Civil Engineering with Placement Year

Civil engineering is the oldest of the major engineering disciplines, responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the built and natural infrastructure on which all human activity depends. Roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, water treatment systems, coastal defences, urban drainage and building foundations are all within its scope, and civil engineers work at every scale from a single structure to an entire city's transport network. As climate change puts new demands on infrastructure and as the global population continues to urbanise, civil engineering is a field of increasing social importance.

At Brunel University London the programme includes a foundation year, which gives you the mathematical and scientific grounding you need before the main degree begins. The placement year is embedded in the course, giving you direct industry experience in a professional civil engineering environment and enabling you to graduate with demonstrated real-world capability. The programme runs over four years full time and provides a thorough grounding in structural analysis, geotechnics, hydraulics, materials, construction management and sustainable design.

Civil engineering graduates are in demand across the public and private sectors. Local and national government bodies, construction companies, infrastructure consultancies, transport agencies, utilities and international development organisations all employ civil engineers in a wide range of roles, including design engineer, site engineer, project engineer, structural engineer and transport planner. Graduate engineers typically pursue chartered status through recognised professional engineering institutions, which is a key career milestone.

The placement year gives Brunel graduates a strong practical foundation and professional connections from the outset. Postgraduate study in structural engineering, geotechnics, transport or environmental engineering provides further specialisation.