Program Overview

A postgraduate pathway is a single course comprising two stages of study; Pre-Master’s and Master’s. When you successfully complete the full pathway you will be awarded a Master’s degree from International College Portsmouth (ICP) at University of Portsmouth.

Advantage of International College Portsmouth (ICP) at University of Portsmouth Postgraduate Pathway

The postgraduate pathway is designed for students from a variety of backgrounds who:

• Require additional English language training
• Come from a different academic environment to that of the UK
• Have been away from studies for a period of time
• Are looking to fine-tune skills already gained during undergraduate studies, employment or both

If you fall into any of the above categories, choosing the postgraduate pathway at International College Portsmouth (ICP) at University of Portsmouth is the right decision.

The Pre-Master’s pathway will prepare you for future postgraduate studies by giving you confidence and expertise in areas relevant to your taught Master’s degree. You will:

• Develop your fundamental knowledge and understanding of the basic principles relevant to your chosen degree
• Develop basic numerical techniques, research methodologies and ICT, presentation and communication skills
• Gain a competent set of transferable skills that will help you in your academic studies and future career, and enable you to make informed decisions
• Attain the necessary level of language competence specific to your chosen field of study.

Pre-Master's (Stage 1)

Civil Engineering

Do you want to develop your knowledge of civil engineering to postgraduate level, work towards Chartered Engineer status and have the opportunity to specialise in earthquake, environmental, geotechnical or structural engineering?

On this Master's in Civil Engineering MSc degree course, you'll focus on environmental management for civil engineering in different phases of projects, including the planning, designing, constructing and managing of public works.

You’ll develop strategic and general management skills and learn the theory behind the Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis and its application.

On this course you'll:

• Learn the science behind civil engineering, using analytical structural analysis, numerical analysis, and solving engineering problems using the finite element method (FEM) and FEM software packages
• Understand topics including environmental issues associated with civil engineering projects, management in the construction industry, and the development of organisational and project strategic direction
• Have the option to specialise in a specific area of civil engineering in your design project and dissertation
• Learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and discussion groups, and benefit from the expertise of our academic staff as well as experienced practitioners from outside organisations
• Use our laboratory facilities, including an environmental lab and computing equipment
• Apply your skills to practical problems as part of our partnership schemes with local and global organisations

Specialist pathway options
The degree you graduate with depends on what area you focus on in your design project and dissertation. Your options are as follows.

• MSc Civil Engineering
  • You can focus on any aspect of the design task in your civil engineering design project, while your dissertation will allow you the opportunity for in-depth learning of any technical area of civil engineering, such as materials or transportation.
• MSc Civil Engineering with Earthquake Engineering
  • Your design project will focus on structural and geotechnical design to resist earthquakes.
  • Your dissertation could consider seismic-related analysis of structures and foundations, such as soil-structure interaction and site response analysis. You could use experimental and numerical methods.
• MSc Civil Engineering with Environmental Engineering
  • On this pathway, you'll cover issues such as pollution, public health and resource management, and study the impacts they make.
• MSc Civil Engineering with Geotechnical Engineering
  • On this pathway, you'll develop the analytical and technical skills – such as ground investigations and soil structure testing  – needed to solve geotechnical problems in civil engineering projects.
• MSc Civil Engineering with Structural Engineering
  • You'll learn about the design and construction processes in structural engineering and develop the expertise to plan, design, construct and manage large-scale structural engineering projects.