Civil Engineering with Foundation Year

• Once you have completed your Foundation Year, you will join our BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering course which is accredited and enables you to meet the academic requirements to register as an Incorporated Engineer and puts you on the pathway to Chartered Engineer status
• Choose to spend a year in industry as part of your studies: our students have secured placements with employers ranging from global companies to SMEs
• Translate theory into practice through real life projects, case studies, site visits and fieldtrips
• Learn from civil engineering practitioners who are highly experienced in this field and will inspire you to excel
• Hone your practical skills in our exceptional new STEM Centre at Markeaton Street, including dedicated civil engineering laboratories
• Prepare for exciting career opportunities in civil engineering, including fields such as design, maintenance, asset management and construction

Civil Engineering and Construction - your questions answered

Programme Leader for Civil Engineering, Derek Spalton, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Civil Engineering and Construction at the University of Derby. 

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Build an exciting future

Our BEng (Hons) will enhance your skills in advanced areas of civil engineering theory, particularly relating to structures and infrastructure design.

You will develop a thorough understanding of the process of civil engineering technical design and management. In addition, we will introduce you to key design skills in structures, fluids, geology, soil mechanics, surveying and materials.

You can study this course with or without an industrial year.

Raise your professional profile

Our BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering is accredited by the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, the Permanent Way Institution, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and the Institute of Highway Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council.

This means that, on successfully completing your studies, you will fully satisfy the academic requirements to register as an Incorporated Engineer and partly meet the academic requirements to register as a Chartered Engineer. For further information, visit the Joint Board of Moderators website.

Valuable industry experience

You can choose to spend a year on industry placement to improve your employability. A significant number of employers – from large national and international companies to SMEs – are looking to recruit Civil Engineering placement students each year.

We provide wide-ranging support for students interested in placement and internship opportunities as well as helping them secure graduate roles. For more information, please contact our Careers and Employment Service.

You can also get involved with local projects, for example 'New Commons'. For the last several years we have been working with Down to Earth Derby, on nature-based regeneration and connecting communities with nature and growing food. A major project we are working on at the moment, with the Eden Project, is a community garden on part of Sturgess Fields, a site owned by the University between Kedleston Road and Markeaton Street sites. The plan is to create a New Commons that will be managed with the community. There are opportunities for you to work on this project, designing sustainable buildings and structures.

Going on placement and into graduate roles: Civil Engineering student stories

Joe, Cally and Jacob are three Civil Engineering students that secured placements at Dorset Council, Graham, and Via East Midlands. Here they share their experience of going from practical classes to industry placements - discover why they chose the course, how classroom learning connects to real-world problems, and what's next for them.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

You will learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, on and off campus laboratory and site work, and visits to companies.

How you will be assessed

Assessment includes workshop laboratories, surveying field work, group work and individual assignments. Some traditional exams may be involved for design tests.

When you graduate, you can look forward to wide-ranging career opportunities in civil engineering, including fields such as design, maintenance, asset management and construction.

You could, for example, go on to work for private companies which specialise in contracting or consulting, for local authorities and water companies, or for organisations such as Network Rail and the Highways Agency.

Alternatively you could choose to take your studies to the next level by embarking on a postgraduate course, such as our MSc Civil Engineering and Construction Management.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

*This is the fee for the Foundation Year. Subsequent UK fees are £9,535 per year. Subsequent International fees are £17,500 per year.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.