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Civil Engineering

Master's Degree in Civil Engineering

This master's degree allows for a Double Degree with:

The Master's Degree in Civil Engineering provides advanced multidisciplinary and technological training that will enable you to work in research, design and analysis of infrastructure and civil engineering projects and will qualify you to practise as a civil engineer.

The curriculum reinforces prior learning in mathematics, physics, science and technology on the bachelor's degree course by teaching students the most advanced and experimental techniques for modelling in engineering. The master's degree includes study abroad at some of the most prestigious engineering schools in the world in the framework of mobility programmes and agreements.

It provides future professionals with a solid technical grounding in designing infrastructure and supervising its development, and in planning and managing environmental services and resources for spatial planning.

Academic year starts in Fall semester (Q1): September
Spring semester (Q2): February
Duration 2 years
Study load 120 ECTS (including the Master's Final Thesis)
Minimum academic progress The minimum academic progress for first year students is 45 ECTS. Students must complete the master's program in up to 3 years.
Delivery On-campus
Language Catalan, Spanish & English
Places 120
Official degree Master's Degree in Civil Engineering by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (recorded in the Spanish Ministry of Education's degree register)
Specialisations
  • Computational Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering & Sustainability
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering & Construction
  • Transport Engineering & Urbanism
  • Water Engineering
International agreements
Fees

More information about fees and payment options

More information about grants and loans

Academic coordinator Francesc Soriguera Martí

Specific admission requirements

In order to gain admission to the Master's Degree in Civil Engineering, that qualify the holder to practise the regulated profession of Civil Engineer, the following requirements must be met.

  • University degree
    • Holders of an official bachelor's degree that qualifies them to practise the regulated profession of technical public works engineer
    • Holders of an official bachelor's degree that provides the competencies outlined in Ministerial Order CIN/307/2009, dated February 9th, in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.2.2 of Order CIN/309/2009, dated February 9th.
    • Students on double-degree programmes that include the Master's Degree in Civil Engineering (Professional track) under the continuity system.
    • Holders of other qualifications, in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.2.3 of Order CIN/309/2009, dated February 9th
  • B2.2 proficiency level in English

    The Consell Interunivesitari de Catalunya establishes the official certificates for meeting the B2 requirement on gaining admission to all UPC master's degrees.

Students pending obtaining the degree that gives access to the master's degree

UPC undergraduate students who, despite not having obtained the bachelor’s degree, have pending the TFG and, at most, up to 9 ECTS (including credits pending recognition or transfer) or who have completed their studies, but are waiting to achieve, if possible, transversal competence in a third language. Under no circumstances will students who access this route be able to obtain a master's degree if they have not previously obtained a bachelor's degree.

Candidates from other universities who are enrolled in all the credits to complete the studies that give access to the master's degree can apply for access. Acceptance will be conditioned to the fulfillment of the general and specific access and admission requirements at the time of formalizing the registration.

You will find all the information about the general Access requirements to UPC master's programs here.

Admission criteria

The following factors or parameters are considered for admission to the Master's Degree in Civil Engineering (Professional track):

  • Weighted average mark factor or parameter (F1)
  • Efficiency factor or parameter (F2)
  • Probability factor or parameter of success in studies (F3)
  • University cutoff mark factor or parameter (F4)
  • University degree and English proficiency level factor or parameter (G)

You can check the details and evaluation of these factors or parameters here, as well as the results of the evaluation and selection of the applications for admission resolutions for the current academic year.

Pre-enrolment and enrolment

Check here the general admission requirements for UPC masters and information on pre-registration: calendar, how to apply for admission, how to reserve a place if the resolution is favourable, etc.

Career opportunities

  • Planning, project, construction and operation of maritime and port works. Regeneration of coasts, roads, freeways, motorways, airports and railways. Canalisation, collection, supply, water treatment, sanitation, bridge construction, tunnels, aqueducts, foundations and building structures.
  • Studies and projects of rehabilitation, repair or demolition of works and structures, manufacture of building materials, preparation and management of land and urban planning plans.
  • Environmental impact studies, studies and environmental actions on ecosystems, marine, river and wetlands.
  • Planning, management, exploitation and optimisation of water resources. Water policy and legislation, modelling, prevention and control of floods, water quality, irrigation systems, hydropower and associated facilities.
  • Management tasks for any type of organisation and administration related to public works, construction and new technologies and any industrial and service company.
  • Teaching and research in universities and specialised centres.
  • Management of people who occupy intermediate positions and are involved in the implementation of public works.

Learning objectives

  • The main aim of the master's degree is to train multidisciplinary professionals with extensive technological training in areas of engineering such as research, design and analysis. It brings high qualification and competences in advanced technology, as well as a great professional specialisation and researcher in civil engineering.
  • The academic curriculum strengthens the physical-mathematical and scientific-technical training acquired through the use of the most advanced and experimental techniques of modelling in engineering. It provides future professionals with a solid technical base for designing and managing the construction of civilian infrastructure, planning and managing environmental services and resources, and for affecting land use planning.
  • The master's degree is the first step towards accessing doctoral programs in civil engineering. This master's degree enables you to practice the profession of engineer of roads, canals and ports in accordance with Ministerial Order CIN / 309/2009 dated February 9th.

