KB6032 - Civil Engineering Research Project

You will learn by means of an initial short series of lectures/presentations, setting out the aspects of project work which are general to all students, including scoping, setting aims and defining research questions, literature reviewing and safety, risk and ethical concerns. After this you will self-direct your project with the aid of regular meetings with your academic supervisor who will give you tailored advice at every stage.

For the individual research project, formative assessment will be through regular interaction with your project supervisor, either face to face or online. Your supervisor will discuss the progress of the work regularly with you, make suggestions and, where necessary, advise on any significant changes of direction for the work. The feedback involved in these discussions will be aimed at allowing you to reflect and feed forward improvements to the work. Written and verbal feedback will be provided on the final work submitted for the project to allow you to reflect for the future.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate subject-specific knowledge related to the topic of your project and how it fits into a wider civil engineering context.
2. Employ the process of research, including defining the topic, selecting appropriate methods and dissemination of findings to potential beneficiaries.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Define a project topic, identify the problem and the need for a solution, set aims and scope, identify and set strategies to manage health and safety risk and project completion risk.
4. Conduct a critical review of appropriate literature and write it up in a form appropriate to the research field of your topic.
5. Communicate technical concepts in appropriate ways depending on the topic and intended audience, and make appropriate use of the written word and imagery of various sorts.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
6. Identify and apply strategies to manage ethical risks associated with your research, including safety and sustainability considerations.
7. Demonstrate the capacity to learn by research, including review of previous work and conducting your own research with curiosity and creativity.

You will write a substantial thesis to be submitted towards the end of the academic year. This will be of 10000 words in length and worth 90% of the module marks. It will assess ALL module learning outcomes.

Your thesis must be a record of your research aims, method, results, discussion and conclusions, and must make clear your understanding of previous work, the specific research question(s) you have addressed and your contribution to knowledge.

You will defend your thesis via an oral examination (viva voce) which will take place after the written document has been submitted and reviewed. The viva will be no more than 20 minutes in length. Your performance during the viva will be considered along with your written document in determining your mark for your thesis.

In addition, you will be required to give a presentation of your research plan in semester 1. This will be no more than 20 minutes in length and worth 10% of the module marks. It will assess ALL module learning outcomes in part.


You will receive regular formative feedback via meetings with your supervisor which you are expected to arrange as required, typically at least weekly throughout the teaching periods of semesters 1 and 2.

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Research into the solution of problems is a vital skill for civil engineers and is a vital employability skill which will be applicable in many different ways throughout your career. This module allows you to develop your research skills by means of a substantial individual project based on an area of civil engineering related research, which will typically be related to research being undertaken by the academic staff of the department. This might encompass the creation of new knowledge and new techniques, their deployment in industry, the study and refinement of known problems or work with specific external organizations such as civil engineering or construction companies on a project related to their business. It could also encompass a design or construction in which external collaborators are involved. You can choose from a variety of research methods, including (but not limited to) laboratory testing, field testing, computer modelling, social research methods on the ‘people’ aspects of civil and construction engineering. You will work with an individual academic supervisor as well as with other members of teams such as university technicians or staff of external partner companies. We will suggest topics for you to choose, but you may also be able to develop your own ideas in consultation with academic staff. The expectation is that, whilst you will learn research skills relevant to your career, you will also make a real contribution to the advancement of knowledge in civil or construction engineering and will produce a substantial written output that will remain as a record of your achievement and which you can use to demonstrate your abilities to potential employers.