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Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering MPhil/PhD (2024), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

£6,215

£3,105

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)

£33,000

£16,500

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

February 2025

May 2025

October 2025

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the chosen field, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g. Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance. This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering combines state-of-the-art, award-winning facilities with world-leading academics to design engineering solutions that address human needs and promote sustainable growth on a societal and global level.

As a research student with us, you'll benefit from a dynamic training environment that encourages collaboration across engineering sciences, computational skills, and experimentation at our facilities, while working on research projects with our industry partners.

In addition to regular guidance from your academic supervisors, you’ll have access to a dedicated administrative team and a range of support services.

You’ll also benefit from UCL’s skills development programmes, 1-2-1 career guidance, and participate in social and community outreach activities to support your research, career, and student life.

A PhD with us will enhance not only your research skills, but your soft and transferable skills. This ensures you’re well-prepared for success after your studies.

Who this course is for

This programme is most likely to appeal to students who are passionate about finding solutions to some of the worlds most pressing problems. You'd ideally have academic background in a subject such as engineering, architecture, environmental studies, geography, mathematics, earth sciences, physical or computational sciences, and wish to expand your knowledge of theory, tools and techniques about civil engineering.

Before registering for this MPhil/PhD programme, you must initially have successfully a minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the chosen field, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

This degree offers the folllowing range of benefits and opportunities:

A research degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025). We also hold one of the largest EPSRC research portfolios in civil engineering.
Learn from world-renowned academics and researchers in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, who specialise in different disciplines including environment, structures, geomatics, transport, healthy infrastructure, and more.
Join one of our interdisciplinary research projects, groups, or centres. Contribute to innovative solutions that improve human experience and make a societal and global impact.
Build strong collaborative skills and gain industry experience by working with UCL experts on research projects and public engagement activities, where applicable, with one of our government and industry partners.
Access the department's start-of-the-art and award-winning facilities across London such as Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL), Controlled Active Ventilation Environment (CAVE), and Structural & Environmental Testing at Here East (StrEnTHE). These resources offer opportunities to observe and conduct experiments that will enhance your research.
Join the UCL Doctoral Skills Development (DSDP) programme and take advantage of multiple training courses, such as our teaching training scheme, to gain relevant skills for research and your future career.
Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2025). UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.

Find out how your research could have an impact

Making an impact

UCL Portico building with welcome sign between columns.

Case study: Tsunami defence

Our work on fluid dynamics has created new ways to model tsunami waves, so we can defend against these disasters.

The foundation of your career

With a comprehensive skillset and in-depth knowledge, graduates are poised to excel across various sectors, spearheading projects, influencing decisions, and contributing to the advancement of the engineering landscape. This degree not only opens doors to an array of prestigious employment opportunities but also sets a well-defined trajectory for a fulfilling and impactful career.

Employability

Our recent graduate data suggests that 40% of our graduates took up postdoctoral fellowships or lectureships at UCL or other universities after graduation. Engineering consultancy firms are the second most popular destination (30%), followed by policymaking organisations, such as central governments, and the United Nations (20%). In addition, there have been a number of graduates who pursued careers as entrepreneurs.

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate, and build professional and industry contacts in and outside of UCL as part of your degree.

Receive input and advice on your research project from academics, researchers, and industry experts both within and beyond UCL.
Engage with peers across the world, industry experts and faculty members all united in their desire to help shape the future of engineering.
Take part in collaborative group projects, seminars, site visits, fieldtrips, case studies, and workshops with the department and industry partners.
Gain insights into real-world engineering challenges by attending seminars, lectures, and exhibitions led by in-house members and industry leaders at UCL.
Access UCL Careers for a variety of resources and events to support your career development, including workshops, employer fairs, and one-to-one guidance.

Teaching and learning

Our programme adopts a diverse range of teaching and learning methods, including lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, projects, laboratory sessions, industry collaborations, and more. For your research project, you may expect to run laboratory experiments, computational analyses, or field investigations, depending on your project's specific requirements.

A dissertation of up to 100,000 words for a PhD, or up to 60,000 words for an MPhil, is completed as a part of this programme.

Students can expect a well-balanced division of their time between various learning activities such as tutorials, lectures, seminars, practical sessions, and personal guidance. A typical full-time PhD student is expected to spend an average of approximately 35-40 hours per week working on their PhD, although this will vary, with some periods of more intensive research.

The majority of the student's time is dedicated to independent study, allowing for in-depth exploration and self-directed learning. For your research project, you may expect to run laboratory experiments, computational analyses, or field investigations, depending on your project's specific requirements.

Research areas and structure

Research in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering is uniquely multidisciplinary, spanning 3D imaging, urban resilience and accessibility, to earthquake engineering, hydrodynamics and heritage protection. Our researchers are committed to finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. Research in our Department falls primarily into the following domain areas:

Environment and Sustainability: water and wastewater engineering; energy modelling; climate change adaptation; resilience; industrial ecology.
Transport and Infrastructure: sustainable structures; circular economy; resource efficiency; urban environment; railways; healthier environment.
Mechanics: fluid mechanics; geomatics; geomechanics; materials science; construction.
Natural Hazards: hazard risk; natural environment; earthquake engineering; international development; water sanitation; 3D imaging and modelling.

Visit UCL CEGE’s research website for more.

Research environment

Our world-class courses attract the best students from all over the world and train the next generation of engineers. We have 150 students enrolled on our PhD programmes at any given time.

UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering is a multidisciplinary department with a long tradition of excellence and innovation in research and teaching. Our aims are:

To promote a pioneering, interdisciplinary approach with a global outlook in civil engineering that addresses diverse societal needs and enhances well-being.
To develop and empower the next generation of engineers while fostering global leadership in research through international platforms for scholars.
To bridge theory with application by stimulating continuous collaboration and engagement between the public and private sectors, as well as civil society.
To encourage high-impact research applications to improve sustainability, safety, and equity, while actively supporting the research community.

Our research integrates knowledge and skills with experience, and above all, passion and empathy to push the boundaries of innovation. We continually reference human needs and sustainable growth as the driving forces behind engineering innovative solutions. In 2011, UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering received £17.2m in funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, more than any comparable department.

This funding highlights our research impact in tackling key national and global challenges, including city design, ageing populations, transport infrastructure, water processing, and energy and resource management.

Within 3 months of joining the programme, you are expected to agree with your supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research methodology and a realistic plan of work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research to your supervisor for their comments and feedback. During your registration, you will be able to participate in conferences and research showcase events, which provide you with an opportunity to present your research findings before an audience of academics, industry and your fellow doctoral students.

In the second year or part-time equivalent, you will be expected to complete the upgrade progression process. To progress, you are required to submit a short upgrade report, which must be presented and successfully defended in an upgrade viva. In your final year, you will submit your thesis and defend it to a panel in a viva (oral examination).

Depending on the terms of any funding arrangements, upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may be able to register as a completing research student (CRS) while you write up your thesis.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£6,215	£3,105
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£33,000	£16,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Additional costs should be discussed with your prospective supervisor as each research area differs.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Fully-funded studentships attached to research projects are usually announced in the vacancies section of the CEGE website, as well as on www.jobs.ac.uk and www.findaphd.com.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship

Value: Fees, maintenance and travel (Duration of programme)

Criteria Based on academic merit

Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

You are encouraged to identify and contact potential supervisors before submitting a formal application. It is important that you find a supervisor who shares the same research interest and expectations and is available to take a new student. Supervisors in our department welcome emails enquiring about your potential MPhil/PhD study. Their contact details are available on the Academic staff section of the CEGE website. Intake points for PhD students are September and March. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.