Urban Sustainability and Resilience EngD

London, Bloomsbury

This programme provides students with the opportunity to tackle a challenging research problem identified by industry as critical to improving our urban environment and our wellbeing. The programme includes a taught element which focuses on technologies and methodologies that will both increase the resilience and support the sustainability of our urban systems and infrastructure.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£6,035
£3,015
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£31,100
£15,550
Duration
3 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 05 Apr 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

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. Relevant subjects include, but are not limited to, engineering, science, social sciences, architecture, town planning, economics and geography.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

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

Our multidisciplinary department has a long tradition of excellence and innovation in research and teaching. We hold a substantial EPSRC research portfolio in civil engineering, and our diverse range of programmes, which cover most major and advanced areas of civil, environmental and geomatic engineering, are accredited by professional engineering bodies (e.g. the Joint Board of Moderators, the International Hydrographic Organization, and RICS). Research students benefit from our extensive links to world-leading industry in London and directly engage with global challenges through their research with us. Our research graduates go on to make the world a better place as academics, entrepreneurs, civil engineers, planners and policymakers.

Who this course is for

This programme is most likely to appeal to students who have an academic background in a subject such as engineering, architecture, environmental studies, geography, mathematics, earth sciences, physical or computational sciences and wish to expand their knowledge of theory, tools and techniques about urban sustainability and resilience.

What this course will give you

The Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience (USAR) provides an energetic and exciting environment that draws on expertise from across the university.

The Centre is based within UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) – a revolutionary department within UCL, distinguished by its radical thinking and interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching. The combination of innovative, transformative investigation and practical application is the department’s response to the challenge of making the world a better place.

Students work in a dynamic research environment – providing a critical mass of problem solvers and intellectual resources, and offering excellent networking opportunities.

The foundation of your career

The collaborative nature of the engineering doctorate offered within the UCL Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience (USAR) means that students gain first-hand experience of working with industry, giving our alumni a distinct advantage as they enter their professional lives. The Centre has well-established partnerships with global engineering companies such as Arup, Atkins, Laing O'Rourke and Willis, and strong links with NGOs and government agencies such as London Underground and Transport for London. Through its Industrial Advisory Committee, the Centre ensures that the training its research engineers receive addresses what industry demands of its future employees.

Employability

An attractive qualification to further your career, the EngD will prepare you with commercial awareness and a holistic understanding of the industrial landscape. With these skills and knowledge, our graduates are equipped with the skills to enter the job market at a senior level within a research and development group. As an EngD Research Engineer, you will bridge the gap between the academic and commercial world.

Networking

USAR hosts an international conference series that gives our students the opportunity to interact and develop links with leading thinkers in the field. Our students are actively encouraged to present papers at international conferences, publish journal articles and to participate in opportunities beyond the Centre, for example by undertaking a secondment with the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and to exploit the experiences and connections that these activities present. USAR also hosts research showcases and workshops attended by industry and academics, where our research engineers present their work and are questioned by their peers.

Teaching and learning

Throughout the programme, a diverse range of teaching and learning strategies foster comprehensive skill development and intellectual growth and imbue graduates with the prowess to thrive in research, industry, and various professional domains.

Students undertake the MRes in Urban Sustainability and Resilience in year one (years one to two for part-time students). During this time, students take four taught modules: two 15-credit research skills modules — Interdisciplinary Thinking in Urban Sustainability and Resilience (CEGE0050), plus one other from an approved list, and 30 credits of electives from across UCL. Students also work on an MRes research project (120 credits). In years two to four (years three to seven part-time), students take an additional 60 credits of taught modules, including one innovation and enterprise module, a resilience module and a sustainability module selected from approved lists (15 credits each).

At the end of the programme students submit an EngD thesis, examined by viva voce, based on their research project.

Students also submit a report based on their MRes research project at the end of year one, and deliver a presentation (120 credits).

Both the MRes and EngD research projects may be on a topic of the student's choosing, in agreement with their supervisors, on any subject relevant to the field of urban sustainability or resilience.

