Program Overview

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HNC Civil Engineering (Higher National Certificate)

About your course

Completing the HNC Civil Engineering at Liverpool John Moores University is the first step towards an exciting and interesting career in civil engineering, with progression routes onto BEng/MEng degrees.

Teaching on the course is via a combination of lectures, laboratory work, tutorials, workshops, practical sessions and site visits, combined with your own research using our Library and the Web.

While there is no sandwich option with this programme, it is highly related to the work environment and you will develop the necessary skills base required by industry.

You will be assigned a personal tutor who can provide one-to-one guidance and advice on course-related issues and PDP.

Our Industry Unit and World of Work Careers Centre can help you identify and secure professional employment.

Opportunity to progress onto a number of related degree courses within engineering.

LJMU ranked 16th in the UK for construction, surveying and planning courses (The Guardian Best UK Universities 2025).

If you are interested in creating the structures that support life's basic needs for water, flood control, hospitals, recreation and transport, the Civil Engineering HNC at LJMU is a good place to start.

Civil Engineers design, plan and manage civil and environmental projects from concept to realisation, considering structural problems and aesthetics as well as the environmental and economic impacts.

They need to be competent technically, practical in outlook and capable of giving professional advice on a variety of subjects ranging from design to construction and site management.

Course modules

What you will study on this degree

Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations.

Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice.

Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.

Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.

Year 1

Core modules

• Design Principles (20 credits)
  • This module provides you with a fundamental understanding of the design process and engineering choices.
  • It will help you develop the ability to apply, analyse and evaluate the design process with consideration of sustainability (including life cycle), cost, time and quality.
  • It also aims to encourage you to reflect on your level of competency regarding employability skills and identify opportunities for developing these skills.
• Engineering Geology and Soil Mechanics (20 credits)
  • This module provides you with an introduction to the engineering characteristics of geological materials and an understanding of how geological materials are classified.
  • It also aims to provide you with an appreciation of the significance of site investigations, the codes of practice involved, and the various methods of sampling and in-situ testing.
  • It enables you to identify the principles involved in assessing the stability of slopes and the design of foundations and earth retaining structures.
  • It also enables you to identify the effects that seepage and the compressibility of soil can have on structures.
• Hydraulics Group Project (20 credits)
  • This module aims to provide you with an opportunity to develop the skills needed to devise and implement a realistic project scope and scheme of work and to evaluate and present a hydraulics related project as a group.
  • It encourages you to become confident and effective in managing own personal and professional skills.
• Science Materials and Applied Mathematics (20 credits)
  • Through theory and experiment, this module introduces you to the basic scientific principles underpinning engineering calculations.
  • It expands your knowledge of the engineering properties of the most important construction materials based upon scientific principles.
  • It also introduces you to the principles governing the choice and specification of materials including sustainability.
  • Further, it aims to provide you with an opportunity to develop skills in applying statistical and analytical methods to solving engineering problems.
• Site Surveying Procedures (20 credits)
  • This module introduces you to the basic techniques for land surveying and setting out: methods of obtaining field measurements for the purpose of producing site drawings and hence the calculation of land areas and earthwork volumes and setting out points using line-of sight.
  • It also helps to develop an understanding of the use and application of Computer Aided Design in the Built Environment and the development of 2-dimensional drafting techniques and conventions.
• Structural Analysis and Design (20 credits)
  • This module provides you with an opportunity to develop the skills required to analyse statically determinate structures in compliance with current codes of practice and standards and design and detail structural elements.
  • It helps to demonstrate and explore structural behaviour through experimentation.

Your Learning Experience

Teaching Assessment

We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU.

This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies.

Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

We recognise that all students perform differently according to the type of assessment they undertake, so a variety of methods is used.

This includes exams (open and closed book), coursework (projects, technical reports, reviews, etc) and presentations (individual and group).

Your tutors will give prompt and constructive feedback via Canvas (our virtual learning environment), face-to-face or in writing.

This will help you to identify your strengths as well as the areas on which you may need to concentrate.

Career paths

The career prospects for students graduating with an HNC Civil Engineering are excellent; in fact most students find a job before they reach the end of their graduating academic year.

Academic qualifications, supplemented by further learning, provide a sound foundation to a civil engineering career and form your Educational Base.

Skills and knowledge development are essential for you to become professionally qualified - this is known as Initial Professional Development (IPD).

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a life-long activity, starting with IPD and progressing to professional qualifications.

CPD keeps you up-to-date with technological and commercial advances necessary to maintain your professional competence.

Graduates take a range of career paths, normally at Technician status in disciplines ranging from Land Surveying, Project Designers, Trainee Structural Surveyors, Highways Technicians and Analysts.

Those going on to further study gain access to degrees in Civil Engineering, Railway Engineering and Structural Engineering.

Tuition fees and funding

Home

• Full-time per year: £9,535

International

• Full-time per year: £18,250

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

• Grades/points required from qualifications: CDD (80)

Work out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth by visiting the UCAS Tariff Calculator.

GCSEs and equivalents

• Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/ Numeracy.

A levels

• CDD

BTECs

• MMP

Access awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

International Baccalaureate

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

OCR Cambridge Technical

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Irish awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

T levels

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.

You need to obtain the required UCAS points from a related subject area.

International requirements

• IELTS: 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of the course start date.

How to apply

• UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses.

Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here.