Civil Engineering with Transport BEng

Program Overview

The University of Leeds' Civil Engineering with Transport BEng program is JBM-accredited, preparing students to be ethical and sustainable engineers in the field. Through hands-on projects, industry connections, and field experiences, graduates develop analytical, technical, and decision-making skills for a wide range of career paths in the construction and infrastructure sectors. The program emphasizes design and engineering strategies that minimize environmental impact and prioritize societal benefits.

Program Outline

Civil Engineering with Transport BEng | University of Leeds

Degree Overview:

This JBM-accredited BEng degree develops civil engineers who actively contribute to sustainable and economic growth while maintaining the highest ethical standards and delivering the infrastructure we all rely on in everyday life.

Objectives:

• Develop theoretical and practical abilities.
• Learn to solve problems using analytical, technical, and decision-making skills.
• Gain hands-on experience in excellent laboratory facilities, a design studio, and extensive library facilities and computing equipment.
• Access industry-standard software such as Revit (Building Information Modelling), IES (dynamic thermal modelling), and Robot (structural analysis).
• Benefit from globally-renowned research at Leeds, which feeds directly into the course and shapes what students learn with the latest thinking in addressing societal, technical, and environmental challenges with infrastructure around the world.
• Participate in valuable fieldwork opportunities to apply knowledge and practical skills outside of the lab and classroom.
• Develop experience and boost career prospects with industrial placement opportunities.

Outline:

Year 1:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Architecture and Sustainability (20 credits):
Learn the history, theories, and cultural context of the built environment and architecture, and its impact on people, society, and the environment. Focus on the sustainability and environmental impact of projects and infrastructure, especially in the context of climate change.
• Surveying, Construction Technology and Management (20 credits): Introduction to construction processes, highlighting applicable codes of practice and industry standards.
Covers aspects of management associated with a construction project.
• Structural Analysis and Design (20 credits): Learn the fundamental principles of structural analysis and design, used to determine and describe the behavior of various structural and architectural forms.
Develop basic skills in structural and stress analysis and design for more advanced courses in years 2 and 3.
• Materials, Water and Soils (20 credits): Understand the fundamentals of the behavior of water, soil, steel, and other key materials, and their relevance to the design of structural elements.
Covers the application of fundamental mechanics principles to fluids, design and analysis of simple hydraulic structures, and the geological processes that result in the formation of engineering soils. Provides sufficient mathematical competence to manage the compulsory content of the degree.
• Integrated Design Project 1 (including Design Studio 1) (20 credits): Learn how to prepare and present building design projects in response to a brief.
Covers constructional and structural systems, environmental strategies, and regulatory requirements that apply to a comprehensive design project.

Year 2:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Water Engineering and Geotechnics (20 credits):
Builds on knowledge gained in year 1 in geotechnics and water engineering. Addresses ultimate load problems, discusses the concepts of fluid friction in pipes, and understands the demand and requirements for water.
• Engineering Mathematics and Modelling 2 (20 credits): Builds on mathematical techniques learned in year 1 to further understand how mathematical models can be applied to real-life civil engineering problems.
Develops confidence in mathematical abilities to understand the results when mathematics arise in the solution of an engineering problem.
• Integrated Design Project 2 (20 credits): Increases knowledge and understanding of the engineering design process.
• Structural Design and Materials 1 (40 credits): Covers the behavior of structures and how their design is influenced by the characteristics of structural materials.
Gains understanding of cement, concrete, and steel, with a focus on their relevance to buildings and civil engineering structures, the elastic analysis of statically indeterminate structures, and the design of structures in steel and reinforced concrete. Learns to determine force actions in structures and how to measure and compute the solutions to complex structural stress problems.
• Transport Planning and Modelling 1 (10 credits): Covers fundamental concepts of transport planning and formulates a transport strategy to meet transport policy objectives.
Introduces the fundamentals of transport models and traffic engineering.
• Highway Engineering (10 credits): Learn the highway engineering process, including planning and route location, geometric design and structural design, construction, condition monitoring, and maintenance.

