Civil Engineering - integrated with Placement Year
Civil engineering is one of the world's oldest and most consequential professions, responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment on which modern societies depend. Civil engineers design, construct, and maintain features of the natural and built environment, skills that help solve the problems communities face today and prepare for those that will confront us in the future. From roads, bridges, and railways to water treatment plants, flood defences, and sustainable urban drainage systems, civil engineering shapes the physical landscape of everyday life and addresses some of the most pressing challenges ahead, including climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and the upgrading of ageing assets.
At Brunel University London, this five-year full-time programme is integrated with a placement year, providing you with direct professional experience in a civil engineering organisation before you complete your final year of study. This structured placement is a significant asset, giving you real project exposure, professional networks, and demonstrable practical experience that makes you much more competitive in the graduate market. You will develop strong foundations in structural mechanics, soil mechanics and geotechnics, fluid mechanics and hydraulics, materials and construction technology, transportation engineering, surveying, and engineering design and management, alongside computational and analytical skills.
With a typical entry tariff of 104 UCAS points, this programme is accessible to students with strong mathematics and science ability and a motivation to build things that matter. Civil engineering graduates work as structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, transportation engineers, hydraulics specialists, project managers, and site engineers across construction and infrastructure projects in the public and private sectors. Professional development toward Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status through the Institution of Civil Engineers is the standard career pathway, and the integrated placement year gives Brunel graduates a head start on meeting the professional experience requirements.
Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in structural engineering, geotechnics, or environmental engineering.