School of Civil Engineering

Welcome to the school of Civil Engineering! On this page you’ll find everything you need to know about starting your studies.

Scroll to the section that applies to you – new student, returning student or postgraduate student. We’ve also included some helpful links at the end of the page to direct you to anything else you might need.

If you’re a postgraduate researcher, find your faculty welcome and induction information to help you get started.

I’m a new student                

What do I need to do before I arrive?

You should complete your registration and obtain your IT username. This will allow you to access the Civil Engineering area via Minerva, where you’ll find more information.

What does my induction timetable look like?

Induction Week 2023 will be running from 25 September to 29 September.

Induction timetables:

Will I be required to attend face to face sessions?

Sessions will take place in-person on the University of Leeds campus (unless otherwise specified on your timetable).

How will tutorials/seminars, practical or lab sessions be managed?

Tutorials, practicals and lab sessions are scheduled to be delivered on-campus.

How will I meet my academic personal tutor? How will academic personal tutoring work?

You will meet your personal tutor and your tutor group during Induction week. Please see your induction timetable for full details. Undergraduate students will have weekly meetings with your tutor group throughout the academic year and many lab sessions and group coursework items will be conducted in your tutor group.

Where can I go for support? 

From 18 September 2023, the new Student Information Point (SIP) will open in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering on the ground floor (entrance on Clarendon Road). The SIP will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and will be a one-stop shop for all student enquiries. You can email the Student Information Service (SIS) at studentinfo@leeds.ac.uk. 

If you have programme or school specific queries during induction week or throughout your programme, you can email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk. 

You’ll be introduced to key members of academic staff, as well as support staff, during Induction Week. Their details can also be found on the School Minerva Organisation.

Where do I turn if I need extra academic support?

You should contact your module or academic personal tutors in the first instance.

How will I find out more about my programme?

You’ll receive more information about your programme during Induction Week. In the meantime details are available on the University of Leeds Programme Catalogue

How will I get to know other students?

During Induction Week, you’ll meet your tutor group. Taught postgraduate students will have induction sessions with all students on their programme. Undergraduate students will also have the opportunity to meet other Civil Engineering students through a field trip.

What welcome activities do you have planned to welcome me to Civil Engineering?

Please see your induction timetable for full details of the activities planned to welcome you to the School of Civil Engineering.

Are there any specialist software or systems that I need for my programme and where do I find out information about it? 

See our School of Civil Engineering - UG Equipment Information (2023) (PDF) – this includes information on laptops, safety kit and drawing equipment.

You don’t necessarily need to buy a new laptop but, if you are considering doing so, it is worth waiting until we contact you in late August/early September with details of the minimum specifications that would be required to run specialist civil engineering on your own machine. You will, however, be able to access that software on University computers or remotely.

On arrival in the School of Civil Engineering, each undergraduate student is provided with a safety kit comprising of safety boots, high visibility jacket, hard hat, gloves and safety glasses all contained in a high visibility backpack. This will be used when taking part in selected laboratory practical sessions, during survey camp and any site visits you may undertake. 

Where can I access resources for my degree?  

Resources will be sign-posted via Minerva.

What is the role of course representatives and how do I volunteer?

Course representatives

Each University course, including undergraduate and postgraduate courses, has course representatives – students who are elected by their fellow students at the start of each academic year. Course representatives are expected to collect feedback from students on their course and present this feedback to members of staff in the school at student/staff forum meetings throughout the academic year.

You’ll be given information about the course representatives role and how to apply during induction week, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk.

School representatives

School representatives are appointed by Leeds University Union (LUU) to represent the views and be the voice of students in your School, promoting student-led change. They play a fundamentally important role in ensuring your School and the University provide the best possible academic experience for students, and a better place to work and study.

Undergraduate students will meet your School representative during induction week. Postgraduate students will have the chance to apply for the position once the academic year begins.

Are there any societies I can join for the school/programme?

The School of Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc) is open to all students in the School. They organise many social events throughout the year and are always happy to receive new suggestions for events. More information will be provided by the CivSoc Committee during Induction Week and is also available on the LUU website.

Are there any peer mentoring schemes operating in my School? 

The School runs a Peer Assisted Student Support (PASS) scheme, through which Level 3 and Level 4 students provide support to first year students. You’ll meet a PASS Leader with your tutor group during Induction Week and the PASS Leaders will run weekly drop-in sessions from October onwards.

How does assessment work on my programme?

Assessment is by a combination of coursework, design projects, practicals, online assessments and examinations. Details for each individual module are provided on the module catalogue. Support with academic skills is provided by academic staff in the School of Civil Engineering and by the Skills@Library team.

I’m a returning student 

How will my programme be delivered this year? 

You’ll need to be in Leeds for your lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical sessions, as we won’t be offering online versions of the courses we normally teach face to face. On-campus learning will be complemented and supported by a variety of digital technologies.

What do I need to do before I arrive?

As in previous years you will be required to complete online registration via the Student Services portal on Minerva.

What does my induction timetable look like?

There’ll be no timetabled events in Induction Week but you should expect a briefing for the year to be held in the first few weeks of Semester 1.

Will I be required to attend on-campus sessions?

All students will be required to attend in-person sessions.

How will I meet my academic personal tutor? How will academic personal tutoring work?

Level 2 students will have timetabled sessions with their personal tutors. Students at all levels will meet with their personal tutors on an individual basis.

Where can I go for support? 

From 18 September 2023, the new Student Information Point (SIP) will open in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering on the ground floor (entrance on Clarendon Road). The SIP will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and will be a one-stop shop for all student enquiries. You can email the Student Information Service (SIS) at studentinfo@leeds.ac.uk. 

If you have programme or school specific queries during induction week or throughout your programme, you can email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk. 

