Civil and Environmental Engineering (International) with a Year in Industry (MEng)
- UCAS code: T1N9
- Next intake: September 2021
- Duration: 5 years
- Mode: Full time with sandwich year
Why study this course
Our Civil and Environmental Engineering programme offers you a highly regarded degree course at one of the top universities in this field, preparing you for exciting future career opportunities in designing and working with the built and natural environments.
You will develop a thorough understanding of civil and environmental engineering theory, which will be backed up by practical application through laboratory and research work, field trips and design classes.
Choosing this four-year Cardiff MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering degree offers you a quicker, more direct route to Chartered Engineer status than the three-year BEng.
This course includes the opportunity to take a year of industrial placement between your second and third years of academic study. With this option we will support you in finding a placement that will allow you to experience at first- hand, a professional working environment. If you are successful in securing a placement you will be paid a salary and will enhance your employability skills through direct experience of working in business, industry or the public sector.
An added advantage of this International course is that one semester of year four is spent studying engineering through the medium of English in a partner university overseas. There are currently more than 65 destination universities on four continents.
Other Cardiff University Civil and Environmental Engineering courses include:
- A thorough grounding in the fundamentals of civil and environmental engineering if you choose a BEng course.
- The opportunity to study a language if you choose the relevant MEng degree option with a sandwich year at a university in France, Germany or Spain.
Distinctive features
The distinctive features of the course include:
- Fast-track route to Chartered Engineer status.
- The opportunity to study at the highest-rated civil engineering school in the UK for our research, and the impact of our research (according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework).
- The facilities that come with such a successful research unit.
- The opportunity to learn from leaders in their fields, through direct access to academic staff, many of whom are Chartered Engineers or have worked in industry.
- An open and engaging culture between students and staff.
- The opportunity to follow a sandwich year in industry.
- One semester is spent studying abroad.
Accreditations
Where you'll study
School of Engineering
Study in one of the UK's leading engineering Schools for the quality of research and teaching.
Entry requirements
AAA - AAB including Mathematics. If you are studying a science A level, a pass in the practical element (where applicable) will be required. Please note, General Studies will not be accepted.
Extended Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.
The Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A-Level (at the grades listed above), excluding any specified subjects.
DD in BTEC plus grade B in Maths A-Level.
36 - 34 points including 5 or above in Higher Level Mathematics, or 665 in 3 Higher Level subjects to include Mathematics.
Other UK qualifications may also be accepted, often in lieu of A-levels, but subject requirements must be met. If you are offering non-UK qualifications, our qualification equivalences guide should allow you to calculate what kind of offer you are likely to receive.
Please be aware that this is a general guide, and that some programmes may have more detailed or specific entry requirements which will be reflected in your offer.
Find out about our Schools' admissions criteria, offer guarantee scheme, changes to programmes and translating your documents.
GCSE
Grade C or grade 4 in GCSE English Language.
IELTS (academic)
At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subskill.
TOEFL iBT
At least 90 overall with minimum scores of 17 for writing, 17 for listening, 18 for reading and 20 for speaking.
PTE Academic
At least 62 overall with a minimum of 51 in all communicative skills.
Trinity ISE II/III
II: at least two Distinctions and two Merits.
III: at least a Pass in all components.
Other accepted qualifications
Please visit our English Language requirements page for more information on our other accepted language qualifications.
GCSE Maths grade C or 4. GCSE English Language Grade C or 4 or an accepted English Language equivalent
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course. If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement, including the ability to travel to outside of the UK or to undertake a placement/studies outside of Cardiff University
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Tuition fees
UK and EU students (2021/22)
We are currently awaiting confirmation on tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year. Fees for the previous year were £9,000.
Students from outside the EU (2021/22)
We are currently awaiting confirmation on tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year.
Costs for sandwich years
During a sandwich year (e.g. year in industry, placement year or year abroad) a lower fee will apply. Full details can be found on our fees pages.
Additional costs
Course specific equipment
No specific equipment is needed. The University will provide resources such as computers and associated software, laboratory equipment (including any safety equipment) and any required learning resources.
Accommodation
We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.
Course structure
This is a five-year full-time degree with the third year spent working in industry and one semester of year four spent studying abroad. The course includes a carefully chosen balance of core modules and optional modules. Most modules are worth 10 credits, some are worth 20 and a few, including the year four and year five projects, are each worth 30. You need to earn 120 credits a year.
There are two semesters each year, each semester consisting of 11 teaching weeks, one revision week and an examination period.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2021/22 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2021.
Year one
Year one consists of a series of lectures underpinned by practical laboratory sessions.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Analysis | EN1091 | 20 credits |
| Computing 1 | EN1092 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Fluid and Geomechanics | EN1911 | 20 credits |
| Materials and Construction | EN1912 | 20 credits |
| Design Studies | EN1915 | 20 credits |
| Structures | EN1916 | 20 credits |
| Professional Engineering | EN1917 | 10 credits |
Year two
Year two again consists of a series of lectures underpinned by practical laboratory sessions.
There is an off-site residential field-course for five days in the spring semester, as part of the Field Studies of the Natural and Built Environment module.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Analysis | EN2026 | 20 credits |
| Computing 2 | EN2208 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Engineering | EN2313 | 10 credits |
| Hydraulics and Soil Mechanics | EN2314 | 20 credits |
| Professional Studies and Construction | EN2315 | 20 credits |
| Structural Analysis and Design | EN2400 | 40 credits |
Year three: Sandwich year
Year three is spent working in industry. You are normally expected to be in employment for a minimum of 30 weeks to satisfy the minimum University requirement, although the Cardiff School of Engineering expects the placement to last for the whole academic year.
