended further through inter-library loans. 

Our excellent testing facilities can support experimentally based MSc dissertation projects. 

As part of your learning experience, you will have at your disposal a wide range of relevant software, including ANSYS, ABAQUS, DIANA, SAP 2000, Integer SuperSTRESS, LUSAS, CRISP, PertMaster and DRACULA.

Assessment 

Modules are generally assessed by a combination of examinations and continuous assessment. The latter will be based on solutions to tutorial questions, reports covering practical sessions and fieldwork, and essays on a number of suitable topics.

Each module is examined separately. There is a written final examination for most modules  (some modules are examined by continuous assessment only) at the end of each semester. The modules and the dissertation have a minimum pass mark of 50 per cent.

MSc Structural Engineering - graduate profile

MSc Structural Engineering - more

MSc Structural Engineering - apply

• MSc Structural Engineering - Full-time - starting Feb 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Full-time - starting Sep 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Full-time - starting Feb 2013
• MSc Structural Engineering - Part-time - starting Feb 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Part-time - starting Sep 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Part-time - starting Feb 2013
• MSc Structural Engineering - Distance Learning - starting Feb 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Distance Learning - starting Sept 2012
• MSc Structural Engineering - Distance Learning - starting Feb 2013