Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering) with Placement Year

Civil engineering with a focus on environmental engineering addresses one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century: how to design, build, and maintain the infrastructure that modern society depends on while reducing its impact on the natural world. Traditional civil engineering covers the planning, design, and construction of roads, bridges, buildings, tunnels, and water systems. Environmental engineering adds a critical layer, asking how those structures interact with ecosystems, how waste and water resources are managed, how flooding and climate change are accounted for in infrastructure planning, and how engineering solutions can be made more sustainable.

At Brunel University London, this four-year, full-time programme includes a placement year that gives you real industry experience before you graduate. Working in an engineering practice or with an infrastructure organisation during your placement year allows you to apply the skills you have developed in a professional context, to understand how projects move from design to construction, and to make the professional connections that matter at the start of a career. You will study the core foundations of civil engineering alongside the specialist environmental dimension, developing analytical, computational, and practical skills across areas such as structural analysis, geotechnics, hydraulics, environmental impact assessment, and sustainability engineering.

The programme is based in London, with access to a wide range of employers, infrastructure projects, and professional networks.

A typical entry tariff of 104 points reflects an accessible threshold for a technically rigorous programme. Graduates from civil and environmental engineering go on to careers in infrastructure consultancies, local and national government, environmental agencies, construction contractors, utilities, and international development organisations. Professional registration as a chartered engineer is a common long-term goal, and the degree provides a strong academic foundation for that pathway.

Postgraduate study in environmental engineering, water resources, or sustainability is also a well-travelled route for those who wish to specialise further.