Are you looking for civil engineering lecturing and teaching jobs?
You might be just finishing your PhD in a related field and are looking to help shape the knowledge of future civil engineers. Or maybe you’ve been working as a civil engineer in industry and want to transfer your skills to a higher education teaching and research role.
In this post, we take a look at some of the lecturing jobs available in civil engineering, the qualifications and research experience you’ll need and opportunities to move up the academic career ladder.
Civil engineering degrees have one of the highest application rates of all the engineering disciplines in the UK. It’s a highly diverse discipline, with programmes offered in branches of civil engineering such as environmental engineering, construction management and structural engineering. Therefore, you’ll find a broad range of civil engineering lecturing roles to fit your specialism and experience.
Job Descriptions
- Lecturer in Civil Engineering
- Lecturer in Quantity Surveying
- Teaching Fellow/Associate in Structural Engineering
Lecturer in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering lecturers carry out teaching across BEng, MEng and MSc Civil Engineering programmes. They may also contribute to teaching in other engineering and technology disciplines.
As well as teaching, a civil engineering lecturer would be active in ongoing research projects and promotion of their own specialist research area.
Duties:
- Working on specific research topics aligned to your own and the faculty/school’s research interests
- Applying for and attracting research funding
- Delivery of high-quality lectures, seminars and practical classes
- Module design and acting as a personal tutor to students
- Forging links with external bodies and industry
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD in Civil Engineering or related discipline plus a track record of research output and higher education teaching would be essential criteria for a lectureship.
Previous industrial experience in a civil engineering context would be highly desirable. Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and/or a recognised teaching qualification may also be required.
What’s the pay?
A civil engineering lecturer can expect a starting salary in the range of £36,914 to £42,792 p.a., depending on qualifications and experience.
What can it lead to?
On gaining experience, you could apply for a senior lectureship or associate professor role in civil engineering. Moving up the academic ranks can take around 3-5 years and depends on successful research outcomes and the quality of your teaching practice.
Related roles:
- Lecturer in Sustainability in the Built Environment
- Lecturer in Digital Construction
- Lecturer in Materials Science
Where can I find jobs?
You’ll find a wide range of lecturing roles across civil engineering specialisms, from transport modelling to sustainable energy engineering.
Competition for lecturing roles in engineering can be high as most lectureships are offered on a permanent basis, so turnover in the sector is lower. Roles can be flexible with some offered as part-time or as a job share.
Find lecturer in civil engineering jobs here.
Lecturer in Quantity Surveying
Quantity surveyors are responsible for projecting and managing the costs of a civil engineering project.
Lecturers in this field teach Foundation, BSc, degree apprenticeships and postgraduate students of quantity surveying or commercial/project/construction management. They might also teach modules across other engineering disciplines.
Duties:
- Teaching and assessing students at undergraduate and postgraduate level
- Designing specific areas of teaching and learning within the programme offering
- Developing and managing student placement schemes with UK and international companies
- Developing research objectives, projects and proposals consistent with the school or faculty’s research priorities
- Writing up research work for publication
- Identifying sources of research funding
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD in a relevant area or an MSc with significant experience of working as a quantity surveyor in industry would be essential criteria for this role.
You would also be expected to have experience of teaching at degree level. Membership of a relevant professional body, such as RICS, would be highly desirable.
What’s the pay?
As a lecturer in quantity surveying, you can expect a salary in the region of £37,474 to £51,805 p.a. The higher end of the salary scale would apply if you have considerable professional experience as a quantity surveyor.
What can it lead to?
The next step on the academic career path would be to apply for a senior lectureship in quantity surveying or construction management. Promotion would depend on the quality of your research and ability to help students into a career in quantity surveying.
Related roles:
- Lecturer in Construction Management
- Lecturer in Construction and Surveying
Where can I find jobs?
Not all universities offer degree programmes in quantity surveying, so you would need to keep an eye on lecturing jobs available in the institutions which offer this type of programme.
Find lecturer in quantity surveying jobs here.
Teaching Fellow/Associate – Structural Engineering
As a structural engineering teaching fellow or associate, your main focus would be teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in a civil engineering department.
Teaching fellows support teaching and learning through delivery of lectures, tutorials, practical/workshop classes and field work.
Duties:
- Planning and delivery of high-quality teaching and learning to undergraduate and postgraduate students
- Identifying student placement opportunities in the sector
- Curriculum design and delivery
- Marking coursework and assessments
- Undertaking personal tutoring and pastoral care
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A PhD in Structural Engineering (or soon-to-be awarded) or equivalent professional experience would be essential for a teaching fellowship in civil engineering.
As this is primarily a teaching position, you will need to have sufficient breadth of specialist knowledge in structural engineering to teach and assess HE students. Familiarity with statics and structures, including engineering design and structural analysis would be essential for this role.
You would also need to demonstrate a strong commitment to providing innovative, student-centred teaching, learning and assessment.
What’s the pay?
A structural engineering teaching fellow or associate can expect a salary in the range of £31,406 to £40,927 p.a., depending on qualifications and teaching experience.
What can it lead to?
On gaining teaching experience, you could move up to a senior teaching fellowship, where you would be responsible for overall delivery of programmes and managing junior staff.
The delivery of high-quality teaching and learning is a priority in higher education, and most universities have teaching-focused pathways available to those who wish to pursue this academic route.
A teaching fellowship or associate role is a great way to gain invaluable teaching experience, giving your CV the edge should you wish to apply for a lectureship or research post in the future.
Related roles:
- Lecturer in Civil/Structural Engineering
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Structural Engineering
Where can I find jobs?
Teaching fellow or associate jobs are popular among postgraduate and doctoral students as they can act as a springboard to a lectureship. Therefore, these opportunities have very high average views and application rates and are mostly offered on a fixed-term contract basis according to the university’s teaching need.
Find structural/civil engineering teaching fellowship jobs here.
Further Information:
- Academic jobs in Civil Engineering
- Research jobs in Civil Engineering
- Senior-level academic jobs in Civil Engineering
- Institution of Civil Engineers
I have been looking for an entry-level lecturing position, maybe starting as an assistant lecturer in civil engineering/ construction but I find it very hard since I don’t have experience. I had so many unsuccessful applications but I keep trying. I have a PhD in Civil Engineering and was awarded the degree last year. I also have some industry experience in construction and the flood risk assessment sector.