You’ll be introduced to key members of academic staff, as well as support staff, during Induction Week. Their details can also be found on the School Minerva Organisation.

Where do I turn if I need extra academic support? 

You should contact module or academic personal tutors in the first instance.

How will I find out more about my programme?

You’ll receive more information about your programme in the first few weeks of teaching. In the meantime details are available on the University of Leeds Programme Catalogue

What welcome activities do you have planned to welcome me to the School of Civil Engineering?

There’ll be no timetabled events in Induction Week but you should expect an event for your year group to be held in the first few weeks of Semester 1.

Where can I access resources for my degree?  

Resources will be sign-posted via Minerva.

What is the role of course representatives and how do I volunteer?

Course representatives

Each University course, including undergraduate and postgraduate courses, has course representatives – students who are elected by their fellow students at the start of each academic year. Course representatives are expected to collect feedback from students on their course and present this feedback to members of staff in the school at student/staff forum meetings throughout the academic year.

You’ll be given information about the course representatives role and how to apply during induction week, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk.

School representatives

School representatives are appointed by Leeds University Union (LUU) to represent the views and be the voice of students in your School, promoting student-led change. They play a fundamentally important role in ensuring your School and the University provide the best possible academic experience for students, and a better place to work and study.

Undergraduate students will meet your School representative during induction week. Postgraduate students will have the chance to apply for the position once the academic year begins.

Are there any societies I can join for the school/programme?

The School of Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc) is open to all students in the School. They organise many social events throughout the year and are always happy to receive new suggestions for events. More information will be provided by the CivSoc Committee during Induction Week and is also available on the LUU website.

An Architecture Society (ArchSoc) – has been successfully launched and is available to all students, whether studying the Architecture programme or not.

How does assessment work on my programme?

Assessment is by a combination of coursework, design projects, practicals, online assessments and examinations. Details for each individual module are provided on the module catalogue. Support with academic skills is provided by academic staff in the School of Civil Engineering and by the Skills@Library team.

I’m a postgraduate student

What do I need to do before I arrive?

You should complete your registration and obtain your IT username. This will allow you to access the Civil Engineering area via Minerva, where you’ll find more information.

How will my programme be delivered this year? 

You’ll need to be in Leeds for your lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical sessions, as we won’t be offering online versions of the courses we normally teach face to face. On-campus learning will be complemented and supported by a variety of digital technologies.

What does my induction timetable look like?

Taught Postgraduate Induction Timetable – September 2023 (PDF)

Incoming students will receive a SWAY document containing further information detailing the events taking place throughout their induction week.

Advanced Concrete Technology Induction timetable

How will tutorials/seminars, practical or lab sessions be managed?

Tutorials, practicals and lab sessions are scheduled to be delivered on-campus.

How will I meet my academic personal tutor? How will academic personal tutoring work?

You’ll meet your personal tutor and your tutor group during Induction week. Please see the Induction timetable for full details. You’ll have further meetings with your tutor and your group through the academic year. Towards the end of Semester 1, you will have a dissertation supervisor allocated.

Where can I go for support? 

From 18 September 2023, the new Student Information Point (SIP) will open in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering on the ground floor (entrance on Clarendon Road). The SIP will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and will be a one-stop shop for all student enquiries. You can email the Student Information Service (SIS) at studentinfo@leeds.ac.uk. 

If you have programme or school specific queries during induction week or throughout your programme, you can email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk. 

You’ll be introduced to key members of academic staff, as well as support staff, during Induction Week. Their details can also be found on the School Minerva Organisation.

Where do I turn if I need extra academic support? 

You should contact your module or academic personal tutors in the first instance

How will I find out more about my programme?

You’ll receive more information about your programme during Induction Week. In the meantime, details are available on the University of Leeds Programme Catalogue

How will I get to know other students?

During Induction week you’ll attend sessions with your tutor group and all students on your programme.

What welcome activities do you have planned to welcome me to the School of Civil Engineering?

Please see the Induction timetable for full details of the activities planned to welcome you to the School of Civil Engineering.

Are there any specialist software or systems that I need for my programme and where do I find out information about it? 

If there is specialist software required, we’ll communicate this to you on an individual programme basis.

Where can I access resources for my degree?  

Resources will be sign-posted via Minerva.

What is the role of course representatives and how do I volunteer?

Course representatives

Each University course, including undergraduate and postgraduate courses, has course representatives – students who are elected by their fellow students at the start of each academic year. Course representatives are expected to collect feedback from students on their course and present this feedback to members of staff in the school at student/staff forum meetings throughout the academic year.

You’ll be given information about the course representatives role and how to apply during induction week, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please email your Student Education Service team at civil@leeds.ac.uk.

School representatives

School representatives are appointed by Leeds University Union (LUU) to represent the views and be the voice of students in your School, promoting student-led change. They play a fundamentally important role in ensuring your School and the University provide the best possible academic experience for students, and a better place to work and study.

Postgraduate students will have the chance to apply for the position once the academic year begins.

Are there any societies I can join for the school/programme?

The School of Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc) is open to all students in the School. They organise many social events throughout the year and are always happy to receive new suggestions for events. More information will be provided by the CivSoc Committee during Induction Week and is also available on the LUU website.

An Architecture Society (ArchSoc) – has been successfully launched and is available to all students, whether studying the Architecture programme or not.

How does assessment work on my programme?

Assessment is by a combination of  coursework, design projects, practicals, online assessments and examinations. Details for each individual module are provided on the module catalogue. Support with academic skills is provided by academic staff in the School of Civil Engineering and by the Skills@Library team.

Where can I find relevant career information for postgraduate students? 

See the Employability Organisation on Minerva.

Other useful links