The MRes dissertation is a maximum of 20,000 words in length. The EngD thesis is a maximum of 100,000 words in length.

Please visit the Urban Sustainability and Resilience MRes + EngD programme page for further details.

The programme employs a diverse range of assessment methods to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of students' capabilities, understanding, and comprehension across various dimensions, fostering a well-rounded learning experience.

At the end of the programme students submit an EngD thesis, examined by viva voce, based on their research project.

Students also submit a report based on their MRes research project at the end of year one, and deliver a presentation (120 credits).

Students can expect a well-balanced division of their time between various learning activities such as tutorials, seminars, practical sessions, and direct guidance.

The majority of the student's time, the remaining portion, is dedicated to independent study, allowing for in-depth exploration and self-directed learning. This balanced approach to time allocation ensures that students have ample opportunities for collaborative learning, direct instruction, and autonomous exploration, fostering a comprehensive and well-rounded educational experience.

Research areas and structure

The EngD programme has two key themes: sustainability and resilience. We focus on reducing the impact of our cities on ecological systems (air, water, food chains) whilst improving the quality of daily lives and coping with the problems of population growth and changing demographics, such as an ageing society. We are concerned with engineering systems and developing technologies that will increase the resilience of our urban systems (education, health, transport, water, financial, governance) and the infrastructure that supports them (roads, communications networks, buildings) to shocks arising from natural, economic and technological hazards.

Research environment

An EngD is a doctorate, equivalent to a PhD that combines academic research in an industry context with taught modules in related subjects. The taught component of the EngD programme will help you to build academic strength and enhance your leadership skills.

This programme will provide you with the opportunity to tackle a challenging research problem identified by industry as critical to our urban environment. The taught element of the programme focuses on engineering systems and developing technologies and methodologies that will both increase the resilience and support the sustainability of our urban systems and infrastructure.

The EngD programme has two key themes: sustainability and resilience. We focus on reducing the impact of our cities on ecological systems (air, water, food chains) whilst improving the quality of daily lives and coping with the problems of population growth and changing demographics, such as an ageing society. We are concerned with engineering systems and developing technologies that will increase the resilience of our urban systems (education, health, transport, water, financial, governance) and the infrastructure that supports them (roads, communications networks, buildings) to shocks arising from natural, economic and technological disasters. 

Before registering for this EngD programme, you must initially have successfully completed the MRes Urban Sustainability and Resilience degree. For automatic progression from MRes to PhD/EngD, you should achieve an average mark of not less than 60% in the independent, original research components of the programme, and not less than 50% in the taught elements. Please see the relevant chapter of the UCL Academic Manual. If you are undertaking the EngD on a part-tine basis, you must meet the requirements of the MRes in two years. The length of registration for the engineering doctorate programme is three years for full-time and five years for part-time. 

Within three 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 EngD progression process. To progress, you are required to submit a short report, which must be presented and successfully defended before a panel. In your final year, you will have the opportunity to attend thesis submission and viva examination workshops, which help to prepare you for your final assessment

You are required to take 60 credits of postgraduate level taught modules in total over the three years – 15 credits from the resilience compulsory group, 15 credits from the sustainability compulsory group and 15 credits from the innovation and enterprise compulsory group. The remaining 15 credits are elective, you can select from all available UCL postgraduate modules. 

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.

Students will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits over the course of two-years.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Accessibility

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


Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £6,035 £3,015
Tuition fees (2024/25) £31,100 £15,550

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

The costs associated with course materials such as books will vary depending upon which modules you select. Some modules may also charge for field trips. You may need to cover the costs of thesis binding and there may be additional costs specific to your project.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

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

CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship

Value: Fees, maintenance and travel (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on academic merit
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

Please include a research proposal (approximately one page in length) outlining the topic that you would like to investigate (context, research question, proposed methodology, case studies, references). 

If you have identified a suitable academic supervisor, please mention their name in your application.

The start date for students undertaking the four-year EngD programme in Urban Sustainability and Resilience is September.

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.