Civil Engineering

This is a Connected Degree

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview

Learn to design, construct, operate and maintain infrastructure that supports everything from buildings, transportation, and flood defences to providing safe drinking water and sanitation.

Study this accredited Civil Engineering degree in the city that gave the world Isambard Kingdom Brunel and step into a career that could shape the world.

Course highlights

• Study practical diving and underwater engineering and infrastructure, due to our coastal location, and get a recognised PADI diving qualification

• Visit constructions sites across the city, such as the new Ravelin Sports Centre or the upcoming Southsea Coastal Scheme

• Explore soil types and rock formations on visits to the Isle of Wight and take a field trip to the National Construction College

• Enter a global design competition, run by Engineers Without Borders

• Learn from industry specialists – recent guest speakers have come from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Atkins, Portsmouth Water, Mott MacDonald, Portsmouth City Council, Colas and WSP

Accreditation
This course is accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Engineers. The BEng meets in full the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and in part the academic requirement for Chartered Engineer (CEng). The MEng meets in full the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Careers and opportunities

All civil engineering roles are listed in the UK Government’s 'skills shortage list' and you can expect an average salary from £30,000 up to £70,000.

In fact, 95% of our BEng graduates and 90% of our MEng course graduates are in work or further study 15 months after they graduate and 100% of those MEng graduates are in highly skilled work – which means the skills you’ll learn on our course are in high demand. 80% of those graduates work as engineering professionals.

What’s more, 100% of our graduates find their work meaningful. So start making a difference, and be rewarded well for it.

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked for companies such as:

• Sir Robert McAlpine – a civil engineering company that’s contributed to the construction of the NHS Nightingale Hospitals and the expansion of the Royal Albert Hall

• Skanska – a recent project, Haymarket Edinburgh, provides more than 380,000 sq. ft designed to benefit the local residential and business community

• Multiplex Construction Europe – with offices in Australia, the Middle East, United Kingdom and Canada, this company has completed more than 1,000 projects globally

• Balfour Beatty – a leading international infrastructure group developing projects from the UK to the United States and Hong Kong

• Gallagher Group – a UK company delivering civil engineering contracts ranging in value from £100,000 to £15 million

What jobs can you do with a civil engineering degree?

Roles you could go into include:

• materials engineer

• geotechnical engineer

• civil engineer

• construction manager

• transport planner

• structural engineer

Our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. You can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

"The placement furthered my skills in problem-solving, communication, time management, teamwork and individual initiatives." - Thomas Glenn, Civil Enginering Student

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/beng-meng-civil-engineering#modules

You’ll be assessed through:

• written exams
• web assessments
• essays and reports
• project presentations
• a dissertation

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

• Year 1 students: 68% by written exams, 4% by practical exams and 28% by coursework
• Year 2 students: 63% by written exams, 4% by practical exams and 33% by coursework
• Year 3 students: 30% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 62% by coursework
• Year 4 students: 13% by written exams, 43% by practical exams and 44% by coursework

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
• Highway Engineers, Institute of (IHE)
• Civil Engineers, Institution of
• Structural Engineers, Institution of