Civil Engineering Degrees 2013
On a civil engineering degree programme you will learn how civil engineers provide the physical infrastructure of our society. Whether it is the supply of life-giving clean water in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis or the design and construction of a multi-million-pound Olympic stadium, the expertise of professional civil engineers is key.
Degree programmes
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements
- MEng: A level grades AAB
- BEng: A level grades ABB
We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Conditional offers from Surrey will be made in grades or marks, and not listed in points from the UCAS tariff.
Required subjects
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
A-level Mathematics required. A-level Physics preferred.
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.
Other suitable qualifications
Higher grades refer to MEng programmes.
Cambridge Pre-U
M1, M1, M1; M1, M1, M2
European Baccalaureate
75 – 74%
International Baccalaureate
35 – 34 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma
DDD – DDM (in an appropriate subject, with a supporting A Level in Mathematics)
In addition, we accept a wide range of qualifications, including other Level 3 QCF Level 3 qualifications, Scottish qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Access Diplomas and foundation courses. Other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
It is important to check whether the qualifications you are taking are suitable for your chosen degree. If you are uncertain whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, please contact us.
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year.
Selection process
Offers are normally made in terms of grades. Suitable candidates will be invited to a UCAS day. During the visit to the University the candidate can find out more about the programme and meet staff and students. Candidates unable to visit the University will be considered based on their UCAS application.
Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Tuition fees are currently set at £9,000 per year for UK/EU undergraduates starting in 2012.
The tuition charge will be accompanied by a generous financial support package, underlining our continued commitment to widening access for those students who come from low income households.
Overseas students
The fee for students classed as overseas for fees purposes is £15,160.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Professional Training Year Fees
Programmes marked with an asterisk (*) in the table above include a professional training year.
Currently fees of £1,050 (based on an inflation assumption of 2.5%) are charged for the Professional Training Year. Fees will not have to be paid up front for those students who decide to take up the Government’s loan for higher education fees. The Professional Training year is a key factor in the high employability rates achieved by students with Surrey degrees.
Our degrees
On our programmes you will gain the knowledge and skills required for a rewarding career as a Chartered Civil Engineer. You will develop a sound understanding of the mathematical, analytical and practical engineering techniques needed to ensure that you can develop safe, sustainable and cost-effective design ideas. Alongside this you will be helped to acquire key personal and professional skills that underpin the management required to bring any project into reality.
Civil engineers are active, creative professionals who combine technical, practical and managerial skills. They are responsible for the planning, design and construction of roads, dams, waterways, tunnels, buildings, harbours, airports and bridges, to name just a few examples.
The University of Surrey has offered degree programmes in Civil Engineering since its inception, and we are recognised nationally as providing an excellent balance of academic studies, practical skills and professional experience. You can choose to study either an MEng or BEng degree, and a Professional Training year is an option for both programmes. In addition there are opportunities to learn a language while studying.
Both the BEng and MEng are accredited routes for chartered status. The MEng degree fully satisfies the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and therefore offers you a fast-track to senior levels of responsibility in industry and chartered status. The BEng partially satisfies the educational base for a Chartered Engineer. A programme of accredited Further Learning will be required to complete the education base for CEng.
We also offer you the opportunity to apply for the University of Surrey/Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) scholarship scheme. The 25-plus scholars each year are matched with a suitable company which becomes responsible for their practical training throughout the programme. The company funds the scholarship and in return the student spends a period training with them during each summer vacation and professional placement year. Graduates usually go on to work for their sponsoring company.
Programme content
Programme overview
During year 1, our aim is to provide you with experience across a broad base of engineering topics and to introduce the core personal and professional competencies of communication and teamwork. This year includes various intensive modules, such as the week-long geology field course and the two-week-long intensive modules in surveying and integrated design. These, along with a number of site visits, offer a refreshing, interactive and student-centred approach to learning.
In year 2, you will cover the major civil engineering subjects in depth, alongside teamwork, leadership and further opportunities to consolidate your communication skills. Learning is undertaken in a variety of ways – small groups and as an individual – and covers the full range of civil engineering design and practical laboratory-based work.
During year 3, you will have the opportunity to specialise. In addition to core material (structural, geotechnical and hydraulic engineering and management studies), you will be able to choose from a list of optional modules and will undertake an in-depth individual project on a topic of interest to you. This usually involves several components and may include a literature study, experimental work, computer modelling and comparisons with previous research.