Year 3:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Water Engineering and Geotechnics 2 (20 credits):
Builds on the principles for water engineering and geotechnics gained in years 1 and 2. Develops the concepts of integrated river management and examines the use of numerical methods in open channel flow. It will cover the approach to design, analysis, and construction.
• Structural Design and Materials 2 (20 credits): Expands on the knowledge acquired in the first two years to develop a more profound understanding of steel and concrete structures complemented by an introduction to more complex structural analysis methods (stiffness matrix method, plastic analysis, finite element analysis).
Learns to design multi-storey buildings, considering advanced aspects such as progressive collapse, sway stability, bracing, and connections. In relation to concrete, this module covers the technological principles and the analysis of prestressed concrete elements, and learns to design prestressed structural elements.
• Integrated Design Project 3 (40 credits): Undertakes a feasibility study of a civil engineering project considering various aspects, resulting in a recommended general scheme, followed by an element of detailed design, demonstrating that the proposal is practicable.
Includes further CAD-thread teaching, providing an understanding of software used in route alignments, and a practical ability to use this and other software in drawing production.
• Individual Research Project 1 (20 credits): Chooses one aspect of civil engineering and develops a deeper knowledge and understanding of it.
Includes the underlying principles and an awareness of current and future developments within a chosen field of research. Develops independent learning and research skills, critical analysis, self-direction, and decision making.
• Transport Planning and Modelling 2 (10 credits): Gains an understanding of transport modelling, covering the main underlying principles of network models and traffic flow.
Introduced to principles in transport economics and the application of traffic assignment in congestion pricing. Building on knowledge of highway geometry design, learns to evaluate the level of service on a highway link and develop skills in design for highway infrastructure, including the main types of intersections and pavement structures. The concept of life cycle maintenance will also be explained in this module.

Assessment:

• Project work: Civil engineers work on projects that combine skills and knowledge to deliver a solution to a client, so the program places a strong emphasis on project work throughout the degree.
This gives students the opportunity to explore their subject further as well as developing valuable skills in problem-solving, design, project management, communication, and teamwork.
• Written examinations: Both open and closed book.
• Coursework: Reports, projects, presentations, and posters.

Teaching:

• Integrated style of learning and teaching: Laboratory classes, project work, and industry-sponsored fieldwork allow students to gain hands-on experience investigating and applying material from lectures and tutorials to real-life work situations.
• Interactive, team-based study: Informed by sector-leading approaches.
• Integrated Design Project: At every level of the program, students undertake an Integrated Design Project where they bring together what they have learned across the program to gain experience in finding design solutions to real-world problems.
Develop expertise in designing solutions that consider economic, environmental, and a range of other societal and technical factors. These are often group and team projects where students work together to successfully address the challenge.
• Industrial visits and seminars: Delivered by practicing engineers and other professionals.
• Close links with industry: Direct contact with industry and potential employers from an early stage in the course.
Each student is allocated an industrial tutor who will provide opportunities to experience Civil Engineering working environments on and off-site.
• Personal tutor: Guides students through their studies.
• Peer-Assisted Study Support (PASS) scheme: PASS mentors are students who are on the course but are in the years above.
They help students when they arrive at university and throughout their first year.
• Expert academics: Lecturers through to professors.
• Industry professionals: With years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting students to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Careers:

• Variety of exciting career opportunities: From some of the largest construction organizations in the world to specialist building design consultancies and multi-disciplinary firms.
• High demand for civil engineering graduates: University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research.
• Typical career paths: Professional or managerial positions in the core contracting and consulting arms of the UK's £30bn civil engineering industry.
• Other sectors: International finance, investment banking, and large-scale project management.
• Careers support: Leeds for Life initiative helps students develop and demonstrate the skills and experience they need for when they graduate.
The Employability Team provides specialist support and advice to help students find relevant work experience, internships, and industrial placements, as well as graduate positions. Students benefit from timetabled employability sessions, support during internships and placements, and presentations and workshops delivered by employers. Full access to the University's Careers Centre, one of the largest in the country.

Other:

• Accreditation: Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) on behalf of the Engineering Council.
The JBM represents the five main professional bodies in the UK registering Civil Engineers, including the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Permanent Way Institution (PWI), Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), and The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT). The courses are EUR-ACE labelled, which means they also meet the framework standards and guidelines of EUR-ACE and that the accreditation is recognized by the member states of the European Higher Education Area.
• Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc): Gives students the chance to meet like-minded people who share their passion for civil engineering with industrial networking events and site visits to build their experience and connections in the field, alongside exciting social events like paintballing and the annual CivSoc Ball.
• One-year optional work placement: Students can apply to undertake a one-year paid industrial work placement which will extend their degree by 12 months.
• Rankings and awards:
• Top 5 in the UK for Civil Engineering - The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
• Top 10 in the UK for Civil Engineering - Complete University Guide 2025
• Fieldwork: Students participate in a weeklong in-depth field course in year 1 where they apply surveying and team working skills.
In year 3, they may take part in a weeklong "Constructionarium" field course where they plan, manage, and execute the construction of a scaled-down real construction project under site conditions.
• Common first year: All degree courses within the School of Civil Engineering share a common first year, which gives students the flexibility to switch between these courses at the end of their first year.
• Transfer to MEng: At the end of their first or second year, students have the possibility of transferring to the four-year integrated Masters (MEng, BEng), subject to performance on the course.