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Civil Engineering with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


32 to 48 UCAS points to include minimum 2 A Levels.

Considered in combination

Pass Access Course Must have GCSE Maths and English at grade C/ 4 or above.

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

Maths and English accepted within

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H5,H5,H5,H5,H5-H5,H5,H5,H6,H6


32 to 48 UCAS points. Maths and English accepted within

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MP

Considered in combination

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

M,M

Considered in combination

32 to 48 UCAS points to include minimum 2 Advanced Highers.

Considered in combination with Advanced Highers

Please contact the institution directly. If accepted we would ask for : Pass (D or E on the core) 72 points or above. Any subjects related to Science/Engineering/Health

UCAS Tariff

32-48

To include minimum 2 A Levels.

Considered in combination

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Other options

5 years | Sandwich including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Civil engineering

Do you want to become a civil engineer but lack the normal entry requirements for one of our honours degrees? Perhaps you've shown evidence of good academic potential but don’t have sufficient qualifications or have been out of formal education for a while. This four-year degree route incorporates a foundation year that is broadly equivalent to mathematics and physics A level and includes a project and introductory engineering topics.

- In the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking we are eighth out of 50, and the highest ranked UK university, for Marine/Ocean Engineering.

- Progress onto the first year of a professionally accredited civil or civil and coastal engineering degree course, guaranteed provided you pass the foundation year at the required level.

- We have an established track record of students progressing from the foundation year to success in their chosen degree course.

- Gain a gentle introduction to mathematics and science, essential for success on our civil engineering courses.

- Benefit from material specifically for civil engineering students including an appropriate project in term two.

- Students in engineering, science and the arts have access to a range of specialist equipment and innovative laboratories in our new engineering and design facility.

- Learn from our professionally qualified teaching staff and researchers. You’ll be taught by some of the same tutors who will teach you later in the degree.

- Our friendly staff operate an open door policy and tutors are more than happy to discuss your work and offer assistance.

- Discussions with your lecturers allow you to make an informed choice about which degree to select towards the end of your first year of study.

- The foundation year is an integral part of the extended degree. Completion of the foundation year will not lead to a separate award or qualification its own right but will provide access to Year 1 of your degree.

Modules

The course comprises four themes: civil engineering, mathematical methods, applied mathematics (mechanics), and physics. You can expect about 15 hours of contact per week and will be studying independently for at least the same amount of time. Your assessment will be in the form of coursework assignments, in-class tests and examinations at the end of each of the two semesters.

Core modules:

* Civil Engineering
* Mathematical Methods
* Applied Mathematics
* Physics

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.

Assessment methods

For up to date details, please refer to our website or contact the institution directly.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Plymouth

Department:

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

79%
Civil engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Civil engineering

Teaching and learning

70%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

86%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

88%
UK students
12%
International students
89%
Male students
11%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
19%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
D
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Civil engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education
91%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

72%
Engineering professionals
6%
Architects, town planners and surveyors
4%
Science, engineering and production technicians

Do you want to be in demand? This might be the degree for you! We are officially short of civil engineers, and so around two thirds of civil engineering graduates start jobs specifically as civil engineers, and starting salaries are well over £25k last year. Demand for civil engineers and related jobs - we're short of all of them - means that good graduates have plenty of options directly related to their degree when they graduate. This is a subject where work experience can be very helpful in getting a job and many students do work for engineering companies while they take their degrees.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Civil engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£30k

£30k

£37k

£37k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Civil Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Same University
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Civil and Coastal Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Lower entry requirements
University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) | Inverness
Energy Engineering
BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 21-24
Nearby University
University of Exeter | Exeter
Civil Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here