BEng Hons Civil Engineering

This programme is built around a practical, industry-focused approach to learning, ensuring you develop the real-world skills and confidence to excel as a civil engineer from the very start of your career. You'll have access to our excellent facilities in the Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC), which houses modern civil engineering laboratories, including our structures lab, hydraulics equipment, and materials testing facilities where you can test designs and understand material behaviour. 

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.

• Live Project Work: You'll work on real-world briefs set by our industry partners, tackling current civil engineering challenges and developing solutions that meet professional standards.

• 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.

Graduates from UCLan’s BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering programme typically enter careers as structural engineers, site engineers, or design engineers—often earning around £29,000 just over a year after graduating. Their immediate employability is exceptionally strong, with essentially 0% unemployment 15 months after course completion.

Progression & Future Opportunities:
Here’s how UCLan actively supports your career readiness and long-term success:

• University Services to Boost Employability

  • Careers Service: Offers one-to-one careers guidance, CV and cover letter support, interview preparation, online tools like CareerEDGE and Handshake, and hosts careers fairs featuring over 240 employers annually. The service is widely recommended (99%) and boosts student confidence significantly (96%).

  • Embed Employability Learning: Through real-world projects, workshops, and career tools you build skills valued by professional employers long before graduation.

• Employment Statistics & Salary Figures

  • Median salary 15 months after graduation: £29,000, rising to around £27,500 after three years and £33,000 after five years.

  • Graduate employment is stellar—0% are unemployed 15 months after the course, and around 67% are in highly skilled roles or further study (as of 2019/2020 data).

  • Job alignment: 70% say their role fits their career plans, 60% find they use their study skills daily, and 80% describe their work as meaningful.

• University–Industry Partnerships

  • Industry Advisory Committee: Designed to keep the programme aligned with real-world requirements—employers contribute to curriculum, attend project presentations, and engage with students.

  • Engineering Innovation Centre & Placements: Access to advanced lab facilities, live industry projects, optional summer research internships, and even sandwich placements—all enhancing your practical skills and employer connections.

• Long-Term Accreditation Value

  • The BEng (Hons) is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM)—including the ICE, IStructE, IHE, and CIHT—setting you on the path toward professional engineer status.

• Graduation Outcomes

  • With strong employability stats, industry-connected learning, and rigorous accreditation, you’ll graduate ready to launch a purposeful engineering career—well-equipped for roles like structural engineer, site/project engineer, or design engineer, supported by real-world experience and a robust professional foundation.

Further Academic Progression:
After earning your BEng (Hons) and gaining foundational industry and professional credentials, many students further refine their expertise through postgraduate study. UCLan offers an MSc in Civil Engineering—complete with laboratory access and optional year-long industry placements—to elevate your technical specialty and accelerate your path toward Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.