Civil Engineering with Foundation Year BEng(Hons)

This may be your first introduction to some basic engineering skills. You will gain an appreciation of basic electronics and measurement and have the opportunity to build your skills in practical application of engineering skills through guided investigation and discovery learning. Aspects of computer aided design, civil, mechanical and electrical and electronic engineering are introduced, including digital electronics, computer interfacing, control, design, constructions, manufacture and mechanical testing.

In this module you explore and practice using the necessary mathematical tools and principles required for your first-year studies. You will begin with some basics in arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry these will be followed rapidly by the more advanced areas of sets, matrices, vectors and calculus.

In this module you will begin to understand the physical principles that govern the operation of our world that will underpin your future studies of mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. You will also gain the necessary experimental and analytical skills you will need to progress into your choice of Engineering degree.

You will learn how a number of manufacturing and construction processes are applied for the production of engineered products and structures. You will benefit from deeper appreciation of some of the processes through the use of hand tools, general engineering workshop tools, metal joining equipment, measuring and diagnostic equipment, basic circuit design and build of PCBs where you will develop some basic skills. You will learn fundamental electrical engineering concepts and apply them practically in measurement and sensing systems. You will cover conceptual models of diagnostic processes and support this learning through practical challenges in the effective use of measuring and diagnostic equipment.

This module provides you with an appreciation of the broad role of the engineer and technologist in society, including responsibilities, ethical behaviour, and contribution to the business team. It will introduce you to the personal skills required to succeed as both students and professional engineers and in addition, it aims to give you a foundation in basic programming. Engineers from all areas are required to have practical programming skills to support and develop their professional activities, throughout their career; this module aims to provide you with the foundation for this development. The module integrates the development of personal and professional skills alongside a solid grounding in the appreciation and practice of programming. Skills related to study techniques; communication skills (including report writing and oral presentations), problem solving, research, and working to objectives are developed, in both individual and team working situations. An introduction to Individual Learning Plans (ILP) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is provided, CV preparation and planning for your career are developed.

The module will provide you with the opportunity to become competent in the skill of technical illustration using both 2D and 3D CAD. Combined with the ability to select appropriate engineering materials for an engineering component and a design of a simple engineering structure or artefact you will acquire the necessary skills to apply in a design process. As part of the learning activities, you will undertake a series of integrated graded exercises which will allow you to express your ideas graphically to other engineers through the medium of CAD. Basic engineering structures/artefacts will allow you to consolidate your understanding of the role of construction, assembly and detail manufacturing drawings. Through the carefully constructed assignments the module introduces you to the concepts of computer assistance for engineers and teaches the basic skills of 2D draughting and 3D modelling with CAD packages.

In this key first year module you will gain fundamental knowledge and practical techniques in Engineering Mathematics to deal with analytical modules in the subsequent years of your course. Amongst the subjects you will study will be: functions, linear mathematics, calculus and numerical techniques to solve real world engineering problems.

An ever-increasing number of electrical and mechanical systems are finding their way into our daily lives. Mechatronic systems combine mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. This module provides you with the knowledge to select electrical and electronic devices as driving elements and measuring instruments for electromechanical systems. You will be introduced to electric systems and electronic measurement methods and learn techniques for capturing the data obtained by electronic measuring instruments, particularly in computer-based data acquisition.

This module will provide you with an introduction to the materials and soil mechanics encountered in Civil Engineering and general construction. You will develop an understanding of the implications of soil properties, for example, the ground conditions, the identification, description and identification of granular and cohesive soils. You will look at site and ground investigation, ground stress, effective stress and you will be introduced to groundwater and geosynthetic materials. You will also be introduced to the properties of materials and their structures, construction materials (including manufacturing processes, properties, structure and lifecycle durability), ceramics & glasses, iron & steel, polymers and special steels.

Almost every construction project interacts with the Earth – it has foundations, it involves excavations or embankments, the retaining of soil or rock behind a wall, tunnelling or other underground activities. It is therefore vital for Civil Engineers and construction professionals to have an understanding of the Earth’s materials, their properties, and behaviour, as well as an understanding of different types of geotechnical engineering structures involved in construction projects. This module provides you with an introduction to the key disciplines of engineering geology and geotechnics, helping you to understand the considerations necessary for the safe and sustainable design of geotechnical engineering structures and their implementation on construction sites. You will learn a range of core skills through case study driven lectures and applied seminars where you will gain first-hand experience of identifying, characterising, and mapping geomaterials for engineering applications.