Basic competencies

  • CB6 Possessing and understanding knowledge that provides the basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
  • CB7 For students to know how to apply the knowledge acquired and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
  • CB8 For students to be able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  • CB9 For students to know how to communicate their conclusions (and the knowledge and ultimate reasons that support them) to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
  • CB10 For students to possess the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

General competencies

  • CG1 Scientific-technical and methodological training for the continuous recycling of knowledge and the exercise of the professional functions of assessment, analysis, design, calculation, project, planning, direction, management, construction, maintenance, conservation and exploitation in the field of Civil Engineering.
  • CG2 Understanding of the multiple technical, legal and property conditions that arise when projecting a public work, and the ability to establish different valid alternatives, choose the optimal one and translate it properly, anticipating construction issues, and employing the most appropriate methods and technologies, both traditional and innovative, with the purpose of achieving the highest efficiency and favoring progress and a sustainable and environmentally friendly development of society.
  • CG3 Knowledge, understanding and ability to apply the necessary legislation in the exercise of the profession of Civil Engineer.
  • CG4 Knowledge of the history of civil engineering and training to analyze and value public works in particular and construction in general.
  • CG5 Knowledge of the profession of Civil Engineering and of the activities that can be carried out in the field of civil engineering.
  • CG6 Knowledge to apply technical and managerial skills in R+D+i activities within the field of civil engineering.
  • CG7 Ability to plan, project, inspect and direct infrastructure works for land (roads, railways, bridges, tunnels and urban roads) or maritime (port works and facilities) transportation.
  • CG8 Knowledge of the issues in the design and construction of the different elements of an airport and of the conservation and operation methods.
  • CG9 Ability to plan and manage hydraulic and energy resources, including the management of the whole water cycle.
  • CG10 Ability to carry out studies on land planning, the coastal environment, coastal planning and defense, and environmental aspects related to infrastructures.
  • CG11 Capacity for the design, execution and inspection of structures (bridges, buildings, etc.), foundation works and underground works for civil use (tunnels, parking lots), and the diagnosis of their integrity.
  • CG12 Ability to plan, design and manage infrastructures, as well as their maintenance, conservation and exploitation.
  • CG13 Ability to plan, carry out studies and design surface or underground water reservoirs (dams, pipes, pumps).
  • CG14 Ability to carry out studies, land and urban planning plans and urbanization projects.
  • CG15 Ability to evaluate and environmentally condition infrastructure works in projects, construction, rehabilitation and conservation.
  • CG16 Ability to plan and execute water purification treatments, including their desalination, and purification. Collection and treatment of waste (urban, industrial or even dangerous).
  • CG17 Ability to apply business management techniques and labor legislation.
  • CG18 Adequate knowledge of the scientific and technological aspects of mathematical, analytical and numerical methods in engineering, fluid mechanics, continuous media mechanics, structural calculation, civil engineering, maritime engineering, hydraulic works and uses and linear works.

Cross-disciplinary competencies

  • G1 INNOVATION, EMPLOYABILITY, DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH. Ability to develop creativity and the tendency to innovation, in a way that affects the development and progress of society. Ability to work on a research topic.
    Employability at a management level in all types of companies and administrations, with initiative and decision-making skills.
  • G2 SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENT. Ability to develop engineering within the framework of globalization, sustainability and environmental protection. Ability to analyze the complete life cycle of an engineering project.
  • G3 THIRD LANGUAGE AT A SCIENTIFIC-TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL. Knowing a third language, which will be English due to its global nature, fluently not only orally but also in writing and in line with the needs of graduates studying a master's degree. In particular, being able to prepare a technical or scientific article for international publication.
    At the end of the master’s degree program, students must achieve a level C of English language.
  • G4 USE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. Ability to acquire information in both general and specialized international databases. Ability to access the most innovative and recent proposals, ability to carry out comparative studies as well as to detect strengths and weaknesses.
  • G5 CAPACITY TO DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE. Ability to develop new analysis methodologies and processes at all levels from conception, to project and development. Ability to propose and develop engineering specifications, regulations and standards, following criteria of safety, efficiency and sustainable use of resources.
  • G6 CAPACITY FOR THE PROMOTION & MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERING PROJECTS. Ability to study the needs of society and their transformation into infrastructure and service projects. Ability to draft, develop and implement projects based on knowledge of basic subjects and technologies, decision making, directing the activities that are the object of the projects, assessing the social and environmental impact of the technical solutions adopted, estimation of economic, material and human resources involved in a project.

