MSc Geotechnical Engineering
Please note: This page is for 2027 entry. Click here for 2026 entry.
| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time 2 years part time |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Penryn Campus |
| Typical offer | 2:2 honours degree |
|---|---|
Why study MSc Geotechnical Engineering at Exeter?
- Gain knowledge in rock engineering, site investigation, data capture and data analysis required to understand the issues facing engineers excavating increasingly ambitious and complex underground spaces.
- Delivered by staff with strong research interests directly related to the topics covered, modules involve a broad range of activities and teaching delivery methods.
- Camborne School of Mines (CSM) has a world-class reputation and excellent alumni network, allowing our graduates to prosper in their respective fields in all corners of the globe.
- Take advantage of workshops using the latest industry relevant computational tools, practical activities and group and individual exercises.
- Blend of rock engineering and geotechnical data analysis modules this programme is highly vocational and specifically aimed at career opportunities for postgraduates.
Top 30 in the world for Mineral and Mining Engineering
QS University World Subject Rankings 2026
Top 10 in the UK for Geology
6th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 and 8th in the Complete University Guide 2027
Leading research facilities include a £3.5 million investment Critical Minerals Equipment Hub for minerals processing and analysis
Multidisciplinary expertise in mining and minerals engineering, geology and surveying
This degree has been accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree. See www.iom3.org for further information.
Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). Accreditation is awarded for a maximum of 5 years under each assessment exercise. The dates applicable to the current accreditation of this degree programme can be viewed on the Engineering Council list of accredited degrees. See www.engc.org.uk for further information.
Entry requirements
A 2:2, or higher, honours degree from a recognised university in a science, earth or environmental science, engineering or maths based subject.
Students applying with Turkish Government sponsorship/funding need to include their project topic as part of the application.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
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 IELTS test scores for this course fall under Profile B1.
Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, workshops, tutorials, practical activities, case studies, industry visits, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation. Field visits and practical field-based assignments are used, where appropriate, to emphasise key areas within each module.
The taught part of the programme is structured into two semesters and a three-month project/dissertation takes place over the summer vacation.
The programme is modular and flexible, carrying 180 credits in total and offering flexibility in choice of modules studied.
MSc Geotechnical Engineering consists of three core modules totalling 90 credits, which includes the 60-credit research project.
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
180 credits of compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory 1 | ||
| Project and Dissertation | 60 | |
| Excavation and Geomechanics | 15 | |
| Health and Safety in the Extractive Industry | 15 | |
| Economics, Processing and Environment | 15 | |
| Hydrogeology | 15 | |
| Surface Excavation Design | 15 | |
| Mine Planning and Design | 15 | |
| Underground Excavation Design | 15 | |
| Soil Mechanics with Mine Tailings Engineering | 15 | |
| CSM Professionalism Year 4 and MSc | 0 | |
CSMM118: Project and Dissertation
This module gives you the chance to showcase the skills you have developed in previous modules by carrying out an independent research project.
You will collect, analyse (using previously acquired data and/or data collected as part of the project), interpret and discuss geological, exploration, mining or related environmental data, and come up with conclusions and recommendations.
The project must be of research value within an industrial or academic setting. The dissertation must also show an in-depth understanding of the background to the research topic.
The project will require you to put in at least 10 weeks of individual work, followed by a writing up period to compile a dissertation.
We will provide you with a handbook on planning and executing the research project and writing the dissertation. You must prepare a dissertation for submission by the end of August. You should aim to report in no more than 80 pages (for core text/diagrams from Introduction to Conclusions, i.e. excluding contents page, references etc.) and 20 pages additional appendices.
CSMM130: Excavation and Geomechanics
In order to create an excavation, both surface and underground, it is important to understand the engineering characteristics of the material being excavated. The module provides an insight into excavation processes and how rock mass quality influences excavation methods, equipment selection, product technology and post-excavation stability. The module provides fundamental understanding of rock mechanics and soil mechanics principles related to excavation. The module provides a review of appropriate excavation techniques including selection of appropriate mining methods. The module also provides fundamental geotechnical knowledge that is a pre-requisite for subsequent design-related modules. The module is not recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.
The module provides an understanding of the mechanics of rock behaviour and its influence on excavation behavior, design and, importantly, stability. The module provides pre-requisite material for all subsequent geotechnical-related modules. It provides basic knowledge for assessment of material properties, evaluation of rock failure criteria and an awareness of their impact on design or use of materials. Where appropriate, case history information is used to emphasize important aspects associated with data variability and its influence on design.
