BEng Hon in Civil Engineering with integrated 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 at our Moulsecoomb campus in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, where you'll use modern laboratories and workshops to develop core skills before progressing to more advanced facilities. This supportive 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.

• Academic Support: You'll receive dedicated support from foundation year tutors who specialise in helping students transition successfully into degree-level engineering studies.

• Industry Visits: The programme includes introductory visits to local engineering projects and construction sites around Brighton and the South Coast, giving you early exposure to real-world civil engineering applications.

• Progression Pathway: Upon successful completion, you'll have full access to all BEng Civil Engineering facilities including advanced structures, hydraulics, and geotechnics laboratories for your subsequent years of study.

Graduates of Brighton’s BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering with Integrated Foundation Year typically step into roles such as Civil Engineer, Structural Design Engineer, Transport Infrastructure Specialist, or Water Systems Consultant. Because this degree starts with a strong foundation, followed by immersive design challenges, fieldwork, industry-linked projects, and opportunities for placement, you’ll graduate both technically adept and professionally confident.

Here’s how Brighton equips you for success:

• Career Services & Employability Support
  You benefit from a structured and supportive careers framework, including CV and interview workshops, mentoring, job alerts, and consistent engagement with employers through an active Employer Partnerships Manager.
   

• Employment Stats & Salary Figures

  • Uplifting outcomes: 97% of working graduates are in highly skilled roles within 15 months of graduating.

  • Based on LEO data, median salaries for this course are approximately £27,000 at 15 months post-graduation.

• University–Industry Partnerships
  The programme is enriched by a strong Industrial Advisory Board and includes real-world learning through site visits, guest lectures, and the Engineering for People Design Challenge. It also introduces you to industry-standard tools such as Building Information Modelling (BIM).
   

• Accreditation & Long-Term Professional Value
  This BEng is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (ICE, IStructE, CIHT, IHE), fulfilling the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially for Chartered Engineer (CEng) (with further accredited learning required).
   

• Learning Facilities & Recognition
  You’ll learn in modern labs—from concrete and hydraulics to soils and wave tanks—designed to give you hands-on, industry-aligned experience. The programme also ranks 2nd in the UK for student satisfaction and 12th for graduate prospects.
   

Further Academic Progression:
After completing your Foundation Year and BEng, a few exciting paths lie ahead:

• You can progress into an MEng Civil Engineering, which paves a more direct path to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

• Alternatively, you may pursue postgraduate options like an MSc or PhD in specialisms such as structural design, water systems, or sustainable infrastructure—supported by Brighton’s research and facilities.

• Or, start your engineering career immediately—armed with a professionally accredited degree, practical experience, and strong employability credentials.