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LOCATION
Docklands Campus
Location Fees and Funding
Here's the fees and funding information for each year of this course
Overview
We offer a three-year course, with the option of adding a year-long placement working in industry.
This degree is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Institute of Highway Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Permanent Way Institution on behalf of the Engineering Council as:
- fully satisfying the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).
- partially satisfying the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
A programme of accredited Further Learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng. See https://www.jbm.org.uk/ for further information and details of Further Learning programmes for CEng.
Our unique teaching approach aims to promote Learning by Doing through guiding you to use observational, prototyping and physical simulation methods in design, in addition to teaching you the theories, engineering principles and standards.
You will be encouraged to be creative, innovative and to use advanced digital tools to shape your imaginations and translate them to specifications for structures and systems that you design.
For example, in your final year modules, you will not only designing structures from foundation to roof, but you will also use a suite of software and 3D manufacturing suites including 3D printers, plasma and laser cutting machines, robotic arm and clay printer as tools to bring your design into scaled realty.
As well as completing numerous practical projects, you'll benefit from visits by top professionals who'll offer you advice - and, often, work opportunities.
Our Docklands campus is ideally situated for studying iconic projects in the capital such as the Tate Modern Phase 2 Extension, the Canary Wharf Crossrail Station and the reconfiguration of the Olympic Stadium.
This course will give you a solid grounding in the design, construction and management of civil engineering works.
The extended course is perfect if you want a degree in civil engineering but you don't have the standard entry requirements. First we prepare you for your degree during your Foundation year, bringing you up to speed with academic skills and a firm grounding in the subject. Then you can go on to do the full undergraduate degree, which is a three-year course.
What makes this course different
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This course will prepare you for a range of technical and professional work within the civil engineering sector. We've structured it after careful and regular consultation with industry experts.
At the core of your degree, throughout which you'll combine academic and practical learning, is the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of key infrastructure such as buildings, roads, bridges and canals.
We'll also give you a firm grounding in structural engineering - the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads.
Other areas you'll study include geotechnical engineering, the behaviour and stability of materials such as soil and rock, and the study of water engineering. This involves understanding how clean water reaches your house, how dirty water leaves your house, and how surface water in general moves in channels or rivers - essential knowledge when designing flood protection works.
"Civil engineering offers such a breadth of knowledge and skills," says Course Leader Dr Arya Assadi Langroudi. "Regardless of whether you specialise in structures, water engineering, geotechnics, highways, project management or construction, you'll need to be imaginative, inquisitive, confident, versatile and articulate."
"Here at UEL, we take pride in supporting and guiding our students to develop these skills alongside learning these technical subjects."
DOWNLOAD COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering - Course Specification
pdf, 217.37 KB
Course Specification - Engineering Foundation Year
pdf, 55.31 KB
MODULES
- Core Modules
Mental wealth; Professional Life CloseMental wealth; Professional Life
The module will introduce key knowledge and skills required for your success in higher education, communication and interpersonal life skills for academic and professional purposes. The module is designed to provide guidance in order to become independent learner, effectively reflect and take necessary actions for professional success. The module will also aid you to build your confidence as a learner, enabling you to identify where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and how you can build their skills for the future.
Introduction to Computing CloseIntroduction to Computing
The module equips you with an understanding of computing principles and an understanding of the fundamentals of hardware and software, which can provide an opportunity for you to gain appreciation of the practical skills involved in computer systems. It helps you develop a better understanding of computations to solve problems, analysing problems and procedures, and a better understanding of algorithms, languages and programming. It provides an opportunity to you to understand the connections between the different areas of computing.
Mathematical Applications CloseMathematical Applications
The main aims of this module are to prepare you for L4 study by developing the mathematical abilities required for understanding engineering and be able to apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
Analytical Mathematics CloseAnalytical Mathematics
The main aims of this module are to prepare you for L4 study by developing the mathematical abilities required for understanding engineering and be able to apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
Engineering Sciences CloseEngineering Sciences
The aim of this module is to provide you with an elementary knowledge and understanding of the physical concepts relating to materials, electricity and simple structures used in engineering.
Physical Sciences ClosePhysical Sciences
The aim of this module is to provide you with an elementary knowledge and understanding of the physical concepts relating to second moment of area, sound, light, thermodynamics and work and energy systems used in engineering.
- Core Modules
Mental wealth; Professional Life CloseMental wealth; Professional Life
The module will introduce key knowledge and skills required for your success in higher education, communication and interpersonal life skills for academic and professional purposes. The module is designed to provide guidance in order to become independent learner, effectively reflect and take necessary actions for professional success. The module will also aid you to build your confidence as a learner, enabling you to identify where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and how you can build their skills for the future.
Engineering Materials CloseEngineering Materials
The main aim of this module is to provide you with a basic understanding of the properties and behaviour of wide range of engineering materials and to enable you to appreciate essential facts and principles required to make good choices in selection of materials.
Applied Mathematics & Computing CloseApplied Mathematics & Computing
The main aims of this module are to prepare you for level 5 study by developing the mathematical abilities required for understanding engineering and be able to apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems; to develop both the knowledge and understanding of mathematical principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline.
