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Structural Engineering Masters/MSc/Diploma

Start date
September
Duration
1 year full-time, or on a part-time basis over 24-36 months
Course Type
Postgraduate, Continuing professional development, Taught
Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024/25:
£11,340 (UK students)
£29,340 (International students)Further fee information is available.

Our Structural Engineering Masters programme is designed for civil engineering or related graduates looking to specialise as structural engineers, or those seeking to advance their career prospects in the industry, this course will enable you to deal with complex structural engineering issues.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

Decision making at a high level is often demanded by the industry, and here you will learn the techniques and unlock the confidence to use your initiative, communicate conclusions and solutions and tackle often-unpredictable scenarios.

This Masters/MSc/PG diploma postgraduate degree course in Structural Engineering offers the opportunity to widen knowledge in the area of Structural Engineering by including structural engineering practice, wind engineering, structural behaviour (both static and seismic), geotechnical engineering and industrial research topics.

The course has been devised to meet the demands of both the UK and overseas engineering and construction industries. It offers advanced training to engineers aspiring to higher or middle management in public and private sector management. This opens up a wide range of career opportunities, as many of the techniques are applicable both within and outside the civil engineering design and construction industry.

You can transfer from the Postgraduate Diploma to the MSc programme, upon completion of the Diploma, provided you satisfy the MSc requirements.

  • Masters degree/MSc: 12 months full-time, 24-36 months part-time
  • Postgraduate Diploma: 10 months full-time, 24-36 months part-time

Why study Structural Engineering Masters at Birmingham? 

  • Study in our new state-of-the-art School of Engineering building which includes a 179-capacity Design Centre and 160 drop-in study spaces throughout the building providing flexible learning.
  • Postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham is a chance to learn from world leaders in their fields. This guarantees you a first-class learning experience, leading to a qualification that is respected the world over, making you an attractive prospect in a very competitive job market. We offer a stimulating, thriving research environment, and offer a warm welcome to postgraduate students seeking to contribute to our work.
  • Discover how civil engineering, in all its aspects, is a cornerstone of both the development and sustainability of civilisations
  • Benefit from our broad range of academic staff and research skills, giving you the opportunity to study subjects that lie between the traditional disciplines or which focus in depth on a particular field
  • Research at Birmingham places a strong emphasis on tackling the problems faced by society today, and many of our projects have already made a significant impact on society
  • The School has a long tradition of distinguished research that benefits from being funded by industry, charities and research councils, encouraging innovative thinking and creating internationally recognised results
  • Alumni from our MSc programmes are found in nearly every country around the world, and we are held in high regard by the engineering community

Accredited degree

This degree programme is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Institute of Highway Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Permanent Way Institution on behalf of the Engineering Council, as meeting the academic requirement for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Modules

This course consists of 180 credits. This comprises a 60-credit individual research project plus 120 credits in taught learning.

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

Annual Tuition fees 2024/25

UK students

  • MSc full-time: £11,340
  • MSc part-time: £5,670 (year 1)

International students

  • MSc full-time: £29,340

Are you an international applicant?

All international applicants to this course will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of £2,000 on receipt of an offer, to secure their place.

Find out more about the deposit >>.

 

Postgraduate Loans (PGL) for Masters students

UK and EU students (with settled or pre-settled status) looking to pursue a Masters programme in the UK can apply for a non-means-tested loan from the British government via the Student Loans Company (SLC).

The loan will be paid directly to you, into a UK bank account. It is intended to provide a contribution towards the costs of Masters study and whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs is at your own discretion.

Learn more about applying for PGL 

 

Scholarships

We offer a range of postgraduate scholarships for taught programmes and research opportunities to ensure the very best talent is nurtured and supported at postgraduate level.

University scholarships

Birmingham Masters Scholarship

Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £2,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants from UK or Ireland undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2024-2025.

Global Masters Scholarship

This £2,000 Gloabl Masters Scholarship award is available to all international students from a selection of countries who are seeking to study a taught Masters degree at Birmingham in the 2024-25 academic year.

 

How To Apply

International applicants requiring visas

Applications to this programme from students who are international for fees will close 7 May 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

UK and non-Tier 4 applicants

Applications will close 31 August 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree in Civil Engineering or a relevant non-engineering subject; industrial experience and CEng/IEng qualifications will also be taken into account. Learn more about entry requirements. 

International Requirements



International Students

English language

For students whose first language is not English, one of the following English language qualifications is required:

 
  • IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band
  • TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: PTE Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced – minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Learning is delivered via lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, coursework, group project work and site visits, to give you a fundamental understanding of the social, economic, resource management and legal frameworks within which civil engineering projects take place.

The taught element takes place between September and May. It is possible to study full-time or part-time, as modules are delivered in intensive week-long blocks. This means that students can combine work and study, attending university for these weeks only. A student's performance is assessed by written examinations and individual coursework. 

We have extensive laboratories and facilities both on and off our campus for undertaking research in geotechnical engineering, water engineering, wind engineering and structural engineering. 

The research project report is submitted and presented (end of August/early September) for assessment. You must normally reach a satisfactory standard in the written examinations to be permitted to proceed to the individual project.

Graduating from this programme

  • You will be able to deal with complex Structural Engineering issues, making sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and will be able to communicate your conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences. 
  • You will be self-motivating and able to act autonomously and will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, to make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations, and to have the independent learning ability required for the continuing professional development and the civil/structural engineering practice. 
  • You will display a high level of numeracy and display skills in problem solving, research, team working, and communication and information technology, which will equip you for a successful career outside as well as within the construction industry. 
  • Your MSc counts towards achieving Chartered Engineer accreditation.

University Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge.

If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Professional Accreditation

Accredited degree

This degree programme is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Institute of Highway Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Permanent Way Institution on behalf of the Engineering Council, as meeting the academic requirement for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).