In year 4 (MEng only), group design and project work form a major part of your studies which involves collaboration with both industrial consultants and students from other engineering disciplines, providing you with the opportunity to appreciate other engineers’ perspectives.
Programme structure
Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)
Modules include:
• Materials and Statics
• Mathematics
• Fluid Mechanics
• Integrated Design 1
• Civil Engineering Practice and Surveying
• Engineering Geology
• Structures
Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)
Modules include:
• Structural Mechanics and Analysis
• Construction Materials
• Hydraulics and Environmental Quality
• Structural Design
• Mathematics and Numerical Methods
• Soil Mechanics
• Stress Analysis, Measurement and Health and Safety
• Integrated Design 2
Professional Trining year
• Optional Professional Training year
Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6)
Modules include:
• Structural Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering 1
• Environmental Engineering and Hydrology
• Individual Project
• Construction Business and Project Management
• Integrated Design 3
• Optional modules covering water and environment, and transportation
Year 4 (FHEQ Level 7)
Modules include:
• Multidisciplinary Design Project
• Construction Management and Law
• Wind Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering 2
• Choice of optional MSc modules covering advanced topics in structural, bridge, traffic and transportation, and water engineering
Professional training
You are encouraged to undertake a Professional Training year, thereby gaining practical experience of how industry works that you cannot learn in a lecture or laboratory.
You can try out a specialised engineering sector, earn a salary (typically £16,000–20,000 per year), enhance your CV and build up a network of contacts, all of which put you in an excellent position when starting your future career.
The enhanced interpersonal and management skills you will learn during the year are highly valued by employers and will provide you with an even greater head start in the jobs market. Placements also normally contribute towards the requirements for becoming a Chartered Civil Engineer.
In addition to applying and enhancing skills as you study, students also find the year deepens their understanding of studies in the later stages of their degree programme.
Arrangements for your placement are made through the University. During the placement you are employed by a company but are still a member of the University and you will receive up to three visits from your personal tutor, who will monitor your progress and liaise with your company. Occasionally students secure overseas placements.
Some companies that participate in the scheme include Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Costain, Bachy Soletanche, Ringway, WSP, Tony Gee & Partners, Hyder Consulting, Nuttals, Mott MacDonald, Hochtief, Halcrow, Skanska, Jacobs, Kier Group, Keller, Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), Arups, Sisk, Scott Wilson and Peter Brett Associates.
Career opportunities
Graduate prospects
Graduates over the last few years entered employment in roles such as:
- Costain – Site Engineer (x3)
- Balfour Beatty – Highways and Transport Engineer
- Capita Symonds – Design Engineer
- Hyder Consulting UK – Design Engineer, Highway Design Engineer
- WSP Group – Engineering Consultants
- Tony Gee & Partners – Design Engineer
- Ringway – Highway Maintenance Specialist
- Kier Group – Site Engineer
- Kellogg, Brown and Root – Construction Engineer
- Skanska – Design Engineer (x3)
- Mott Macdonald – Engineer
- Halcrow – Research Engineer
Career opportunities
Our employment record is outstanding and graduates from our degrees are in demand by consultants and contractors alike. The work they have undertaken has varied from a small role in a prestigious project to major responsibility for a local scheme. We find that the work record established during professional placements gives our students a decided advantage when employers are making offers.
Recent graduates are working for a wide range of companies, including major consultancies and contractors such as Costain, Atkins, WSP, Skanska, Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald.
As our graduates are highly numerate, literate, computer-literate, organised, confident, businessminded and commercially aware, they are also very attractive recruits for companies operating in many other professions, including management, banking, accountancy, software development and so on. A degree in Civil Engineering from Surrey is an excellent foundation for your career in the construction industry, and in professions far removed from engineering.
Additional information
Teaching
All our degrees are organised on a modular basis, with teaching delivered via a mix of formal lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratory classes. For many subjects you will also be able to take advantage of our online electronic teaching resources which both supplement and extend the material being presented.
The material in all years seeks to provide a core of knowledge of the various subjects, but you are expected to extend this with personal research and learning guided by tutorials and other material. The balance between lectures and less formal tutorials and laboratory classes varies between years and semesters.
