Master in Civil Engineering in UK: Colleges, Fees, Eligibility, Scholarships, Jobs

Master in Civil Engineering in UK: Study Guide for International Students

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Kriti Anand

| Updated On - Jul 6, 2024

Highlights

  • Academic Requirements: For admission to master in Civil Engineering in UK, you need a minimum GPA of 3.0 or 75%, equivalent to grade B.
  • Tuition Fees: For an Indian student, the tuition fee for master in Civil Engineering in UK ranges between 22 to 36 INR Lakh/year.
  • Healthcare fee: You have to pay a healthcare fee of GBP 1,035 (1.08 lakhs in INR) for each year of your stay in the UK.
  • Commonwealth Scholarship: Commonwealth Scholarship is a need-based scholarship that covers the entire expense of studying abroad: airfare, tuition and examination fees, personal maintenance allowance, thesis grant, and initial arrival allowance for Indian students enrolled in Masters in UK.
  • Earning Potential: A student with a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from UK earns about £91,600 (97.6 lakh) annually, while the salary of an Indian student with a masters in civil engineering is INR 5,00,000 to 10,00,000 per year.

Master in Civil Engineering in UK is a 18 months to 2 years course offered by several top universities like Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial College London. Its specializations include structural engineering, environmental engineering, road engineering, and transportation engineering. To pursue masters in civil engineering in UK, you must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (transportation engineering, construction management, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering)
  • GPA 3.0 ~ 75%. The grade equivalent of the same is B.
  • GRE 159 in Quantitative Reasoning; 145 in Verbal Reasoning | GMAT 600+
  • Interview (not mandatory in all universities)
  • IELTS (6.5 - 7.5) | TOEFL (90 - 110)

The annual tuition fees of a Masters in Civil Engineering in UK universities ranges from £22,750 to £36,950 per annum approximately. For Indian students, this cost reaches up to 22 LPA to 36 LPA.

Civil engineering in India follows IS (Indian Standard) codes, which are not applicable in Europe due to the differences in construction methods and weather conditions. This means if you have an undergraduate from India, the transition to masters in civil engineering in UK might prove to be quite a challenge.

Nonetheless, the average starting salary once placed after a master in civil engineering in UK is £26,820. The masters of civil engineering graduates can choose one of the following paths: Consultancy, Contracting, Management Consultancy, or further education.

Top Universities for Master in Civil Engineering in UK

The table below shows the details about Master in Civil Engineering in UK for Indian students in the top universities.

QS Global Ranking 2025 University Program Application Deadline
6 University of Cambridge Construction Engineering 1st Oct 2024
2 Imperial College of London Civil and Environmental Engineering 1st Aug 2024
3 University of Oxford Civil and Offshore Engineering 1st Dec 2024
34 The University of Manchester Civil Engineering 8th Dec 2024
82 University of Leeds Civil Engineering with Project Management 1st Sep 2024
105 University of Sheffield Civil Engineering and Management 2nd Sep 2024
9 University College London (UCL) Civil Engineering 28th June 2024 (Closed)
186 Cardiff University Civil and Environmental Engineering 31st Aug 2024
108 University of Nottingham Civil Engineering 5th Aug 2024
54 University of Bristol Civil Engineering 24th Jul 2024

Why Study Masters in Civil Engineering in UK?

Some of the reasons to study masters in civil engineering in UK include:

  • Better placement opportunities: 57% of Civil Engineering students after graduating are employed in the reputed industries of the UK.
  • Higher salary packages: The average starting salary after a master in civil engineering in UK is £26,820 or INR 28 lakh, which is significantly high when compared to INR 5-7 lakh in India.

If you are planning to study masters in civil engineering in UK, there are some obstacles you should be aware of:

  1. There are limited jobs available for civil engineers in the UK due to the increasing adoption of automation, and your options are further narrowed by the fact that not all companies will employ people with PSW.
  2. You also have to (preferably) look for companies that sponsor your work visa, which is hard to find.
  3. Companies prefer to hire domestic candidates over foreign applicants.
  4. The industry codes for construction are not the same in India and UK, which does not help with placement in the United Kingdom.

Finding a placement might be a challenge, but it is not impossible. The caveat is, if you are unable to find one in the UK, you’ll have no job and possibly a substantial loan.

Master in Civil Engineering in UK: Specializations

The most in-demand specializations in master in civil engineering in UK are -

  • Geotechnical Engineer
  • Structural Engineer
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Water Resource Engineer

Masters in Civil Engineering in UK: Admissions

The intake seasons for masters in civil engineering in UK are Fall, Winter and Summer. The applications open in the months of September, January and May, respectively. Applications are submitted through the UCAS portal.

Masters in Civil Engineering in UK: Eligibility

The requirements for admission to the Masters in Civil Engineering in UK course are:

Parameter Minimum Score Required
Academic Requirements 2.5 GPA (75%) in a relevant Bachelor’s degree
English Language Proficiency IELTS: 6.5-7.5 | TOEFL: 90-110
Documents Required SOP | 2-3 LORs | CV | Academic Transcripts

Minimum GPA, GRE and English language proficiency scores required for admission in some of the popular universities of UK offering masters in civil engineering are given below:

University GPA Required GRE Score Required TOEFL IELTS
University of Cambridge 3.7 ~8.5 CGPA Accepted 110 7.5
Imperial College of London 3.5 ~7 to 7.9 CGPA 159 in Quantitative Reasoning; 145 in Verbal Reasoning 100 7.0
University of Oxford 3.7 ~8.5 CGPA 160 in Quantitative & Verbal Reasoning 110 7.5
The University of Manchester 3.4 ~7.4 to 7.9 CGPA Accepted 90 6.5-7
University of Leeds 2.5 ~5.0 TO 6.0 CGPA Recommended 92 6.5
UCL 3.3 ~7.4 to 7.9 CGPA 161 92 6.5

UK Student VISA

The visa acceptance rate in the UK is 85%. The requirements for a student to get a visa are:

  • Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies (CAS)
  • The online application form
  • Evidence of funding for course tuition fees and monthly living costs ie. £1075.61 per month
  • A Health Surcharge of £300 each year.
  • Details of passport.
  • A recent photograph.
  • Visa Interview.