Thermofluids CloseThermofluids
The main aim of this module is to introduce the basic theories of thermo fluid mechanics. You will learn about the fundamentals of fluid behaviour, the interaction of fluids with solid bodies and fluid flow in pipes.
Engineering Mechanics CloseEngineering Mechanics
This module aims to develop your understanding of the fundamental structural characteristics governing the properties of engineering materials; and to introduce you to the fundamental concepts and principles of engineering mechanics.
The module would provide you with an appreciation of the relationship between conceptual models and real engineering systems; and enable you to develop an analytical and practical approach to the solution of basic engineering problems based on the use of the fundamental principles of mechanics.
Land and Construction Surveying CloseLand and Construction Surveying
This module introduces you to geospatial surveying practices, principles and procedures for civil engineering and construction projects. The module develops skills in using modern surveying instrumentation to enable 3-dimensional position of features to be determined and for the quality of those positions to be known. The processes for determining vertical height (level) as well as horizontal position (by measuring angles and distances) will be studied. On completion of this module, students will be able to carry out survey data collection using a range of equipment and will appreciate the role of the surveyor and the role of survey data for construction purposes.
- Core Modules
Mental Wealth: Professional Life 2 CloseMental Wealth: Professional Life 2
Developing the key psychological and physical determinants of human performance are increasingly critical for successful graduate-level employment, entrepreneurship and career progression in the 4th industrial revolution.
This module will provide you with the opportunity to apply several of the skills, competencies and experience required for successful development to, and in, a range of potential future career areas.
Herein you will advance the areas identified at level 4 for your own personal professional development (including emotional, social, physical, cultural and cognitive intelligences) through taught and workshop activity.
This module will help you develop: an understanding of job market forces and influences; required skills to enable you to make successful applications for a job in the architecture sector; effective representation in interviews; opportunities to gain work experience in an architectural practice (as a placement) to learn more about how to apply your knowledge and learning in practice.
Through engagement with the Career Passport, you will reflect on the success of the strategies that they employed to further develop your reflective skills, self-awareness, 'life style' and 'self-care' approaches and where necessary improve their approaches.
You will use a design project chosen and set by the academic staff. This may be a competition or a live project. In so doing, you will apply the cognitive, cultural and social intelligences you have learnt elsewhere.
Advanced Mathematics and Modelling CloseAdvanced Mathematics and Modelling
The main aims of this module are to prepare students for level 6 study by developing the mathematical abilities required for understanding engineering and be able to apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems; to develop both the knowledge and understanding of mathematical principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline.
Structural Analysis and Element Design CloseStructural Analysis and Element Design
The main aim of this module is to enable students to develop an understanding of the behaviour of indeterminate structures and the design of reinforced concrete and steel structural elements to the appropriate British Standard or European Code of Practice
Ground Engineering CloseGround Engineering
Any construction project at any scale begins with groundworks. For the success of groundworks, Civil Engineers need to have a fair understanding of engineering geology (i.e. earth science for engineers), soil mechanics, rock mechanics, and materials used in transforming the natural ground to the engineered ground through reinforcement and/or stabilisation, so too the benefits and costs (technical and environmental) of groundwork solutions.
This module is designed for you to gain a thorough understanding of engineering geology (earth processes, geological structures, ground hazards and engineering implications), soil mechanics (physical, hydraulic and mechanical properties), and soil as a construction material in form of compacted ground or reinforced compacted ground (i.e. accompanied with physical/chemical additives).
This module builds on stability analysis topics of study that are embedded in the Level 4 Engineering Mechanics module. This module also builds on the Level 4 Engineering Materials; the emphasis here will be on materials in ground engineering discipline.
Engineering Surveying CloseEngineering Surveying
This module develops your understanding and theoretical knowledge of applied techniques within engineering surveying. You will develop your ability to devise solutions to measurement problems and to evaluate the results and the systems performance in an engineering context. Students on this module will hence investigate and apply measurement techniques and systems in order to solve engineering surveying problems.
This module includes a residential field scheme which takes place away from the university.
Water Engineering CloseWater Engineering
The main aim of this module is to gain knowledge and analysis of various water engineering areas such as open channel hydraulics and basic coastal engineering.
- Core Modules
Mental Wealth: Professional Life 3 CloseMental Wealth: Professional Life 3
The module will enable you to apply and develop a variety of skills based competencies explored at level 5, including: self-awareness and regulation; mindfulness; emotional resilience; motivation; ethical decision-making; active listening; self-discipline and management; attention; reaction and response time; cognitive and muscle memory; managing stress; physical resilience; subject knowledge; cognitive flexibility; managing an audience; co-ordinating with others, negotiation; creativity; leadership and entrepreneurship; service orientation; critical thinking; complex problem solving; research synthesis and analysis.
You will learn, develop and apply the following skills based competencies: a focus on service orientation, self-discipline & management, reaction & response time, cognitive & muscle memory, managing stress, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, research, and synthesis & analysis.
