Overview
Our Structural Engineering MSc degree is a highly specialist course that has been developed to equip you with a broad range of knowledge and management skills to meet the real-world needs of safety and sustainability in the civil engineering and construction industry.
You will study the traditional elements of structural engineering and deepen your knowledge of structural analysis and design, and sustainable construction. You’ll also develop advanced and specialist knowledge on topical subjects such as fire protection, environmental hazards and energy efficient buildings.
You’ll have access to our custom-designed technical facilities for the testing of materials and structures. The latest industry standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in the purpose-built computer laboratories.
During your studies, there is a residential field trip with hands-on construction experience where you will build a scaled-down version of a bridge, building or dam. You will also benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals, as well as visits to construction sites and civil engineering development projects.
Our Structural Engineering MSc degree is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Institute of Highway Engineers, and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a partial CEng accredited undergraduate first degree.*
See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.
*It should be noted that candidates completing the MSc who hold an underpinning accredited IEng degree or a non-accredited bachelor degree will need to apply for an academic assessment to determine whether they will meet the educational base for CEng registration.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
You will study the taught modules in the first two terms and then spend four months working on your dissertation. The dissertation is an advanced piece of research related to structural design and is assessed through a final 20,000 word submission. The course can be studied 1 year full-time, starting in September, or 14 months full-time, starting in January.
Compulsory
- Advanced Steel DesignThis module aims to introduce the concept of advanced steel design and composite construction and their applications in engineering, and to develop in depth understanding of the behavioural and theoretical background to limit state design of structural steelwork.
- Advanced Construction Materials and Structural Retrofitting
This module aims to further broaden and deepen of students’ knowledge of the range of advanced construction materials, low carbon, low energy and low environmental impact construction materials, and to introduce students to the principles of structural retrofitting technology and structural retrofitting design with advanced construction materials.
- Advanced Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete DesignThis module aims to further introduce students to the principles and methods of design for reinforced concrete elements and structures etc, and to introduce students to the principles and methods of design for prestressed and post-tensioned concrete structures.
- Civil Engineering Dissertation
The dissertation aims to provide experience in defining and organising, executing and evaluating a substantial individual in-depth investigation into a topic related to the appropriate Civil Engineering MSc programme and presenting the information in the form of a dissertation.
- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering
This module aims to develop students’ critical understanding of design and construction of contemporary geotechnical structures such as foundations, slopes and retaining walls. Students will learn to critically analyse design scenarios for contemporary geotechnical structures such as foundations, slopes and retaining walls, and acquire knowledge about geotechnical construction and site investigation.
The module introduces the climate change impacts on geotechnical infrastructures (e.g. slope failure, retaining wall/foundation failures due to excessive rainfall), recognising contributions to SDGs such as SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Climate Action).
- Infrastructure ManagementThis module aims to give the students an in-depth and comprehensive professional working knowledge of how to carry out condition assessment of engineering infrastructure assets.
- Nonlinear Structural Analysis & Finite Element MethodThis module aims to further develop the student’s knowledge on structural mechanics, to enhance the student’s perception of structural behaviour and the corresponding modelling tools, to enable students to design structures based on the Finite Element Method, and to make students competent in using computer codes for structural analysis.
- Research Methods and Professional Development
This module aims to instill principles of good research practice and enable students to acquire skills to conduct scientifically-robust research with due consideration of engineering quality issues and environmental and health and safety risks, and to develop understanding of how research and development drives innovation in a business context and the mechanisms to protect intellectual property.
- Structural Dynamics and Seismic DesignThis module aims to enhance the student’s perception on the dynamic behaviour of deformable bodies, to further develop the student’s knowledge on structural mechanics by focusing on the dynamic properties of the structural response, and to introduce students to the fundamental principles of seismic design with an emphasis on current design codes.
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
A structural engineering degree from Brunel will equip you with advanced knowledge and skills to work on a vast range of modern projects in the construction and civil engineering sector.
Many of our civil engineering graduates have technical and creative roles with contractors and consultants working on large infrastructure projects such as bridges and tall buildings.
Some go on to jobs with national and local government agencies or major firms of consulting engineers. Others specialise in construction, sustainability, innovative materials, foundation engineering, geotechnical exploration, highway engineering or fire protection.
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in an Engineering, Science or technology subject. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
- BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2025/26 entry
UK
£13,280 full-time
International
£26,250 full-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Lectures/Tutorials/Seminars
These will be delivered in-person on campus. Laboratory sessions (computer labs and physical experiments) will also all be delivered in-person on campus.
Site visits (and/or field work)
These will be run physically at their designated venues.
Support resources
All on-campus teaching and learning sessions will be recorded and made available via the University Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Brightspace. Supporting learning materials will be made available to students on the VLE prior to and/or after teaching sessions.
Assessments
These will be run using a variety of formats, including on-campus in-person exams, on-campus presentations, and written reports with on-line submission. On-line presentation might be used in instances where this would be deemed appropriate.
- All the recorded sessions will be made available to you to enable those who could not attend to catch up on missed contents. The recordings will also benefit you as and when you need to clarify or strengthen your understandings of contents of teaching’s sessions covered. Learning materials made available in advance will help you prepare well for up-coming sessions, and also support your self-directed and independent learning activities.
- You will have opportunities for active learning, including in-group activities on campus for laboratory sessions, discussion-based sessions in seminars, etc.
- The teaching/assessment approach will be balanced, so as not overload you or staff with intense clusters of assessments and deadlines.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our structural engineering degree is delivered by a diverse team of academic staff. This means you’ll be learning from a teaching team with both scientific knowledge and industrial experience. There will also be guest lectures from our industry partners, a field trip and structural engineering site visits.
Study will combine lectures, tutorials and seminars, laboratory work, computer simulation, field work, self-study, research reports and project work.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Your progress will be assessed via assignments, presentations, technical and laboratory reports, design and research projects, exams and your dissertation.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.