uq civil engineering thesis

Undergraduate engineering theses submissions

Thesis topic selection, assessment and submission.

Details for thesis project selection, assessment and submission can be found on your School's website:

• School of Chemical Engineering
• School of Civil Engineering
• School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
• School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering

Students must refer to the relevant Course Profile for information about undertaking and submitting their thesis. Students enrolled in their thesis coures should login to  https://www.sinet.uq.edu.au  to access the complete course profile.

EAIT Project Database

EAIT Project Database .

Civil engineering

Books and databases, related guides.

• Journals and databases
• Literature reviews
• Assignments and referencing

Reusing content from this guide

Attribute our work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

• The Civil Engineering Handbook Publication Date: 2002
• Dictionary of Civil Engineering Publication Date: 2005
• A Dictionary of Construction, Surveying, and Civil Engineering Publication Date: 2012
• Handbook of Environmental Engineering Publication Date: 2018

Find more databases on the Journals and Databases page of this guide

Chemical Engineering

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Materials Sciences, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

• Next: Books >>
• Last Updated: May 22, 2024 7:31 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/civil-engineering

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Master of Civil Engineering (Professional)

Develop the specialist knowledge and technical skills to meet the demands of the future and expand your career options.

The Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) provides you with options for in-depth study in the broad engineering fields of structural, water and environmental, geotechnical and transportation engineering.

You’ll advance your existing civil engineering knowledge and skills through practice-focused and advanced technical courses coupled with experiential learning experiences.

Your study experience will include the completion of a research project in your final year. This project is an opportunity for you to work directly and intensively with academic mentors.

Program highlights

• Develop your ability to understand, manage and deliver complex professional projects.
• Work directly with academic mentors to complete a research project.
• Professional accreditation has been sought through Engineers Australia.

47 in the world for civil and structural engineering

QS World University Rankings 2024

78 in the world for engineering and technology

How you'll learn

Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.

• Laboratory work

What you'll study

At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study in this program:

• Advanced Environmental Monitoring Techniques for Civil Engineers
• Dam and Embankment Engineering
• Traffic Simulation: Methods and Applications
• Advanced Concrete Structures and Concrete Technology

See courses and program structure

Career possibilities

Postgraduate study can take you anywhere. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:

• Civil engineer

Professional memberships

When you graduate, you may be eligible for memberships with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to become a member.

• Engineers Australia

Program accreditation

The Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) is seeking accreditation from:

Why study engineering at UQ?

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7-minute read

Entry requirements

To be eligible for entry, you'll need:

• a 4-year bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant engineering discipline (see below), or
• a 4-year bachelor's degree in engineering (or equivalent) which includes all of the relevant discipline content (see below), or
• to have successfully completed 3 years of study towards an approved qualification at an overseas partner institution, with a formal pathway to the Master of Civil Engineering (Professional).

Relevant disciplines for previous qualifications

Relevant disciplines include civil engineering, structural engineering, or civil and structural engineering.

If your bachelor's degree in engineering was not awarded in these disciplines, you must have successfully completed all of the following discipline content in your tertiary studies:

• advanced/higher/engineering mathematics
• programming
• engineering statics
• structural mechanics/mechanics of materials
• steel design or structural analysis
• concrete design
• fluid mechanics
• hydrology and free surface flows
• soil mechanics
• geotechnical engineering

GPA equivalent

Select where you studied and your qualification to see the GPA equivalent you need to be considered for this program.

Use the GPA equivalent as a guide. When you apply, we’ll calculate your GPA using the UQ grading scale. Any failing grades will be included. Entry requirements are subject to change.

Equivalent subjects

English language requirements

IELTS overall 6.5; reading 6; writing 6; speaking 6; listening 6. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ

TOEFL iBT (including Paper Edition) - Overall 87, listening 19, reading 19, writing 21 and speaking 19.

PTE Academic - Overall Score of 64 and 60 in all sub bands.

BE - A minimum overall grade of 4 plus a minimum grade of C in all macro skills.

CES - Overall 176 and 169 in all sub bands.

OET is not accepted.

There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.

Learn how to meet the English language requirements

Inherent requirements

To complete this degree, you have to meet its inherent requirements by demonstrating essential skills and attributes. Read the inherent requirements before you apply.

Learn about inherent requirements

Student visas

International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) are eligible to apply for an Australian student visa (subclass 500).

There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the Genuine Student (GS) requirement.

Learn more about student visas

Need help meeting the entry requirements?

We can help you meet the academic or English language requirements for your preferred program.

If you haven’t completed the prerequisites, we can help.

Learn about pathway options

Fees and Scholarships

Indicative annual fee.

Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.

Fee information for 2025 is not yet available. Fee information displayed is for 2024.

Learn more about postgraduate fees

Approximate yearly cost of full-time tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.

