Civil Engineering with Industrial Placement (2 years) Heriot-Watt University

Overview

MSc Civil Engineering with Industry Placement is two years in duration and will interest you if you are a civil engineering professional looking to broaden your knowledge, technical expertise, work experience, and expand your career opportunities. For those of you from a different engineering background, the programme offers you the opportunity to develop key civil engineering and construction management skills to commence a career within the built environment industry. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the core technical skills and personal qualities required to work within the dynamic industry at the highest possible technical level, and gain hands on practical work experience. 

During the master’s programme, you’ll gain relevant specialist expertise around the area of civil and structural engineering that is of most interest to you, develop the applied mathematical skills required by professional engineers, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the concepts, principles, theories, and sustainability issues in construction. With this degree being two years in duration, you’ll also benefit from real-world work experience allowing you more time at university to reflect on theory and practice.

This career-focused master’s programme combines elements of construction project management, and civil and structural engineering to provide a broad and valuable education. Upon completion, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to prepare you for a wide range of technical and managerial careers across the sector, both nationally and internationally, working in areas such as general construction, transport, water and wastewater engineering.

Your student experience

Our Expertise

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active civil and structural engineers, construction professionals, industry-leaders, and academics. 

96% of Heriot-Watt University’s engineering research was classed as world-leading in the REF 2021 review, which ranked us 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh. 

Our MSc Civil Engineering with Industry Placement programme is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Institute for the Sustainable Built Environment (ISBE) which sits within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS). EGIS is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. The institute’s team conduct high-value and high-impact research on fields covering sustainability, design, and management of the built environment. The research relevance of this postgraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative and industry focused. 

Your Learning Environment

The MSc Civil Engineering with Industry Placement programme is taught though a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and laboratory practicals, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, your industry placement, and your dissertation. You’ll receive support and feedback throughout the programme.  

During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, computing software and laboratories, including a wave basin which can be programmed to simulate any sea condition, a geotechnics lab with a range of soil testing equipment, a hydraulics lab with three tilting flumes and state of the art measurement capabilities, concrete and Civil Engineering materials laboratories containing a range of industry standard equipment for the manufacturing and testing of concrete , and a Heavy structures lab with a high-capacity strong floor, advanced hydraulic systems, rail track test centre and a fatigue testing facility. 

If you progress onto the placement and do not secure a suitable opportunity within industry, we will either offer a university-based placement working on an ongoing research project, if possible, or transfer you to our MSc Civil Engineering and Construction Management counterpart.  

Outside of the classroom, you can get involved with the Heriot-Watt Student Union and there are lots of ways to do so including participating in student groups, becoming a student representative or a school officer, and joining societies. There are several engineering societies, and you may wish to join the:  

• Civil Engineering Society 
• Architectural Engineering Society  

Societies provide a great opportunity to meet likeminded people, get involved in regular social and networking events, and gain insights into career prospects. 

Customise Your Learning

You’ll begin the programme in September, the programme is offered full time at the Edinburgh campus and is two years in duration. 

In year one, you’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of civil engineering or construction management that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by choosing to take eight courses from a suite of 20 specialist-built environment courses. You will choose your courses from an extensive list of technical, non-technical, and construction management courses, including structures, design, materials, safety and risk, and construction management. 

You’ll undertake your industry placement after the taught courses, and then complete a research dissertation. The responsibility of finding a suitable placement lies with you, but to support you, we have partnered with civil engineering and construction industry professionals and will provide advice on recruiters who offer placement opportunities. You’ll also have access to the University’s award winning  Careers Service. 

Your dissertation will be an extensive and specialised investigation into your chosen area of civil engineering. You’ll be required to research and report in depth on a subject of relevance to your professional career aspirations.