This module allows you to learn from the work environment about practices within the construction industry. One of the attractions of construction is that every project poses unique challenges, so underlying engineering and management fundamentals need to be understood but applied appropriately to meet requirements. The module is designed to build upon your appreciation of the construction industry and the roles and responsibilities that you may undertake as you progress in your career. To introduce and develop your understanding of the principles and procedures of engineering surveying within the context of the construction industry. This module will provide you with experience and develop your skills in the use of standard surveying instrumentation together with associated field and office procedures for the preparation of site plans, setting out and control of construction works and the measurement of existing buildings. You will also use simulated work situations to help develop of keys skills.

The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and understanding, already gained in previous academic year, of how structural elements and assemblies behave and can be analysed. You will be introduced to the fundamental principles of solid mechanics (statics), including simple structural systems (e.g. continuous beams and trusses). Statics is concerned with bodies that are either at rest or move with a constant speed in a fixed direction and is of great importance for a Civil Engineer. You will study factors such as normal and shear stresses, strain, elasticity, and strength. In addition, methods of evaluating the internal forces (shear force, axial force and bending moments) in structural analysis will also be explained.

This module aims to prepare you for employment as a structural engineer by developing your understanding and knowledge of design of structures and constructions materials (reinforced concrete, steel and timber), and to develop your ability to calculate these structures to the appropriate standards and codes, introducing the concept of structural safety, of global stability, characteristic strength, actions on structures and buckling. A wide range of examples are used to develop your creativity and the skills and understanding required to produce safe, effective, economical and sustainable designs. Throughout the module, you will respond to a client brief to complete the design of a structure, acquiring key skills to support you in your future professional practice. You will have access to structural analysis software to practice and explore structural design problems in seminars, receiving feedback on your success from your module tutors.

This module focuses upon pre-construction aspects of construction engineering projects. This includes the planning of work prior to execution, and considers how such plans are formulated and communicated to stakeholders. Management of construction engineering projects is explored through the use of traditional and contemporary methods and the potential benefits of newer technology and working practices are evaluated. This learning will equip you with knowledge and skills highly valued by employers that will enable you to help deliver effective construction engineering projects in future practice.

You will be introduced to the application of the principles of soil mechanics to the analysis and design of earth slopes, foundations and retaining structures. You will gain a body of knowledge to allow you to specify, design, evaluate and make decisions in geotechnical problems using contemporary principles and concepts, including the standards, and codes used in industry. You will also gain experience in dealing with the uncertainty arising from the difficulty of characterizing conditions below the ground based on limited data and on how design and health and safety risks arising from this uncertainty can be managed. Almost all civil engineering problems involve some geotechnical engineering; for example all structures have foundations, whilst all railways and highways make use of embankments and cuttings constructed from earth. An understanding of design in this area is therefore important for a civil engineering graduates and will contribute significantly to your employability in the industry.

In this module, you will acquire fundamental knowledge of finite element analysis and modelling methods and how to apply this knowledge to the solution of civil engineering structural problems. The arguments and contents include finite element theory, analysis of beams and trusses, columns, assemblages of these structural elements, and structural safety. Also elastic analysis, problems of plane strain, plane stress use, testing and validation of finite element software packages and extensions to apply this knowledge to problems encountered in civil engineering practice. You will have an insight into the principles at the basis of the FE elements available in commercial FE software, knowledge of element types, knowledge of the use of finite element methods for solving problems in civil engineering applications.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to study and investigate a specific engineering topic in-depth. The aim of this module is give you the skills and experience to carry out an engineering project and introduce you to the process that would typically take place in a professional engineering environment. You will undertake and execute a project on a topic appropriate to your study pathway. You will be allocated a project supervisor(s) who will direct you through the process of project planning, undertaking background research and carrying out the technical aspects of the project to a satisfactory conclusion. Your project will be an in-depth study of an engineering problem and may be either academic or industry-based. You will have the opportunity to either select a project defined by a tutor, or to propose your own project idea. The project work will extend your knowledge and capabilities in the specific field associated with the project topic and allow you to demonstrate your initiative, commitment, and engineering capability to a professional standard.