MEng, BEng Civil and Structural Engineering

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Engineering)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:

• understand and demonstrate coherent and detailed subject knowledge and professional competencies some of which will be informed by recent research/scholarship in the discipline;
• deploy accurately standard techniques of analysis and enquiry within the discipline;
• demonstrate a conceptual understanding which enables the development and sustaining of an argument;
• describe and comment on particular aspects of recent research and/or scholarship;
• appreciate the uncertainty, ambiguity and limitations of knowledge in the discipline;
• make appropriate use of scholarly reviews and primary sources;
• apply their knowledge and understanding in order to initiate and carry out an extended piece of work or project;
• conform to professional boundaries and norms where applicable;

Students will have:
Knowledge and Understanding of:
- mathematics, science and engineering principles on the field of structures, geotechnics, fluids, materials and design;
- properties, behaviour and use of relevant materials;
- management techniques which may be used to achieve engineering objectives within that context;
- the role of codes of practice and regularity framework in design and practice;
- principles and implementation of design techniques specific to civil engineering;
- mathematical and computer models relevant to the engineering discipline, and an appreciation of their limitations;
- the role of the professional engineer in society, including health, safety, environmental, sustainability and ethical issues and risk assessment;
- the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles;
- developing technologies related to own specialism (an awareness of);
- the framework of relevant requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk issues (an awareness of).

Ability to:
- demonstrate competence in identifying, defining and solving engineering problems;
- apply appropriate mathematical and computer-cased methods for modelling and analysing engineering problems and appreciate their limitations;
- extract data pertinent to problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools where appropriate;
- evaluate and integrate information and processes in project work;
- understand the use of technical literature and other information sources;
- realise that current research or equivalent scholarship may be relevant in design problem solving;
- comprehend the broad picture and thus work with an appropriate level of detail;
- use creativity to establish innovative solutions.

The Practical Skills to:
- use laboratory and field equipment competently and safely;
- observe record, process and analyse data from the laboratory and field;
- use computational tools and packages to optimise design solutions;
- prepare technical reports and give technical presentations to communicate information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
- prepare technical drawings, both manually and using CAD.

The Key Skills to:
- communicate effectively using written, oral and graphical skills and to be able to sustain arguments;
- use mathematical skills appropriate to an engineer;
- work independently and be capable of self-learning;
- work in a team environment;
- manage workloads and time effectively;
- work with limited or contradictory information and have an appreciation on the limits of knowledge;
- monitor, plan and reflect upon personal, educational and career development (Personal Development Planning).

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

• the transferable/key/generic skills necessary for employment related to the area(s) studied;
• skills necessary for the exercising of initiative and personal responsibility;
• decision making skills in complex and unpredictable situations;
• skills necessary for the communication of information, ideas, problems and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences;
• skills facilitating the ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature;

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

• demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline;
• work that draws on a wide variety of material;
• the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
• demonstrating a broad knowledge base.
• evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline;
• work that is typically both evaluative and creative;

If desired, students may exit the programme at the end of this level and, depending upon achievement, be awarded with a BEng (Hons) Civil and Structural Engineering.