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Engineering (Civil)

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Three A Levels at BBB with a B in Mathematics and B in Physics; or a B in Design & Technology; or a B in Engineering. GCSE English at a Grade C also required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

Must include Mathematics and Physics at HL (5 or above) and English at Standard level.

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

H2,H2,H2,H3,H3

5 subjects at Higher, with 3 at H2 and 2 at H3 H2 or above in Mathematics and H3 or above in Physics required.

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

DDM

DDM in Mathematics and Physics required. GCSE at C or above in English Language, Mathematics and in either Chemistry or Physics or Dual Award Science.

For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Engineering Systems (120 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 (or equivalent). Contact Selector to discuss exact unit requirements. For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Mechanical Engineering (120 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 (or equivalent). For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Petroleum Engineering (120 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 (or equivalent).

For entry to Year 3: Satisfactory completion of HND Engineering Systems (240 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (or equivalent). Contact Selector to discuss exact unit requirements. For entry to Year 3: Satisfactory completion of HND Mechanical Engineering (240 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (or equivalent). For entry to Year 3: Satisfactory completion of HND Petroleum Engineering (240 SCQF credit points) - A in all Graded Units - Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (or equivalent).

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

Applicants who achieve ABBB or better over S4 and S5 are likely to be made an offer of admission. This may be unconditional or conditional, depending upon academic profile. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers may be required. Note: we do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B at Adv Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher. National 5 in English at grade C or above. Highers in Mathematics and Physics or Engineering Science

UCAS Tariff

114-120

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Civil engineering

Civil engineering is all about our environment. Civil engineers design, build and maintain our roads, railways, airports, dams, hospitals, schools and sports stadiums. They also design water supply systems and flood protection schemes. They keep our infrastructure working effectively and adapt it to meet challenges like population growth or climate change.

Civil Engineering is concerned with creative use of engineering principles and science to shape and improve our lives and our environment. The work of the Civil Engineer centres on sustainable design for the built and natural environment, both onshore and offshore.

If you are interested in making lasting, positive improvements to society, in sustainable design for the protection of the natural environment on land or at sea, in improving the quality of life for millions of people using novel building techniques and materials, then Civil Engineering is the career choice for you.

The interdisciplinary content of our curriculum and focus on practical applications and value to industry and society provide our students with the necessary intellectual and transferrable skills for a career in a number of industries. Our teaching is supported by our excellent workshop and laboratories, with state-of-the-art equipment, including some of Scotland’s very best hydraulic equipment.

The first two years cover general Engineering, with elements of Chemical, Mechanical, Petroleum and Electrical/Electronics, as well as Civil. In the later years you specialise, following your chosen discipline in greater depth. You do not need to finalise your choice of specialisation until you begin third year.

It is possible to move between MEng and BEng and this can be accomplished at any point until the second half session of fourth year. Successful BEng candidates will be offered the chance to change to the MEng and there is no quota, meaning that if grade requirements are met that transfer is guaranteed.

**Ranked 12th UK, 1st in Scotland for General Engineering (Complete University Guide 2022)
Ranked 12th UK, 2nd in Scotland for General Engineering (Guardian 2022)**

Modules

The first two years cover general Engineering, with elements of Chemical, Mechanical, Petroleum and Electrical/Electronics, as well as Civil. In the later years you specialise, following your chosen discipline in greater depth. You do not need to finalise your choice of specialisation until you begin third year.

Assessment methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£24,800
per year
International
£24,800
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

View the University of Aberdeen Online Prospectus programme page to find out about any scholarships and funding you may be able to apply for.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Aberdeen

Department:

School of Engineering

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.

87%
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

56%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
88%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
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

75%
Library resources
73%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
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?

72%
UK students
28%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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.

£26,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

96%
Engineering professionals
4%
Leisure and travel services

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.

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

£38k

£38k

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.

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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):

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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