CSMM131: Health and Safety in the Extractive Industry
This module covers the key aspects of health and safety that future managers and engineers will need to know and will find useful in their future lives and careers. The course and material is biased towards the minerals industry and is pragmatic as well as academic in nature.
The aim of this course is to provide you with the essential knowledge and skills necessary to undertake health and safety related activities within an industrial (mining) environment These skills include writing policies, assessing risks and investigating accidents in their chosen occupations. The course will also acquaint you with the key items of health and safety legislation found in industry today.
CSMM135: Economics, Processing and Environment
The module provides the opportunity for graduates from a range of disciplines to study important aspects of the mining cycle. These include mineral economics, processing of mineral ores to produce concentrates or metal and environmental impacts and remediation techniques. When linked to other specific modules, it forms part of the specialist training for the MSc in Mining Engineering, Exploration and Mining Geology, Minerals Processing, Geotechnical Engineering and Mine Environmental Management.
This module aims to provide you with a broad understanding of both the macro-economic and the industry specific economic environment in which mines and projects operate and are evaluated. It introduces you to financial analysis and explores how technical and operational parameters influence the revenue stream and cost structure at mines.
This module has been designed to develop a systematic understanding of the unit processes used in minerals engineering and an appreciation of how these unit processes are combined to produce an overall treatment system for a range of minerals and metals.
This module familiarises the student with the legal and regulatory framework within which companies explore, exploit and manage mineral resources. It highlights the key environmental and societal impacts and issues arising from mineral exploration and exploitation and introduces concepts of Social Licence To Operate and Corporate Social Responsibility.
CSMM137: Hydrogeology
In this module you will learn about the fundamentals of the hydrologic cycle, surface water and groundwater. The module will introduce a wide knowledge base delivered through a traditional mix of lectures and practical classes, along with field, laboratory, and software demonstrations. Application of knowledge to engineering problems will be embedded through weekly problem sheets.
The module introduces key aspects of local and regional hydrogeology. We start by looking at how water fits into the global cycle, followed by process controlling the behaviour of surface water, and how rivers and groundwater interact. The course introduces fundamental hydraulic controls on flow of water through geological media. We look at aspects of porosity, permeability and hydraulic conductivity as properties of geological media and how they vary with length scale. We look at how we can describe and quantify material properties through laboratory tests. This is then re-examined in the context of radial flow to wells, with an emphasis on comparing and evaluating different methods of analysis. How we understand and estimate transmissivity and storage from these tests is explored.
CSMM140: Surface Excavation Design
Effective design is critical for the stability and creation of a safe working environment for surface excavations. In this module, we will commence with a critical review of input data required for design of surface excavations (building on previous knowledge obtained in ‘Excavation and Geomechanics’ or equivalent). The module will provide you with knowledge relating to both geotechnical design-related aspects and blast-design of surface excavations. Initial identification of potential slope failure modes is followed by instability analyses and identification of appropriate stabilization methods/techniques. The module is not recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.
In this module, you will gain specialist analysis and design skills associated with civil, geotechnical, environmental and related industries. The module provides you with problem-solving skills and provides simulated industrial experience. Where appropriate, case history information is used to emphasize important aspects associated with data variability and its influence on design.
CSMM153: Mine Planning and Design
DESCRIPTION - summary of the module content
Effective planning and design of surface or underground mine is crucial to their economic success, and commercially available design software has become a key part in this process.
This module commences with a review of mine planning requirements, input data required for design of surface or underground mining operations including geotechnical and economic parameters. The module will provide you an overview of present mining planning practice and mine method selection. The module will provide you an understanding of mine cut-off grade determination and present industrial mine design techniques and the latest developments in project optimisation. The module will give you knowledge relating to use of mine design software for both surface and underground excavations. We will determine suitable cut-off grades, the economic ultimate open pits limits using optimization algorithms such as industrial standard Lerchs-Grossman, and the layout of underground mine design. The module will then look at the mine scheduling process, the requirements for mine studies and reporting codes.
AIMS - intentions of the module
CSMM187: Underground Excavation Design
Effective design is critical for the stability and creation of a safe working environment for underground excavations. The module commences with a critical review of input data required for design of underground excavations (building on previous knowledge obtained in ‘Excavation and Geomechanics’ or equivalent). The model investigates factors influencing the design of underground excavations, including both discontinuity and stress-controlled instability. The module is not recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.
