Civil Engineering Dissertation Topics
Published by at January 10th, 2023 , Revised On July 12, 2024
The importance of civil engineering works in the modern world cannot be understated, thanks to the growing public and commercial infrastructure requirement. The main focus of civil engineering is to develop a sustainable society where businesses can flourish.
Civil engineers in today’s world are keen to develop sustainable buildings, and therefore civil engineering students frequently research sustainable construction topics.
To help you get started with brainstorming for civil engineering topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your civil engineering dissertation project.
These topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers on our team, so you can trust to use them topics for drafting your dissertation.
You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the problem, research question, aim and objectives, literature review along with the proposed methodology of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need ahe environment, causeny help in getting started.
Check our example dissertation to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation.
You can review step by step guide on how to write your dissertation here.
Latest Civil Engineering Research Topics
Research Aim: Many big cities around the world have demolished a vast number of buildings that were functional with new structures. It not only has an economic impact but also results in the loss of urban culture, harms the environment, causes pollution, and worsens the traffic situation. This study will evaluate the merits of building demotion and will provide economic, technical, and environmental input.
Research Aim: Water, sanitation, wastewater systems, electricity, and rural infrastructure all impact human development outcomes. This study will examine rural housing at a low cost focusing on the improvement of water diversion, electricity grids and infrastructure services. It will also look into the policies made to avoid certain problems and help us understand how these things have influenced life in rural regions.
Research Aim: This study will examine the use of activated flash as a binder in pavement adjustments to allow acceptable tension-reinforcing stresses to control cracking. Cracks usually emerge as a result of mechanical loads, adverse response, and environmental impact, and frequent cracking negatively impacts the performance of concrete. This study will focus on the appropriate measures that should be taken, as well as designs, materials, and construction practices to extend the life without any loss.
Research Aim: Buildings are dependent on environmental conditions. This study will analyse the strengthening of the existing structure to protect it from the effects of climate change. The focus is on the material used for the protection, sustainability, and strengthening of the building, as well as the adaptation of new construction standards. A milder temperature will lower the lifespan of building materials and impact the indoor climate of the building. More stormResearch Aim: The main goal of this study is to conduct a unique investigatios, snow or subsidence damage, water encroachment, and a bad indoor environment all contribute to a reduced building lifespan, raising the risk of collapse, worsening health, and significant loss of value in return.
Research Aim: The main goal of this study is to conduct a unique investigation of the use of graphene-manufactured nanomaterials for water purification. The project intends to compare the benefits and cost-effectiveness of graphene processes. Furthermore, this study also intends to evaluate graphene nanomaterials’ impact on water treatment and analyse many future and emerging perspectives.
Research Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) technology in urban development, specifically focusing on its implications for smart city infrastructure. The study seeks to understand how IoT integration influences various aspects of urban living and city management.
Research Aim: The research aims to investigate the viability of bamboo as a construction material. Through empirical analysis and comparative studies, it seeks to evaluate the structural, environmental, and economic benefits of using bamboo in construction projects. The study further explores the bamboo’s mechanical properties and durability aspects by considering its availability, cost-effectiveness, and ecological impact. Furthermore, it aims to identify challenges and opportunities associated with bamboo use in construction.
Research Aim: The research analyses the design principles and practical implementation of lightning protection systems for building structures. The study focuses on ways to improve safety, avoid any risks and optimise the overall performance.
Research Aim: This study explores how Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can help improve worker safety and minimise occupational hazards. The research further discusses the best practices for the selection and enforcement of PPE.
COVID-19 Civil Engineering Research Topics
Research Aim: This research will focus on identifying the impacts of coronavirus on civil engineering in the selected country.
Research Aim: This study will focus on identifying the damage caused to construction projects as the workers are staying away from the sites. What measures are taken to complete these projects and recover the loss?
Research Aim: This research aims to identify the conditions faced by contractors and builders. What is their plan to deal with the COVID-19 crisis? How did it affect the business industry and tender opportunities?
