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There is an international need for professionals who can provide sustainable and resilient infrastructure to help alleviate poverty in low- to middle-income countries. This programme will create future engineers who can work in a global context and with the skills and understanding to address the challenges of poverty worldwide.
Key information
Programme starts
September 2019
Modes and duration
Application dates
Tuition fees (2019/20)
Note on fees:
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. Fees for flexible, modular study are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session.
Entry requirements
A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (such as engineering, architecture, geography, urban planning, mathematics) from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Normally, however, only candidates with either a first- or upper second-class degree will be accepted, although applicants with a lower second-class degree supported by extensive relevant work experience will also be considered.
English language requirements
If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Standard
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
International students
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.
Select your country:
About this degree
Students gain understanding of infrastructure design and delivery processes in resource-limited settings, and learn how to mobilise technical expertise to develop solutions with local stakeholders in a global context. The wide range of taught modules also provides opportunity to critically engage with the complexities and ethical dilemmas of working as an engineer internationally.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of three core modules (45 credits), a collaborative project (30 credits). three optional modules (45 credits), and a dissertation/report (60 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits), full-time nine months, part-time two years, flexible up to five years is offered
Compulsory modules
- Appropriate Technologies in Practice
- Collaborative Project International Development
- Engineering and International Development
- Conflict, Humanitarianism and Disaster Risk Reduction
Optional modules
- Students choose a minimum of two* and a maximum of three optional modules from the following (subject to availability):
Environmental GIS - Environmental Modelling
- Environmental Systems Engineering
- GIS Principles and Technology
- Natural and Environmental Disasters
- Urban Flooding and Drainage
- Water and Wastewater Treatment
- *Students who choose two optional modules may choose one elective module in addition from the following:
Critical Urbanism Studio I – Learning from Informality: Case Studies and Alternatives - Critical Urbanism Studio II – Learning from Informality: Investigative Design
- Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
- Food and the City
- Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practicies and Alternatives
- Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development
- Urban Water and Sanitation, Planning and Politics
- Clean Energy and Development
- Water and Development in Africa
- Housing as Urbanism
- Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 to 15,000 words.
Teaching and learning
This programme will be delivered by a selection of taught modules, collaborative project with overseas clients and practical activities, including a site visit to the Centre for Alternative Technologies in Wales. While most of the field trip costs are met by the department, students are required to pay £300 towards the trip which contributes to accommodation and food. Assessment will range from group project presentations, coursework, and examinations to essays and a compulsory dissertation over the last term.
Funding
Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.
Brown Family Bursary
- Note:
- Now closed for 2019/20
- Value:
- £15,000 (1 year)
- Eligibility:
- UK
- Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need
Burma Star Scholarship
- Note:
- Engineering for International Development MSc only
- Value:
- Full fees plus stipend (1 year)
- Eligibility:
- UK, EU, Overseas
- Criteria:
- Based on academic merit
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Careers
Graduates can expect to find employment in the following areas:
- the Department for International Development
- international development agencies and engineering consultancies
- organisations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Union
- non-governmental agencies worldwide, such as Practical Action, WaterAid, and Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor.
Employability
MSc Engineering for International Development graduates will be able to pursue a career in the field of engineering, working on projects in low-middle income, developing countries, as well as the broader international development sector in different capacities and within various organisations currently operating in the field, such as the UN, the EU or NGOs such as WaterAid, Practical Action, Habitat for Humanity and more.
Why study this degree at UCL?
UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering is an energetic and exciting department with well-established research projects and networks in environmental engineering, transportation, urban resilience, wastewater provision, human settlements and renewable energy.
UCL is also home to Engineers Without Borders UCL, the international development organisation's largest UK branch and the Engineering for International Development which is an umbrella entity for student activities in relation to international development. A self-financed summer school can be organized to Ethiopia to gain exposure to the water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme of the UN.
Students benefit from UCL's strong links with industry-leading partners in the heart of London, through collaborative projects with businesses, charities and utility companies who work in low-middle income regions such as Water Aid, and renewable energy start-ups such as BBOXX.
Department: Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering
Application and next steps
Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.
There is an application processing fee for this programme of £75 for online applications and £100 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.
Who can apply?
This programme is suitable for students from any engineering discipline or built environment background who are keen to gain exposure to real-life applications of engineering solutions in international development.
Application deadlines
- UK/EU applicants
- 26 July 2019
- Overseas applicants
- 15 June 2019
For more information see our Applications page.
Apply nowWhat are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Engineering for International Development at graduate level
- why you want to study this programme at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
- how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
- where you would like to go professionally with your degree.
Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.
Contact information
- Pavlina Pyari , Programmes Administrator
- cege-pg-admissions@ucl.ac.uk
- +44 (0)20 3108 4046
Page last modified on 20 May 2019 by UCL Student Recruitment Marketing