Course summary

MSc Advanced Structural Engineering provides those of you with a bachelor-levels graduate degree the opportunity to build upon your existing knowledge and skills. For those of you from a different engineering background, the programme offers you the opportunity to develop key advanced knowledge in structural engineering to be able to work within the civil and structural engineering industry. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the core technical skills and personal qualities required to work within the dynamic industry at the highest possible technical level and the programme will provide you with an accredited route to becoming a Chartered engineer. During the master’s programme, you’ll gain relevant specialist expertise in the field of civil and structural engineering and understand the relevance of sustainability in professional practice. You’ll have an awareness of current global issues, the multidisciplinary relevance to solving industry challenges, and learn about necessary legislative frameworks at a national and international level. This career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, and provide you with a specialist education to set you up to become a professional structural engineer. Upon completion, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to prepare you for a wide range of technical and managerial careers across the sector, including roles in process and plant design, construction, commissioning, operation, management to specialist consultancy, and advanced research and development. Your learning environment The MSc Advanced Structural Engineering programme is taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and laboratory practical demonstrations and experiments, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, computing software and laboratories, including a state-of-the-art Heavy Structures Lab fully equipped to enable large-scale structural testing under a range of loading conditions, a wave basin which can be programmed for hydrodynamic simulations and fluid-structure interaction testing, a geotechnics lab with a range of soil testing equipment, and a rail track testing facility. Customise your learning You’ll take two mandatory courses in semester one and choose one course from a choice of four advanced engineering courses, you’ll also choose a sustainability course. In semester two, you’ll take two mandatory courses and choose two optional courses from a list of options. In semester three, you’ll undertake an extensive and specialised investigation into your chosen area of structural engineering through your dissertation. You’ll be required to research and report in depth on a subject of relevance to your professional career aspirations. You can choose whether to study the programme full time or part time at our Edinburgh campus. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your career and lifestyle. The programme begins in September and the course will last 12 months full time or 24 months part time. Accreditation This degree is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) comprising of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institute of Highway Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Permanent Way Institution on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the academic requirement for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng). To hold accredited qualifications for CEng registration, candidates must also hold a Bachelor (Hons) degree that has been accredited as partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng). See Joint Board of Moderators for further information.