Sustainable Civil Engineering MSc

Northumbria University, Newcastle

It is great as there is plenty of practical and group activities, timetabling could be better in terms of long gaps between classes

I've spent three years at Northumbria studying civil engineering, and honestly, it's been a solid experience overall. The facilities are genuinely impressive - the labs are well-equipped and you get proper hands-on time with testing equipment, which makes a massive difference when you're trying to understand structural principles beyond just theory. The workshop facilities are decent too, though they can get pretty busy during deadline periods when everyone's rushing to finish their projects. What really stood out for me was how industry-focused the course is. They bring in guest lecturers from actual engineering firms regularly, and the tutors themselves have real-world experience, which means you're not just learning textbook stuff. In final year especially, the individual project gives you loads of freedom to explore something you're genuinely interested in - whether that's sustainable design, geotechnical engineering, or structural analysis. My project supervisor was really approachable and gave proper constructive feedback rather than just ticking boxes. The location in Newcastle is brilliant for placements too. There's loads of construction going on around the city, and the university has decent connections with local firms. Several of my coursemates sorted year-long placements through career fairs and university contacts, which is crucial for getting that experience employers want. That said, there's definitely room for improvement. The timetabling in third year can be frustrating - sometimes you'll have one lecture in the morning and then nothing until late afternoon, which wastes loads of time. The library gets absolutely rammed during exam season, and finding a decent spot with power sockets feels like winning the lottery. Module choices in final year could be broader too - there's a few specialized areas I would've liked to explore that just weren't available. Communication between different lecturers could be better as well. You sometimes get conflicting information about coursework requirements, and chasing people up via email takes ages. More CAD software training earlier in the course would've been helpful - you're kind of expected to pick up Revit and AutoCAD on your own, which feels unnecessary when it's such a fundamental skill. The student support services are there if you need them, though I've heard mixed reviews about response times. Overall though, for civil engineering, Northumbria gives you a proper foundation and prepares you well for chartered status down the line. Just wish they'd sort out the wifi in some of the older buildings as well as potential days when the wifi will be down!

The university has high quality facilities and is situated conveniently in the city centre, however lecturer support (particularly availability) could be improved

Northumbria university is arguably the best place to study for many reasons. It has an amazing range of activities for students to help them meet new friends and get involved with the uni top events. The quality of teaching especially for civil engineering is one of the best jn the country. The module tutors explain the subjects very clearly and in an easy to understand way. Nevertheless, just like with everything great there are always some minor flaws, in this case it would be the scheduling. There are many problems regarding this issue. The break between lectures and seminars are too long to be a short break and too short to be enough to do anything useful. Other than i am happy that I chose to study in this university, and proud to be a member of this institution.

It is a very student-based university, the students receive lots of support. Moreover, the quality of teaching is really good and the university has been rising exponentially as one of the best schools in the UK.