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Civil Engineering

Civil engineering students using surveying equipment during an outdoor fieldwork session overlooking Glasgow.

About the Civil Engineering Department

Civil Engineers design, build and maintain the infrastructure that keeps communities connected. From roads, bridges and railways to water networks and major construction projects, they play a vital role in shaping the world around us.

At Glasgow Kelvin College, you'll develop the practical skills and technical knowledge needed for a career in this dynamic industry. Through a combination of classroom learning, surveying, technical design and hands-on fieldwork, you'll gain experience in areas such as construction technology, CAD, structural engineering and project management while developing the analytical and problem-solving skills valued by employers.

Our experienced lecturers will support you throughout your studies, helping you build confidence, gain recognised qualifications and prepare for employment, higher-level study or a career in the civil engineering and construction sectors.

Craig Fay, Civil Engineering Curriculum Manager at Glasgow Kelvin College, introduces the Civil Engineering course and the practical skills students develop during their studies.

Discover Civil Engineering at Glasgow Kelvin College 🏗️

Meet Craig Fay, Curriculum Manager for Civil Engineering and a qualified civil and structural engineer with seven years of industry experience.

Join Craig and our HNC and HND students as they get hands-on with introductory surveying and discover the range of practical skills involved in studying Civil Engineering at Kelvin.

From surveying and technical drawing to site visits and real-world projects, students develop their knowledge both inside and outside the classroom.

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Not sure which course is right for you?

Whether you're taking your first step into Civil Engineering or looking to build on your existing knowledge, our courses offer clear progression routes from National Qualifications through to HNC and HND, preparing you for careers in infrastructure, construction and engineering or progression to university.

Explore Our Civil Engineering Courses

HND Civil Engineering student Jonathan Simpson takes part in a bridge walk along the River Clyde in Glasgow.

Exploring Glasgow Through Civil Engineering 🌉🏗️

Join HND Civil Engineering student Jonathan on a bridge walk along the River Clyde, putting classroom learning into practice on some of Glasgow’s best-known structures.

Starting at the Clyde Arc – better known as the Squinty Bridge – students followed the north bank towards Glasgow Green, examining the different bridges along the route and looking at their design, construction and materials.

It’s Civil Engineering learning beyond the classroom, with Glasgow itself becoming the lesson. 🌉

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Overhead view of students and lecturers walking across the curved paths of the Stockingfield Bridge, with the canal reflecting the structure and surrounding landscape.
A young student in a high-visibility vest looking through a surveying instrument while the lecturer and another student observe and discuss measurements on a bridge
A lecturer in a Glasgow Kelvin College hoodie and high-visibility vest smiling and pointing towards the camera while carrying a bright orange equipment case on a bridge.
Civil engineering students using surveying equipment beneath Stockingfield Bridge, guided by a lecturer during fieldwork.
Civil engineering students and lecturer carrying out surveying work on Stockingfield Bridge, with the structure’s mast and cables in view.
A group of students and lecturers in high-visibility vests gathered near a canal, engaged in a discussion with tall residential buildings in the background.
A group of students and lecturers in high-visibility vests gathered around a surveying instrument on the Stockingfield Bridge, listening to an instructor providing guidance.
Three individuals wearing high-visibility vests conducting a land surveying exercise on a bridge. One is looking through a theodolite, while another holds a measuring staff, and a lecturer observes under a bright blue sky.
A student using a theodolite for a land surveying exercise, with a lecturer pointing towards an area of interest. Another student holds a measuring staff, all wearing high-visibility vests on a modern bridge.

Staff & Student Video Transcripts

Craig Fay: Civil Engineering

Hi there, I'm Craig Fay. I am the Civil Engineering Curriculum Manager at Glasgow Kelvin College.

We're outside today with our new intake of HNC and HND Civil Engineering students, doing a bit of introductory surveying work as part of their studies on the course.

Entry requirements for the HNC and the HND is one higher, hopefully in a maths-based subject like maths or physics.

Today we're doing a little bit of surveying work. Tomorrow we might be in the computer labs doing a little bit of drawing.

My background is I'm a qualified civil and structural engineer. I have seven years experience in the industry. I focused more on the structural calculation side of civil engineering. A lot of my experience was working on old buildings, trying to rejuvenate them and bring them back to a new way of life.

You can really go anywhere with it. Roads, bridges, airports, you can see it, civil engineers have been involved in it.

We try and get the students out for a lot of site visits. We are going to be taking our students on a bridge walk around about Glasgow.

We have partnerships with Scottish Canals, so we're going to be doing a canal walk.

If you think this course is suitable, have a look on the Glasgow Kelvin College website for civil engineering and you'll see if it's of interest to you.

Jonathan Simpson: HND Civil Engineering

My name's Jonathan Simpson, I'm on the HND Civil Engineering course and I'm currently doing the bridge walk through Glasgow.

The Kingston Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in Europe. It's actually two bridges and it was built in 1970. It's built out of concrete.

We've just seen the Squinty Bridge there, apparently Kingston Bridge, and the next one's the Tradestone Foot Bridge.

The Tradestonefootbridge is the most recent one. It definitely doesn't really look like it's built straight. This is nicknamed the Squiggly Bridge.  This footbridge is made of concrete and steel supports.

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