Civil Engineering

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Course Overview

Civil Engineering is concerned with the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the built environment. It encompasses minor and major structures, ranging from drainage systems, houses, commercial buildings, roads and bridges to multi-storey buildings and water and wastewater treatment facilities. The work of civil engineers is most visible in the structures in which we live and work, and their contribution is also seen in such transportation systems that we use on a daily basis as subways, motorways, railways, airports and harbours. They are also involved in the design, construction and operation of complex water supply and sanitation systems for our ever-growing cities. In such projects and more generally, they perform a critical public and environmental health function as well.

The Civil Engineering degree programme sets out to develop the scientific, technical, organisational, IT and communication skills needed for a satisfying and rewarding career as a Civil Engineer.

Civil Engineers work in rapidly changing and challanging areas using traditional and new materials and techniques, and increasingly incorporating IT solutions at design and construction stage. You could be involved in schemes from design to management stage through to completion in what are often highly complex projects. Therefore, the profession combines creative skills with an aptitute for mathematics and technical subjects. At the most challenging end of the profession, where the management of large projects is involved, a high degree of administration skills are also required.

If you think you might enjoy developing and constructing bridges, tunnels, roads, railways, major building or other infrastructural projects, you should consider Civil Engineering. The skills you will learn will give you opportunities for work worldwide wherever development is taking place, not least in the fast-growing economies of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Additional Requirements

Course Outline

Year 1

• Engineering Calculus
• Engineering Mathematical Methods
• Engineering Mechanics
• Engineering Chemistry
• Engineering Physics 
• Fundamentals of Engineering
• Engineering Graphics
• Engineering Design
• Engineering Computing

Year 2

• Engineering Calculus
• Engineering Algebra
• Engineering Statistics
• Principles of Building
• Engineering Materials
• Geology for Engineers
• Strength of Materials
• Elementary Hydraulics
• Plus a number of optional courses

Year 3

• Environmental Engineering
• Engineering Hydraulics
• Elementary Soil Mechanics
• Highway & Traffic Engineering
• Construction Operations
• Solids and Structures
• Design of Concrete Structures
• Design of Steel Structure

Year 4

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Engineering Hydrology
• Design of Structures
• Structural Analysis
• Coastal Engineering
• Plus a choice from a number of other courses.

Year 5 - Optional

Why should I do a 5^th year to obtain a Masters qualification in Engineering?

A Masters degree qualification (ME) from the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway helps you to distinguish yourself in a competitive job market. It enables you to develop specialist skills you will need to succeed at the highest levels in your chosen field. It is part of an integrated (Bachelors + Masters) 4+1 programme of study, which is accredited by the Engineers Ireland under European Framework Standards. This means that the Master of Engineering degree is recognised internationally to be equivalent to accredited engineering degree programmes in many other countries (for example ABET accredited Engineering Degree programs in the United States). These 5 year qualification satisfies the requirements to allow you to apply for a Chartered Engineer title, which is a badge of excellence for the Engineering profession that is awarded for knowledge and competence. Thus with a 5 year Masters Degree in Engineering from NUI Galway, you will be able to have your qualification recognised if you want to secure high value employment in many of the world's leading Engineering/Technology companies.

Follow chosen course of Engineering to Masters level.

The ME in Civil Engineering, which is a broad design-focussed programme, has three primary elements: (i) advanced core modules in Civil Engineering, (ii) modules on transferrable skills/professional development and (iii) an individual capstone research project. The taught modules amount to 40 ECTS and these will be examined at the end of semester examinations in December and April/May and/or through continuous assessment assignments. The 20 ECTS individual project will run throughout the year with a submission date at the end of May. Projects will be available across all branches of Civil Engineering and each student will work with an individual supervisor. Equally, a student is welcome to propose a project of his/her own.

Details for Masters level can be found here.

Core Civil Engineering 5 ECTS modules will include:

• AY872 Financial Management 1
• CE509 Advanced Structures
• CE511 Computational Methods in Civil Engineering
• CE514 Transportation Systems and Infrastructure
• CE6103 Design of Sustainable Environmental Systems II
• CE6106 Hydrological Modelling
• CE6108 Hydrology & Water Resources Engineering
• IE446 Project Management
• IE450 Lean Systems
• ME3104 Introduction to Regulatory Affairs (online module)
• ME432 Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• ME521 Research Methods for Engineers
• ME572 Human Reliability

Details for Year 5 modules can be found here.

Further Education

Upon completion of the undergraduate degree, suitably qualified students have the option to enrol and continue their studies to Masters or PhD level.

Students can advance to Master’s level (ME) through our one year taught Masters programme (September-June) that builds on the successful completion of their undergraduate programme, subject to a sufficient standard (2nd Class Honours minimum). This programme is an integrated follow-on to the BE programme and is designed to meet Engineers Ireland’s criterion for Level 9 degrees, providing graduates with a route to Chartered Engineer status that will be recognised worldwide.

Master’s degree education is becoming increasingly the norm internationally in Engineering, and this programme strengthens the ability of our graduates to compete nationally and internationally at the highest level for employment in industry and other sectors of the economy.

In our PhD programme, students develop innovative state-of the-art solutions to current problems in civil engineering. Students will specialise in one of the discipline’s areas of research, working with a high degree of independence and becoming experts on their chosen topic. This work is usually presented at international conferences and published in journals.

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Career Opportunities

Who’s Suited to This Course

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Course Fees

Fees: EU

Fees: Tuition

Fees: Student Contribution

Fees: Student levy

Fees: Non EU

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