These courses have been designed for students who are looking for a university-level and professional-standard technical education in engineering.
The HNC and HND pathway in Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering) at UCW provides the skills and knowledge you will need to meet the demands of employers in this vital sector.
The courses will also provide you with an understanding of the way new technologies are transforming construction and civil engineering,
and you will also investigate other contemporary issues such as sustainability, professional ethics and statutory responsibilities.
The courses have been developed with institutions including the Royal Academy of Engineering to meet the requirements of professional bodies including the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Building.
Those who complete the full four-year programme at UCW are awarded a HND will be qualified to apply for Engineering Technician status and related Honours Top-up degrees.
HNCs (Higher National Certificates) and HNDs (Higher National Diplomas) are BTEC qualifications at Level 4 and 5 respectively. The HNC and HND BTEC qualifications at UCW are awarded by Pearson, one of the world’s leading learning companies.
The academic elements of these courses are taught in the bespoke laboratories and workshops at the recently-redeveloped South West Skills Campus in Weston.
You will also be among the first students to benefit from the state-of-the-art learning and teaching facilities on offer at the brand new University Centre in the Winter Gardens building in the centre of Weston.
Our highly qualified academic team have extensive industry contacts and their lectures are complemented by sessions delivered by visiting experts and hands-on learning through site visits and field trips.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the course leader David LeFeuvre or UCW’s HEART student services team. It would also be great to meet you and show you around at our next Open Day.
2020 entry part-time tuition fees: £3,225 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £3,250 per year.
This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for students to complete the course.
It also includes:
- The use of UCW equipment and required specialist software.
- The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
- The loans of books from our libraries.
- Annual £5 printing and photocopying allowance for part-time students.
- Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.
It does not include:
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Students may also be required to pay for attendance at daytrips and residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 per day.
- Extra printing and photocopying above the £5 limit.
- Any transportation costs you may incur to attend UCW, including between our campuses.
- Accommodation and other living expenses.
UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.
You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.
HNC Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering)
All of the modules on this course are worth 15 credits. Successful completion of all of the modules is worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering).
- Construction Information (Drawing, Detailing, Specification) (15 credits)
- Construction Practice and Management (15 credits)
- Construction Technology (15 credits)
- Individual Project (15 credits)
- Mathematics for Construction (15 credits)
- Science and Materials (15 credits)
- Principles of Structural Design (15 credits)
- Plus one 15 credit optional module
HND Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering)
All of the modules on this course are worth 15 credits. Successful completion of all of the modules is worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering).
- Advanced Structural Design (15 credits)
- Further Mathematics for Construction (15 credits)
- Geotechnics and Soil Mechanics (15 credits)
- Group Project (15 credits)
- Plus three 15 credit optional modules
This course is taught via a combination of lectures, tutorials and practical sessions. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled classes, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.
Students will receive an average of 7 hours of scheduled teaching per week.
- Those who complete the HNC will be eligible to progress to related HNDs and other Level 5 qualifications.
- Those who complete both the HNC and HND are eligible to apply for engineering-related Honours Top-up degrees or equivalent Level 6 qualifications.
- Subject to further study where necessary, a HND in Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering) could lead to job roles such as civil engineer, site engineering technician, structural engineering designer, civil engineering designer or transport engineering designer.
Industry insight
There are around 315,000 companies operating in the UK construction industry (Office for National Statistics data).
For the HNC, offers are usually made on the basis of a minimum of CC at A Level including at least one relevant subject, or a related BTEC Extended Diploma at MPP, or equivalent. Five GCSEs or equivalent Level 2 qualifications at grade C/4 or above are also required.
For the HND, a relevant HNC or equivalent Level 4 qualification is required. Five GCSEs or equivalent Level 2 qualifications at grade C/4 or above are also required.
Applications from those who do not meet these requirements but who have demonstrable and relevant work experience will be considered on an
individual basis.
