The Highway Engineering Management MSc is sponsored by the SE7 group of local authorities, comprising seven county councils – Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, 91¶¶Òõ and Hove and Medway – and highways contractors, Kier Group, Balfour Beatty Living Places, EM Highways, and Amey.
The first cohort of successful students celebrated their graduation at a ceremony at the university's Cockcroft Building in Moulsecoomb, 91¶¶Òõ on 29 July. The graduates were already working for county councils and contractors in roles including highway assets design and maintenance management.
During this celebration, the Kier Group sponsored a prize of £100 vouchers for the overall best performance throughout the course – won by graduate Helen Currie.
Course leader Dr Muhammad Imran Rafiq, Senior Lecturer in the university's School of Environment and Technology (SET), said the course had proved so successful that it is now being expanded to county council and highways contractors across the UK.
He said: "The course is different from any other course at the university because of the way the partnership between the university and the partner organisations works and this is an opportunity to celebrate its success.
"This is one of the first courses to be structured this way. The university and partner organisations work collaboratively, with all partners closely involved in supporting the students learning, teaching, and student assessments and the university providing the academic rigor, quality assurance, structure and support."