Sustainable Construction (MSc)

Introduction

The construction industry is a large employer, with over 100 million people worldwide believed to depend on it. The resulting built environment accounts for nearly 50% of carbon emissions as it consumes an equal percentage of extracted, natural materials generating large quantities of landfill waste and using a vast amount of water, all valuable and increasingly scarce resources.

Location

Swansea

Course Length

Full-time 1 year/ Part-time Up to 3 years

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Why choose this course?

Overview

UK construction is well-placed to benefit from the opportunities presented by the global shift to a low carbon economy and green construction, but there is a continuing need to ensure investment in innovation and technology alongside increased collaboration between businesses and research institutions to enable the UK to realise this potential.

There is also scope for further progress, particularly concerning addressing evident skills shortages. The global green and sustainable building industry is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 22.8% between now and 2017 as a result of increasing low carbon regulatory requirements and greater societal demand for greener products. It seems that the market is recognising these opportunities.

According to recent research by McGraw-Hill Construction (2013), around half the architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and building consultants around the world anticipate that at least 60% of their work will be green by 2015, up from 28% of firms in 2012 and only 13% in 2009.

The UK’s existing housing stock, which accounts for over half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment, presents growth and development opportunities for the UK’s low carbon and sustainable construction market.

The programme will draw upon subject expertise within the School of Architecture, Built and Natural Environments, which has been commended by Externals for its commitment to innovative teaching and learning.

The programme enhances several advanced transferable skills and equips the student with a range of skills appropriate for a wide variety of future opportunities as well as providing skills and competencies for those students who are progressing to MPhil / PhD. Regularly, our MSc students have progressed to our PhD provision.

Sustainability is seen as a priority in construction circles; the very nature of its operation places a heavy burden on the environment. The programme holds firm the sustainability concept and provides students with ‘real’ examples of established practices.

Modules

Building Services and Energy Performance in Buildings
Construction Technology and Building Information Management
Environmental Planning and Policy
Management of the Integrated Working Environment
Sustainable Development
Research Methods and Professional Development
Master’s Project

Entry Criteria

Applicants can be considered eligible to register on this Master’s Degree programme provided s/he holds one of the following qualifications prior to commencement:

an initial degree from an approved degree-awarding body;
a non-graduate qualification which has been deemed to be of an appropriate standard for the purpose of postgraduate admission;
specific entry requirements of the programme.
Applicants may also be considered eligible to register on this Master’s Degree programme provided that s/he has held, for a minimum of two years, an appropriate position which is relevant to the programme to be pursued. Such applicants will be considered on a case by case basis.
International students must hold relevant qualifications/experience equivalent to their UK counterpart, in addition to good language skills and evidence of a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 for non-native English speakers.
As part of an inclusive approach to learning, we encourage students from non-traditional entry points or without recognised educational backgrounds, but who have an equivalent and appropriate professional qualification or significant relevant professional experience to apply.

ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Home Office Share Code

For EU students only.

IF no Qualification

Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.

Assessment

ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate

2. Academic Interview

Assessment

Assessments used within this Programme are normally formative or summative. In the former assessment is designed to ensure students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Typically, such assessment will take the form of practical exercises where a more hands-on approach shows student’s ability on a range of activities.

Traditional formal time-constrained assessment is by means of tests and examinations, normally of two-hour duration. Examinations are a traditional method of verifying that the work produced is the students’ own work.

To help authenticate student coursework, some modules require that the student and lecturer negotiate the topic for assessment on an individual basis, allowing the lecturer to monitor progress.

Some modules where the assessment is research-based require students to verbally/visually present the research results to the lecturer and peers, followed by a question and answer session.

Such assessment strategies are in accord with the learning and teaching strategies employed by the team, that is, where the aim is to generate work that is mainly student-driven, individual, reflective and where appropriate, vocationally-orientated. Feedback to students will occur early in the study period and continue over the whole study session thereby allowing for greater value added to the student’s learning.

Career Opportunities

The MSc is widely recognised as a valuable postgraduate qualification. It demonstrates the student’s ability to commit to a programme of study and develop their knowledge within that area of academic study. The programme will help develop skills which are valuable to a wide range of employers, such as the ability to analyse complex information critically, the ability to present clear and coherent arguments and the ability to present complex information in a clear manner.

Such an education will develop an awareness of the interconnectedness of the built environment and equip the student with a qualification relevant to a number of different vocational situations. The flexibility of the modular programme enables students to develop packages of study which satisfy specialist interests and career aspirations in the built environment.

In business, many large organisations have established management systems and auditing procedures, and our former students’ career paths demonstrate opportunities at all levels of management. This degree, which was developed in consultation with the BRE and major Companies/Consultants, will help students develop a career in these areas. In fact, the integral link with the BRE is a fundamental ‘kitemark’ for students and associated employers of this programme.

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