MSc Civil Engineering and Construction Management

Year 1

Eight taught courses, all optional - (plus Research Dissertation for MSc). Students must select a minimum of five technical options and a minimum of two non-technical (NT) options.

Semester 1

Optional courses

• Sustainability for Construction Professionals (NT)
• Advanced Design Of Reinforced Concrete Structures
• Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering
• Structural Materials
• Water Supply and Drainage for Buildings
• Finite Element Method Linear Analysis
• Structural Element Design
• Geotechnics B- Geotechnical Applications
• Project Management: Theory and Practice (NT)
• Value and Risk Management (NT)

Semester 2

Optional courses

• Plastic Analysis of Structures
• Advanced Design Of Steel And Steel-Concrete Composite Structures
• Finite Element Method Nonlinear Analysis
• Foundation Engineering
• River Flow and Flood Modelling
• Safety, Risk and Reliability
• Urban Drainage and Water Supply
• Water and Wastewater Treatment
• Construction Financial Management (NT)
• Project Management: Strategic Issues (NT)

Semester 3

Research Dissertation (Civil Engineering)

Course summaries

Advanced Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures

This course aims to provide a comprehensive description of the behaviour of structural concrete under different loading conditions based on the relevant published test data. It also aims to provide a comprehensive description of the mechanics underlying the response of reinforced concrete structural forms when subjected to different loading conditions based on the available test data and describe the different modes of failure exhibited. The course also aims to introduce the learner to the concepts underlying reinforced concrete design and the available assessment methods, to enable the learner to develop a deep understanding of the physical models and their assumptions (adopted for describing the mechanics underlying RC structural behaviour) that form the basis for the development of the available design/assessment methods. It also gives the learner the opportunity to apply different methods for developing design solutions for a range of RC structural configurations capable of safeguarding specific performance requirements set by the relevant standards/codes. The course also introduces students to the methodology adopted for the design of RC structures under seismic and dynamic actions, and the methods available for enhancing the performance of existing reinforced concrete members.

Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the nature of seismic forces and the response of structures subjected to such loading, as well as to provide learners with an introduction to earthquake-resistant design and the seismic assessment of structures.

Structural Materials

The course aims to provide students with an appreciation of traditional and new cement-based materials, their applications in construction, and the recognition of the importance of durability. It also aims to provide an understanding of the core principles in designing a structure using a novel material where the design specification is not available and thus requiring the students to work using fundamental methodologies. The course also aims to provide students with an integrated knowledge about the key engineering properties of structural concrete and relevant design specifications.

Advanced Design of Steel and Steel-Concrete Composite Structures

This course aims to introduce the learner to the advanced analysis and design of steel and steel-concrete composite structures, to allow the learner to model the structural behaviour of steel and composite structures using commercial software. It also aims to provide the learner with a variety of techniques to analyse and detail steel and steel/concrete composite structures and to strengthen the learner's ability to model structures and to understand the relationship between the mathematical models used in analysis and the behaviour of the real-world structures.

Foundation Engineering

The overall aim of this course is to provide the student with knowledge and understanding of the geotechnical design process, equipping learners with appropriate methods of analysis for settlement and bearing capacity calculations, as well as in examining appropriate national codes and Eurocodes and their implications in geotechnical design.

Plastic Analysis of Structures

This course aims to introduce the learner to plastic analysis of beams, frames and plated structures, and to allow the learner to model structural behaviour in a laboratory environment where s/he is aware of the health and safety risks. It also aims to provide the learner with a variety of techniques to analyse and detail plate/slab elements of structures, and to strengthen the learner's ability to model structures and to understand the relationship between the mathematical models used in analysis and the behaviour of the real-world structures.

Urban Drainage and Water Supply

This course introduces the learner to the broad theme of Urban Drainage and Water Supply, with the aim of providing understanding of the following topics: runoff estimation, rainfall estimation, system layout/design, pump system design, sediment transport, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, the role of computer simulations, service reservoirs, water distribution practice and groundwater supply. The course includes instruction on the use of Infoworks CS.

Water and Wastewater Treatment

The aim of this course is to enable learners to understand the processes and technologies for water treatment including conventional and advanced wastewater treatment and the sizing of various treatment units. The course also provides awareness for the learner of the importance of effective wastewater treatment for river pollution control.

Safety, Risk and Reliability

This course aims to provide the students with an appreciation and understanding of the basic principles of structural reliability theory. It provides an introduction to concepts of structural safety and risk, as well as probability theory and probability distributions.

Sustainability for Construction Professionals

This course aims to equip students with the contextual awareness, self-reflective abilities and interdisciplinary Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge necessary to allow them to contribute to the delivery of Sustainable Development as part of their professional role in the Built Environment Sector. It also aims to develop an understanding of the role of the Construction Professional in supporting a holistic approach to development, which emphasises Stakeholder Engagement in options appraisal. The course also aims to develop Consultation and Consensus building skills.

Project Management: Theory and Practice

This course aims to provide the student with an understanding of the concepts and practices of construction project management used to provide value added services to clients. The course develops understanding of the issues related to the management of construction clients and other project stakeholders and how their needs can be co-ordinated, managed and delivered from the project's design stage through production to occupation and maintenance within the context of client satisfaction and the overarching construction project constraints of time, cost, quality sustainability, health and safety management.

Value and Risk Management

The course aims to introduce the concepts of value and risk management, apply them to strategic and tactical problems and illustrate their tools and techniques through case studies.

Construction Financial Management

The aim of the course is to enable students to appreciate and make an intelligent contribution towards the managerial and financial aspects of construction companies in general and construction projects in particular. This includes developing awareness and understanding of the need for financial planning and monitoring and the cost control process.

Project Management: Strategic Issues

This course aims to further develop the learners' theoretical and practical knowledge in the implementation of Project Management Principles in the construction industry. The course is designed to raise student awareness as to why the construction industry under-performs when compared to other industries. This enables learners to appraise and critically analyse the performance of the project management discipline in order to explore what is needed to improve this performance, with emphasis on the UK construction industry.

Dissertation

MSc students are also required to submit a research dissertation, the research topic normally aligns with the research interests of the staff in the School but can be tailored to suit the interests of the student or student's employer. Distance learning and part time students are encouraged to suggest project topics based on their own work experience.

Assessment

In the MSc marks are gathered from a combination of examination and project work – overall 66% examination and 33% project work. Students are supported and guided by coursework to prepare them for taught course examination assessments.

Additional information

The MSc course consists of 8 taught courses and a dissertation. To progress to the dissertation an average mark of 50% or higher and no course marks below 40% is required in the taught courses.

The Postgraduate Diploma course consists of the same taught courses but does not continue to the dissertation phase. PG Diploma students must achieve an average mark of 40% or more and have no marks below 35%. PG Diploma students may choose to transfer to the MSc cohort if they meet the MSc progression standards stated above.