Our MSc Advanced Geotechnical Engineering will develop your understanding of the principles and theories behind ground engineering, from soil mechanics to site investigation, advanced soil testing and foundation design. We’ll provide you with the necessary skills to address technological challenges in the geotechnical engineering sector.

You’ll explore topics including deep foundations in urban areas, tunnelling, foundations for energy infrastructure and major bridges, deep water energy resources exploration and field monitoring.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work on a research project, enabling you to acquire, analyse and critically evaluate data, then draw valid conclusions from it. It will test your understanding of scientific methodology, and allow you to graduate as a confident and capable geotechnical engineer.

The course covers the following:

• Fundamental soil mechanics and its modelling using numerical approaches
• Testing of soils for obtaining design parameters – we use our purpose-built SAGE laboratory for teaching
• Analysis techniques:
  • Simplified (spreadsheet based)
  • Standard (code-based methods or simple software)
  • Advanced (finite element method)
• Design and construction of foundations for bridges, buildings, offshore structures, tunnels and deep basements in busy cities
• Dissertation on a geotechnical topic
• Back analysis of collapse of foundations.

Our masters courses in civil engineering open up a huge range of career opportunities, not only with major consultancies and contractors but across other sectors such as management and business consultancy.  

Recent MSc graduates have been employed by Atkins, A-squared Studio, WSP, AECOM, Amey, Highways England, Mott MacDonald, Laing O’Rourke, ARUP, Arcadis, Fluor, Capita Real Estate and Infrastructure, and Peter Brett Associates. 

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

MSc - Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT).

 Accredited by CIHT as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer under the provisions of UK-SPEC for candidates that have already acquired a CEng accredited BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree.

MSc - Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE).

Accredited by IHE as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer under the provisions of UK-SPEC for candidates that have already acquired a CEng accredited BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree.

MSc - Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Accredited by ICE as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer under the provisions of UK-SPEC for candidates that have already acquired a CEng accredited BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree.

MSc - Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).

Accredited by IStructE as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer under the provisions of UK-SPEC for candidates that have already acquired a CEng accredited BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree.

MSc - European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes (EUR-ACE)

This Programme is accredited by the European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes (EUR-ACE)