Specific competencies

  • AFC1 Ability to tackle and solve advanced mathematical engineering problems, from problem statement to formulation development and implementation in a computer program. In particular, the ability to formulate, program and apply advanced analytical and numerical calculation models to the project, planning and management, as well as the ability to interpret the results obtained, in the context of civil engineering.
  • AFC2 Understanding and mastery of the laws of thermo-mechanics of continuous media and the ability to apply them in areas of engineering such as mechanics of fluids and materials, theory of structures, etc.
  • CienTec1 Application of the knowledge of the mechanics of soils and rocks for the development of the study, project, construction and exploitation of foundations, slides, embankments, tunnels and other constructions carried out on or through the ground, whatever the nature and its status, and whatever the purpose of the work in question.
  • CienTec2 Knowledge and capacity for structural analysis by applying the methods and programs of design and advanced calculation of structures, based on the knowledge and understanding of the demands and their application to the structural typologies of civil engineering. Ability to perform structural integrity assessments.
  • CienTec3 Knowledge of all types of structures and their materials, and ability to design, project, execute and maintain civil works structures and buildings.
  • CienTec4 Ability to project, evaluate, build and maintain hydraulic works.
  • CienTec5 Ability to perform the calculation, evaluation, planning and regulation of water resources, both in surface and underground.
  • CienTec6 Ability to design and size water purification and treatment systems, as well as waste.
  • CienTec7 Knowledge and skills that allow understanding the dynamic phenomena of the ocean-atmosphere-shore environment and being able to provide answers to the problems posed by the coastline, ports and shores, including the impact of interventions in the coastline. Ability to carry out maritime works studies and projects.
  • CienTec8 Knowledge of transportation engineering and planning, transportation functions and modes, urban transport, management of public transport services, demand, costs, logistics and financing of transport infrastructures and services.
  • CienTec9 Ability to analyze and diagnose the social, cultural, environmental and economic conditions of a territory, as well as to carry out land and urban planning projects from the perspective of sustainable development.
  • CienTec10 Ability to plan, manage and exploit infrastructures related to civil engineering.
  • TFM Elaboration, presentation and defense, once all the credits of the study plan have been completed, of an original dissertation carried out individually before a university court, consisting of a comprehensive Civil Engineering project professional in nature and in which the competencies acquired in the classroom are synthesized.
For more information on course groups, coordinators and codes check the printer version of the curriculum.

COURSES

ECTS

First year
Fall semester
250401 - Mechanics of continua 9
250402 - Numerical modelling 9
250403 - Structural analysis 7.5
250404 - Hydraulic infrastructure 4.5
Fall or spring semesters
250405 - Structural engineering 6
250406 - Computational engineering 6
250407 - Geomechanical & geotechnical engineering 6
250408 - Water engineering 6
250409 - Planning & management of transportation 6
Second year
Specialty mandatory courses 20
Specialty elective courses 15
250499 - Master's thesis 25

Specialty courses

Students must take 4 mandatory courses from the specialty of their choice and 3 courses from their own specialty or from any of the other specialties.

COURSES

ECTS

Specialty in structural & construction engineering
Fall & spring semesters
Mandatory courses
250470 - Building structures 5
250471 - Bridges 5
250472 - Analysis & design of steel structures 5
250473 - Advanced design of concrete structures 5
Fall semester
Elective courses
250474 - Structural management 5
250475 - Mixed & composite structures 5
Spring semester
Elective courses
250476 - Seismic risk assessment & reduction 5
Specialty in geotechnical engineering
Fall semester
Mandatory courses
250420 - Geotechnical design & construction 5
250423 - Tunnels & rock mechanics 5
Spring semester
Mandatory courses
250421 - Geomechanics of breakage 5
250422 - Interaction between groundwater & civil works 5
Specialty in water engineering
Fall semester
Mandatory courses
250430 - Urban hydrology 5
250433 - Port & offshore engineering 5
Spring semester
Mandatory courses
250431 - River dynamics 5
250432 - Coastal engineering & management 5
Specialty in computational engineering
Fall semester
Mandatory courses
250440 - Computational engineering for design & operation 5
250441 - Models & tools for project & financial management 5
Spring semester
Mandatory courses
250439 - Numerical models in civil & structural engineering 5
250443 - Machine learning & models for decision making 5
Specialty in transportation engineering & urban planning
Fall semester
Mandatory courses
250450 - Urban mobility 5
250453 - Urban planning & urban service infrastructure 5
Spring semester
Mandatory courses
250451 - Road network planning & operation 5
250452 - High-speed rail line management 5
Specialty in environmental engineering & sustainability
Fall semester
Mandatory courses
250460 - Water treatment 5
250463 - Sustainability & development engineering 5
Spring semester
Mandatory courses
250461 - Environmental modelling 5
250462 - Life-cycle analysis & sustainability assessment 5

Academic itinerary for former UPC's Civil Engineering graduate students (2010 program)

Students accessing the Master's Degree in Civil Engineering (Professional track) from the Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering (2010 program), must follow the academic itinerary specified in the following document.


Students enrolled at UPC for the Master's Degree in Civil Engineering (Professional track) can access the following information:

The Master's Thesis is an original exercise to be done individually and presented and defended before a university panel consisting in a project in the sphere of the specific civil engineering technologies synthesising and integrating the competences acquired on the course.

List of master's theses currently scheduled for public presentation:

This program has been awarded the following quality labels: