MSc Structural Engineering

Program Overview

MSc Structural Engineering

Overview

The MSc in Structural Engineering is designed with the current and future needs of the construction industry in mind. It is intended for graduates who wish to gain advanced engineering skills and stay at the forefront of developments in the structural engineering field.

This is a unique one-year full-time MSc programme focused on industry-relevant skills, with the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge via one of the two curated pathways, ‘Composite Materials and Sustainable Design’ and ‘Asset Management and Digital Transformation’, which are carefully designed to adapt you to the changing requirements of the future structural/civil engineer as highlighted by professional bodies like the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).

You will learn from world-leading experts and benefit from state-of-the-art research facilities, including the Heavy and Light Structures Lab, the Bristol Composites Institute Lab, and the Soil-Foundation-Structure-Interaction Lab.

You will gain advanced skills in construction materials, analysis, and civil infrastructure design with the core units of the MSc programme. With the pathway ‘Composite Materials and Sustainable Design’, you will develop specialist knowledge in new materials like fibre-reinforced polymers, structural retrofitting, and sustainability criteria in the design process. With the pathway ‘Asset Management and Digital Transformation’, you will specialise in asset and data management in civil infrastructure using systems-level thinking and mathematical and sustainability approaches.

You will develop knowledge of practical civil engineering design and learn from invited guest lecturers from industry and academia. Two additional unique features of this MSc programme are (i) a field trip that will enhance your learning in construction procedures and manufacturing workflows and (ii) a summer design project that simulates real-life conditions in an engineering company, working with academic and industrial supervisors to strengthen the skills necessary for a successful career in the industry.

Key Information

• Programme duration: One year full-time.
• Start date: September 2025
• Application deadline:
  • Overseas applicants: 25 July 2025
  • Home applicants: 8 August 2025
• Delivery method: On-Campus
• Location: Clifton
• Awards available: MSc

Programme Structure

The MSc course is a 12-month full-time programme with subject areas relevant to structural/civil engineering and emerging technologies and materials in the profession's future. A strong set of core engineering units will provide a common platform of underpinning skills and knowledge at a postgraduate level in advanced structural analysis, including finite element methodologies and dynamic loadings like earthquakes, and advanced structural materials and design. You will benefit from a series of seminars, as part of the Research and Professional Skills unit, learning the most recent advances in structural engineering from distinguished invited academic and industry experts.

You will select one of the two curated pathways, ‘Composite Materials and Sustainable Design’ or ‘Asset Management and Digital Transformation’, to gain specialisation in ‘new’ materials and sustainable design or in systems thinking approach and digital tools, respectively. Depending on your optional units, you may design and retrofit civil engineering structures like bridges with composite materials, create a project brief and assess solutions against sustainability criteria, debate state-of-the-art digital technologies for the delivery of integrated infrastructure and asset health monitoring, use mathematical modelling towards the achievement of UN sustainable development goals.

As part of your programme, you are also required to attend a field trip within the UK to visit construction and manufacturing sites.

Having successfully completed the taught component, you will develop a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) stage 2 project, working in groups and independently, to be submitted at the end of the academic year.

World-leading Research

• The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education).
• 94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry Requirements

You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Applied Physics
• Architectural Engineering
• Civil/Structural Engineering
• Engineering Design
• Geology
• Information Engineering
• Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering

Other Engineering subjects will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We will also consider other non-Engineering degree subjects if you have at least one of the following:

• Evidence of significant, relevant work experience (minimum three years in one of the following sectors: Construction, Design, Engineering, working for international contractors ie a company that manages the whole process including design and build of projects, or roles in assessment of infrastructure);
• A relevant postgraduate qualification.

If this is the case, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing details of your relevant qualifications.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Fees and Funding

• Home: full-time £15,500 per year
• Overseas: full-time £33,900 per year

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

Alumni Discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.

Funding and Scholarships

Fees for the field trip are included in the postgraduate-taught fees. Fees are subject to an annual review.

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.

Career Prospects

As a graduate of the MSc in Structural Engineering, you will be better equipped to tackle challenging engineering problems with a holistic approach and make a difference within the sector. You can find yourself working for engineering design and construction firms in the UK or worldwide or, alternatively, for non-governmental organisations in the field of sustainability. You will also be equipped with unique skills that will support you in roles in the sector of composites engineering, data management, digitalisation, finance, and decision-making. Graduates may also choose to pursue a career in academia and expand their knowledge in an exciting topic of their interest.

Whatever you choose, you will develop a range of transferable skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, and you will have a number of professional contacts to draw on.