Master of Science in Civil Engineering
The Civil Engineering programme focuses on the study and design of buildings and structures (roads, bridges, hydraulic structures, industrial buildings and high-rises), and aims at the education of civil engineers who can perform at a high level in an international industrial and social context.
EUR-ACE® Master (EURopean ACcredited Engineering Master)
The EUR-ACE label was accredited to this programme by the Commission des titres d’ingénieur (CTI), under the auspices of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).
EUR-ACE® is a framework and accreditation system that provides a set of standards that identifies high-quality engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad.
What
The Civil Engineering programme focuses on the study and design of buildings and structures (roads, bridges, hydraulic structures, high-rises and industrial buildings) and aims for the education of civil engineers who can perform at a high level in an international industrial and social environment. The programme concentrates on the thorough development of the conception and design capability, with the added objective of a job in Research and Development. For that purpose, the core curriculum has a pronounced emphasis on the computational aspects of buildings and infrastructure. By means of electives, students can choose to study additional aspects of the field corresponding to their personal aptitude and interests. These electives also aim to broaden the scope of the study programme.
Remarks
For whom
The admission requirements vary. Depending on your prior education, you are either able to enrol directly, or there are additional requirements.
Structure
In its entirely, the Civil Engineering programme consists of two phases: the first phase takes three years and leads to the academic Bachelor’s degree of Engineering. The second phase takes two years and leads to the Master’s degree Civil Engineering. In the course of the Master’s programme students can opt for a deepening or broadening scope, by means of a major or minor, respectively, or by means of a comprehensive set of electives.
> Construction Design
In the Construction Design major some specific engineering disciplines are refined. This gives the graduate the baggage to work in the construction industry, while at the same time having a broader and a more specialised technological knowledge. In particular, this set of course units focuses on the conceptual and computer-aided design of structures, structural stability, seismic design, spatial structures, glass and façade structures.
> Dredging and Offshore Engineering
The Dredging and Offshore Engineering major pursues a profound knowledge in the field of coastal and offshore engineering through a coherent set of course units that meets the requirements of the industry in this field. Given the enduring pressure on coastal regions worldwide, there is a sustained growth of coastal and offshore engineering constructional activities (e.g. sea defence, wind farms, platforms, land reclamation, artificial islands,...) and associated dredging activities. We address the basic knowledge of maritime technology (ship construction, stability and motions in harbours and approach channels), as well as cover the principles of dredging techniques with regard to dredging processes and soil mechanical aspects. We also teach a deeper understanding and modelling of hydrodynamic loads by waves and currents on coastal and offshore structures, and of coastal zone processes. The major centres on the design and construction of offshore structures, including ocean energy conversion (wind, waves and tide), and geotechnical aspects of offshore foundations.
Labour Market
Due to the rate of technical developments, highly skilled workers are required in the construction industry now more than ever. A Civil Engineering graduate designs and leads the construction and management of roads, bridges, hydraulic and coastal structures, high-rises, and industrial buildings. Major employers for our graduates are construction companies, engineering and consultancy companies, manufacturers of building components, dredging contractors, the Mobility and Public Works Department of the Flemish Government, as well as provincial and municipal technical services and associations. Civil engineers are also employed in architectural offices and monitoring agencies, insurance companies, banks, real estate companies ...
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Broad programme with many prospects for the future: the Civil Engineering programme trains critical and scientific-based engineers who can be employed at home and abroad in the broad field of civil engineering. The job market offers many opportunities, both technical and non-technical: engineering offices, contractors, civil administrations, research and development, banks and insurances, consultancy.
- Talent development: our students have a certain freedom of choice to compose their curriculum according to their own interests. They can opt for a specialisation package (construction design, dredging & offshore engineering or operations management), elective course units (technical and social), and to choose the topic for their Master’s dissertations. Many students also embark on a national or international business work placement.
- Projects and group work: each study year offers at least one project course unit in which the students learn to handle multidisciplinary tasks in a goal-oriented way. For this purpose they co-operate in teams. In so doing, they also gradually acquire a whole range of "soft skills" like planning, persuading, presenting efficiently, giving peer feedback, and reporting. In addition, they have to do assignments in group for various course units in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes, in which real-life issues are covered.
- Infrastructure with well-equipped laboratories: we have at our disposal well-equipped laboratories, some of which are of an international level.
- Student organisation: the civil engineers’ student association Poutrix offers a unique “ecosystem” with extracurricular activities (e.g. guest lectures, building site visits, company visits, courses, job fairs, annual trips), which are often organised in collaboration with the teaching staff.
Strengths
- High level: graduates experience that our programme enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad, thanks to which they have no difficulty finding suitable jobs at a high level.
- Motivated team of lecturers: the programme is supported by committed lecturers who combine their research expertise with an enthusiasm to keep dedicating themselves to the quality of their classes. The lecturers, including guest professors from practical sectors, are internationally active and see to a good link with the practice.
- Student satisfaction: the official surveys show that our students are highly satisfied in terms of programme quality, organisation, consistency, and content.
- Approachability: our lecturers and Programme Committee members are highly approachable. This means that potential problems can be discovered and solved quickly.
- Assessment: our students appreciate that they are well-informed about the way in which they are assessed and about the content of the assessment because they know exactly what to expect.
Challenges
- Sustainability: aspects of the environment and sustainability are incorporated into various course units, but the students do not experience this as such. We will have a closer look on how to make it more explicit.
- Workload: we need to make sure that the workload in the Master's programme does not increase. We will examine whether it is achievable to make a better planning and to co-ordinate the content of the various projects.
- Internationalisation: student appreciation for internationalisation in our English-taught Master's programme is high. Nevertheless, we need to keep rising to challenges like monitoring the quality of incoming international students and a further development of internationalisation at our university.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The resulting Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 10/07/2024.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.