Civil Engineering and Architecture with Industrial Placement Year

Civil engineering and architecture is a degree for those who want to understand and contribute to the design and construction of the built environment at both its structural and spatial levels. Civil engineering provides the technical and scientific foundation for the analysis, design and management of infrastructure, including structures, foundations, materials, geomechanics and the engineering of sustainable urban systems. Architecture brings the design intelligence, spatial thinking and cultural understanding through which built environments are conceived and shaped for human habitation and use.

Together the disciplines address the challenge of creating buildings and urban spaces that are both structurally sound and architecturally considered.

At the University of Southampton this five-year, full-time programme includes an industrial placement year, giving you direct experience in a professional engineering or architectural context during your studies. You will specialise in architecture and urban design alongside structural and geomechanical engineering, developing both design capability and technical analysis. The combination is particularly relevant to careers in structural engineering design, where understanding both the engineering requirements and the architectural intent of a project is essential for producing buildings and infrastructure that work at every level.

Graduates work in structural engineering consultancies, civil engineering firms, architectural practices, infrastructure developers, local authorities and public bodies responsible for planning and building the built environment. The combination of engineering and architectural training is valued by practices that work at the interface of design and technical delivery, and many graduates pursue chartered engineer or chartered architect status through the relevant professional bodies. Postgraduate study in structural engineering, urban design or sustainable development is a natural route for graduates who want to develop deeper specialist expertise.