Engineering (Civil) H211 September 2025

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Typical offers

Typical offers
A Level	A*AA
BTEC	D*DD
International Baccalaureate	38

Course details

This degree delivers the breadth and depth that you will need to succeed in the world of engineering. It is designed to produce graduates who will go on to lead engineering teams.

A common first two years in General Engineering provide you with the broad knowledge required to effectively work on multi-disciplinary engineering problems. The course structure offers a huge amount of flexibility – you could join us on a electronic engineering pathway but decide to pursue civil engineering at the end of your second year. We believe in empowering our students to make informed decisions that would best serve their future careers.

After your first two years, you will start to specialise in Civil, Electrical, Electronic or Mechanical Engineering, and supplement this discipline-specific knowledge with Engineering Design activities and focused practical skills. You can further specialise in your final year, with three additional choices: Aeronautical Engineering, Renewable Energies, and Bioengineering, learning advanced topics at the forefront of engineering knowledge whilst working with a world-leading academic on a research and development dissertation project, the highlight of many of our students’ degrees.

Course structure

Year 1

You will study four modules in engineering, one in mathematics and one optional module. In your engineering modules, you will examine 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and implement engineering algorithms into computer code. You will also take part in a group design activity where you have to design, build and test a device to solve a specific engineering challenge. Recent examples include miniature hydroelectric generators and chain-climbing robots.

Core modules:

Solid Mechanics and Structures 1 gives you a working knowledge of solid mechanics, structures and structural analysis, in a wider engineering context.

Electronic and Electrical Systems 1 provides you with knowledge of electrical and electronic circuit theory, components, electromagnetism and hardware interfacing.

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics 1 offers a working knowledge of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics including dimensional analysis, fluid statics and fluid dynamics.

Engineering Practice 1 provides you with practical engineering skills relevant to multiple engineering disciplines. It shows how the material covered in other engineering modules fits together in the wider engineering context, and will also introduce you to engineering ethics and professional issues.

Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists gives you all the maths skills and techniques needed for studying Engineering and other sciences.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

Introduction to Programming
Computational Thinking

Year 2

Core modules:

Engineering Mathematics 2 provides knowledge of probability and statistics and advanced mathematical methods for modelling engineering problems.

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics 2 gives you further working knowledge of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.

Solid Mechanics and Structures 2 builds your knowledge of the mechanics of dynamics and vibration, stress analysis of structures and sections, trusses and frames, and the mechanics of soils. It also provides an introduction to finite element methods.

Electrical Engineering 2 provides you with a working knowledge of mathematical methods for modelling engineering problems and computing.

Electronics 2 gives you knowledge of electronics and computing in terms of circuits, digital electronics and microprocessor design.

In Engineering Design 2 you will learn about various aspects of the design process including the principles of design and project management. You will undertake a major design project with guidance from an academic supervisor and an external (industrial) engineer.

Year 3

At this point in the degree you will specialise into Civil Engineering.

Core modules:

Geotechnics 3 introduces the fundamental geological concepts relating to soil and geology.

Structures and Geomatics 3 covers two important areas of knowledge and skills for civil engineers: analysis and design of structures and geomatics (land surveying and GIS).

In Environmental Engineering 3 you will examine environmental engineering and highlights opportunities to address sustainable development. The module emphasises the need for engineers to understand the holistic nature of sustainability and introduces you to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Civil Design 3 develops your understanding of the design process and the way theoretical work supports design. This includes the principles of structural steelwork and reinforced concrete design. It also utilises CAD and numerical analysis (frame analysis software) skills for your civil design work.

Materials 3 gives you an understanding of processing–structure–properties relationships. It will introduce you to commercially important manufacturing and processing techniques including life-cycle analysis.

Solid Mechanics 3 develops principles in the subject areas of dynamics, materials, computational stress analysis and fatigue. Practical use of computational stress analysis is also developed.

Year 4

Core modules:

Advanced Geotechnical Engineering 4 develops advanced knowledge of the design and analysis of embankment and concrete dams, and foundation design for offshore structures and advanced limit analysis techniques.

Planning and Contract Law 4 provides advanced knowledge and understanding of planning and contract law.

In Structural Design 4 you will gain advanced knowledge and understanding of structural design using a variety of materials.

Structures 4 offers advanced knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of dynamics of structures required for earthquake engineering. You will also become familiar with analysis methodologies and assessment procedures for structural design in seismic areas.

Hydrology and Water Resources 4 gives an overview of hydrological systems. It will enable you to apply mathematical and fluid mechanics principles to solve a range of hydrological problems.

You can choose between the MEng Research and Development Project or the MEng Technical Project plus the module Engineering into Schools.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

Transportation Infrastructure Engineering 4
Non-Linear Solid Mechanics 4
Optimisation 4
Environmental Engineering 4

Additional pathways

Students on the MEng in Engineering courses can apply to be transferred onto either the ‘with Year Abroad’ or ‘with Placement’ pathway during the second year. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from four years to five.

Placement

You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more.

Accreditation

This programme is accredited on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

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Fees and funding

Full Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students	£9,250 per year
EU students	£33,250 per year
Island students	£9,250 per year
International students	£33,250 per year

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only; fees for subsequent years will be confirmed not less than 3 months before the start of the academic year to which the increase is intended to apply and will be published on the Finance webpages.

In deciding the annual level of increase the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of;

6%, or,
the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Scholarships and Bursaries

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.

Find out more about Scholarships and Bursaries

Department information

Engineering

Enter the exciting world of engineering and gain the skills you need to plan, design and analyse engineering projects aligned to the needs of local, national and global industry.

Engineering at Durham is designed to develop talented, modern engineers who are equipped with the skills to solve problems across traditional discipline boundaries – from offshore wind turbines to electro-mechanical devices manufactured on a microchip.

With an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability, we are one of only a small number of general engineering departments in the UK. We offer a range of BEng and MEng qualifications with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, including the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

We consider Engineering as an integrated subject so, whichever degree you choose, you will study a common General Engineering for the first two years. After this time, you will have developed enough knowledge to make an informed decision about your future, both in terms of your discipline and the length of your degree, with transfer possible between the courses up to the end of the second year.

All courses are accredited by the relevant professional institution. Our MEng programmes fulfil the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status.

From research-led study to project-based learning, our courses are designed to develop students who will take on the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Rankings

Ranked 5th in The Complete University Guide 2024
Ranked 7th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

Facilities

We are located on the main campus at Lower Mountjoy. We are one of the most comprehensively equipped engineering departments in the UK with dedicated teaching laboratories and advanced facilities, including the newly refurbished electrical laboratory, wind tunnels, microelectronics clean rooms, a geotechnical engineering laboratory and powerful computers for computationally demanding projects.

Our students benefit from the Engineering Open Access area, built to facilitate both group work and individual project. For their Capstone dissertation project, students can access our dedicated project room for independent work.