Civil Engineering MEng (Hons) – 5 years with professional placement

This five-year MEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering with Professional Placement at Bath delivers full master’s-level training plus a year working in industry, so you graduate with both deep technical skills and real workplace experience. It suits students who want to not only design infrastructure, structures, or transport systems, but also understand how projects work in practice—from planning through to construction and sustainability.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: In the first year, you’ll establish strong engineering and analytical foundations. You take units such as Engineering Mathematics and Computation 1, Structural Mechanics and Materials, Geology, Hydrology and Surveying, Design Skills, Architectural Engineering 1, and History, Theory and Engineering Practice. These modules introduce you to core topics like materials behaviour, fluid and geological contexts, structural concepts, and the role of design in environmental and architectural settings. 

Year 2: Year two shifts the focus toward civil-infrastructure fundamentals and starts to engage with applied design and management. Modules include Engineering Mathematics and Computation 2, Soil Mechanics and Foundation Design, Structural Design and Construction, Civil Engineering Infrastructure 1A: Hydraulics, Civil Engineering Infrastructure 1B: Transportation, and Construction Processes and Management. You learn how soils carry loads, how structural design works in different materials, how transport and hydraulics systems are planned, and how to manage the construction process. 

Year 3 (Placement Year): In Year 3 you typically undertake your professional placement—a full-year work experience with an engineering employer. This gives you a chance to apply the theories and technical knowledge learned in Years 1 and 2 in a real setting: working on project deliverables, understanding site or corporate operations, collaborating with professionals, and gaining insight into health & safety, regulatory, environmental and commercial contexts.

Year 4: On return, you move into higher-level technical and design integration. Modules such as Civil Engineering Infrastructure 2, Infrastructure Engineering Design Project, Structural and Geotechnical Design and Analysis, and Joint Design Project lead you into advanced infrastructure, geotechnical and design challenges. You’ll work in teams (often cross-disciplinary), integrate sustainability, resilience and environmental impact into projects, and develop advanced analytical and design skills. 

Year 5: The final year is about mastering specialised topics and producing a substantial individual research or design‐led work. You’ll take Individual Research Dissertation: Civil Engineering, Advanced Infrastructure Engineering, Civil Engineering Elective Topics 2, along with Joint Design Project: Civil Engineering. These units allow you to focus on your preferred specialisations—perhaps water systems, sustainable infrastructure, or structural innovation—while demonstrating your readiness for professional roles or postgraduate study.

Focus areas: Structures; Geotechnics; Hydraulics; Digital Design; Infrastructure Planning

Learning outcomes: Ability to analyse & design civil engineering systems, integrate sustainability & environmental constraints, apply lab & field methods, collaborate in multidisciplinary teams

Professional alignment (accreditation): Accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (including ICE etc.), meeting the educational base for Chartered Engineer status. 

Reputation (employability rankings): Bath is top ranked for civil engineering teaching satisfaction; 1st for satisfaction with teaching (Guardian University Guide 2025) and high graduate outcome rates with 89% of graduates in high-skilled employment.