Tag Archives: newcastle university

My experience so far…

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Gaby Vicarey, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering, writes about her experience so far as a postgraduate student at Newcastle University

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I believe that Newcastle itself is a very welcoming city, there are a lot of cultures here and recreational areas where people can get together and have a good time. The University is in the town centre making it very easy to just walk into town and do something, like going to the cinema or watching the football. This nice relaxed attitude spreads throughout the university as well. There are plenty of opportunities across the campus to spend time with people on your course or just any one in general. It is very easy to meet other students on your course as during induction week there is an ice breaker party and an orienteering session where students from all courses are mixed to complete several tasks as a team.

Personally, I have really enjoyed my time here as everyone on my course and related courses are all really pleasant and friendly. Although a large percentage of our time together is spent in the research room, we all still talk to each other and help if needed. When we finish coursework or an exam we meet up in town and have a few drinks to relax and get to know each other a bit better. It is nice to mingle every now and again outside of university.

It is a bit easier for people who live in student accommodation to mix together as they are closer, a lot of people on my course live in the same block. Whereas, myself and a few other students live in separate housing in other parts of Newcastle such as Chillingham Road, Heaton which is a popular student area as the rent prices are fair and there are a lot of shops and restaurants. Nevertheless, there isn’t much of a difference as it is easy to use the metro service which is cheap and well connected throughout the whole of Newcastle. For example from Chillingham road to the university on foot is approximately 30 minutes whereas getting the metro will only take 10 minutes tops. Getting a metro day saver only costs £2.80 and you can visit other areas in a certain zone for the day.

Combining all this together, it has been very easy moving from home to Newcastle. If I ever need any help or someone to talk to about university work or personal matters there is always a friend on my course or an adviser from the university to help me.

Research elements of my degree – MSc Geotechnical Engineering

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Tshepo Tshambane, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering, writes about the research aspects of her degree and how it has benefited her learning experience at Newcastle University.

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In my postgraduate degree, the research aspect comes in the form of a dissertation. We are provided with over 60 open ended topics and room to add our own if we so wish. The research topics are varied in nature some involve immense field work while some are laboratory based. These topics are real world issues that in some shape or form have not been fully addressed yet and thus gives us the students, an opportunity to complete the puzzle with our own understanding, both methodically and creatively. Some of the topics given are directly from industry where a company is having a time sensitive issue such as the progressive decrease in usage of Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) for mine grouting, as an example, and they need to find an alternative product. The students work hand in hand with these companies, giving them the chance to come up with ground breaking solutions as well as an opportunity of work under industry conditions.

Though the research is primarily our work to demonstrate our own initiatives and the direction in which we would want the world to move to, we are supported by research active academic staff who have a strong interest in these fields. With most, the topic they have proposed stems from work they have done previously and are possibly in need of a fresh mind with a new perspective to forward the work. They guide us and offer advice from their years of knowledge and experience while giving us free reign of the project.

The way our dissertations are set up is truly enriching not only academically but also with obtaining soft skills as we learn how to work on our own initiatives and practice time management as we work with deadlines and more so our research runs alongside our normal academic schedules. We learn effective communication skills from presenting ideas we have in our heads to an audience who may or may not know what the subject entails. Our employability skills are also improved in terms of presentation and proposal writing, allowing us to gain specialist knowledge and the ability to decide what is relevant or not. I have truly enjoying this process, the research here is both challenging and eye opening, it prepares us well for life after graduation; both in industry and when pursuing a PhD.

Why I chose Newcastle University

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Mosopefoluwa Oikeh, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental and Petroleum Geochemistry, writes about her decision to study at Newcastle University.

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I believe that certain factors are worth considering before choosing a university or course of study. Excellent teaching and research standards, amazing student experience and career prospects are just a few determinants I examined while reviewing universities in the United Kingdom.

As an international student, I wanted the best student experience I could get. The thought of leaving home for a new environment and how easy it would be to acclimatise was daunting. However, I had friends in Newcastle University who shared their student experiences with me which helped calm my nerves. I found this to be true as you get to meet students from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities, thereby creating opportunities to socialise and learn about other cultures. There are occasional side attractions and social activities organised by the student union and other registered societies which makes the experience exciting.

Talking about teaching and research standards, civil engineering as well as some other departments was rated world leading or internationally excellent. In addition, I desired to study a master’s degree taught course that will reflect petroleum geology and environmental science and I found a perfect course at Newcastle University. The university is ranked one of the best and one of the top 20 most targeted universities by UK’s leading employers; as such increasing career prospects.

