MSc Structural Engineering
Factfile
| Typical Entry Requirements | A good honours degree in civil engineering or equivalent. Alternatively, at least five years’ experience or a professional qualification. Overseas students for whom English is not their first language must have an IELTS score of at least 6.5. |
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| Programme length | 12 months full-time, up to 72 months part-time or distance learning |
| Planned intake | Unlimited |
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| Start date | October, February |
| Fees | Fees for this programme can be found on our fee rates 2010/2011 page. |
| Funding | Overseas students should contact the British Council in their home country for available funding. |
| Professional recognition | All civil engineering programmes have recently been periodically reviewed and are validated by the University until 2014. The programmes are currently accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers as further learning for the meeting educational base for CEng. |
| Teaching hours | Each module corresponds to 150 hours of work, which includes 30 hours of lectures in the case of contact students. |
| Download course brochure |
Bridge Engineering, Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering - Postgraduate Programmes 2010 |
| Contact details |
For general enquiriesT: 0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681681 For admissions enquiries
T: +44 (0)1483 689538 |
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| Apply online now |
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Our Structural Engineering postgraduate programme is organised and delivered by the Faculty’s own staff, as well as practising engineers from consultancies and local authorities.
Graduate students should find the programme of substantial benefit in developing the knowledge and skills acquired in their undergraduate programme, particularly developing advanced capabilities in the areas of analysis and design in specialised aspects of structural engineering that are in demand in the industry.
For practising engineers engaged in the planning, design and construction of structural engineering works, the programme provides an opportunity to update their knowledge of current design practice and to familiarise themselves with developments in codes and methods of analysis.
You will be able to choose from a rich and varied selection of specialist structural engineering subjects. Apart from the usual full-time mode, there are also part-time options. The programme may also be studied by distance learning.
Module Overview
There are over 30 modules available, each worth 15 credits, covering the general areas of bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, water engineering, transport planning and construction management.
Modules Include:
Steel Building Design
Important characteristics of structural steelwork; limit state design of tension, compression, beam and beam-column members; principles of plastic design; analysis and design of single and multi-bay industrial buildings; portal frame stability, sway, snap-through and deflection calculations; analysis and design of welded and bolted connections; design of cold-formed steel elements.
Concrete Building Design
Code requirements for fire safety, robustness, stability and durability; design for flexure, shear, torsion, deflection and crack control in beams and flat slabs; design of short and slender columns; design of foundation rafts and/or piles; structural forms and layout of low- and high-rise reinforced concrete buildings; braced and unbraced frames; analysis of shear walls, cores and tube structures; load combination and moment redistribution.
Space Structures
Description of the main types of space structures, including grids, domes, towers, radar dishes, membrane structures and cable systems; notable space structures; methods of analysis applicable to space structures; computer-aided analysis of space structures, techniques for efficient generation of data, graphical presentation of results; formex configuration processing; polyhedral and geodesic forms, tensegrity systems, retractable structures; use of material, loading, safety, cladding and foundations.
Design of Masonry Structures
Introduction to masonry construction; use of Eurocode 6 and the Construction Products Directive; design for vertical, lateral, combined and concentrated loads; reinforced masonry; design of diaphragm and basement walls.
Structural Safety and Reliability
Theory and application of reliability concepts; component and system reliability methods; application in code calibration and design optimisation; risk-based re-assessment, inspection and maintenance optimisation; whole-life planning of structures and optimum strategy optimisation; application case studies (for example, on bridges and offshore structures); benefits from the application of these techniques.
Earthquake Engineering
Geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering; dynamic analysis of SDOF systems under free and forced vibrations; analysis of generalised SDOF systems; time domain dynamic analysis and earthquake spectra; modal analysis; general earthquake design concepts; general EC8 requirements; design of steel buildings according to EC8; design of steel members according to EC8 and EC3.
Advanced Composites for Civil Engineering (delivered as intensive short course)
Mechanics and modelling; rehabilitation of civil engineering structures; new construction; durability and structural health monitoring; case studies, demonstration and laboratory sessions.
Structural Mechanics and Finite Elements
This module is currently under review to become two separate modules.
Programme Structure
The modular arrangement is intended to tailor the programme to individual students’ needs and provide maximum flexibility in terms of attendance of full-time and part-time students.
The majority of modules run for ten weeks and comprise approximately 30 hours (three hours per week) of class time and 120 hours of self-study and assignments.
