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The Panasonic Trust Fellowships
Hannah Cuthew – MSc Geotechnical Engineering and
Management, University of Birmingham
In September 2006 I enrolled for a part-time MSc in Geotechnical Engineering
and Management at Nottingham Trent University. I successfully completed four
taught modules, giving me 60 credits. At the end of my first year it was
announced that the course would be winding down and I decided to transfer to
the University of Birmingham. Birmingham accepted 40 of my NTU credits,
which meant I had completed all the management modules of the masters. The
course is modular and the lectures are set over a three to five day period.
As a part-time student I selected the modules at the beginning of each
academic year and this enabled me to arrange my workload around lectures and
exams well in advance.
I learned many new aspects of geotechnical engineering and design with each
module I studied which really cemented the knowledge I had gained through
work in the design office or on construction sites. I particularly enjoyed
the maths based modules such as soil mechanics and slope stability
analysis. As a part-time student living and working London it was
impossible for me to carry out a laboratory-based thesis. My chosen topic
for my thesis was Carbon Management in Geotechnical Engineering, which I
knew very little about. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about the subject
and approached the whole experience as I would a project at work.
At the same time, I began working towards Chartered Geologist status.
Following approval of my chartership documents and an interview at the
Geological Society this was approved in April 2010. In December 2010 I
graduated with a Merit in the Geotechnical Engineering and Management
masters’ degree.
The course has given me the engineering knowledge I was lacking, as I
initially studied for a BSc in Geology. As a mature student it also gave me
the flexibility to work around the increasing responsibility I have at work
and home. At times I found working weekends and evenings stressful,
especially towards the end of the course. But ultimately I have found the
experience incredibly worthwhile and rewarding. I would like to thank the
Panasonic Trust who funded part of my course fees, without which I would
have had something else to worry about!
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