Civil or Structural Engineering (Associate Student route)

Civil Engineering at Heriot-Watt covers materials, structures, geotechnics, water engineering, and transportation engineering, and will provide you with the key skills and knowledge required to become a professional civil engineer working in industry.  

Structural Engineering offers the same thorough grounding in the major branches of civil engineering, with a stronger emphasis on the analysis, skills and knowledge appropriate to structural engineering design, and will provide you with the key skills and knowledge required to become a professional structural engineer working in industry.  

You’ll concentrate on analysis and behaviours of materials in the early years of the degree, with a focus on design and management as you progress through your studies. Your personal development within a professional environment will be supported and developed throughout your studies to ensure you gain the core technical skills and personal qualities required to strive within the dynamic built environment industry at the highest possible technical level. 

The Civil or Structural Engineering (Associate Student route) programme is unique in that you will split your learning across Forth Valley College and Heriot-Watt University. You will apply directly to Forth Valley College and spend your first year studying an appropriate HND there. During your time at college, you’ll gain knowledge of the fundamental principles of civil and structural engineering. Upon successful completion of your HNC, you’ll progress into the second year of a Civil or Structural Engineering degree at our Edinburgh Campus and follow its curriculum for another three or four years until you graduate with either a BEng (Hons) or MEng in Civil or Structural Engineering. All Civil and Structural Engineering students study the same curriculum until the end of the third year and so you can decide whether to specialise in Civil or Structural Engineering once you are a student at Heriot-Watt.

Through choosing this degree route, you’ll benefit from teaching, learning and study resources at Forth Valley College and Heriot-Watt University from year 1.