Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is the discipline that designs, builds, and maintains the physical infrastructure on which modern society depends: roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, water supply systems, sewage treatment, buildings, and flood defences. It is one of the oldest engineering professions, and it faces some of the most pressing contemporary challenges, from adapting infrastructure to climate change and sea level rise to delivering sustainable construction and managing increasingly complex urban environments. Civil engineers must combine structural analysis, geotechnical knowledge, hydraulics, and project management with an awareness of environmental and social impact.

At the University of Exeter, this programme includes a foundation year for students who benefit from additional academic preparation before the main degree, and also incorporates a sandwich placement year and a work placement, giving you professional engineering experience within the degree. You will study the core disciplines of civil and structural engineering, including structural mechanics, materials, geotechnics, hydraulics, and project management, developing both the technical knowledge and the professional competencies needed for practice. The full programme runs full-time over the combined years.

Graduates of civil engineering programmes work in construction companies, engineering consultancies, local and national government, infrastructure developers, transport authorities, and water and environmental agencies. Professional accreditation provides the pathway to chartered engineer status with the relevant engineering institutions, which is a widely respected professional mark in the sector. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in structural engineering, environmental engineering, or construction management to develop more specialised technical expertise.