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city with rich cultural heritage and a vibrant student city. The nearness of the university and accommodation to the city centre makes it accessible and exciting to dwell in. The people are warm and lovely. The city’s night view and monuments are nice for relaxation and reflection. When it is time to withdraw from the social attractions and concentrate on studies, the university campus is an excellent place. The libraries are strategically located around the campus and can be accessed anytime of the day, during school term. The city has a local airport which connects other cities within the UK and some countries. Living and studying in Newcastle is one choice I have never regretted.

Why I chose MSc Structural Engineering at Newcastle University

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Li Yuan, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Structural Engineering, writes about her passion for the subject and what she hopes to achieve after gaining her postgraduate degree.

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My decision to join Newcastle University to study an MSc in Structural Engineering, was made after long consideration and evaluation.

There are a number of universities that offer a similar course, and so deciding which to apply for was tricky. As my family were settled in the North East, the universities that I considered in the first instance were the ones located close to home. Newcastle University was a top-ranking university with an outstanding reputation amongst the North East universities on my list. In particular, it is ranked 2nd in the UK for Civil Engineering research power, which fulfilled my requirement as someone interested in becoming a Structural Engineer PG student.

In comparison with competitors, the MSc Structural Engineering course at Newcastle is delivered with more attention to industrial practice. The modules are taught in blocks, which is a huge advantage to me as I don’t have to jump in and out from each module. The teachers and professors are from or work closely with the civil engineering industry, allowing my study to be industrially focused.

As an investment of my career development, an MSc in Structural Engineering at Newcastle University will provide me with a better platform to restart my career. With 86 percent of graduate students from this program being employed or in further study after 6 months. This is a very high ratio compared to other universities. Furthermore, this course is accredited by the ICE and IstructE. The acceptance by the leading industrial institutions will enhance my job hunting success after my graduation.

I am currently in the middle of my final semester. The experience of passed study has proven my decision to study an MSc in Structural Engineering at Newcastle University was definitely the right decision!

Third Year Civil Engineering Design

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Charlotte, a third year MEng Civil Engineering student writes about her work on the third year Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems module …

For the first three years of the civil engineering degrees we have one main design module, DSES (Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems) each year, which is designed to incorporate different elements from the other modules that we do.

The project we were given this year was based on the ‘Science Central’ site in Newcastle which, when completed, will be a mixed use development site that consists of business, university and residential buildings.

For our work in the first term we had two main deliverables:

  • A poster presentation – in our design teams we had to produce three A1 posters that showcased our development site and the work we had done to get to this point.
  • A 75 page desk study – talk in detail about our conceptual design for the site and all of our research.

DSES is one of my favourite modules each year because you get to see where all the information learnt in lectures will actually be applied in the ‘real world’.

For the first time in DSES we got to select our teams ourselves so we had to pick between working with our friends or working with people we know work hard and produce good work. Luckily for me I managed to get a team that contained both! We had to produce a masterplan of the site, a conceptual design for the flagship University building alongside waste management plans, geotechnical appraisals and transport assessments.

This sounds like a lot of work, and it was! We spent a lot of hours outside of university meeting and working as a group to produce the final outputs and we lost a couple of weekends to the cause. We weren’t thrown completely in the deep end with it however. As I said before these modules are designed to interlink with and support the rest of our learning, and we received lectures on the specific deliverables for each section from members of staff and people from ARUP (who have worked on the masterplan for the actual ‘Science Central’ development.

My personal favourite part of the module is the poster presentation – we had to design three posters that looked aesthetically pleasing but were also informative to industry and the public. I am a perfectionist, it is probably one of the best and worst traits about me. I need everything to be 100% in order and looking good, and although for posters this is important, it was also important to ensure the relevant information was actually on the posters. This is why it’s good to achieve a real mix of people in your group because everybody keeps everyone else on track. Also, on the day of the presentation everyone dresses smart in their best outfits and presents to the ‘clients’ and the public which is really fun because we get to see what all the other groups have produced and at the end of the day one team wins. (This year it was my team that won so I’m probably a bit biased towards liking the presentation!)

The most time consuming of this project was, as expected, the actual report. This is where the real detail came in. All of our research from the past 11 weeks of work had to be consolidated, referenced, written up and formatted into a fully coherent report. At the end of the day though we produced a really high quality body of work.

Even after all this work, DSES is still one of the best modules. Working in and depending on a group of people to help you get a good grade is hard but in the end the work is most definitely worth it and for want of a non-cheesy way to say this – you do become better friends with you team mates.