Intro

Our accredited MSc gives you an advanced understanding of the concepts and philosophy of civil engineering and its practical application, preparing you for a career at the forefront of the profession.

You’ll develop the knowledge and skills to design engineering solutions that support sustainable development and protect against natural hazards to help ensure quality of life of future generations.

You’ll explore areas linked to the research we do. Our researchers have expertise in areas including structural engineering, earthquake and civil engineering dynamics, bridge engineering, rock mechanics, foundation engineering and coastal engineering. You will work closely with your supervisor to research and produce a dissertation that reflects your interests and career aspirations.

Working closely with your supervisor you will plan, research and produce your masters dissertation in an area that reflects your interests.

Our well-established links with industry provide networking opportunities and shared insight. You’ll also benefit from our specialist facilities and software.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2–3 years

Accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM)

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Course structure

The course can be studied full- or part-time.

The course consists of taught and research components. To be awarded the MSc you must obtain 180 credits. Six taught modules at 20 credits each, plus 60 credits from the dissertation. A typical 20-credit module requires a total of 200 hours of study time.

Different paths can be followed depending on your module selection and dissertation topic:

  • general civil engineering
  • civil engineering with structures
  • civil engineering with hydraulics and water resources
  • civil engineering with construction management.
Two students in white coats working together

Areas of study

Coastal Engineering and Wave Loading

This module provides a basic understanding of different wave theories and their applications in coastal engineering practice.

You will develop an understanding of the coastal sediment transport processes and the means to deal with issues associated with coastal protection and sea defence.

Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

This module provides an understanding of advanced geotechnical design methods with an emphasis on seismic design. It focuses on current design methods for soil and rock structures and foundation systems subject to complex loading conditions.

You will gain experience in using a variety of commercial software.

Rock Mechanics

The module gives you an understanding of the behaviour of rocks and rock mass and enables you to evaluate the instability of rock slopes and tunnels in order to design reinforcements for unstable rock.

Dynamics of Structures with Earthquake Engineering Applications

You will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of dynamics of structures. The module then focuses on analytical and numerical methods used to model the response of civil engineering structures subjected to dynamic actions, including harmonic loading, blast and impact loading, and earthquake ground motion.

Bridge Loads and Analysis

This module focuses on the loading requirements and analysis methods pertinent to the bridge structures. The first part of this module will cover various actions that may exist on a bridge structure, their models and quantification as per current design guides. The second part of the module covers both the global and detailed analysis methods and their use for the analysis of bridges.

Repair and Strengthening of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures

The module gives you an understanding of the types and causes of damage to reinforced concrete structures. It then focuses on current techniques for repair and strengthening of existing structures.

Syllabus 

The taught programme of the course has been designed to be flexible and allows you to specialise according to your interests. The only constraint for the selection of modules is that you take and pass at least four technical option modules as indicated.

Module

  • Civil Engineering Dissertation

Options*

Choose at least four from:

  • Coastal Engineering and Wave Loading
  • Bridge Loads and Analysis 
  • Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
  • Rock Mechanics
  • Dynamics of Structures with Earthquake Engineering Applications
  • Repair and Strengthening of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures

Plus two from the list above or from the following:

  • Water Treatment Technology
  • Wastewater Treatment Technology
  • Construction Management
  • Sustainable Construction

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Female student in lab looking at concrete samples

Careers

Accreditation 

Our accreditation is being reconfirmed with the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) as part of a regular review. JBM comprises the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, the Institute of Highway Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution. We have every expectation that our accreditation will be renewed later in the academic year.

JBM accrediting body logos

 Preparing for your career

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree.

  • Develop a critical awareness of, and ability to apply, current civil and environmental engineering practices globally.
  • Gain an understanding of the distinct branches of knowledge and skills within civil engineering and its associated subject areas.
  • Participate in group activities to develop teamwork, leadership skills, and integration of subject specialisms.
  • Build advanced research, analytical and communication skills through working on your dissertation.
Male student testing concrete block

Facilities

Our specialist facilities include:

  • structures lab, equipped with static and cyclic loading equipment and data acquisition systems
  • dynamics lab equipped with shake table capable of exciting scaled models
  • soil mechanics lab with direct and ring shear testing equipment soil rock triaxial testing equipment and a geotechnical centrifuge
  • concrete lab with cube testing facilities, mixing and casting facilities and load testing rigs
  • hydraulics lab with flumes for river and wave simulation
  • soil and water analysis lab with muffle furnace, analytical balances atomic absorption spectrometer and gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector
  • environment and public health lab with bench top spectrophotometers for basic water chemistry, membrane filtration equipment, incubators and sterilisation equipment for public health microbiology procedures
  • x-ray diffraction spectrometer
  • scanning electron microscopy facility
  • equipment for field-based geophysical surveying.

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Industry links

Senior representatives from around the region meet regularly at our Industrial Advisory Board to review our courses, ensuring they remain up-to-date and relevant to industry.

Guest lecturers from industry share their insight and knowledge with you giving you opportunities to network.

Graduate destinations 

The course will prepare you for work in areas including structural, geotechnical and coastal engineering.

Graduates have gone on into roles as structural engineers and civil engineers in a number of structural design offices around the world.

Others have been motivated by the research component of the course and followed a PhD programme after graduation.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
A lower second class degree in civil engineering. Candidates with an engineering or physical sciences degree, or with relevant professional experience will be considered on an individual basis.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,100 GBP

International (full-time)15,800 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

For architecture, interior architecture, design and product design, additional costs are as follow

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Two people walking past Mithras halls

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Students talking in a social area

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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