After graduation with a master in civil engineering in UK, you can apply for a Post Study Work permit (PSW). The permit is valid for two years and cannot be extended. You can apply for this permit only once in your lifetime. It allows you to work full-time in the UK with no restrictions on hours. You can work in any industry you choose, not in just the one you studied (in this case, civil engineering).

If during your two years of PSW, you find a licensed employer to sponsor you, you can convert from PSW to a Skilled Work visa, which is extendable. If you stay up to 5 years on a tier 2 visa and earn a minimum salary slab set by the government, you become eligible to apply for citizenship in the UK.

Tip: If you apply for a graduate role with a company that does not offer visa sponsorship, but still accepts your application, the onus to make sure your PSW covers the entire duration of your program is on you.

Masters in Civil Engineering in UK: Cost of Study

The cost of studying Masters in Civil Engineering in UK mainly comprises the tuition fees and the cost of living in the UK.

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for studying civil engineering at engineering colleges in UK range from 24,000 GBP to 31,000 GBP.

University Annual Tuition Fee INR Equivalent
University of Cambridge £ 37,458 40 lakh
Imperial College of London £ 37,900 40.3 lakh
University of Oxford £ 37,900 40.3 lakh
The University of Manchester £ 32,500 34.6 lakh
University of Leeds £ 31,000 33 lakh
University of Sheffield £ 29,700 32 lakh
University College London (UCL) £ 37,500 40 lakh
Cardiff University £ 28,200 30 lakh
University of Nottingham £ 30,750 33 lakh
University of Bristol £ 17,250 18.36 lakh

To tackle the expenses involved you can take a look at scholarship options for pursuing masters in UK.

Cost of Living in UK

The cost of living in UK for an Indian student varies greatly depending on your lifestyle, spending habits and budget. A breakdown of the usual living expenses is provided below.

Items Monthly Costs INR Equivalent
Rent £ 450 48,000
Food £ 200 21,000
Gas and Electricity £ 60 6,400
Internet £ 40 4,300
Laundry £ 25 2,700
Clothing £ 75 8,000
Bus Fare £ 45 4,790
Movie Ticket £ 9 958
Dinner at a Restaurant £ 15 1600
Total £ 989 1.05 lakh

Masters in Civil Engineering in UK: Scholarship

Although scholarships are hard to come by, a strong academic record can increase your chances of receiving one. Most Indian students take a study loan to pursue their degree. Some scholarships available for Indian students are:

Scholarship Eligibility Amount
Commonwealth Scholarship upper second class (2:1) | Financial need airfare, tuition and examination fees, personal maintaining allowance, thesis grant, initial arrival allowance
Gates Cambridge Scholarship pursuing a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge full cost of studying at Cambridge
Rhodes Scholarships (Oxford) Exceptional academic record university fees, personal stipend, health insurance, and airfare
University of Sussex Chancellor’s International Scholarships full-time postgraduate at the University of Sussex 50% off tuition fees for one year
Bristol ThinkBig International Scholarship postgraduate program at the University of West London up to £5,000

Masters in Civil Engineering in UK: Placement

As mentioned above, jobs available for civil engineers in the UK are declining due to the increased adoption of automation. However, even though the market is competitive, the average annual starting salary is £26,820. This is how civil engineering graduates in the UK are divided:

  • Employed (76.6%)
  • Further study (8.7%)
  • Working and studying (5%)
  • Unemployed (5.3%)
  • Other (4.4%)

The common job roles master in civil engineering graduates take up include:

Job Roles Average Monthly Salary (GBP) INR Equivalent
Consulting Civil Engineer 34,454 36 lakh
Civil Engineering Contractor 39,169 41 lakh
Building Control Surveyor 44,491 47 lakh
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) technicians 35,000 37 lakh
Design Engineer 40,241 43 lakh
Site Engineer 35,000 37 lakh
Structural Engineer 40,000 42.5 lakh
Water Engineer 32,000 34 lakh

Masters in civil engineering in UK covers designing, constructing, and maintaining manmade structures such as dams, canals, and roads. The curriculum of this program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of infrastructure. For an Indian student, the annual tuition fee for a master in Civil Engineering in UK ranges between INR 22 lakhs to 36 lakhs, and gives a high ROI in the form of an average annual salary of around INR 29 lakh.

FAQs

Ques. What are the top universities for studying a masters in civil engineering in UK?

Ans. University of Cambridge, Imperial College of London, University of Oxford, University of Manchester and University of Leeds are some of the popular universities for studying masters in civil engineering in UK?

Ques. How much do masters in civil engineering students earn in the UK?

Ans. A bachelor’s degree student of Civil Engineering earns about £91,600 (97.6 lakh) annually, while the salary of an Indian student with a masters in civil engineering is INR 5,00,000 to 10,00,000 per year.

Ques. How to get into masters in civil engineering in the UK?

Ans. For pursuing masters in civil engineering in UK, Indian students need to have a GPA of 3.0 or more (60-70%). GRE scores may be required along with the applications. IELTS (6.5) and TOEFL (80) scores are also required.

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