Facilities
Specialised facilities include:
- Structures (Instron) laboratory
- Purpose-built soil mechanics and geology laboratories
- Composites technology laboratory
- Centre for Environmental Health Engineering (CEHE)
- Six wind tunnels including an environmental wind tunnel
Assessment
Year 1 marks do not count towards the classification of any of our degrees but allow us to ensure that you are making good progress with your studies. All subsequent work (including that of any period of Professional Training) is considered for your final award, and assessment takes the form of coursework, projects, laboratory reports and presentations, along with traditional examinations. You should find this mix helps you to plan your time and achieve your best performance.
Generally about 60 per cent of the degree award is based on examinations and 40 per cent on continuous assessment.
Taster courses
We run taster courses for Year 12 students each July. Living on-campus, you learn about what engineering is, what it has to offer and what you need to know to be successful in the field. Please contact us for further details.
Scholarships in Civil Engineering
The scheme is run by Civil Engineering at Surrey in partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and a broad range of leading companies in the profession. Successful applicants are matched to companies early in their studies and monitored throughout their academic careers. Up to 15 months’ training with the company is possible through the programme, benefiting academic studies and providing earnings of up to £27,000. There is no contracted obligation after graduation, but 95 per cent of students have graduated to their sponsors to benefit from fast-track training and experience leading to Chartered Engineer status.
Why Surrey?
Civil Engineering degrees 2013 at Surrey
- Ranked third nationally by The Guardian University Guide 2013. The Complete University Guide 2013 also ranks us in the top ten and The Times Good University Guide 2013 ranks us eleventh
- University of Surrey/ICE scholarship scheme offering an academic bursary
- Accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) and Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)
- Strong links and excellent employment opportunities with civil engineering companies
- Opportunities to apply knowledge to group and individual project work
- Field course and site visits built into the degrees
- Further opportunities for specialised study at MSc and PhD level
- A flexible degree structure with both MEng and BEng degrees, with a wide range of specialist options
I would highly recommend a placement as it provides a great opportunity to put the material learnt during your course into practice.
Mike Frazer
MEng Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering must be one of the most challenging and intensive courses at the University but the rewards of being a part of this brilliant Department are immeasurable. The Department is friendly and welcoming, and there is always an opportunity to ask for help from staff. The camaraderie of the students on the course is clear from the amount of time we spend working together on team projects or sharing knowledge when studying for exams.
I was fortunate to take up a University of Surrey ICE scholarship which provides not only a financial incentive, but also practical training and experience, which has proven to be invaluable to my development as a civil engineer.
University is not all about the course, and I have found many exciting ways to relax and socialise. In my first two years I have been a major part of the Music and Drama Society and I started MADTV, the University’s student television station. The campus and Guildford offers a range of nightlife and there are plenty of opportunities to socialiase with friends and meet new people.
I am currently in Level 3, having just finished my Professional Training year where I worked for a major civil engineering firm. I would highly recommend a placement as it provides a great opportunity to put the material learnt during your course into practice.
The content is really interesting and the lecturers are always on hand to help with the engineering applications.
Irosha Gunatunga
MEng Civil Engineering
I visited a number of universities but when I came to the University of Surrey, I immediately knew this was the place for me. I was met with a friendly, inviting campus and staff.
I am currently on the MEng programme and thoroughly enjoying the course. The work can be challenging at times but the content is really interesting and the lecturers are always on hand to help with the engineering applications. I would recommend this course to any prospective student.
The University of Surrey runs a very successful scholarship scheme in partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Students are matched to a company for the duration of their course, paid a bursary and are placed with their company for vacation training and Professional Training. I have now completed my first summer placement with BAM/Nuttall, working on the Olympic Park at Stratford. I feel I have already gained so much from both my course and my placement, and will use all the skills, experience and knowledge I’ve gained when I graduate.
Engineering students work very hard but still have time to socialise! There are plenty of events arranged by the Students’ Union and countless societies to join. I am currently the Chair of the Civil Engineering Society which offers students and academic staff an opportunity to get to know each other on a social as well as academic level. The committee organise socials, a mentoring scheme, a football team and the annual Civil Engineering Ball.
Professional recognition
These programmes have been accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT).
MEng Accredited CEng (Full)
This degree is accredited as fully satisfying the educational base for CEng.
See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.
BEng (Hons) Accredited CEng (Partial)
This degree is accredited as:
- Fully satisfying the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).
- Partially satisfying the educational base for CEng. A programme of accredited Further Learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng.
See www.jbm.org.uk for further information and details of Further Learning programmes for CEng.