Railway Engineering with Project Management MSc (Eng)

Combining core railway knowledge with project management, our Railway Engineering with Project Management MSc (Eng) will prepare you to construct and operate the world’s most important rail lines.

Considering the global growth in new railway lines, this presents exciting opportunities for graduates. In particular, industry growth has created an acute shortage of skilled railway engineers.

This Master's degree is unique due to its focus on multidisciplinary teaching. The core technical material covers the entire railway system, rather than focusing on an individual engineering area. It is then complemented by engineering management material that is at the forefront of the discipline.

Teaching combines expertise across two of the University of Leeds’s world-leading institutes: the Institute for High-Speed Rail and System Integration and the Institute for Transport Studies.

Throughout the programme, you'll be taught by staff who are professionally experienced and have the latest research expertise, equipping you with the practical and professional skills that are sought after in the industry.

Learning and teaching

Our groundbreaking research feeds directly into teaching, and you’ll have regular contact with staff who are at the forefront of their disciplines, being taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group work and project meetings. Throughout your studies, you’ll also benefit from a structured support system, with a personal tutor who will offer help and advice about your approach to studying and how to become adept at independent learning.

Independent study is also important to the programme, as you develop your problem-solving and research skills as well as your subject knowledge.

Specialist facilities

Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.

You can also benefit from support to develop your academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

Programme team

The Programme Leader, Dr David Connolly, is an Associate Professor in Railway infrastructure engineering. His research interests focus on railway track dynamics, settlement, ground-borne vibration, critical velocity and soil-structure interaction.

In this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Why study at Leeds:

• Graduate with an MSC from a university ranked in the top 5 in the UK for Civil Engineering, Guardian University Guide 2023, and 44th in the world for Civil and Structural Engineering, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.
• Learn the latest innovations in relevant areas such as signalling, railway track design, transport investment appraisal and project management from the impactful, world-leading research we’ve conducted collaboratively with industry which feeds directly into the course.
• Advance your knowledge and skills in critical areas sought after in industry such as project management, railway engineering and transport infrastructure strategy.
• Conduct your own individual research project as part of your course and gain industry experience in researching and managing a project based on real-world issues.
• Access research-grade equipment and specialist facilities that will enhance your learning throughout the course.
• Experience excellent practical and theoretical teaching delivered by a programme team with a wealth of expertise and industrial experience, and who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research as part of the Institute for High-Speed Rail and System Integration, the Institute for Transport Studies, and the Project Management research group.
• Master the most up-to-date practices and techniques recognised in the industry on a course that has been directly informed and advised by the Industrial Advisory Committee and the Institution of Civil Engineers.

In the first part of the programme, a series of compulsory modules will develop your knowledge across the breadth of railway engineering, and also in project and risk management — delivered by the same academics who teach the industrially-renowned Engineering Project Management MSc.

In the second part, you will build upon your initial modules and study more in-depth technical railway engineering content. This will prepare you for, and culminate in the dissertation.

Project work

Over the summer months, you’ll work with your supervisor to complete your independent research project which is one of the most satisfying elements of this course. It’s a chance for you to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you’ve gained, focusing on a real-world problem that explores your specific interests and/or relates to your career ambitions.

Example projects for Railway Engineering with Project Management MSc students have included:

• The role of the Internet of Things, and sensor technologies in Rail
• Novel railway track materials and designs
• Optimisation of railway timetables
• A comparison of Hyperloop vs high-speed rail
• Optimising signalling and train control systems
• Railway noise and vibration
• The effect of track properties on transition zone performance

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• MSc Dissertation 60 credits
• Transport Infrastructure Strategy 15 credits
• Project Management 15 credits
• Risk Management 15 credits
• Railway Track Infrastructure Design 15 credits
• Railway Engineering and Planning 15 credits
• Transport Resilience 15 credits
• Railway Investment Appraisal 15 credits
• Railway Signalling and Control 15 credits

The railway construction industry offers a multitude of roles that will be open to you — from railway engineering to planning, project managing and beyond. You could also look into working in consultancy for multidisciplinary organisations in both the private and public sectors.

Studying this MSc will build on the technical skills you have, whilst giving you the core foundations in a thriving industry and an extensive professional skill set in leading projects. It’s this combination of technical and professional skills and knowledge you’ll learn in this course that will attract employers in the industry when you graduate.

Plus, the University of Leeds is in the top five most targeted universities in the UK by graduate recruiters, according to High Fliers’ The Graduate Market in 2022 report.