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Civil Engineering: HNC (Day Release)

Wide-angle view of the Stockingfield Bridge with a group of students and lecturers in high-visibility vests conducting a surveying exercise on the platform beneath a bright blue sky.
Qualification Qualifications Explained
HNC
Study Mode
Day Release
Duration

2 Years - 1 Day p/w
Start date
Aug 2027
Campus
Springburn
Applications open January 27

Course overview

Develop your civil engineering career while continuing to work.

The HNC Civil Engineering (Day Release) is designed for individuals employed within the construction or engineering sectors who want to enhance their technical knowledge and progress in their careers.

This qualification provides the essential academic foundation for Technician Engineer roles and builds the practical and analytical skills required across modern civil engineering. It’s ideal for those working with contractors, consulting engineers, or local authorities who are looking to formalise their experience with a recognised qualification.

Delivered one day per week, this programme blends workplace experience with advanced technical learning — helping you apply theory directly to real projects. At Kelvin, you’ll learn from experienced lecturers and benefit from strong connections with leading industry partners, ensuring your learning stays current and relevant to today’s civil engineering standards.

This course is ideal if you:

  • Are currently employed in the civil engineering or construction industry.
  • Want to gain a formal qualification to progress within your role.
  • Are looking to develop practical design, surveying, and project management skills.
  • Plan to continue to HND or degree-level study in civil engineering.

What you will learn

You’ll develop knowledge and skills across a range of technical disciplines in civil engineering, with a strong focus on design, analysis, and problem-solving.

Core Topics Include:

  • Civil Engineering Technology, Materials & Testing – understand material properties, construction methods, and how to ensure quality and performance.
  • Contract & Project Management – explore project delivery processes, budgeting, and communication across teams.
  • Construction & Site Surveying – develop skills in measurement, setting out, and interpreting technical drawings.
  • Structural Mechanics – learn the principles of load, stress, and material behaviour.
  • Geotechnics & Highways – study soil mechanics, foundations, and transportation systems.
  • Computer-Aided Design (CAD) – create accurate technical drawings and digital models.
  • Mathematics for Civil Engineers – apply analytical techniques to design and problem-solving tasks.

You’ll also complete specialist and graded units, combining technical knowledge with professional practice to prepare for higher-level study or supervisory roles.

Craig Fay, Civil Engineering Curriculum Manager at Glasgow Kelvin College, introduces the Civil Engineering course and the practical skills students develop during their studies.

Discover Civil Engineering at Glasgow Kelvin College 🏗️

Meet Craig Fay, Curriculum Manager for Civil Engineering and a qualified civil and structural engineer with seven years of industry experience.

Join Craig and our HNC and HND students as they get hands-on with introductory surveying and discover the range of practical skills involved in studying Civil Engineering at Kelvin.

From surveying and technical drawing to site visits and real-world projects, students develop their knowledge both inside and outside the classroom.

View on YouTube

Entry requirements

Applicants should have one of the following:

✅ Higher Maths or Physics (Grade C or above), OR

✅ Technological Higher (Grade C or above) with National 5 Maths, OR

✅ Successful completion of NQ in Engineering or Construction, OR

✅ Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering.

Equivalent qualifications and relevant experience will be considered.

ℹ️ Applicants must also be in related employment to enrol on this day-release course. 

ℹ️ For this course, if English is not your first language

  • If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment  here at the College.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this course are equipped for a range of technician and support roles, including:

🏗️ Civil Engineering Technician

📏 Site or Surveying Technician

💧 Water, Highways or Geotechnical Technician

💻 CAD or Design Technician

🧱 Structural or Materials Technician

Many students use this qualification to advance in their current employment or take on additional technical responsibilities.

Future prospects

Completing the HNC Civil Engineering (Day Release) allows you to progress to:

  • The HND Civil Engineering (Day Release) at Glasgow Kelvin College.
  • Higher-level study or degree entry at university.
  • Professional registration as an Engineering Technician (EngTech) through the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) once experience requirements are met.
  • The HNC may support progression within the workplace

This qualification enhances your professional credibility and prepares you for continued growth in the engineering and construction sectors.

Other Courses You Might Consider

Find out about our Engineering Department

Staff Video Transcript

Craig Fay: Civil Engineering

Hi there, I'm Craig Fay. I am the Civil Engineering Curriculum Manager at Glasgow Kelvin College.

We're outside today with our new intake of HNC and HND Civil Engineering students, doing a bit of introductory surveying work as part of their studies on the course.

Entry requirements for the HNC and the HND is one higher, hopefully in a maths-based subject like maths or physics.

Today we're doing a little bit of surveying work. Tomorrow we might be in the computer labs doing a little bit of drawing.

My background is I'm a qualified civil and structural engineer. I have seven years experience in the industry. I focused more on the structural calculation side of civil engineering. A lot of my experience was working on old buildings, trying to rejuvenate them and bring them back to a new way of life.

You can really go anywhere with it. Roads, bridges, airports, you can see it, civil engineers have been involved in it.

We try and get the students out for a lot of site visits. We are going to be taking our students on a bridge walk around about Glasgow.

We have partnerships with Scottish Canals, so we're going to be doing a canal walk.

If you think this course is suitable, have a look on the Glasgow Kelvin College website for civil engineering and you'll see if it's of interest to you.

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