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Engineering, Mathematics and Science
130
Civil, structural and
environmental engineering
Students who wish to study Civil, structural and
environmental engineering apply to the Integrated
engineering degree (TR032). The first two years are
common to all Integrated engineering students and at the
end of the second-year students select Civil, structural and
environmental engineering as their specialist area.
See page 125 for details of the Freshman (first two) years.
What is Civil, structural and
environmental engineering?
Civil, structural and environmental engineering is a very diverse
and broad discipline. It offers graduates the chance to work in
many different areas, including designing transport systems,
looking after the environment, designing foundations for homes
and buildings and designing many kinds of structures. Therefore,
civil engineers are involved in every aspect of our lives. The
skills needed to be a good civil engineer are a mathematical
mind, a logical approach and good problem-solving abilities. In
addition to these skills a civil engineer needs to be imaginative
and inquisitive.
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineers design the systems that provide
us with water for all purposes and the systems that deal with
waste. Environmental engineers also design ways of producing
power from renewable resources and ensure that development
happens in a sustainable way.
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a branch of engineering that might
involve designing a building, a bridge, a stadium, etc. Structural
engineers have to ensure that a building is safe for the area
that it is built in and for the purpose for which it is intended. It
must also be economical and have a minimum impact on the
environment.
Transportation
The planning and monitoring of our various transport systems,
from cycling to high-speed railways, all come under the brief
of the transport engineer. Not only does traffic have to be
controlled; understanding the decisions that travellers make
enables the engineer to influence users to make better choices
for the environment and for each other.
What will you study?
Junior Sophister (third year) modules include:
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Structures
– the design and construction of all types
of structures.
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Surveying
– the science of taking measurements to
determine or establish the relative position of points above,
on, or beneath the surface of the earth.
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Geotechnics
– the study of the properties and behaviour
of the soil.
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Transportation
–the study of the design and maintenance
of sustainable transport systems.
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Materials
– the study of the properties and behaviour
of the materials used in civil engineering.
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Hydraulics
– the study of water movement and flow.
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Geology
– the study of the earth and how this affects
engineering.
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Highway engineering
– the design of road infrastructure.
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Computer-aided design
– the use of computers to create
designs.
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Group design project
– In the past, students have designed
a stadium, a cathedral and an opera house.
A significant amount of teaching takes place in the laboratory,
and the course involves a lot of project work. Students undertake
site visits to civil engineering works and areas of geological
interest nationally and there is also a
one-week technical visit
to an international location.
Recent trips have included visits
to Paris and Barcelona.
In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year you will take nine core civil
engineering modules:
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Management for engineers
n
Environmental engineering 1
– water quality
characteristics, natural processes, process design concepts,
wastewater treatment, air pollution.
n
Hydraulics
– flow of water in circular and non-circular
conduits, pipe network analysis, pump characteristics.
n
Geotechnical engineering
– soil strength and its
determination, slope stability, bearing capacity, earth
pressures and retaining walls.
n
Structures 1
– reinforced concrete design, structural steel:
introduction to plastic theory, limit state design, rigid, semi-
rigid and simple design.
n
Transportation engineering
– transportation engineering,
modelling and systems.
n
Materials
– origin, decay, preservation of stone, mortar and
block; clay and cementitious brick;
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Engineering geology and hydrogeology
– hydrogeology
and groundwater engineering; rock mechanics, including
slope and tunnel stability.
n
Advanced theory and design of structures
– reinforced
concrete, pre-stressed concrete, nonlinear analysis of
structures and design of tall buildings.