Postgraduate courses in Transport Engineering

There are so many disciplines in the area of engineering and transport engineering is another one to add to the list. Those roads you drive every day are safe and structured thanks to transport engineers. 

Transport engineers can work in a variety of areas from carrying out the usual tasks of a transport engineer to working as a traffic engineer.

If you’d like to take your career in this direction then keep reading because we have some information for you below that might be of interest. 

What is transport engineering?

Transport engineering is also known as transportation engineering. It refers to the branch of civil engineering that is concerned with the planning, design, operation and maintenance of safe and efficient transportation. Transport engineering applies technology and scientific principles to these areas. 

Transport engineering not only helps cultural development, it also helps political development in a country and rural areas. 

What does a transport engineer do?

As a transport engineer it is expected that you will work around 40 hours a week. It is typically a Monday to Friday, 9-5 style job. Like most engineering disciplines, you may be expected to work extra or unsocial hours in some cases in order to meet deadlines or attend meetings. Most work is office based. You may also find yourself working in a high pressure environment at times. Some duties you may carry out in this role include: 

• Design transportation plans and projects
• Plan projects 
• Identify problems in transport that need to be improved and come with ideas to improve them
• Simulate projects and problems using computer models
• Carry out research in the area and interpret information and data found
• Forecast future impacts of developments or potential improvements
• Design road safety improvement plans
• Attend meetings and seminars
• Present findings to colleagues
• Assist in public inquiries 
• Look at traffic management schemes and suggest changes or improvements 

Courses

There are many courses on offer in the area across the UK. Some courses offer the opportunity to study either part time or full time. Universities may have certain restrictions in place due to Coivd-19 and may offer courses online. Courses available include:

Transport Engineering and Planning

Postgraduate courses in Transport Engineering and Planning will allow students to gain the skills and knowledge in order to estimate transport needs, providing systems and infrastructure to meet  required needs as well as addressing the impacts of transport on society and the environment. Modules include transport economics and appraisal, traffic engineering, transport infrastructure engineering and changing travel behaviour, to name a few. Specific course content may differ from course to course.

Civil Engineering (Transport)

A postgraduate course like this give students a wider understanding of transport and the importance, the impact and changes transport faces over the years. Main focus include land use and network models, passenger transport and policy, transport and the environment, infrastructure design and telematics.

There are also courses available in Tunnel Engineering, Bridge Engineering, Road Management and Engineering, Railway Systems Engineering and Integration and Tunnel and Underground Space among a few other options that are also on offer.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements may differ from course to course or university to university. Therefore, it is important to research your specific course in detail to ensure you meet the entry requirements. As these courses are postgraduate courses, you will need a bachelor’s degree. Some courses may accept a 2.2 degree while others will require a 2.1. A degree in a relevant area is required.

Salary 

Your salary can be impacted by location, your employment type and also your experience. Salaries typically start out around £23,000. With experience that will increase to anything between £25,000 to £50,000 and with more seniority or a high position, your wage will exceed that also. It is believed the average salary of a transport engineer in the UK is close to £37,000. 

Skills and requirements 

Skills and requirements helpful in this area include:

• Strong communication skills
• A problem solver
• Critical thinker
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to work well with others
• Confident in dealing with people and their inquiries
• Strong reading and writing skills
• Good negotiation skills
• IT and computer software skills
• Understanding of transportation and issues in relation to it
• A want to develop continuously and learn