Structural Engineering with Management MSc

James is completing his MSc on a part-time basis, whilst working as a Site Engineer for North Midland Construction who are sponsoring his studies.

Why NTU for your postgraduate degree?

"When studying at undergraduate level at NTU I was always offered great encouragement and advice towards gaining Chartered Engineer status within the industry. North Midland Construction were also keen for me to work towards Chartership and because of their strong relationship with NTU, asked me to continue my studies here in order to do so. Understanding the way things work here and how supportive the staff are meant it was a no-brainer for me.

"Achieving the balance between managing a full-time role within the construction industry and continuing to study towards a degree is a challenge. However it does improve your organisational and time management skills. Both North Midland Construction and NTU are very understanding of the pressures from both sides.

What advice would you give to prospective students?

“Without a doubt I would recommend NTU to anybody looking to go into civil engineering and construction. The course content really develops you and is steered well towards preparing you for the industry. The employability records speaks of itself for NTU graduates in this area. For me, gaining an MSc level degree to accompany my undergraduate degree will certainly aid career progression within the company I currently work for and help me reach a higher position, as well as help me in achieving Chartership status.

What major projects have you been involved with in your current role?

“I initially spent close to a year working on the delivery of the Leeds to Bradford Cycle Superhighway. This contract had an original value of close to £10m and involved adapting carriageway and footway links to introduce a 12 mile cycle link between Leeds and Bradford. Works also included drainage upgrades, updates to traffic signalling and a degree of public accommodation works.

“I am currently working on the delivery of the Sheffield IKEA 278 Works. This scheme involves a series of carriageway upgrades to accommodate to an additional volume of traffic expected by the introduction of a new IKEA store. This includes new access roads, junction widenings and upgrades to traffic signalling throughout the affected area."