MSc Programmes In Civil Engineering
Becoming a professionally qualified civil engineer in the UK involves three stages:- completing an education base, undertaking initial professional development in the workplace and a professional review. For those aiming for Chartered Engineer status, an MSc qualification can form part of the educational base (known as ‘Further Learning’) when it follows successful completion of an accredited first degree.
There is a wide range of MSc’s offer in the UK, both subject wise and in format. Typically, an MSc is studied for one year full time or two years part-time, but increasingly distance learning and work-based Masters programmes are coming on-stream. The type of MSc vary - simply put, it might in‑depth specialisation, broadening, or be research based.
There are many subjects on offer, often reflecting the research activities of the department: water engineering, concrete design and environment, construction management and construction law, geotechnical engineering and coastal engineering. Amongst the most popular with graduates are courses related to environmental issues such as environmental engineering and sustainability. ‘Pick and mix' modules reflect new areas of research including flood risk management.
Non-UK students coming to study for an MSc in the UK often come with solid industrial experience, which enriches the quality of the programmes. Overseas distance learning opportunities are being developed by British universities. Bath University, for example, is developing a distance-learning centre in Hong Kong and Canada for its construction management MSc.
For some time industry has been calling for more work-oriented masters courses. Benefits include: customisation of courses tailored to individual employers; increased skill sets within employers who invest in training; staff can learn whilst on the job, see theories and work in practice; reduced time lost on student's study leave; increased numbers of participants on courses as accessibility onto courses is improved, and higher levels of post‑graduates employed in engineering companies.
Engineering employers will be taking steps forward to create a closer-knit community between engineering schools and those companies involved with promoting MSc’s in engineering. In this way employers can guide the content of those courses towards issues or skill sectors which need addressing in the future.
Surrey University has developed a new MSc in transport. Developed together with leading transportation consultants and local authorities, the MSc will soon be available to students.
The Institution of Civil Engineers, the organisation responsible for ensuring the high standards required to become a civil engineer are met, has a training arm called Thomas Telford Training. Recently, Thomas Telford Training has experienced an increase in the use of online learning courses and the use of their online service, the Virtual Learning Centre. With 2000 "bite-sized" pieces of learning available to download direct from the website, learning materials are now just a click away. Students and established civil engineers alike who need a quick solution to a problem can download material created by training consultants and learning specialists.
For information on membership of the ICE and how to become professionally qualified see www.ice.org.uk/membership
For information on MSc courses see the List of Approved Further Learning (Matching Section) Schemes for CEng published by the Joint Board of Moderators www.jbm.org.uk
To become a student member of the ICE, you can join on‑line ‑ see http://www.ice.org.uk/ joining/joining_students.asp
For further information on Thomas Telford Training see http://www.tttrain.co.uk
Below are some examples of university Masters programmes. These were first published in NCE International.
Bath University
The university's distance learning MSc in construction management ‑ in great demand from site engineers the world over - has set up an overseas centre in South Africa and is planning to set up centres in Hong Kong and Canada so that overseas students can do the two week residential portion near to where they work. Partnerships have been set up with the British Caledonian Institute of Technology in Canada and Hong Kong University.
In South Africa, students have been able to use the Chartered Institute of Building centre in Johannesburg for the residential part of the MSc.
Surrey University
The university has launched a two to three year part time transport related MSc with a curriculum devised in partnership with local authorities and transport consultants. The course is taught by people from the industry and students can work on projects specific to their workplace.
Nearly half the one-day a week courses are workbased placements. A working party involving industry figures has worked out the course structure. "Firms in the transport industry came to us because they are worried about the training of their employees, " says Surrey University's Dr Bob Griffiths who has spent that last six years talking to industry about developing such a course. "We've had some very good support from the major players locally to us and now we've widened it to the whole industry"
Cambridge University
Numbers on the university's one year MPhil for Sustainable Development have risen steadily since it was introduced, says course director Dick Fenner.
"We've had lots of civil engineers on the course." He says of the MPhil that was developed in partnership with the US based Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. "Most of the students have a very strong first degree in engineering and traditional engineering skills of problem solving. So this course is much more about problem definition and reforming problems to meet needs. It is really about the context in which engineering takes place and it will give people the skills to implement change which is key to sustainability.”
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