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Civil Engineering: HNC - Senior Phase

A student wearing a white cap working on a dual-monitor CAD setup, designing a mechanical component on one screen and a technical drawing on the other.
Qualification Qualifications Explained
HNC
Study Mode
Part Time
Duration

2 Days p/w
Start date
Aug 2027
Campus
Springburn
Applications open Jan 2027

Course overview

This course is only available to school students.  Please do not apply if you do not meet this requirement.

This course is intended to provide students with the technical education requirements for the position of Technician Engineer.

The syllabus is broad-based to allow for future employment with Civil Engineering contractors, consulting engineers, local authorities or possible progression with their current employer

What you will learn

Civil Engineering:

  • Technology, Materials & Testing

  • Contract & Project Management

  • Specialisms

  • Graded Units

Construction:

  • Site Surveying

  • Substructure

  • Technical Communication

Structural:

  • Mechanics

Others:

  • Geotechnics

  • CAD

  • Highways

  • Mathematics
HND CAD student Liam sitting at a computer desk in Glasgow Kelvin College, with 3D car models displayed on dual monitors and a small vehicle prototype on the table.

🎓 Hear from Liam | Computer Aided Design

Liam talks us through what the Computer Aided Design course covers and how it prepares students for a future in design and engineering.

From developing technical drawing skills to working with industry-standard software, the course equips students with the practical knowledge and confidence needed to progress into further study or employment.

Design. Precision. Innovation.

View on YouTube

Entry requirements

  • Higher qualification in Maths or Physics - Grade C or above. OR

  • Technological Higher subject (Grade C or above) with National 5 Maths. 

For this course, if English is not your first language

  • If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment  here at the College.

Future prospects

An HNC in Civil Engineering can enable students to progress onto the part-time HND Civil Engineering at Glasgow Kelvin College.

Real Industry Connections

The CAD teaching team have worked across industries including the luxury Automotive sector and Architecture. This means we can provide a unique insight into the world of work, give real life examples of how what we’re teaching you is relevant in a very dynamic and fast changing environment.

Our Environment

CAD and its associated technologies are at the forefront of environmental awareness. Everything that is manufactured in the world will have CAD tech associated with it. Designing products and educating within CAD means that we don’t have to use lots of paper wastage (we have reduced paper waste by 95%) and can also teach one of our days online. This reduces unnecessary travel to the college and promotes confidence in our learners to work effectively remotely.

The utilisation of CAD has led to less wastage of pre-production components. VR (Virtual Reality) is at the forefront of this change, building components and being able to see them in 3D through the user headsets, means that we can delay actual production of test components and that means less wastage going to landfill.

See what activities you can take part in as part of the course.

* these videos only contain visuals with background music, there are no voiceovers

  • A digital graphic displaying the text "CLAN CAD" in bold black letters on a white background. The "K" in "CLAN" is stylized with colorful geometric shapes in blue, orange, and pink, with a splatter effect on the right side of the design.
  • Two students celebrating after winning the Glasgow Kelvin College CAD car race, holding remote controls outdoors.
A lecturer pointing at a 3D design projected on a screen while students follow along on their computers in a CAD classroom.
Three Ultimaker 3D printers in a row, with one actively printing an object, in a college workshop setting.
Students working on CAD designs at desktop computers in a classroom, with shelves displaying 3D-printed models in the background.
Close-up of a student wearing glasses, with a reflection of Glasgow Kelvin College’s logo visible in the lenses.
A student smiling while working at a computer in a CAD classroom, surrounded by classmates focused on their designs.
A student smiling at the camera while working on a CAD project, with two classmates engaged in their designs on nearby computers.
A student and a lecturer working together on a 3D modeling project, with a detailed CAD design displayed on the computer screen.
A student in a dark hoodie concentrating on a dual-monitor CAD workstation, modeling a 3D mechanical part.

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Find out about our Engineering Department

Read What Our Students Said

Video Transcript – Liam: HND CAD

Hi there, I'm Liam. I'm doing the HND CAD course, computer aided design and drafting at Glasgow Kelvin College.

What I've got here is a concept for an RC car. I'm getting given to do that through the year till March, since a wee race at the end of it. What I've got here is like rough sort of ideas. It's just an odd shape. Here's an outline of the image I've got here. An Arthetic Core GTR.

We use the 3D printers, parts like this chassis under here. We'll 3D print them and sort of do trial and errors. Do the CAD on here, then export a file and it'll come off on the 3D printer. Eventually at the end we'll have a working car. We'll use like this sort of marking gauge thing. It gives us precise sizes for when we're 3D printing. It's good for us to sort of get used to going into the world.

The great thing about the course is you can do it in college and also at home. But after the college, I'd either apply for a uni on more design stuff. 3D design for games, or it might just be 2D drawings on AutoCAD, or just go straight into an apprenticeship or get a job. I couldn't go into any sort of engineering space, as it is just design, so it's quite freeing.

Don't let the fact that it is a HND put you off. I've done fifth year and didn't do sixth year and I came here and it's probably the best decision I've made. I didn't really think sixth year at school was for me and I had my mum and dad. They backed me the whole way. I know some people kind of thought not doing sixth year means you're not doing your exams and you don't like to do well but I went out of school with three highers and came in here and done this and ever since, life just got better.

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