Civil and Environmental Engineering with European Studies

Programme Structure & Content

The MEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering with European Studies is a five-year Honours degree programme fully accredited by the Engineering Institutions. For the first two years you study a common core covering the basic principles of all branches of engineering.

In the later years you specialise, following your chosen discipline in greater depth, including design applications.

You do not need to finalise your choice of specialisation until you begin third year.

In the first year you will study topics such as:

• Engineering Mathematics
• Engineering Science
• Applied Mechanics and Structures
• Electronic and Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Communication
• Design and Practice

Following this, in the second year, the topics covered include:

• Engineering Mathematics
• Materials and Structures
• Electronics and Programmable Systems
• Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics
• Electrical and Mechanical Systems
• Engineering Design and Practice

In your third year, you have the opportunity to study from a range of courses leading to specialisation in Civil and Environmental Engineering with European Studies. The major feature of the fourth year is the undertaking of an individual project in the area of your specialisation. The project occupies half of your study time and can be undertaken in Aberdeen or abroad. The opportunity exists to study a European language to support this study. Formal courses continue to develop your specialist interests.

In fifth year you undertake a group design project in addition to courses in Engineering Analysis and Methods and Engineering and Project Management. The study of Advanced Special Topics further deepens your specialist knowledge.

Teaching & Assessment

The main methods of teaching are lectures, tutorials, laboratory and design classes. You can expect an average of 20 hours of lectures, labs and tutorials per week, which you are expected to supplement with private study. Self-study is vital as it develops the confidence to enable you to tackle unfamiliar problems, an essential skill for the professional engineer. Lectures last fifty minutes and are the main method used to teach the underlying principles of engineering science. Question sheets designed to develop your analytical skills are given out during lectures. These are to be worked on in your private study time, and any problems encountered can be subsequently discussed, as solutions are worked through during tutorials.

Laboratories and design classes are used to develop practical skills such as manufacturing and measurement techniques. They are also valuable for giving practical demonstrations of the concepts covered in the lecture courses.

A number of coursework exercises are carried out each year, aimed at developing and improving communication skills. These include written laboratory reports, dissertations, and presentations. The main method of assessment is examinations in January and May although for many courses pressure is taken off the examinations by use of continuous assessment. Presentations, laboratory reports and other coursework are submitted and marked individually throughout the year.