Home

Engineering for International Development MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Set yourself up for a rewarding career in engineering for international development on this comprehensive, one-year MSc at UCL. Delving into everything from infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, and social impact, you’ll build the specialised expertise needed to have an impact in this critical field and combat poverty in low to middle-income nations. 

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£21,500
£10,750
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£42,700
£21,350
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

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.

The English language level for this course 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.

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


If you’re passionate about using the power of engineering to help solve challenges on an international scale, this is the MSc for you.

The comprehensive curriculum of our Engineering for International Development MSc covers urban resilience, wastewater solutions, human settlements and renewable energy. You'll also study the delivery processes within resource-limited contexts and ethical quandaries inherent in international engineering work.

You’ll also learn all about the decisions engineers need to make from a social, technical, and environmental standpoint. A global perspective will help you understand the context of your work as an engineer, so you can go out and create engineering projects that solve some of the world’s most pressing resource, climate, and sustainability challenges. 

There’s a big emphasis on transferable skills like stakeholder engagement, project management, contextual intelligence, problem solving, and critical thinking.

Graduates of UCL’s MSc in Engineering for International Development pursue diverse and impactful careers across the global development and engineering sectors. They go on to work in international development agencies, engineering consultancies, NGOs, and governmental organisations. According to LinkedIn profiles, notable employers include ARUP, the United Nations, the World Meteorological Organization, the European Commission, and Deutsche Bank, among others.

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal if you aspire to use your engineering skillset to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges.

We welcome applications from those with a first degree in engineering, or a similar field. If you have questions about your eligibility, feel free to contact us via email for clarification.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • A postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2026), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
  • Work with expert academics and researchers in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, who specialise in different disciplines, including environment, water, sanitation, energy, transportation, and more. 
  • Become a part of the UCL International Development Hub (ID Hub) and gain access to extracurricular initiatives, talks, workshops, hackathons, and internships. 
  • As part of the module on Infrastructure Systems for the Developing World, you will take on the Engineers Without Borders Design Challenge with your cohort.
  • Build strong collaborative skills, working alongside experts from UCL and carrying out research projects with one of our industrial partners, whenever possible. You'll also attend seminars and exhibitions by industry leaders such as Arup, Isles Utilities, SOLSAN ltd, WSUP, Economad Solutions, and WaterAid. 
  • UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Graduates of this MSc have found work across a wide range of sectors, industries, and organisations, including Arup, MACE, Network Rail, TfL, and WaterAid (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-22 and departmental data).


Others have gone on to research positions in world-leading academic institutions, such as the University of Cambridge, UniSA, TU Delft, and more.

Employability

Graduates unlock multiple pathways due to their comprehensive skillset, in-depth expertise in the subject matter, and broad contextual knowledge. Our graduates can pursue further studies at a PhD level or find work across a wide range of sectors, industries, and organisations such as international engineering consultancies, design practices, agencies, government, and non-governmental organisations. 

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s.

  • Engage with peers, industry experts and faculty members at guest lectures and special seminars.
  • Take part in collaborative group projects, field trips, site visits, case studies, and workshops within the department and with industry partners.
  • Access UCL Careers for a variety of resources and events to support your career development, including CV workshops and 1-2-1 guidance.

Accreditation

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a partial CEng accredited undergraduate first degree. See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.

Teaching and learning

This MSc programme is delivered through a mix of seminars, lectures, laboratory work, projects and practicals, which frequently draw upon real-life industry case studies. You'll also engage in site visits and field trips, where it is possible to arrange these. 

For your research project, you may expect to conduct stakeholder interviews and run laboratory experiments, computational analyses, or field investigations, depending on your project's specific requirements.  

Assessment is through examinations, presentations, essays, coursework, group projects, and your individual research project, which you will submit as a dissertation.

Full-time students can expect 12-16 hours of contact time per teaching week. Outside these sessions, students are expected to engage in significant self-directed study and complete assessments of around 20-25 hours per week. The exact number of contact hours, composition, and assessment varies throughout the terms, and depends on the module choices of the student.

This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) consisting of three core modules (45 credits), a collaborative project (30 credits) and three optional modules (45 credits) is also offered.

Modules

The programme consists of five compulsory modules, a collaborative project, three optional modules, and a dissertation/report.

Compulsory modules

  • Engineering and International Development (15 credits)
  • Appropriate Technologies in Practice (15 credits) 
  • Collaborative Environmental Systems Project (15 credits) 
  • Principles of Systems Engineering (15 credits)
  • Dissertation (60 credits) 

Optional modules 

Any 15 credit module at FHEQ Level 7 that is approved by the Programme Director, including but not limited to: 

  • Conflict, Humanitarianism and Disaster Risk Reduction
  • Environmental Modelling
  • Environmental Systems Engineering
  • Urban Flooding and Drainage
  • Water and Wastewater Treatment
  • Life Cycle Assessment
  • Waste Management and Circular Economy
  • Building Energy Efficiency
  • Introduction to Complex Infrastructure Systems
  • Mobility, People and Society
  • Transport and the Environment
  • Clean Energy and Development

The programme structure for part-time students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of 2 years. 5 compulsory modules (75 credits) tailored to the chosen pathway form the core. You'll then select 3 optional modules (45 credits) to complement your specialisation. In Term 3, you'll complete an individual research project (60 credits).

The programme structure for modular/flexible students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of their studies. 

Compulsory modules








Optional modules















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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Engineering for International Development. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Engineering for International Development.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £21,500 £10,750
Tuition fees (2026/27) £42,700 £21,350

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a £350 deposit will be charged.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a £500 deposit will be charged.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The programme may involve some additional costs, which can vary depending on the specific modules and activities chosen. Not all of these will apply to every student, but these could include expenses for course materials, participation in site visits, necessary equipment for certain settings, or other project-related needs.

For in-person teaching, 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 £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. 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

Chevening Scholarship - www.chevening.org

Saïd Foundation - www.saidfoundation.org

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

UCL East London Scholarship

CLOSED FOR 25/26 ENTRY
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

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 course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

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 engineering for international development at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this 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. 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (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: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

cege-pg-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.