Key Facts

Entry requirements

Minimum Grade Higher C3 in two subjects and Passes in four other subjects at Higher or Ordinary Level in the Leaving Certificate including: Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Agricultural Science or Technology) and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional requirements

Minimum Grade C3 in the Higher Level Leaving Certificate paper in Mathematics or alternatively obtain a pass in the Special Engineering Entrance Examination in Mathematics (held in the University).

Duration: 4 years
Average Intake: 65
Entry Points (2010): 395
A Level Grades (2010): CCCC (approx)
Next Start Date: September 2012

Course Overview

Civil Engineering is concerned with the design, construction and maintenance of the physically and naturally built environment, including major infrastructure such as roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, airports, buildings and irrigation and sewage systems.

Civil engineering is all about creating, improving and protecting the environment in which we live. It provides the facilities for day-to-day life and for transport and industry to go to work. The Civil Engineering degree programme sets out to develop the scientific, technical, organisational, IT and communication skills needed for a satisfying and rewarding career as a Civil Engineer.

Students will undertake a five-month (April - August) work placement after their third year of study, either off- or on-campus. This Professional Experience Programme gives students an opportunity to work on projects relevant to their course of study and significantly improves their chances of obtaining employment after graduation.

Prior to this, students get involved in many real world engineering projects both on and off campus. For example, there are a number of design projects in first year where students work together in groups to design, build and test solutions to engineering problems (for example novel scale bridges and model cars). In second year of the degree programme students complete an building project in the community. Students identify a ‘real’ need of the community and aim to fulfill that need through their mini group project.

Course Outline

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

Timetables

Career Opportunities

Graduates from this programme will find employment in:

• Consulting/Contracting (dealing e.g. with Structures, Transportation, Public Health, Offshore and Coastal Engineering)
• Government Departments
• Semi-State Organisations
• Local Authorities

Course Accreditation

The BE degree in Civil Engineering at NUI Galway is accredited by the Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) as meeting the academic requirements for corporate and subsequent Chartered Membership of the institution. Under the Washington Accord, courses accredited by the IEI are acceptable in the host country of the accord signatories, listed below, on the same basis as the academic qualifications of their own graduates.

• The Institution of Engineers, Australia;
• The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers;
• The Institution of Professional Engineers, New Zealand;
• The Engineering Council of the United Kingdom;
• Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. of the United States of America;
• The Engineering Council of South Africa; and
• The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers;

An individual agreement regarding mutual accreditation also exists between the IEI and the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK.

Further Education

Students can go on to earn PhD and MEngSc degrees, through research work, with an optional minor taught element in the case of the MEngSc. Students can specialise in one of the department's various areas of research, working with a high degree of independence.

Find Out More

Civil Engineering

T: 353 (0)91 492170
F: 353 (0)91 494507
E: Brid Flaherty

What our students say…

James O' Hara

Currently employed as a Construction Project Manager with SSE Renewables (Airtricity)

"I chose to study at NUI Galway because of the excellent reputation of the Engineering faculty and, in particular, the Civil Engineering Department.

NUI Galway was also known for offering a good balance between your college studies and the social aspects of university.

As part of my course in Civil Engineering in Galway, I studied Highway and Traffic Design and Design of Concrete Structures - the majority of work in the construction of a windfarm falls into these two categories. It allowed me to gain a firm understanding of the road and foundation design of the windfarm but also understand the importance of their proper construction.

I also studied project management as part of the course and this has been invaluable in allowing me to start working as a Graduate Project Manager and then building on these skills in the workplace.

The course also taught me to be adaptable, with each day being so different and with new issues arising all the time, it is important to develop this skill.

With the wind industry growing so fast, there are currently opportunities to find work in this area.

In the future, offshore wind energy looks set to become one of the biggest growth areas in engineering. It is my ambition to move into offshore construction shortly and project manage a large scale offshore windfarm."

Industry Quotes

“We have always found the calibre of graduates from NUI Galway to be of the highest standard – well prepared, bright, enthusiastic, motivated and eager to prove their ability in their new environment. NUI Galway graduates add value for us, with their high level of competence in a range of skills suitable for work in several civil engineering fields, including Environment, Flooding, Roads, Structures and Water.”

Sean Gannon, Chairman of the Board, Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers

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BEng (Civil) Brochure

Course Brochure