The module provides specialist analysis and design skills associated with underground mining and related industries. The module provides problem-solving, data-handling and evaluation skills. The module also provides an opportunity for students to develop an awareness of risk assessment applied to underground excavation design.
CSMM444: Soil Mechanics with Mine Tailings Engineering
The course is designed for graduate student sin various branches of engineering that are concerned with the engineering and hydrologic behaviour of earth systems, including geohazards, geotechnical engineering, geological engineering, environmental engineering and mining engineering. The module focuses on tailings dams and embankment dams and includes laboratory analysis to determine the key failure mechanisms of fine-grained material such as mine tailings.
This module will introduce you to the analyses often used in the design of embankment gravity, embedded and reinforced soil retaining walls, simple shallow and pile foundations, the assessment of slope stability and slope stabilisation schemes. It will build on the basic concepts of soil mechanics, and provide a basis for geotechnical design of embankment walls used widely in the mining industry.
CSMM904: CSM Professionalism Year 4 and MSc
The aim of this module is to support students as they adapt to MSc study and prepare for industry and industry aligned research careers. This includes building an understanding of professional accreditation and bodies, and further support with successfully applying for graduate jobs. Additionally, it will foster a sense of academic belonging and community within the broader department.
Fees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£14,300 full-time
£7,150 part-time (where available)
International fees per year:
£28,900 full-time
£14,450 part-time (where available)
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer the University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship, a scholarship for University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship worth 20% of the cost of your first year tuition fees.
Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply.
Funding and scholarships
LME Scholarship
Two scholarships worth £26,500 each are available to students who have had an application accepted to one of the Camborne School of Mines MSc programmes for September 2026 entry. This scholarship programme is funded by a generous donation from London Metal Exchange (LME). As part of the scholarships the successful candidates will have the opportunity to undertake mentoring with LME staff and to work with LME on their dissertation project. Find out more.
Teaching and research
The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, workshops, tutorials, practical activities, case studies, industry visits, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation. The taught part of the programme is structured into two semesters. Field visits and practical field-based assignments are used, where appropriate, to emphasise key areas within each module.
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 and you will 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.
Students are encouraged to undertake projects directly linked with industry, which may result in industrial placements for their project period.
Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability
You will become part of Exeter's Graduate School of Environment & Sustainability - a vibrant and supportive postgraduate community based here on our Penryn campus in Cornwall. The Graduate School brings together experts from across the spectrum of earth and life sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences and business. You will interact with students from other MScs and have the opportunity to explore issues from a range of perspectives, benefiting from a truly interdisciplinary experience. All our programmes are designed with a focus on developing solutions to global challenges and creating a better future for our planet and its people.
Careers
Reputational and networking benefits
A unique benefit studying at Camborne School of Mines is the community and relations you will gain both during, and after your studies. Camborne School of Mines has a world-class reputation and excellent alumni network, allowing our graduates to prosper in their respective fields in all corners of the globe:
“I have worked in many places around the world and have yet to visit a country where I could not find at least one CSM graduate. In fact, there are normally several and they can often be found in influential positions.”
Tim Henderson, CSM graduate and current Technical Director at Glencore
Graduate skills and destinations
In addition, a degree form Camborne School of Mines will teach the necessary technical skills and theoretical knowledge required, as well as additional complementary skills relating to communications, teamwork and problem solving. We have excellent rates of graduate employment, with many postgraduates working overseas.
Graduates of this programme have gone on to enjoy careers as geotechnical engineer, rock mechanics engineer, geologist, design engineer and tunnelling engineer. Our graduates have gone to work for some exceptional companies such as Cross Rail and Bam Nutthallt. This information has been taken from the
Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey (2011-2016). Please note that, due to data protection, the job title and organisation do not necessarily correspond.
Support and opportunities
The Career Zone (CAS) at our Cornwall Campus provides high-quality careers information and guidance to students of all disciplines. Our experienced careers team can give you individual support whilst you are at the University and after you have graduated.
Services include talks, confidential careers interviews and an extensive careers library of reference books, magazines and journals. A new computer suite is also available for accessing online careers information, vacancy services and specialist software on, for example, sources of funding for courses and worldwide volunteering.
The CAS can help you to identify attractive jobs, careers paths and employers and assist with your CV, interview technique and identifying work experience placements
