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Free courses

Free civil engineering courses with certificate

Free civil and structural engineering courses: building analysis and design in ETABS, SAFE and STAAD.Pro, quantity surveying and building estimation, site quality control for concrete, steel and earthworks, and construction planning in MS Project and Primavera P6.

See 8 courses
Engineer holding up a drawing against a window to check it on site

Why learn it

Why Civil and structural engineering

Civil engineers are hired for software and site skills: ETABS or STAAD.Pro in design offices, measurement to RICS NRM and bills of quantities for contractors and consultants, and quality control on site. This shelf covers those skills with free courses.

8 free Civil and structural engineering courses

Showing 8 of 8 courses

Practise as you learn

Watching is a start. Do it in the Lab, free.

The EDWartens Lab runs in your browser, with nothing to install. It is a practice environment, not the vendors' own software.

  • Build ladder, SFC and structured text programs
  • Go online and watch power flow through each rung
  • Force inputs and outputs and see the machine respond
Try the PLC programming lab freeHow the Lab works
PLC programmingProgram a PLC, see it run.

Before you start

What you can and cannot get

  • All 8 courses are free to learn: video lessons, notes, a quiz after each module and a final exam.
  • About 150 hours of study in total, self-paced, with no card needed.
  • An optional certificate of completion, £19 including VAT per course, with a number anyone can check at edwartens.co.uk/verify.

Not included

  • A regulated qualification, an accredited or CPD-accredited award, or a job. We never promise one.
  • Real hardware or paid software: practice runs in simulators, free tools and the EDWartens Lab in your browser.

Read how the optional certificate works on the certificate page.

Questions

Civil and structural engineering: common questions

Last reviewed 28 October 2026.

Are these civil engineering courses free?
Yes. Every lesson, note and assessment is free. The EDWartens certificate is optional and paid, and you can finish a course without it.
Which civil engineering software should I learn first?
ETABS if you want to design multi-storey concrete buildings, STAAD.Pro if you work on steel frames and industrial structures. Both courses explain how to get a trial or student licence from the vendor.
Do these courses make me a licensed structural engineer?
No. They teach the software and the principles. Real designs are the responsibility of a qualified engineer under local regulations, and software output must always be checked by hand.
Is there a free course for quantity surveyors?
Yes. Quantity Surveying and Building Estimation teaches take-off, bills of quantities, rate build-up, valuations and final accounts using only a spreadsheet.