During your placement you will be visited by your industrial training tutor or nominee at least once, but preferably twice, if you are based in the UK.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Training | EN3095 | 120 credits |
Year four
The autumn semester of year four is spent studying at a partner institution overseas for the equivalent of 50 credits. There are currently more than 65 destination universities on four continents.
The year also includes a major project, with a value of a quarter of the overall year. For this you will work individually, alongside a supervising staff member. Some preparation takes place in the autumn semester but the module is completed in the spring semester.
Other core and optional modules build upon the foundations established in the earlier years.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| International Experience | EN3092 | 50 credits |
| International Engineering Studies | EN3094 | 10 credits |
| Project | EN3300 | 30 credits |
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete Materials and Structures | EN3311 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Geotechnics | EN3314 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Hydraulics | EN3317 | 10 credits |
| Waste Management and Recycling | EN3401 | 10 credits |
Year five
Year five includes a group project, which makes up a quarter of the overall assessment.
There are also several core and optional modules.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Soil and Groundwater Chemistry | EN4211 | 10 credits |
| Industrial Practice | EN4212 | 10 credits |
| Professional Engineering Studies | EN4321 | 10 credits |
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Numerical Methods in Engineering | EN4018 | 10 credits |
| Integrated Building Design | EN4102 | 30 credits |
| Renewable Energy Design | EN4103 | 30 credits |
| Design Feasibility | EN4306 | 10 credits |
| Coastal and Estuarine Engineering | EN4307 | 10 credits |
| Building and Infrastructure Information Modelling | EN4308 | 10 credits |
| Soil Mechanics | EN4325 | 10 credits |
| Big Data and AI in Civil Engineering | EN4380 | 10 credits |
| Flood Design | EN4571 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Fluid Mechanics | EN4575 | 10 credits |
| Sediment Transport Dynamics | EN4576 | 10 credits |
The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.
Learning and assessment
Teaching is through lectures, examples classes and extensive laboratory, IT and practical work. The taught modules in the first two years are largely compulsory, but options are usually available in years four and five. All students must complete a 30-credit individual project in year four, for which they are allocated a supervisor from among the teaching staff. There are opportunities for interactions with potential employers.
The international module will be delivered through the medium of English, using the delivery methods of the overseas institutions, including lectures, seminars, workshops, group work and laboratories.
How will I be supported?
You will be assigned a personal tutor who is a member of the academic staff associated with your degree course. Your tutor will be there to advise you on academic, non-academic and personal matters in a confidential and informal manner when you need some guidance. We aim to help you overcome any problem, however big or small, as smoothly and quickly as possible.
For the 30-credit project in year four, you will be allocated a supervisor in the broad area of research specialism and meet regularly.
During your placement year you will be visited by your industrial training tutor or nominee at least once, but preferably twice, if you are based in the UK.
The tutor will interview you, check your logbook/diary and discuss progress with you, the company training officer and/or the manager with direct responsibility for your training. A summary report will be filed.
You will have access through the Learning Central website to relevant multimedia material, presentations, lecture handouts, bibliographies, further links, electronic exercises and discussion circles. Opportunities for you to reflect on your abilities and performance are available through the Learning Central ‘Personal Development Planning’ module.
The University offers a range of services including the Careers Service, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, the Student Support Service, and excellent libraries and resource centres.
Feedback
We’ll provide you with frequent feedback on your work. This comes in a variety of formats including oral feedback in classes like design and project work and via return of marked coursework.
The opportunity to test your knowledge and understanding will be provided throughout the semester via class tests in Years 1 and 2, plus feedback on written assessments. Occasionally, peer assessment of an individual’s contribution to a group may be used, and you may also receive oral feedback on presentations and contributions to group activities.
What skills will I practise and develop?
This course is currently undergoing accreditation via the Engineering Council, as it is a new course. The core competencies required for UK-SPEC (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence) are integrated throughout the taught years of the course.
You will develop a number of practical skills during the laboratory-based sessions, while there is a consistent core of management skills and personal development.
You will also:
- Develop your understanding of the application of architecture, building conceptual design and building services within the context of engineering and construction
- Develop your understanding of environmental problems arising from activities and the consequences of construction – and how to mitigate or remedy them
- Enhance your communication skills, both orally and in writing through a series of reports and assignments
- Develop your knowledge, skills and confidence to solve multidisciplinary problems in a civil engineering context.
Careers
Career prospects
Graduates from this course are mainly employed in the civil engineering industry with major consultancy and contracting firms, such as Sir Robert McAlpine, Ramboll, Arup, Mott McDonald and others. Typical roles include graduate civil engineer, site engineer or design engineer, and they are based throughout the UK as well as further afield.
In 2015/16, 95% of the School’s graduates who were available for work reported they were in employment and/or further study within six months of graduation.
A number of graduates have opted for further study, either at MSc or PhD level, at Cardiff as well as institutions across the UK and beyond.
Others have chosen to work for national and multinational companies. Recent examples include companies in the financial, media and petrochemical sectors with destinations including Deloitte, PwC, Virgin and Shell.
Graduate careers
- Graduate Civil Engineer
- Site Engineer
- Design Engineer