AUD $53,760

Additional costs.

• Safety boots (AS2210) (up to $140)

Government assistance

Financial aid.

As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.

Learn more about financial aid

Domestic places in the Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.

Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.

HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.

Learn more about HECS-HELP

Centrelink support

The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.

Learn about Centrelink payments for students

Scholarships

You may be eligible for more than 100 scholarships, including:

Applying online

All international applications should be submitted to UQ. If you prefer, you can use an  approved UQ agent in your country .

The program code for the Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) is  5743 .

Find out more about applying for postgraduate coursework study

All domestic applications should be submitted to UQ.

The program code for the Master of Civil Engineering (Professional) is 5743 .

Important dates

The closing date for this program is:

• To commence study in semester 2 - May 31 of the year of commencement.
• To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.

To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar .

• To commence study in Semester 1 - January 31 of the year of commencement.
• To commence study in Semester 2 - June 30 of the year of commencement.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants

For support with applying – or if you have any questions about university life – get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.

Contact the ATSIS Unit

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• School of Civil Engineering Progress Review Guidelines
• Information and services
• Higher Degree by Research
• Manage my candidature
• My progress reviews

Before reading the guidelines outlined on this page, ensure you have reviewed all the information about Progress Reviews , including the criteria for each review, and the  Higher Degree by Research Candidature Progression Procedure .

How to organise a Progress Review

The following guidelines outline the management and conduct of HDR Progress Reviews in the School of Civil Engineering. These guidelines should be used in combination with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy  and the  Higher Degree by Research Candidature Procedure . Further instructions to help you to arrange your upcoming review are available here.

Progress Reviews Snapshot

Note : Documents should be submitted by the census date of the research quarter in which your review is due.

Panel Composition

Your Progress Review Panel (PRP) in the School of Civil Engineering will consist of at least three members and no more than four members, all external to the advisory team. Essential members are: 

• The Chair: a School academic who has suitable seniority and discipline insight to be able to act with integrity in formulating the panel’s recommendations. 
• At least two members of staff who have expertise in the general area of the thesis project.
• A discipline expert external to the School is optional and may replace one of the school staff members.

It is expected that the Progress Review Panel will remain the same throughout your candidature.

Confirmation of Candidature Review (R1)

Your confirmation of candidature review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, as well as a meeting of total duration approximately 60 minutes.

Your confirmation report should comprise a critical literature review of the relevant background, a field report (if applicable) and summary of work completed to date. The report must contain a declaration of the intended scope of the thesis work, and a plan for the work, which needs to be done to complete the thesis. The confirmation report is expected to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the state of the art related to the project. Equally, the planned contribution to the research field internationally and/or professional practice must be clearly conveyed.

The report should be no more than 8000 words in length, plus references and appendices. The inclusion of illustrations, diagrams and tables is strongly recommended. There is no word limitation of additional information in the form of appendices.

The document should be of professional quality, with the expectation of not having technical or grammatical errors. Writing quality and report presentation is expected to be similar to final dissertation or publication.

The meeting with the review panel will include:

• an oral presentation with additional time for open Q&A and discussions. An invitation is to be emailed to the entire School at least one week before the confirmation session. The presentation is usually 25 minutes with open questions following the presentation.
• individual interviews with the supervisory team and the candidate.

*To request a seminar advertisement, the ‘HDR confirmation seminar request form’ should be submitted to [email protected] two weeks before the confirmation session. The HDR confirmation seminar request form is available under the ‘Current Researchers > Candidature’ section on the School of Civil Engineering's ‘ Current Students > Higher Degree by Research ’ webpage.

The principal quality expectation for the oral presentation and subsequent discussion is that candidates convey the objectives and study methodology for their research clearly and concisely and show how it relates to existing knowledge. The presentation format should be similar to a conference presentation but pitched to the School-wide audience.

Written feedback will be provided by your reviewer(s) after the review meeting. Your chair will also prepare a written report detailing the recommendations of the Progress Review Panel to the Dean, UQ Graduate School.

Progress Review 2 (R2)

Your second progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, a meeting with the review panel and advisory team, and a short oral presentation if requested.

The project document should comprise a short statement (between 2-4 pages) addressing the expected achievements by Progress Review 2 and an updated work-plan towards completion of the thesis. In addition, the candidate must address any tasks set out on the School Evaluation form at Progress Review 1.

Your review panel may request further written documents to support their evaluation at this review, including examples of completed chapters or published papers.

The meeting with the review panel is expected to take no longer than 60 minutes and will include:

• a short oral presentation if requested by the Progress Review Panel.

Progress Review 3 (R3)

Your third progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, a meeting with the review panel and advisory team, and a short oral presentation if requested.