Research Aim: This research is conducted to know about various safety measures taken by the government and private organisations for workers, contractors, and engineers working on construction sites.
Research Aim: Remote working has emerged as a ray of hope for mechanical engineers amid this pandemic. This research will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of remote working and also answer the question of whether it is a long-lasting solution or not.
Research Aim: This research will focus on the financial loss and labour crisis caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Research Aim: This research will focus on identifying the disruption of the supply chain, shortage of contractors, workers, and materials, and cancellations of contracts as a result of COVID-19.
Research Aim: This research will focus on predicting how the construction industry will transform after the COVID-19 pandemic. What challenges may it face, and what could be the possible ways to meet those challenges?
Topics in Civil Engineering and Construction
Research Aim: This research aims to study the role of computational mechanics and to model In civil engineering
Research Aim: This research aims to highlight the recent developments in Rock Mechanics
Research Aim: This research aims to address the need to assess bridges and propose innovative ideas for bridge constructions and designs.
Research Aim: This research aims to focus on the effective management of water resources during construction.
Research Aim: This research aims to address the issues of the instability of high-rise buildings and the stress of ensuring their stability by highlighting the gaps in the literature review and providing a strong recommendation for researchers.
Research Aim: The research investigates the significance of elope erosion control to prevent soil erosion and facilitate drainage.
Dissertation Topics in Structural Engineering and Environmental
Research Aim: The main purpose of the research will be to use a reliability-based approach to performance by using two complementary approaches; macroscopic and action-oriented approach and microscopic and analysis-oriented approach to evaluate major risks and strategies that can be used to implement in complicated structural systems and designs.
Find 100s of dissertation topics in your other academic subjects in our free topics database.
Research Aim: This research study will explore the behaviour of steelworks at large deflection in a fire. The researcher will use a unified computing model to simulate the behaviour of steelworks and their impacts on the deflection in the fire. Several other factors will also be identified in the study, such as limiting temperature criteria, loading and unloading effects, and explosion load ratios.
Research Aim: Groundwater pollution plumes consist of degradable compounds and materials, which results in declining the overall natural processes and their effectiveness on marine life. There have been studies that aimed to explore the slow degradation processes of pollution plumes in groundwater. However, this is particular research will aim to explore different factors that cause groundwater pollution plumes and contribute to its slow degradation process. Finally, the study will propose a user-friendly model to degrade the plume of groundwater pollution.
Research Aim: This research aims to explore the role of advanced solution strategies that help engineers and builders carry out non-linear FE analysis. In this study, the researcher will demonstrate the static and dynamic problems related to the non-linear effects of solid structures and systems.
Research Aim: In this study, the researcher will demonstrate the behaviour of concrete under the situation of triaxial compression. The researcher aims to understand the stiffness, volumetric and compressive behaviour of concrete which may cause deformation when pressure is applied.
More Civil Engineering Dissertation Topics
- Research to Set up Remote Sensing Applications to Assist in the Development of Sustainable Enterprise
- Research to Study and Develop Water Treatment Processes
- Research to Studying Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies
- Research to Study Sustainable Engineering: New Objectives for Construction Projects
- Research Regarding Micromechanics of Granular Materials.
- Research to Transform a Manufacturing Plant into a Sustainable Enterprise.
- Research to Study the Relationship Between Sustainability and Learning Organisation.
- Research to Study the Impact of Sustainability Concepts on Organisational Growth and Development.
- Research to Ensure Sustainable Heat Conservation Generated from Compressors within a Manufacturing Site.
- Research to Study and Develop Waste Reduction Strategies to Achieve Sustainable Concepts.
- Investigating the Impact of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC) in Civil Engineering.
- Studying the Impact of Construction Technology on Safety.
- Research to Study Properties of Concrete to Achieve Sustainability.
