In this post, recent Civil Engineering graduate Jasmine continues her guide through the degree, and details what you can expect to study and gives some helpful tips on what to prepare for. 

Exams and Coursework

This year written exams are 55%, practical exams are 2% and coursework is 43%. Although the percentages may change, second year always tends to have a lower percentage of written exams and a higher percentage of coursework compared to first year.

During second year, I found that making notes and taking pictures during practicals (when allowed) helped me with the coursework and practical exams. And as with first year, asking questions is a great way to engage with the work and definitely helped me with my understanding.

This year contributes to your final degree mark, so make sure to set goals and work towards them during the course of the year. There is a lot of coursework and there are a lot of tests this year, so it is a good idea to use a calendar or planner to keep track of coursework, exams and other commitments.

Should I Choose Civil Engineering or Civil and Structural Engineering?

During second year you will have the opportunity to switch between Civil and Civil and Structural (depending on the amount of spaces available and your grades). In third year, Civil Engineering students and Civil and Structural Engineering students have the same modules except for 3: Civil students have Spatial Data Modelling and BIM, Design of Transport Infrastructure and Hydrosystems Engineering, while Civil and Structural students have Introduction to Architecture, Design of Building Systems and Structural Analysis 2. Consider which modules you would enjoy more and which would most suit the career you want to pursue.

Should I do BEng or MEng?

This is definitely something you will have to decide on during second year to avoid any confusion and disappointment during year 3. I chose BEng because MEng is not regularly accepted in South Africa (where I’m from), so if you are an international student or want to work in a different country, look into what qualifications are accepted in that country.

Something else to consider is finances. An MEng degree is considered one degree although it includes undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. If you do a BEng and then decide to do a Master’s at Newcastle University, this will be two separate degrees and will be priced differently – to clarify, the final year of an MEng degree and a Master’s degree will have different tuition fees. Be sure to contact the relevant people to get more information on how each option will affect you financially.

Finally, to progress onto an MEng course, you need to have a minimum Year 2 average of 55% (this may change).