Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is the discipline concerned with the design, construction and maintenance of the physical infrastructure that supports modern society. Roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, water supply and treatment systems, buildings, railways and coastal defences are all products of civil engineering, and the profession plays a central role in responding to the challenges of population growth, urbanisation, climate change and the need to renew ageing infrastructure. It is a discipline that combines engineering science with practical problem-solving and, increasingly, with the management of complex projects involving many different stakeholders and contractors.

At Birmingham City University this programme, which includes a sandwich year and work placements, is designed to meet the requirements of relevant professional bodies, giving your civil engineering education a strong professional dimension from the outset. You will study structural mechanics, geotechnics, hydraulics, transportation engineering, environmental engineering and project management, developing both the technical understanding and the practical skills that the profession requires. Much of the learning is hands-on, with access to laboratory facilities and strong industry connections that provide context for the engineering science you study.

The sandwich year and work placements give you substantial professional experience within a civil engineering organisation before you graduate, which employers in the sector consistently identify as a decisive factor in recruitment.

Graduates work across the civil engineering sector with contractors, consultancies, utilities, local authorities, government agencies and infrastructure developers. Graduate engineer roles develop with experience into chartered engineer status, pursued typically through the Institution of Civil Engineers, which is the professional milestone that most civil engineers aspire to. Roles in structural design, project management, site engineering, water resources, transportation planning and environmental engineering are among the most common destinations.

Some graduates go on to postgraduate study in geotechnics, structural engineering, project management or environmental engineering.