Overview
FdSc Civil Engineering and Construction Management is a practical, industry-led course. It's suitable for both civil engineering and construction industry professionals and new students interested in building construction and civil engineering. Choose between civil engineering or construction management routes and, upon successful completion, progress to obtain a BSc degree in either field.
- 1st in London Rankings: Civil Engineering courses ranked 1st in London for "Student Voice" and "Assessment and Feedback" (NSS 2023).
- Practical Exposure: Unique weekly construction site visits to major projects in London. Providing hands-on experience, preparing you for civil engineering and construction jobs.
- Engage in national-level competitions with Engineers Without Borders. Showcase your commitment to sustainable surveying practices and prepare for a career in civil engineering and construction.
This course is in Clearing
Our LLM course is a top choice
UEL’s LLM programme has been recognised as a top choice in the latest PTES survey, achieving 1st place rankings for satisfaction, teaching and more.
What makes this course different

Exceptional links with employers
Links with construction employers such as Atkins, Thames Water, P.J.Careys, L&Q, and Morgan Sindall through our Industrial Liaison Board. These connections can help you secure work placements.

Weekly construction site visits
We're one of only a few universities in the country who offer a programme of weekly construction site visits to major construction projects in London.

Engineers Without Borders
Competing at the national level (e.g. Engineers Without Borders) . At Engineers Without Borders, our students are committed to operating in the most sustainable and globally responsible ways.
Accreditation

Joint Board of Moderators (JBM)
This qualification is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Institute of Highway Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Permanent Way Institution on behalf of the Engineering Council as fully satisfying the educational base for an Engineering Technician (EngTech).
JBM accreditationCourse modules
The construction and civil engineering sector needs people with the knowledge, practical skills and personal qualities to make a difference where it counts - on-site, working with other professionals. In this highly practical course, you'll learn about the nature and environment of the construction industry as well as the regulatory framework around health and safety, planning, procurement and contracts. You'll explore the importance of sustainable design and the factors that influence the efficient management of a construction project in terms of time, cost and quality.
Key areas you will study include the planning and financing of construction projects, required contract law, and of course health and safety knowledge - both for yourself and others. Time planning and logistics, cost control and management, and quality control are vital skills for a construction manager, and they are skills we will help you to gain through problem-solving, digital collaborative working as well as traditional teamwork activities. In practical terms, you'll learn tools and techniques that will help you succeed in your civil engineering and construction career, including the use of industry-standard software such as AutoCAD and Microsoft Project. We'll prepare you to achieve the Construction Safety Certification Scheme (CSCS). We'll help you to secure a competitive work placement during the final year of the course, so you can see how your learning relates to industry practice.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Your future career
With this qualification, you could choose to focus on a specialist sector such as house-building, education, health, commercial and retail, waste management, manufacturing or infrastructure. Whatever your particular interest, we'll put you on the right track with our industry links, practical training and supportive teaching style. After that, it's up to you.
Industry links
Each year we're visited by around 20 local industry professionals (including Atkins, Thames Water, P.J Carey's, L&Q and Morgan Sindall) - known as the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) – who update us on the changing requirements for graduates. They also supervise final-year projects, when they'll be looking out for likely candidates to recruit for suitable construction or civil engineering jobs.
Graduate employers
In recent years, many of our students have been offered full-time jobs in the company where they undertook a work placement as part of the course. Among the list of prestigious projects that our students have worked on are the Shard, King's Cross Station Western Passenger Hall and the Crossrail Connaught Tunnel refurbishment.
Job roles
As a construction manager, you may be responsible for logistics, plant, materials and people.
As a trainee engineer, you'll be designing the structural frame of a building or setting out its position ready to be built.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.
Further study
With this foundation year course, you will be ready to move on to a full construction or civil engineering degree.

The University of East London is an excellent choice for students looking for a diverse and inclusive educational experience. Its focus on practical skills, combined with a supportive community of students and staff prepares graduates to succeed in their careers and make a positive impact on the world."Mugdad Alkhateeb
Lecturer in Construction Engineering Management
How you'll learn
When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Guided independent study
This is a practical course for a practical profession, so if you're on the full-time course you'll have regular construction site visits to put the theory you learn into practice. East London is one of the biggest regeneration areas in Western Europe, and you'll have access to prestigious projects such as the Canary Wharf Crossrail Station - right on your doorstep.
You'll be encouraged to take part in group work to mirror real-life working practices and you'll benefit from using our purpose-built labs with industry-standard hardware and software and modern surveying equipment.
Academic support
As well as lab-based, practical work, you'll learn through formal lectures, tutorials and workshops, including talks from leading companies and industrialists in civil engineering and construction. We also provide programme notes and digital resources to support independent study in construction and civil engineering.
As one of our students, you'll be offered the chance to take part in a week-long residential 'Constructionarium' project at the National CITB Training Centre in Norfolk, where you'll work alongside contractors and design engineers.
Each year we're visited by around 20 local industry professionals - known as the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) – who update us on the changing requirements for graduates. They also supervise final-year projects, when they'll be looking out for likely candidates to recruit for civil engineering and construction jobs.
Dedicated personal tutor
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, academic tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help you achieve your potential in your construction and civil engineering course.
You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs feature centralised helpdesks.
UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).
Workload
TBD
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible.
Class sizes
The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.
How you'll be assessed
Assessment tasks are mainly spread across the year to make the workload manageable. Assessment methods include group work, exams and individual work including essays, presentations, case studies, professional development and practical activities depending on the nature of the course. All grades count towards your module mark. More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides. You will always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.
Campus and facilities
Our campus and the surrounding area
Our waterfront campus in the historic Royal Docks provides a modern, well-equipped learning environment.
Join us and you'll be able to make the most of our facilities including contemporary lecture theatres and seminar rooms, art studios and exhibition spaces, audio and visual labs and a multimedia production centre.
Features include our 24/7 Docklands library, our £21m SportsDock centre, a campus shop and bookstore, the Children's Garden Nursery, cafés, eateries, a late bar, plus Student Union facilities, including a student lounge.
The University of East London is one of the few London universities to provide on-campus accommodation. Our Docklands Campus Student Village houses close to 1,200 students from around the world. We are well connected to central London and London City Airport is just across the water. We also run a free bus service that connects Docklands with Stratford campuses.
Who teaches this course
This course is delivered by the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
- Course leader
Sohrab Donyavi
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Mike Hurst
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Seoung Wook Whang
School of Architecture Computing and Engineering, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Julius Akotia
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Andrew Arewa
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Richard Latham
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering
What our staff and students say

After years of working as a painter-decorator, I decided to study an FdSc in Civil Engineering and Construction Management and then top up to a BSc (Hons) Construction Management degree.
Surrounded by extraordinary lecturers, I managed to achieve my goals. Within weeks of graduating, I was able to find a job as an engineer on a grand scale project."
Vlad Volonga
Construction Management, BSc (Hons)

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