Course details

Summary

Civil engineers design, construct, project manage, and commission a wide range of facilities and infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, towers, dams, roads and railways, pipe networks and treatment plants. These facilities provide people with a reliable, safe, sustainable and modern environment to live in.

Electric power depends on civil engineers for the design and construction of dams, canals and transmission towers. Many towns and cities are protected against flooding or the effects of fire and earthquakes by infrastructure designed and constructed by civil engineers.

Civil engineers have responsibility for managing people, equipment, resources, time and money. Communication skills are vital, as all professional engineers need to effectively disseminate complex information to people of diverse backgrounds, by providing detailed engineering reports, presentations and taking part in public hearings and inquiries.

This is a broad field, and students may take courses to focus on a more specific area of civil engineering during their professional years of study to suit their interests.

This endorsed research degree is completed by coursework and a thesis. It aims to provide a research focused learning environment in which students can develop their independent problem solving skills through supervised research.

Study in a number of advanced Engineering courses will provide each student with key technical knowledge to enhance and support their research activities.

The Master of Engineering (ME) includes a thesis of 120 points and up to 45 points of coursework. ME students can complete in 16 months or a maximum of three years full-time. For part-time study the duration can vary between 30 months to four years.

Courses

100-level courses

The first year of the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is called the Engineering Intermediate Year.

The professional years

Once you have completed the Engineering Intermediate Year and successfully applied for entry into Civil Engineering, you will study that discipline within the three professional years.

Further study

Students can study a Doctor of Philosophy in Bioengineering, Chemical and Process Engineering, Civil Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at UC.

Career opportunities

There are excellent career opportunities for civil engineers, with a strong demand for graduates in New Zealand and around the world in a diverse range of fields.

Most new graduates are employed by consultants (who design and manage), contractors (who build and maintain) or central, regional and local government (who develop and manage the infrastructure of countries, cities and communities).

Many civil engineers become experts in a specialised area of civil engineering such as structural, water, geotechnical, transportation, fire or environmental fields.

Some UC civil engineering graduates go on to run their own companies, enter into partnerships, or become researchers for government agencies or business.

Entry criteria

Candidates must normally have completed one of the following:

• Bachelor of Engineering with Honours with first or second class honours
• Bachelor of Science with Honours with first or second class honours, in relevant subjects
• Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering with a GPA of 5 or more.

Students wishing to enrol in postgraduate study must have completed both the academic and non-academic requirements of the prerequisite degree. This includes practical work days, work reports, a workshop training course and a first aid certificate. The programme of study must be approved by the Dean.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.