The project document should comprise a short statement (no more than 5 pages):

• describing the progress since Progress Review 2,
• addressing any tasks as set out on the School Evaluation form at the time of Progress Review 2,
• a detailed thesis table of contents,
• a draft thesis abstract the proposed submission date,
• and any comments on potential thesis examiners.

Information for Panel Members and Advisory Team

Understand what is required during a higher degree by research (HDR) progress review.

View information about the Chair’s role

Learn how to run a progress review

Read about the Chair’s report

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Thesis and Project Information

Information for students enrolling in a thesis or project course in Semester 1, 2021

Are you a fourth year student looking to enrol in a thesis or project course?

Check out these informative slides which have all the information you need, including:

• Choosing the right course code
• The difference between a thesis and a project course
• Finding a project
• Finding a supervisor How to enrol in a thesis or project course
• FAQ (general and course-specific)

Download presentation (PDF, 748.5 KB)

Other useful resources include:

• SOMME Thesis or Project Enrolment webpage
• EAIT Projects Database (select 'Semester 1, 2021' and 'Mechanical and Mining' from the drop-down menus at the top of the page to view relevant projects)
• UQ Researchers database

Thesis coursework information

• Current students

Many students from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, both undergraduate and postgraduate, will undertake an individual capstone thesis course in the final year of their program (degree).

The following pages will help you navigate the thesis process.

• Choosing your thesis topic
• Enrol in your thesis
• Assessment items
• Formatting your thesis
• Submitting your thesis
• Workplace health and safety

Useful resources

1. choosing your thesis topic, thesis project information session.

The School will hold an information session covering many common question for students starting their Thesis Project course.

The upcoming information sessions are as follows:

Semester 1, 2025

Project offerings

There are two types of project on offer:  specialised  thesis projects are offered by individual academics (and often align with that academic’s research expertise and interests), and are conducted under the supervision of that individual. They are usually only suitable for a small number of students (i.e. one or two). In contrast,  super  thesis projects are broad thesis topics aligned to the School’s research areas. It is possible for many students to undertake the same super thesis project at the same time, and these topics are supervised by an academic team. Regardless of the type of project selected, all thesis projects are individual, and the assessment items are the same.

Each semester, topics (both  specialised  and  super ) are advertised on the Faculty's  Project Database  (remember to ensure the correct semester of commencement has been selected, i.e. Semester 1 2024, and filter by 'EECS'). You can search on a number of parameters to help you discover topics that interest you. Feel free to approach potential supervisors to ask more about their projects or to suggest topics of you own. 

Note that some project courses are only available by permission or under special circumstances. See the thesis course listing for details.

Explore the School by research area , School research staff by research group , or visit Contact to search by staff member. 

Project allocation

Once students have reviewed the thesis project topics on offer (either at the information session, or via the project database), they need to consult directly with their prospective supervisors. It is highly recommended that students consult with a variety of prospective supervisors as early as possible as there is always high demand for projects and supervisors. Students are responsible for following up with a prospective supervisor if they have not had a response after 5 business days. When contacting prospective supervisors, please include the information as per this  template (DOCX, 14.3 KB) .

Project allocations are made directly by supervisors once a successful consultation with a student has taken place – a supervisor makes an allocation by assigning a student to a project in the project database. Students should check their allocation in the Project Database and contact EECS Thesis Enquiries ( [email protected] ) if their supervisor has not allocated them into the database by the end of Week 2.

• Academic advice
• Student Guidelines
• Postgraduate research students
• Student Consultative Committee
• Thesis assessment items
• EECS Learning Centre
• Course profiles
• Project database

Research A leading centre for expert academic research in civil and environmental engineering.

The School of Civil Engineering explores opportunities for external research collaboration and consultation, providing solutions for our industrial counterparts encompassing national research centres, school-based research centres, and a diverse range of research groups.

The University’s world-class facilities allow our internationally renowned academics and researchers to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing the global community. 

Our capabilities

Explore our research areas below to see how our research can help solve your organisation's challenges.

Research Groups and Initiatives

• Coastal and Hydraulics Teaching Undergraduate and Masters courses covering both fundamental processes and the latest research in water, wind and coastal engineering.
• Environmental Aiming to embed sustainability in the design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment.
• Fire Safety Engineering Leading fire safety engineering research and education through developing sustainable innovations and design approaches.
• Geotechnical Engineering Supporting the highly successful dual-major, in Geotechnical Engineering and an active research program in addition to specialised consulting activities.
• Structural Engineering With eighteen academic, research, and technical staff, the team’s expertise spans almost all current and emerging structural engineering areas.
• Transport Engineering To deliver on the grand challenge of urban infrastructure; to stimulate the renewal and development of transport systems and sustain continued urban growth.
• ARC Advance Timber Hub Advancing timber for Australia's future built environment
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