BEng Civil Engineering with a Foundation Year

This programme is expertly designed to build your practical engineering skills and confidence from the ground up, creating a solid pathway into degree-level studies regardless of your previous background. Your foundation year will introduce you to hands-on learning in our supportive Millennium Point environment, where you'll use modern laboratories and workshops to develop core skills before progressing to more advanced civil engineering facilities. This approach ensures you gain the practical experience and technical understanding needed to progress confidently into the main degree programme and ultimately excel in your civil engineering career.

Here’s how you’ll develop your practical engineering skills:

• Foundation Year Workshops: You'll begin with practical sessions in our engineering laboratories, developing essential hands-on skills through targeted projects and experiments that build engineering intuition.

• Introductory Software Training: You'll learn fundamental engineering software including AutoCAD for technical drawing and basic modelling tools, building digital skills that prepare you for degree-level studies.

• Laboratory Introduction: You'll gain early access to our civil engineering facilities, with introductory sessions that help you understand testing procedures and equipment operation in a supported environment.

• Materials Testing: You'll work with basic concrete and construction materials testing equipment, learning about material properties through hands-on experimentation.

• Project-Based Learning: Your foundation year includes practical projects that develop problem-solving skills and engineering thinking, preparing you for more complex design challenges in subsequent years.

Graduates of BCU’s BEng Civil Engineering (with Foundation Year) typically move into roles such as site engineer, design engineer, or project coordinator—grounded in both academic knowledge and practical skills. 15 months after graduation, 95% are employed or in further study, with median salaries around £27,500, setting a solid foundation for career growth.

Progression & Future Opportunities:
Here’s how BCU supports you every step of the way:

• University Services to Boost Employability

  • Placement Opportunities: While not mandatory, there’s a strong chance to take a third-year placement, backed by BCU’s regional employer network and its “living lab” environment in Birmingham—an ideal ground for hands-on learning.

  • Graduate+ Scheme: This extracurricular programme helps you build a standout CV, presentation skills, and professional portfolio—on top of the course-based practical learning.

  • Industry-Sourced Projects & Building Birmingham Scholarship: You benefit from city-wide construction projects, site visits, and schemes like Building Birmingham, offering real-world engagement and financial support opportunities.

• Employment Statistics & Salary Figures

  • Median salary 15 months post-graduation: £27,500; at 3 years: £23,500; and around £27,000 by year five—consistent with typical career progression.

  • Broader UK engineer earnings: median salaries around £30,000 at 15 months and rising to £31,500 by year three.

• University–Industry Partnerships

  • Accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM)—including ICE, IStructE, IHE, CIHT—this degree ensures professional recognition for early engineering career stages.

  • Birmingham’s campus is surrounded by major infrastructure projects—such as HS2—and BCU has strong links with local firms and councils, offering project-based learning and placement pathways.

• Long-Term Accreditation Value

  • BEng (with Foundation Year) is accredited and sets you up for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status academically, and puts you on track toward full Chartered Engineer (CEng) qualification with further learning.

• Graduation Outcomes

  • You’ll emerge career-ready—armed with academic rigor, city-scale project experience, a credited degree, and strong industry exposure. Whether stepping into civil design, infrastructure management, or site operations, you’ll graduate with both credibility and confidence.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing your BEng, many students choose to level up their careers through postgraduate study. Options like an MSc in Civil Engineering, Infrastructure Management, or a more specialized master’s route can deepen your expertise and pave the way to full Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Alternatively, you could enter the workforce immediately, building on your degree and Foundation Year foundation to move steadily toward professional leadership roles.