How long does the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering take?

The Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering runs fifteen to eighteen months, followed by a Bachelor's top-up. The Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering uses a modular calendar for working technicians.

How is the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering delivered?

The Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering is delivered on-campus in London, fully online with provisioned CAD tooling, or by distance learning. All three routes share the same seminar cohort.

Is this Higher Diploma recognised in the UK?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering is a UK Level 5 qualification aligned with CIHT, ICE and CIWEM technician competencies.

What are the entry requirements for the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering?

You need an Advanced Diploma, HNC/HND or three years of highways or civil-engineering experience. IELTS 6.0 overall is required for non-native English speakers.

What are the fees and funding options?

Fees for the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering are quoted per intake and include instalment plans. LSCE admissions reviews employer sponsorship and scholarships at application.

Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering | LSCE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering is a UK Level 5 qualification with a Bachelor top-up route, running fifteen to eighteen months covering technician-to-graduate competence in geometric design, pavement, drainage and traffic. The programme concentrates on AutoCAD Civil 3D, DMRB and CD standards reading, pavement design calculations, drainage modelling and safety audits, and the syllabus is aligned with Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) guidance and reference materials from Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). Delivery is available on-campus in central London, fully online with the same lab and tooling provisioning, or by distance learning, and every route joins the same intake cohort with weekly tutor visibility and named programme-tutor support.

By graduation from the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering you will be a highways technician ready for a Bachelor top-up and graduate engineer role, with technician-to-graduate articulation into an honours degree demonstrated through a portfolio of coursework, applied labs and, at the closing stage, coursework, applied capstone and a structured portfolio review. Every learner leaves the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering with a documented body of work suitable for UK employer conversations across highways contractors, DfT-linked consultancies, local authority highways teams and National Highways supply chains, and with a clear progression route into the next step of the LSCE ladder. Coursework is scheduled around working professionals so that part-time and full-time routes share the same weekly seminar, the same assessment rubric and the same tutor group.

Key Features

Cohort teaching in small tutor-visible groups at the LSCE central London campus, online, or by distance learning.
Curriculum aligned with Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) guidance and referenced against Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) materials.
Applied labs covering AutoCAD Civil 3D, DMRB and CD standards reading, pavement design calculations, drainage modelling and safety audits.
Weekly clinic sessions where tutors work through problem sets, code review or design critique with you on your own coursework.
Assessment structured as coursework, applied capstone and a structured portfolio review rather than a single high-stakes final paper, so progress is visible throughout the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering.
Careers-service introductions to London employers active in highways contractors, DfT-linked consultancies, local authority highways teams and National Highways supply chains, with dedicated CV and portfolio review sessions.
Structured articulation route within the LSCE ladder from a UK Level 5 qualification with a Bachelor top-up route into the next level of study or straight into employment.

What You Will Learn

Produce highway alignments in AutoCAD Civil 3D or comparable software.
Design pavement layers using UK Design Manual for Roads and Bridges guidance.
Design junction geometry for capacity and safety.
Model drainage systems for highway runoff.
Perform road safety audit reviews at defined stages.
Read CD standards and interpret client requirements.
Coordinate a highway design with adjacent utilities and structures.
Present a capstone highway design for tutor and industry review.

Who This Course Is For

HNC, HND and Foundation Degree holders articulating into an LSCE Bachelor top-up.
Experienced technicians with three or more years of relevant employment.
Career changers who have completed a related Advanced Diploma or bootcamp.
International applicants who need UK-referenced study evidence in highway engineering.
Working professionals combining employment with a technician-to-graduate route.

Career Pathways

Civil Engineer
Structural Engineer
Construction Manager
Site Engineer
Building Services Engineer
Environmental Consultant
Renewable Energy Engineer
Highway Engineer

The LSCE careers service supports Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering graduates with structured CV clinics, portfolio and mock-interview sessions and named introductions to hiring managers across highways contractors, DfT-linked consultancies, local authority highways teams and National Highways supply chains. Every student meets a named careers adviser in the final stage, and alumni continue to receive careers coaching, job-alert access and application review after graduation. Where the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering offers a placement or capstone with an employer sponsor, the careers team helps you shape that engagement into a portfolio entry recruiters can validate.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Advanced Diploma (Level 5), HNC/HND, Foundation Degree, or three years of relevant professional experience.
GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
One academic or professional reference.
Confirmed articulation route into an LSCE Bachelor's top-up in a relevant subject (letter of guarantee issued at enrolment).

Why Study at LSCE

The London School of Computing and Engineering is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. LSCE partners with UK professional bodies including Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and central London places the Alan Turing Institute, the NCSC, the ICE, IMechE and IET, and the City's engineering and technology employers within a short tube ride of every classroom.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support. Three parallel study modes let HNC, HND, bootcamp and experienced technician entrants complete the Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering without leaving employment, and the LSCE careers service runs at least one industry-careers day each academic year to connect students with employers active in highways contractors, DfT-linked consultancies, local authority highways teams and National Highways supply chains. Curriculum alignment is refreshed each year against Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) guidance so that graduates leave with a syllabus that reflects current UK sector expectations.

Apply for Higher Diploma in Highway Engineering

Complete the technician-to-graduate articulation track with LSCE. Click Enrol Now, admissions will respond within one working day with your Bachelor's top-up plan. Rolling intake dates mean early applications receive the widest choice of tutors, elective modules and supporting information, and international applicants are supported through visa, accommodation and English-language guidance in the same first response. Enrol Now