BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering

• 104 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Your Level 3 subjects must include mathematics and a science subject; for instance, A-level Mathematics and Physics or BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering or Construction (you should choose units in additional mathematics and analytical subjects such as structural mechanics or environmental science).
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English, Mathematics and preferably Science.
• If you have non-traditional entry qualifications and relevant experience, or a suitable portfolio of work that we consider a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course, then we'll be happy to consider your application. If you have an HND/C in an appropriate engineering discipline, then we'll consider you for entry to level HE5 of this programme, depending on the subject area of qualification and the level of maths and science that you have achieved. You may be asked to undertake additional assessment(s) to determine your suitability for the course.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The course is designed to help you achieve the technical knowledge to support a career as a civil, structural, geotechnical, hydraulic, or highway and transportation engineer – pretty much anywhere in the world. You have the chance to develop your understanding of designing, creating and building structures efficiently and for making the best use of available resources and techniques.

In addition to subject-specific knowledge and skills, you’ll have the opportunity to develop employability skills that include problem-solving, analytical and research skills, critical thinking, creativity, communication, teamwork, commercial awareness, and health and safety.

What can I do with this qualification?

Completing our BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering degree will prepare you for a career in the construction industry as well as in the wider business, management and financial sectors. Recent graduates have been employed by civil and structural engineering practices, local authorities, government agencies and civil engineering contractors.

Civil and structural engineers work on buildings of all kinds and transport and communication infrastructures. This can include bridges, roads, tunnels, canals and other large constructions. They also work for employers involved in the production, storage and distribution of electricity, gas and water. Opportunities are available with employers both in the UK and overseas.

Most new graduates who enter professional training with a civil engineering company continue to study part-time whilst working to achieve professional standards to become either a Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) Engineer. It’s also possible to study a postgraduate master’s degree in civil engineering, which further develops general skills and knowledge or specialist knowledge in a particular area, such as water management, earthquake engineering, maritime civil engineering and environmental engineering.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Potential roles include:

• Building services engineering
• Geology
• Environmental consultancy
• Quantity surveying
• Logistics
• Operation management
• Patent law and intellectual property
• Teaching
• Research and development
• Procurement, purchasing and buying
• Supply chain management
• Technical sales and consultancy

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2023-2024 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2023-2024 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

A significant proportion of your study experiences will mirror industry scenarios and conditions. For example, you’ll take on an interdisciplinary group project in your final year, designed to simulate a construction project from inception to completion. Throughout the project, you’ll effectively be a civil engineer, working within a team of other construction specialists.

Civil engineering is a diverse and multi-faceted industry, so we’ve made sure we use a wide range of teaching and learning methods to help you acquire the appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills for success. While you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn directly from tutors and technicians during timetabled classes, practical work and tutorials, you’ll also be expected to allocate significant time to independent and self-directed studies. For example, we recommend you plan and commit to background reading, revisiting practical work, attending lectures and technical reviews provided by professional bodies, preparing for seminars, working on assignments and revising for exams. That said, we’re here to guide and support you, so we’ll gladly help you devise an independent study regime to aid your success.

The course offers site visits, which provide an excellent opportunity to view state-of-the-art projects and see how your newly discovered insights and knowledge can be applied in practice. You'll also benefit from individual and small-group tutorials and group study sessions, where you can share and develop ideas and consolidate your learning.

We assess your individual performance through a strategic blend of practical work, exams, essays, presentations, laboratory write-ups and other assignments. Course assessments are formative and summative. Formative assessments comprise tailored feedback to support your individual learning and development needs. They do not contribute directly to your marks for each module in the way that summative assessments do. However, they do help you build on your strengths, overcome any weaknesses, and contribute to your overall success.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Digital Technologies and Professional Skills
• Sustainable Construction and Materials 1
• Soil Mechanics and Hydraulics
• Geospatial Surveying
• Mathematical Methods for Civil Engineering
• Structural Analysis and Conceptual Design
• Construction Management and Digital Skills
• Transport Engineering and Materials II
• Structural Analysis and Detailed Design
• Hydrology and Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnics and Geo-Mapping
• Research Methods and Professional Practice
• Advanced Structural Analysis and Design
• Dissertation
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Group Project
• Applied Water Engineering
• Advanced Materials Technology and Practice
• Project and Environmental Managememnt
• Advanced Construction Management and BIM
• Advanced Conceptual Design and Structural Planning

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.