The UK’s only specialist tunnelling course at the University of Warwick has grown significantly over the past three years, attracting a record number of students from around the world.

Although there are many MSc courses in geotechnical or structural engineering, or other related subjects such as engineering geology, there were none in the UK that specifically addressed tunnelling. The British Tunnelling Society (BTS) wanted to change this and approached the University of Warwick in 2010 to see if they were willing to collaborate in establishing one.

The MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space (TUGS) at the University of Warwick launched in October 2011. Fast forward three years and we have produced 33 successful new graduates and have 23 students already getting stuck into their studies for 2014/15.

MSc Tunnelling and Underground Space course information is available in the postgraduate course section of the website.

Course structure

The course structure is  designed to provide  maximum flexibility for students and  industry. Each module is taught in a one week block, which makes it easier for part-time students who are working to attend classes and also allows people who are not enrolled on the MSc to take a single module as a continuing professional development (CPD) short course.

Student feedback indicates that even the full-time students prefer this structure, since it allows them to concentrate on one module at a time, rather than having a fragmented timetable spread over the whole term as is usual practice.

Bursaries and funding

Finding funding can be a barrier to many, so the BTS and the industry are rallying round to offer bursaries. Each year the BTS provides one £12,000 bursary, Balfour Beatty provides one or two £15,000 bursaries and Morgan Sindall provides five £15,000 bursaries. As well as investing in the future of the industry, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty also see it as a great way of recruiting top quality graduates and giving them a tunnelling-specific education before they start work.

Many part-time students also receive a lot of support from their employers while on the course. This can take the form of paying tuition fees, allowing them extra time off to attend modules and exams, and providing help and advice during their project. Part-time students need approximately six to seven weeks per year away from work to do the MSc, for two years. This approach seems to be more popular amongst consultants and we have had four students from URS and two from CH2M Hill, amongst others. This year we also have part-time students from a client organisation, Network Rail, and a contractor, Dragados-Sisk JV.

BTS and industry support

The BTS was instrumental in setting up the course and the BTS Education Committee acts as a steering board, meeting a couple of times a year to review the curriculum and provide assistance wherever possible. In addition, each module has a ‘BTS Champion’, who helps define the syllabus. Across the whole MSc, approximately 20% of the lectures are given by guest lecturers from the tunnelling industry.

The guest lecturers add a lot of value to the course in the form of specialist knowledge and case studies. Their input is hugely valued by the students.

As well as being accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the course is endorsed by the International Tunnelling Association Committee on Education and Training (ITACET). There are currently only three other endorsed tunnelling masters courses in the world.