MSc Civil Engineering
Cardiff, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 28,200 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas | for home: £11,700
Introduction
The MSc in Civil Engineering aims to build on the knowledge and skills that you have obtained as an undergraduate and to help prepare you for a career as a consulting civil engineer across the broad spectrum of the professional discipline. The overall aim of this well-established course is to provide a sound scientific, technical and commercial understanding of civil engineering issues and practice. You will be introduced to the broad nature of civil engineering through the integration of knowledge from structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and water engineering. The course will also provide training in engineering research methods and will develop a range of related transferable skills. You will also develop an appreciation of the principles and activities involved in the day-to-day management of engineering business units, typical of those within which civil engineering is practised.
Graduates of this course will be able to work as professional and highly proficient engineers with the skills and expertise necessary to work in a range of careers across the field of civil engineering.
Why Study this Course
This established course offers the knowledge and expertise necessary for a career across a broad spectrum of civil engineering.
Strong Research Focus
You will learn in a research-led teaching institution, with the opportunity to undertake your project in a successful, research-based environment with access to high-quality facilities to support your work.
Industry Links and Projects
This course includes industrial input through invited lecturers, and you will have the opportunity to complete a research-led project.
Engaging Culture
There is an open and engaging culture between our students and our research-active staff, who are actively involved in the design and delivery of this course.
Professionally Accredited Course
This course is accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a CEng-accredited undergraduate first degree to comply with full CEng registration requirements.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
We are committed to investing up to a total of £500,000 in this high-value competitive scholarship scheme to support UK students who are planning to start an eligible Master’s programme in 2024/25.
The Scholarships are each worth £3,000 and will be awarded in the form of a tuition fee discount.
Eligibility
UK students are eligible to apply for the Scholarship. You normally need to have achieved at least a 2.1 or equivalent in your first degree to be eligible. You need to submit an application to study at Cardiff University and be made an offer to study before your fee status can be confirmed.
Curriculum
The programme is presented as a one-year full-time Master's level programme and is also available in part-time mode over three years.
The programme is presented in two stages:
- The taught material is delivered during the Autumn and Spring semesters. An extended project within one of the Civil Engineering fields forms a major part of the course. In Stage 1 students follow taught modules to the value of 120 credits, with a limited amount of choice between optional modules
- Stage 2 consists of a project and dissertation module worth 60 credits
Summative assessment is undertaken at the end of each stage (or each year if part-time).
Core Modules for Year One
- Numerical Techniques in Civil Engineering
- Steel Structures
- Professional Engineering Studies
- Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- FE Theory and Practice
- Advanced Structural MechanicsEngineering Case Study
- Dissertation (Civil, Structural, Geoenvironmental, Water)
Optional Modules for Year One
- Dynamics
- Sediment Transport Dynamics
- Theoretical Soil Mechanics
- Structural Engineering
- Coastal and Estuarine Engineering
How Will I Be Assessed?
Achievement of learning outcomes in the majority of modules is assessed by a combination of coursework assignments, plus University examinations set in January or May. Examinations count for 60%–70% of assessments in Stage 1 of the programme, depending on the options chosen, the remainder being largely project work and pieces of coursework.
The award of an MSc requires successful completion of Stage 2, the dissertation, with a mark of 50% or higher. Candidates achieving a 70% average may be awarded a Distinction. Candidates achieving a 60% average may be awarded a Merit. Candidates failing to qualify for an MSc may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma for 120 credits in Stage 1. Candidates failing to complete the 120 credits required for Stage 1 may still be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate for the achievement of at least 60 credits.
Program Outcome
What Skills Will I Practise and Develop?
As a student in this MSc programme, you will practise and develop the following skills:
Knowledge and Understanding
- Understand the multi-disciplinary nature of civil engineering and the need for the integration of knowledge from structural, geotechnical and water engineering in the management of civil engineering challenges
- Describe the techniques used to characterise the hydrodynamics of free surface flows, including species and particle transport
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of several cement-based composites and the use of fracture mechanics in concrete design
- Describe the modelling of river systems and the interpretation, using IT of the results
- Understand the basis of the finite element finite difference methods and apply the methods to 2D civil engineering problems
- Demonstrate knowledge which is at the forefront of a range of disciplines selected from structural, geotechnical, environmental and water engineering and the management of engineering
Intellectual Skills
- Use knowledge and scientific, evidence-based methods in the assessment and solution of civil engineering challenges, often on the basis of limited and possibly contradictory information
- Deal with complex civil engineering issues both systematically and creatively
- Show originality in tackling both familiar and unfamiliar problems
- Critically review the background of an engineering problem and formulate a programme of work to address the issue
- Systematically undertake a significant research project which includes originality in the application of knowledge and the exercise of critical engineering judgement
- Collect, evaluate, synthesise and interpret qualitative and quantitative data in a variety of ways, and identify means to gain new data where needed
- Conceive, plan, execute, and communicate the results of an extended in-depth piece of individual project work
- Sustain a critical argument, both in writing and through presentations
Practical Skills
- Use appropriate mathematical and experimental methods for the modelling and analysis of civil engineering problems
Transferable Skills
- Manipulate, present and report data in a variety of ways
- Manage resources and time
- Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively through oral, written, and physical or practical means
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
This course's graduate employment record is excellent, with the majority of graduates joining engineering consultancies.
Program delivery
How will I be Taught?
A wide range of teaching styles will be used to deliver the diverse material forming the curriculum of the programme. You will attend lectures and participate in example classes. All students must complete 120 credits in Stage 1 in order to progress to the dissertation, for which they are allocated a supervisor from among the teaching staff. Dissertation topics are normally chosen from a range of project titles proposed by academic staff, usually in areas of current research interest, although students are encouraged to put forward their own project ideas.
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.