BEng Hons in Civil Engineering

This programme is built around a practical, design-led approach to learning, ensuring you develop the hands-on skills and confidence to excel as a civil engineer from the very start of your career. You'll have access to our excellent facilities at our Moulsecoomb campus, which houses modern civil engineering laboratories in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, including our structures lab, hydraulics equipment, and materials testing facilities where you can test designs and understand material behaviour. Your learning is enhanced by industry-standard software and features design projects that often draw on the unique coastal and urban challenges of our region, giving you specialised experience that is highly valued by employers.

Here’s how you’ll gain practical, industry-relevant experience:

• Industry-Standard Software: You'll gain proficiency in essential professional tools including AutoCAD for technical drawing, Revit for Building Information Modelling (BIM), and specialist analysis software used in civil engineering design.

• Brighton Design Projects: A key feature of your degree is the series of group design projects where you'll work in teams to solve complex civil engineering problems, often with a coastal or urban focus, developing crucial project management and teamwork skills.

• Structures Laboratory: You will conduct hands-on experiments in our dedicated structures lab, equipped with modern testing frames and equipment for analysing structural components and material performance.

• Hydraulics Laboratory: You'll use our hydraulics equipment with flow channels and measurement tools to model water behaviour and environmental processes relevant to civil engineering projects.

• Geotechnical Engineering Equipment: You'll test soil properties and foundation behaviour using our geotechnical testing apparatus, gaining practical insight into ground engineering principles.

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

• Field Trips: The curriculum includes valuable site visits to major construction projects and coastal infrastructure sites across the South East, providing crucial real-world context for your studies.

• Placement Opportunities: You can choose to take an optional salaried industrial placement year, with dedicated support from the University's Careers and Employability Service to help you secure a role with one of our industry partners.

Graduates of Brighton’s BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering frequently enter rewarding roles such as Civil Engineer, Structural Design Engineer, Water Systems Consultant, or Transport Infrastructure Planner. Because this degree integrates hands-on learning—through labs, industry-linked projects, and optional placement years—you’ll graduate with both practical skills and professional confidence, ready to stand out.

Here’s how Brighton supports your journey forward:

• Career Services & Employability Support
  Brighton’s Career Development Advisers, who specialise in sector-specific guidance, are there from day one—and stay connected well beyond graduation. You can access CV coaching, mock interviews, mentoring, job alerts, and placement/internship opportunities tailored to civil engineering.
   

• Employment Stats & Salary Figures

  • A staggering 97% of working graduates from Brighton’s civil engineering courses are in highly skilled roles within 15 months of finishing.

  • Median salaries across all civil engineering graduates at Brighton stand at £27,000 after 15 months, rising to about £32,000 in three years and reaching £37,500 after five.
     

• University–Industry Partnerships
  The programme is supported by a strong Industrial Advisory Board, ensuring your learning aligns with current industry needs. Expect real-world fieldwork, engaging project challenges (like the Engineering for People Design Challenge), and networking opportunities with guest speakers.
   

• Accreditation & Long-Term Professional Value
  This BEng is fully accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (ICE, IStructE, CIHT, IHE)—meeting the academic requirements for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially for Chartered Engineer (CEng) (with further learning required, such as an MEng or MSc).
   

• Graduation Environment & Facilities
  You’ll study in top-tier facilities, from concrete and hydrodynamics labs to soil and wave-tank rooms—designed to support immersive, practical engineering learning and build your real-world readiness.
   

Further Academic Progression:
Once you complete your BEng, many exciting paths open up:

• You may advance into the MEng Civil Engineering, which smooths your route toward full Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

• If you're interested in deeper specialisation, MSc or PhD programmes—such as structural design, water systems, or environmental resilience—are available, backed by Brighton’s research strengths.

• Or, with your accredited degree and hands-on experience, you can step confidently into meaningful engineering roles right away.