Successful completion of four modules is required for a student to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, eight modules for a Postgraduate Diploma. Eight modules and a dissertation are required for the award of an MSc.
Individual modules can be used to contribute towards a continuing professional development programme.
Mode of Study
Apart from the usual full-time mode, there are also part-time options. The majority of bridge, geotechnical and structural engineering modules can be studied by distance learning through the use of an interactive web-based e-learning platform (ULearn).
Four modules (two in Semester 1 and two in Semester 2) in construction management are provided by Kingston University. Students taking these modules will have to make their own arrangements for travelling to and from Kingston University. We also plan to offer some construction management modules by distance learning in the near future.
Civil Engineering Module Groups
This programme is part of a group of three MSc programmes which share module options: Bridge Engineering, Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering. The modules fall under six streams of study:
Bridge Engineering Modules
- Bridge Management
- Bridge Deck Loading and Analysis
- Durability of Bridges and Structures
- Pre-stressed Concrete Bridge Design
- Steel and Composite Bridge Design
- Long Span Bridges
Structural Engineering Modules
- Steel Building Design
- Space Structures
- Structural Mechanics and Finite Elements
- Concrete Building Design
- Structural Safety and Reliability
- Earthquake Engineering
- Design of Masonry Structures
- Advanced Composites for Civil Engineering
Construction Management Modules
- Conditions of Contract
- Estimating, Purchasing and Cost Control
- Construction Organisation
- Project and Risk Management
Geotechnical Engineering Modules
- Environmental Geotechnics
- Soil–Structure Interaction
Water Engineering Modules*
- Environmental Health
- Water Treatment
- Wastewater Treatment and Sewerage
- Applied Chemistry and Microbiology (Intensive)
- Pollution Control and Waste Management
- Groundwater Control
- Regulation and Management
- Water Resources Management and Hydraulic Modelling
* Currently under review.
* Students must meet prerequisites for some of these modules to be able to take them.
Transport Planning and Practice
- Transport Policy
- Transport Strategies and Interventions
- Developing Transport Solutions
- Transport Appraisal Methods
- Design and Analysis of Transport Schemes
- Asset Management and Maintenance
- Transport Modelling
To achieve the MSc Civil Engineering you will need to pass eight modules with at least one being chosen from each of the bridge engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and construction management groups of modules.
To achieve the MSc Bridge Engineering you will need to pass eight modules with at least four being chosen from the bridge engineering group of modules and a further two being chosen from the structural or bridge engineering groups of modules.
To achieve the MSc Structural Engineering you will need to pass eight modules with at least four being chosen from the structural engineering group of modules and a further two being chosen from the structural or bridge engineering groups of modules.
Assessment
Modules are generally assessed by a combination of examinations and continuous assessment. The latter will be based on solutions to tutorial questions, reports covering practical sessions and fieldwork, and essays on a number of suitable topics.
Each module is examined separately. There is a written final examination for most modules including those taught at Kingston (some modules are examined by continuous assessment only) at the end of each semester. The modules and the dissertation have a minimum pass mark of 50 per cent.
Academic Support, Facilities and Equipment
Modules related to the different groups are taught by a total of 19 full- or part-time members of staff as well as over 20 visiting lecturers.
An extensive library, which stocks more than 85,000 printed and e-books and more than 1400 (1100 online) journal titles, all in the broad area of engineering, caters for the students’ studying needs. The library support can be extended further through inter-library loans.
Our excellent testing facilities can support experimentally based MSc dissertation projects.
Tony Thorne has worked in industry with the Severn/ Trent river authority, Norwest Holst, Kottler and Heron, and Preload Limited prior to joining the University of Surrey in 1981 as a researcher. Following a brief period at Wimpey Laboratories, Tony returned in 1984, and since has researched on the use of advanced composite materials in construction. Tony has over 30 conference publications and over 30 refereed journal publications. In recent years this type of work has been carried out by our MSc students on a wide variety of materials such as concrete, FRP and light gauge steels. Where possible, the work related to the MSc dissertation can be carried out in parallel with, and in support of, ongoing research. In the past, several graduates have carried on their MSc research onto a PhD programme.
As part of your learning experience, you will have at your disposal a wide range of relevant software, including ANSYS, ABAQUS, DIANA, SAP 2000, Integer SuperSTRESS, LUSAS, CRISP, PertMaster and DRACULA.
