This module offers you the chance to specialise in civil engineering for the first time, introduces you to new skills, such as surveying and provides you with the opportunity to gain career counselling from professional engineers. Bringing together all the civil engineering elements learned over the first three semesters, the module gives you the chance to see how these skills fuse together through design exercises and fieldwork. Furthermore, the module brings civil engineering materials, such as steel and concrete, into focus, and you will undertake projects that build on your conceptual design techniques, by devising a railway footbridge and a floodwall.

In addition, you will get the chance to forge personal industry links, by professionally networking with and acquiring career advice from industry visitors, and attending lectures run by the Institution of Civil Engineers. This module encourages you to apply all the knowledge you have learned during your programme so far, and gives you the confidence to merge these skills with new practice. Finally, the module will equip you with surveying skills, improve your design and conceptual design methods, enhance your knowledge of man-made civil engineering materials and improve your understanding of construction health and safety issues.

The intentions of this module are to raise your awareness of the design process in Civil Engineering and introduce procedures for systematic design. It also aims to give you knowledge of the manufacture and properties of man-made civil engineering materials, particularly for their use and suitability in construction. Furthermore, it is designed to help you comprehend the principles and practice of engineering surveying and its relevance to the construction process. In addition, it teaches you the statutory obligations for safety incumbent on all those working in Civil Engineering. Finally, it links your academic studies with construction industry processes and the civil engineering profession.

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

This module contributes to learning outcomes: SM1p, SM2p, SM3p, EA2p, EA4p, D2p, D3p, D5p, D6p

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online:
https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/studentinfo/subjects/engineering/accreditation/

The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge: SM1p, SM2p, SM3p, EA2p, EA4p, D2p, D3p, D5p

1 plan, conduct and assess routine civil engineering survey work;

2 understand design principles including basic optimisation methods, and apply this knowledge to simple civil engineering systems;

3 appreciate the properties of materials and their selection for the common range of civil engineering applications;

4 recognise the requirements and priorities of civil engineering professionals and their professional institutions.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: SM2p, SM3p, EA2p, EA4p

5 comprehend precision measurement and error control in practical work;

6 apply theoretical understanding and models to engineering design in a systematic way.

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge: D2p, D3p, D6p

7 demonstrate advanced research and report writing skills;

8 show enhanced teamwork skill;

9 reveal improved precision in observation and data handling.

- materials: compositions and engineering properties of concrete, steel and other construction materials;

- suitability of materials for purpose;

- surveying: use of common survey instruments such as theodolite, level, tapes, E.D.M;

- data handling and processing;

- error resolution;

- design of surveys;

- design: design of simple structures;

- design rationale and planning;

- systematic design and optimisation;

- health and safety;

- selected institution lectures, lectures and workshops by visiting professors and other external speakers, career counselling by professional civil engineers.

If a module is normally assessed entirely by coursework, all referred/deferred assessments will normally be by assignment.

If a module is normally assessed by examination or examination plus coursework, referred and deferred assessment will normally be by examination. For referrals, only the examination will count, a mark of 40% being awarded if the examination is passed. For deferrals, candidates will be awarded the higher of the deferred examination mark or the deferred examination mark combined with the original coursework mark.

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Reading list for this module:

Chudley, R., Greeno, R., Building Construction Handbook. 8th Edition. Elsevier Science and Technology, 2010. ISBN: 9781856178051

Illston, J.M., Domone, P.L.J., Construction Materials: Their Nature and Behaviour, 4th edition, ISBN: 9780415465151

Reading list for this module: