Program Overview

Civil Engineering (with Foundation Year), BEng (Hons)

Attendance

• Full-time

Campus

• Preston Campus

Start

• September 2025

Duration

• 4 years

UCAS Code

• 7M36

Delivery

• In-person

Placement option

Our Civil Engineering Foundation Year course equips you with the skills needed to work with modern engineering technologies.

Course Description

This course will equip you with the foundational principles and concepts of engineering. Your learning will be underpinned by a knowledge and understanding of scientific principles. You'll learn the skills needed to work in the broad area of a civil engineer or specialist. Our graduates have gone onto work as structural, environmental and geotechnical engineers.

Why Study with Us

• This course offers an optional 48-week sandwich placement in industry for full-time students between Year 2 and Year 3.
• This course will equip you with the principles and concepts of engineering, underpinned by a sound knowledge and understanding of scientific principles.
• Work on live projects with our industry partners and advance your project management skills. This will be a huge asset as you progress into more senior roles during your career.

What You'll Do

• Step out on regular field trips to see best practice projects and get hands-on experience of live projects.
• The Engineering Innovation Centre enables you to work on real-world projects with commercial partners in state-of-the-art facilities.
• You'll benefit from speakers from the Institution of Civil Engineering and related institutions - and from workshops delivered by regional and national contributors.

Modules

Foundation Year

• Fundamental Tools for Engineers (ERC015)
• Analytical Studies for Engineers (ERC017)
• Fundamentals of Engineering Practice (ERC018)
• Foundation Mathematics (MAC101)

Year 1

• Civil Engineering Design and Sustainable Practice (BN1401)
• Civil Engineering Structures (BN1402)
• Engineering Geology and Surveying (BN1503)
• Engineering Analysis (ER1004)
• Engineering Practice (ER1005)
• Fundamentals of Engineering Science (S1) (ER1006)

Year 2

• Management and Project Planning (BN2105)
• Structural Elements Design (BN2502)
• Civil Engineering Professional Skills (BN2503)
• Civil Engineering Analysis (BN2504)
• Soil Mechanics (BN2506)
• Hydraulic Engineering and Materials (BN2508)

Year 3

• Project Management & BIM (BN3010)
• Structural Engineering (BN3501)
• Engineering Design Project (BN3504)
• Civil Engineering Dissertation (BN3507)
• Geotechnical and Materials Engineering (BN3511)
• Environmental Engineering and Technologies (BN3512)

Trips and Visits

Field trips and site visits help to bring the theory to life. Previous students have visited Tata Shapfell limestone works, the Low-Level Waste Repository, the Heron Mill hydro project and the Constructionarium.

Academic Expertise

You’ll be taught by research-informed teaching staff working at the top of their profession. You'll also learn from leading industry professionals through optional placements, guest speakers workshops, projects and our annual careers event.

Industry Links

Our civil engineering degree course is taught by experienced, professionally qualified staff. We’ve been teaching courses relating to the built environment for over a century.

Accreditations

• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
• Joint Board of Moderators (JBM)

Future Careers

As a civil engineer you’ll become a part of a dynamic, fast-growing industry with the potential to develop your career across the globe.

Entry Requirements

• UCAS: 64 points at A2
• BTEC Extended Diploma: MPP
• BTEC Diploma: MM
• Pass Access Course: 64 points
• International Baccalaureate Diploma: Pass including 64 points from Higher Level subjects.
• T Level: P (D or E)
• IELTS: grade 6.0 with no component lower than 5.5
• GCSEs: 5 at Grade C /4 including Maths and English or equivalent

Fees and Funding

• UK: £9,535 for the first year
• International: £17,250 for the first year

Scholarships and Bursaries

• Care Leaver Bursary
• Estranged student support
• Dependants Bursary
• Foundation Year Bursary

Learning and Assessment

Modules comprise a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical sessions and independent study.

Independent study is an important aspect of your degree course. The exact combination of study time will be detailed within your module descriptors, and will depend on your options.

We will cover the properties of construction materials and their applications, the properties of fluids and their applications, how engineering structures and systems work, sustainable use of resources on projects, and the design, construction and usage of civil engineering systems.

You will have access to:

• Materials laboratory.
• A series of practical experiments designed to investigate the properties of a variety of materials used in civil engineering.
• Fluid and thermodynamics laboratory.
• Facilities to assess the engineering principles underlying both fluid and thermodynamics.
• CAD suites and large format printing.
• CAD software, in particular 3D design software, requires a higher specification computer which are housed in the CAD suites at the University.
• Access to large-format colour printing.