The culture and context of practice, role of the architect / architectural technologist / interior designer and relationships within the construction industry. Topics also cover specialist software for presentation of design proposals.
Capstone Project CloseCapstone Project
The main aim of this module is to equip you with the necessary skills to carry out and report research in order to consolidate the knowledge gained in other modules in a chosen field of study, combine it with the published knowledge of others, investigate it practically and report your findings.
Structural Engineering CloseStructural Engineering
Structural Engineering is at the heart of many construction, infrastructure and engineering projects in general. The module aims to enable you to expand the knowledge and understanding gained in analysis and design of structural elements in preceding years and to apply this knowledge to a conceptual structural design of a whole structure.
Geotechnical Engineering CloseGeotechnical Engineering
Any construction project at any scale begins with groundworks. For the success of groundworks, Civil Engineers need to have a fair understanding of engineering geology, soil mechanics, rock mechanics and the application of these in design of Geotechnical Structures.
This module is designed for you to develop the ability to use the properties of soils in the analysis of geotechnical problems that require assessment of the stability and deformation of the ground and to develop an appreciation of how this knowledge can be integrated into conceptual and detailed geotechnical design of structures and earthworks.
This module builds on the Level 5 Ground Engineering and Level 4 Engineering Mechanics modules.
Transport Infrastructure Engineering CloseTransport Infrastructure Engineering
To provide an optional module in the final year of the course which will provide broad grounding in transport infrastructure and systems engineering principles. The module will give you the knowledge and analytical skills that will enable them to become competent in the analysis, design and operation of transport infrastructure systems.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
We encourage an educational experience that is active, social, collaborative, engaging and student-owned. You will have access to a variety of resources ensuring your learning experience goes beyond the classroom. Lab, rehearsal and practical on campus sessions are scheduled in blocks with online options.
Our course offers you a mixture of academic and practical work (in the field, on-campus and off-campus), and also access to a broad range of laboratories. Collaborative and cross-disciplinary projects are a key part of the course - just as they are in the profession.
Each term, we are visited by members of our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). The board comprises of around 15 industry professionals who update us on the ever changing requirements for graduates and monitor the contents of the course.
Current members of the IAB include Atkins, Waterman Group, Hardman Structural Engineers, Morrish Consulting Engineers, Siemens, Careys and the London Borough of Newham.
Every year, our civil engineering and construction management students are given the option to attend the Constructionarium Course based in Norfolk. There you'll work as a team with a sponsoring contractor and design engineer, building scaled-down versions of famous bridges or buildings.
In your final year you'll complete an Integrated Design Project. One recent topic was how to build a theme park - deciding where to site it by comparing ground conditions and environmental impact in three possible locations, how and where to put in transport links, and whether a bridge would be needed to cope with the extra traffic.
You'll present your work to teams from Atkins and the IAB and answer their questions. It's challenging stuff, but it's also the chance for you to demonstrate your academic and professional excellence to future employers.
Guided independent study
We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.
Academic support
Students are supported with any academic or subject related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, former and current UEL students.
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses.
Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).
Workload
Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate percentages for this course are:
- Year 1: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.
- Year 2: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.
- Year 3: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.
The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work. You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year dependent on your course.
HOW YOU'LL BE ASSESSED
We'll assess you with a mixture of coursework and exams. Coursework includes individual laboratory and research reports, practical, design and project work, as well as group and tutorial presentations and a final-year project.
Fifty per cent of the assessment in your first and second year is by coursework and we'll give you as much feedback as possible so that you can develop and improve your written assessment submissions.
In your final year, over half of your assessment will be based on design and research projects.
Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.
CAMPUS and FACILITIES

Docklands Campus, Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD
WHO TEACHES THIS COURSE
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
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My time at UEL was pivotal in shaping my career. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UEL and I found the atmosphere on campus, the accessibility and interaction with the lecturers and the modern facilities immensely inspirational. I now work for Transport for London as a tunnel engineer. I play a vital part in not just keeping London moving, but keeping London moving safely."
Curtis George
Civil Engineering, BEng (Hons)
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
With a degree in civil engineering from the University of East London, you'll be well placed to land a great job. The high quality of our teaching on the course is widely recognised, and the constant input from industry professionals ensures your studies will be highly relevant to employers once you graduate.
You might decide to specialise as a hydraulic engineer, a structural engineer or a geotechnical engineer. Your decision may be prompted by how your career develops in your first job. You start on the process known as Initial Professional Development (IPD), which usually takes between three and five years.
Recent graduates have gone on to work for Balfour Beatty, Transport for London, the Canary Wharf Group, Careys and Atkins. Others have chosen to work in other professional areas, such as finance, education, marketing and housing.
With a BEng degree and a period of IPD, you'll be able to apply to become an Incorporated Engineer. If you want to pursue Chartered Engineer status, then you would need to continue your studies to master's level as well as completing your IPD.
If you decide to continue studying, you'll have the option of taking a one-year postgraduate MSc course. If your studies are going well after two years of the BEng degree, you can pursue the same goal by switching to a four-year MEng degree course with us. The advantage of this is that you would receive funding for the full four years instead of having to make a separate funding application for a master's course.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.