- Research to Study the Relationship between Lean Manufacturing and Sustainable Manufacturing.
- Research to Study Sustainability and its Impact on Learning Organisation.
- Development of Sustainable Homes with the Help of Renewable Energy Sources.
- Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structures in Residential Applications
- Living Tree Buildings
Also Read: Human Resource Management Dissertation Topics
- Application of Ultra High Strength Concrete in LNG Terminals
- Mechanical Behaviour of Bridge Bearings of Concrete Bridges
- Winter Damage of Porous Asphalt
- Human-Induced Lateral Vibration of Bridges
- The Optimization of Tripod Substructure and its Application to Two Different Topsides
- Traffic-Induced Bearing Loads and Movements of a Steel Plate-girder Bridge
- Snap Through of Large Shield-Driven Tunnels
- A Timber Bearing Structure for Concept House
- The Sustainable Refurbishment of BK City
- The Elevated Metro Structure in Concrete, UHPC, and Composite
- Covering A28 Highway at Amersfoort
- Numerical Modelling of Turbidity Currents in Submarine Channels
- Post-trenching with a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge
- Morphological Impact of Coastal Structures
- Modeling Nearshore Currents Driven by Waves and Set-up Gradients
- Gaining New Insights Regarding Traffic Congestion, by Explicitly Considering the Variability in Traffic
- Dynamic Behaviour of Tunnel Elements 38 During the Immersion process
- Long-term Morphological M0delling of the Mouth of the Columbia River
- “Feasibility Study of a Climate Dike”
- Conditioning of Aggressive Water
- Swale Filter Drain System: The Inflow – Discharge Relation.
- Low-Cost Disdrometer
- Observing Tidal Slack in the Scheldt Estuary
- Clogging of Permeable Pavements 53 in Semi-arid Areas
- Analysing the Effects of Large-scale Green Roof Implementation in Singapore
- Accelerating the Introduction of Electric Bicycles
- A Critical Reappraisal of Some Problems in Engineering Seismology
- Systems and Sustainability: Sustainable development, Civil engineering and the Formation of the Civil Engineer
- Sustainable Engineering: The Future of Structural Design
- Environmentally Sustainable Construction Products and Materials – Assessment of release
Not Sure Which Dissertation Topic to Choose? Use Our Topic Planning Service
Important Notes:
As a civil engineering student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment on existing civil engineering theories – i.e., to add value and interest in your research topic.
The field of civil engineering is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like construction, law, engineering management, healthcare, mental health, artificial intelligence, tourism, physiotherapy, sociology, management, marketing and nursing. That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is particular, sound and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.
We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic; it is the basis of your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong: your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.
This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation as you may end up in a cycle of rejection at the very initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.
While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best civil engineering dissertation topics that fulfils your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.
Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.
Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please take a look at some of our sample civil engineering dissertation topics to get an idea for your dissertation.
How to Structure Your Dissertation on Civil Engineering
A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.
- A Title Page
- Acknowledgements
- Declaration
- Abstract: A summary of the research completed
- Table of Contents
- Introduction: This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems to be addressed. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
- Literature Review: This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic, in light of research questions to be addressed. The purpose is to highlight and discuss the relative weaknesses and strengths of the selected research area whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down of the topic, and key terms can have a positive impact on your dissertation and your tutor.
- Methodology: The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy.
- Findings and Analysis: The findings of the research are analysed in detail in the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
- Discussion and Conclusion: The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to draw a linkage between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regard to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
- References: This should be completed in accordance with your University’s requirements
- Bibliography
- Appendices: Any additional information, diagrams, graphs that were used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.
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Frequently Asked Questions
To discover civil engineering dissertation topics:
- Investigate emerging technologies.
- Analyze infrastructure challenges.
- Explore sustainability and green solutions.
- Review recent research in journals.
- Consider urban planning or construction innovations.
- Opt for a topic aligning with your passion and career aims.
