BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
Course Overview
Civil engineering underpins the fabric of society, from roads, railways and airports, to glittering steel and glass skyscrapers and hotels, and life-saving water-management systems such as dams, flood defences and even sewers. If your goal is to innovate and improve infrastructure and amenities for communities, this course is designed to be excellent preparation for a range of civil engineering careers.Our BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering allows you to study and acquire the technological, vocational and personal skills you’ll need for a civil engineering career. It also serves as a comprehensive professional development programme for those already working in the profession. Our expert team will support you to build the theoretical understanding and practical knowledge needed for a civil engineering role. You'll also be able to learn and apply the principles of analysis and evaluation to civil engineering and construction-related problems.
To support the development of your practical skills, we’ll give you ample opportunity to use our well-equipped materials, hydraulics, geotechnical and structures laboratories, plus access to an extensive range of the latest surveying equipment. We also have unique design studio facilities for you to use, featuring up-to-date CAD software and hardware.
Highlights
- This is a vocational programme that can significantly boost your employment opportunities in civil engineering.
- You can learn from guest speakers and lecturers from diverse construction project management backgrounds.
- The course is designed to fully satisfy the educational basis for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and to partially satisfy the educational basis for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
- You can benefit from our strong links with industry, including many key structural engineering, consultancy and contracting companies in the North West.
Key Features
- Our friendly department of construction experts ensures your needs are in encouraging and supportive hands.
- You’ll have access to the University’s unique design studio space, which has the latest CAD software and hardware and an impressive range of other specialist facilities.
- We offer a flexible and hands-on education designed to provide valuable context to your studies and prime you for career progression.
Entry Requirements
- 104 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
- Your Level 3 subjects must include mathematics and a science subject; for instance, A-level Mathematics and Physics or BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering or Construction (you should choose units in additional mathematics and analytical subjects such as structural mechanics or environmental science).
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English, Mathematics and preferably Science.
- If you have non-traditional entry qualifications and relevant experience, or a suitable portfolio of work that we consider a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course, then we'll be happy to consider your application. If you have an HND/C in an appropriate engineering discipline, then we'll consider you for entry to level HE5 of this programme, depending on the subject area of qualification and the level of maths and science that you have achieved. You may be asked to undertake additional assessment(s) to determine your suitability for the course.
- You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The course is designed to help you achieve the technical knowledge to support a career as a civil, structural, geotechnical, hydraulic, or highway and transportation engineer – pretty much anywhere in the world. You have the chance to develop your understanding of designing, creating and building structures efficiently and for making the best use of available resources and techniques.
In addition to subject-specific knowledge and skills, you’ll have the opportunity to develop employability skills that include problem-solving, analytical and research skills, critical thinking, creativity, communication, teamwork, commercial awareness, and health and safety.
What can I do with this qualification?
Civil and structural engineers work on buildings of all kinds and transport and communication infrastructures. This can include bridges, roads, tunnels, canals and other large constructions. They also work for employers involved in the production, storage and distribution of electricity, gas and water. Opportunities are available with employers both in the UK and overseas.
Most new graduates who enter professional training with a civil engineering company continue to study part-time whilst working to achieve professional standards to become either a Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) Engineer. It’s also possible to study a postgraduate master’s degree in civil engineering, which further develops general skills and knowledge or specialist knowledge in a particular area, such as water management, earthquake engineering, maritime civil engineering and environmental engineering.
Alternative career options
Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Potential roles include:
- Building services engineering
- Geology
- Environmental consultancy
- Quantity surveying
- Logistics
- Operation management
- Patent law and intellectual property
- Teaching
- Research and development
- Procurement, purchasing and buying
- Supply chain management
- Technical sales and consultancy
Professional Recognition
This degree is accredited as:
1) fully satisfying the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and
2) partially satisfying the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). A programme of accredited further learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng.
See www.jbm.org.uk for further information and details of further learning programmes for CEng.
BEng (Hons) graduates can apply for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) professional status after the necessary practice in industry.
You’ll be encouraged to become a student member of the relevant Institution(s) and participate in local and regional activities, enabling you to network with potential employers.
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Partner Organisation Applicants
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering - 22 September 2025
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
Teaching & Assessment
A significant proportion of your study experiences will mirror industry scenarios and conditions. For example, you’ll take on an interdisciplinary group project in your final year, designed to simulate a construction project from inception to completion. Throughout the project, you’ll effectively be a civil engineer, working within a team of other construction specialists.
Civil engineering is a diverse and multi-faceted industry, so we’ve made sure we use a wide range of teaching and learning methods to help you acquire the appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills for success. While you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn directly from tutors and technicians during timetabled classes, practical work and tutorials, you’ll also be expected to allocate significant time to independent and self-directed studies. For example, we recommend you plan and commit to background reading, revisiting practical work, attending lectures and technical reviews provided by professional bodies, preparing for seminars, working on assignments and revising for exams. That said, we’re here to guide and support you, so we’ll gladly help you devise an independent study regime to aid your success.
The course offers site visits, which provide an excellent opportunity to view state-of-the-art projects and see how your newly discovered insights and knowledge can be applied in practice. You'll also benefit from individual and small-group tutorials and group study sessions, where you can share and develop ideas and consolidate your learning.
We assess your individual performance through a strategic blend of practical work, exams, essays, presentations, laboratory write-ups and other assignments. Course assessments are formative and summative. Formative assessments comprise tailored feedback to support your individual learning and development needs. They do not contribute directly to your marks for each module in the way that summative assessments do. However, they do help you build on your strengths, overcome any weaknesses, and contribute to your overall success.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Digital Technologies and Professional Skills
- Sustainable Construction and Materials 1
- Soil Mechanics and Hydraulics
- Geospatial Surveying
- Mathematical Methods for Civil Engineering
- Structural Analysis and Conceptual Design
- Construction Management and Digital Skills
- Transport Engineering and Materials II
- Structural Analysis and Detailed Design
- Hydrology and Environmental Engineering
- Geotechnics and Geo-Mapping
- Research Methods and Professional Practice
- Advanced Structural Analysis and Design
- Dissertation
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Group Project
- Applied Water Engineering
- Advanced Materials Technology and Practice
- Project and Environmental Managememnt
- Advanced Construction Management and BIM
- Advanced Conceptual Design and Structural Planning
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 40% Practical exams 30% Written exams 30% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 35% Practical exams 40% Written exams 25% |
| Level 3 | Coursework 50% Practical exams 25% Written exams 25% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 77% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23% |
| Level 2 | Guided independent study 77% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23% |
| Level 3 | Guided independent study 80% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
