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Postgraduate Taught

MSc Civil Engineering

Please note: The below is for 2025 entries. Click here for 2024 entries.
UCAS code 1234
Duration 1 year full time
2 years part time
Entry year 2025
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Engineering
Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone:
+44(0)1392 724061

Programme Director: 
Dr Prakash Prikaparan

Overview

  • We will equip you with the core technical and professional skills required to contribute to the design and management of the civil infrastructure that increasingly underpins our everyday life.
  • Learn how to analyse, design, construct and maintain infrastructure, and put the theory you learn into practice to solve complex problems.
  • Receive an in-depth knowledge on how to model and analyse the complex behaviour and performance of structural and geotechnical systems.
  • Utilise our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to explore innovative, cutting-edge ideas for the key engineering challenges in creating and managing a sustainable and resilient infrastructure.
  • Graduates will be prepared for a successful career, equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead on providing infrastructure whilst maintaining the quality of our environment.

Apply online

View 2024 Entry

Fast Track (current Exeter students)

Open days and visiting us

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Contact

Programme Director: Dr Prakash Kripakaran

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Discover MSc Civil Engineering at the University of Exeter.

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Top 10 in the UK for Engineering

10th for General Engineering in The Complete University Guide 2025

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Specialist facilities include microscopy suite, aerodynamics and fluids laboratories, additive manufacturing workshop and vibration testing rigs

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£6.5million investment in our teaching labs, workshop spaces and equipment

Accreditations

Joint Board of Moderators logos

This degree is accredited as a technical programme, meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a partial CEng accredited undergraduate first degree. See the Joint Board of Moderators website for further information.

Entry requirements

All applicants are considered individually on merit although we usually require a 2:2 honours degree (or equivalent) in a science or engineering discipline.

Entry requirements for international students

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B3. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Course content

MSc Civil Engineering consists of nine core engineering modules totalling 180 credits, which includes the 60-credit MSc Dissertation. It is for students having an undergraduate degree in civil engineering or a related discipline and interested in acquiring technical skills in advanced structural and geotechnical analysis and design topics as well as valuable professional skills towards pursuing a successful and rewarding career in civil structural design and management.

The programme begins in September each year and the taught elements are concluded by May. The MSc Dissertation, under the personal supervision of a research expert in the chosen area, continues until September.

The course content is directly relevant to practice. The acquired skills in numerical modelling and in design (e.g., steel and concrete design to Eurocodes) are highly sought after in the industry and routinely employed for the design and management of civil infrastructure.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
ECMM103Computer Aided Engineering Design15
ENGM006Civil Engineering Materials15
ECMM109Advanced Geotechnical Engineering15
ECMM149Linear Systems and Structural Analysis15
ECMM150Structural Design15
ECMM163Sustainable Engineering15
ECMM164MSc Dissertation60
ECMM153Conceptual Design of Buildings15
ENGM012Performance Based Design Under Dynamic Loading15

Fees

2025/26 entry

UK fees per year: 

£14,300 full-time; £7,150 part-time 

International fees per year: 

£30,300 full-time; £15,150 part-time

Fee information

Fees can normally be paid by two termly instalments and may be paid online. You will also be required to pay a tuition fee deposit to secure your offer of a place, unless you qualify for exemption. For further information about paying fees see our Student Fees pages.

UK government postgraduate loan scheme

Postgraduate loans are now available for Masters degrees. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

Scholarships

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.

For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.

Teaching and research

Teaching and assessment

The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, industrial presentations, case studies, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation.

You will develop transferable skills such as management and communication skills, computational techniques, data handling and analysis, problem solving, decision making and research methodology. Many of these will be addressed within an industrial and commercial context.

Personal tutor

You will be allocated a Personal Tutor who is available for advice and support throughout your studies, along with support and mentoring from graduates who are now in industry. There is also a Postgraduate Tutor available to help with further guidance and advice.

A research- and practice-led culture

We believe every student benefits from being taught by experts active in research and practice. You will discuss the very latest ideas, research discoveries and new technologies in seminars and in the field. Plus, you’ll become actively involved in a research project yourself.

All our academic staff are active in internationally-recognised scientific research across a wide range of topics. You will also be taught by leading industry practitioners.

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Careers

Employer-valued skills

There is considerable demand in the workplace for graduates with knowledge in both a specialist technology area and in management, particularly in the modern tools and techniques to support the management of a dynamically changing engineering business. This programme will equip you with the correct vocational skills to achieve success in the working world or in further study. We have an established reputation of training tomorrow's great minds, so when it comes to life after graduation you can be confident that you are starting your next professional adventure in a prime, leading position.

Dedicated careers support

You will receive support from our dedicated Career Zone team, who provide excellent career guidance at all stages of career planning. The Career Zone provides one-on-one support and is home to a wealth of business and industry contacts. Additionally, they host useful training events, workshops and lectures which are designed to further support you in developing your enterprise acumen. Please visit the Career Zone for additional information on their services.

Graduate destinations

The professional destinations of our graduates reflect the quality of this programme. Our graduates have gone on to enjoy prosperous and successful careers in several areas after graduation, including engineering and academia, and work at companies such as Devon County Council, Balfour Beatty, Pell Frischman and AECOM. This information has been taken from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey (2011-2016).

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