Structural Engineering PGDip

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Start date

Postgraduate Diploma

Structural Engineering PGDip, home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant
  • Full time, 1 year
  • Pound 7120 per year

Structural Engineering PGDip, home applicant, part time

  • Home Applicant
  • Part time
  • Pound 1780 per 30 credit module

Structural Engineering PGDip, international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 1 year
  • Pound 11160 per year

What makes this course different

Ranked 3rd

Our Civil Engineering courses are ranked third in London (Guardian University Guide league table 2018).

Employment opportunities

Job opportunities for structural engineers are rising and our students have a great record of employment. We have excellent connections with industry and our postgraduate courses are accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM).

Entry route to MSc

This is your entry route to an MSc. Students who might not otherwise have the opportunity can do the PGDip course and then transfer to the MSc once they are ready.

Course modules

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

What we're researching

Our academic staff bring a huge amount of research knowledge to bear on their teaching, so you can be sure that what you study reflects the most up-to-date thinking and practice. Alongside strong academic credentials, many have extensive industrial experience as practising civil engineers.

Their expertise includes coastal and river engineering, structural analysis and design, geotechnical analysis and design, laboratory modelling and computational structural mechanics.

For example, Senior Lecturer Dr Ali Abbas has expertise in Finite Element Analysis of concrete structures. His current area of research involves studying the responses of reinforced concrete structures to seismic and impact conditions, such as earthquakes.

He brings to the department extensive practical experience in the analysis and design of structures, including modelling and experimental work. His work has been widely published in leading journals and at international conferences.

Our Director of Quality and Academic Standards, Dr Martin Marriott, has particular interests in water and environmental management and hydraulics. His internationally respected research projects include coastal and port engineering in developing countries, an analysis of rainfall data from Iran and the rise of sea levels around Bangladesh.

Senior Lecturer Dr Ravindra Jayaratne has worked with academics in the UK, Japan, Canada and Mexico on mechanisms to counter the deadly effects of tsunamis and storm surges, while Senior Lecturer Dr Anca Ciupala is researching how to strengthen earthquake-hit buildings with fibre-reinforced polymer materials.

We're also developing innovative technologies to promote carbon neutrality and eco-efficiency through our Sustainability Research Institute, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Your future career

There is an acknowledged shortage of and growing demand for skilled structural engineers with the right qualifications and experience. We have designed this course to give you a competitive edge when it comes to your career.

As a graduate of our Structural Engineering PGDip course, you can transfer onto the MSc course once you achieve the required threshold average.

Job roles

The course will prepare you for employment in a variety of dynamic consultancy and contracting roles in fields that range from infrastructure projects and geotechnical engineering to highways and transportation.

The skills you will develop while gaining your Diploma will also enhance your career prospects in other related areas such as research and management.

With access to our strong and diverse academic knowledge base and the opportunities to apply that knowledge professionally, we will give you the best possible head start.

Industry links

Our Docklands location also means UEL is uniquely placed for links to industry. Our extensive local contacts include organisations such as Crossrail, Thames Water and the London Borough of Newham.

Our students have an excellent track record of employment and have gone on to work in sectors that include aviation, infrastructure, transport and construction.

Career options

Within the School, we also have a dedicated careers advisory service and an active alumni network able to facilitate contacts with prospective employers.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Docklands Campus accommodation by the water
I benefited a lot from the support I got at UEL. The staff challenged me and helped me think outside the box. I am still in contact and have received great help throughout my career."
Ohis Ilalokhoin

MSc Civil Engineering

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

  • Enterprise and entrepreneurship support 
  • Ranked 2nd for graduate start-ups (2023/24) 
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations 
  • Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment 
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

The programme will provide learners with a stimulating learning environment where they can learn all about structural engineering.

Coursework

Your coursework will include analysis and design projects, research reports, group and seminar presentations and a research dissertation project. You will also attend lectures, seminars and tutorials and you will work individually and in groups.

All modules include coursework, where you will have the chance to apply your knowledge to engineering projects that are based on real-life situations.

Facilities

To support the hands-on nature of our courses we have an impressive range of facilities. Our modern, well-equipped laboratories include a structures laboratory, a soil mechanics laboratory and a hydraulics laboratory. We also have superb computer facilities, and you will be able to plan and design using the latest software.

Feedback and support

Expert feedback and support are always on offer from our dedicated team of academics, all of whom are experts in their respective fields of engineering.

Alongside their impressive academic credentials, many have extensive industrial experience as practising engineers.

Dr Ali Abbas and his team have been involved in research that includes coastal and river engineering, concrete structural analysis and design, water and environmental management, hydraulics and earthquake resistance.

Flexibility

Our postgraduate courses are some of the most flexible around. If you are an engineer employed in the industry, you will find that studying part-time can easily be tailored to suit your personal requirements.

How you'll be assessed

We assess you through a mix of coursework, your research dissertation and examinations.

Campus and facilities