University of Brighton
Print

Sustainability of the Built Environment
MSc (PGCert PGDip)

  • Course summary and entry requirements

    Course duration Help

    Full-time: 1 year

    Part-time: 2 years

    About the course

    By 2016 all new domestic buildings must be carbon neutral, and by 2019 so must all new non-domestic buildings. Continuing legislation, alongside growing corporate ethics drive by public awareness, has created an increasing demand for specialists with the educational knowledge and research skills to develop future-facing sustainability solutions.

    Every one of the modules on this MSc is directly related to sustainability - the balance between the needs of people for places to work and live, and the surrounding (global) natural environment. What makes this course different is our commitment to teaching around 'true sustainability', which looks not just at how much energy a building uses when it is running, but how much energy it uses over its entire lifecycle; from the extraction of its raw materials and their transport, through to manufacture and operation, and on to its eventual demolition and recycling.

    Students come from a variety of backgrounds, including architecture, construction, legal, psychology and environmental, and leave with the skills, understanding and ability to deal with complicated sustainability issues which demand action. Teaching staff come from real industry to practically prepare students for real jobs, including the use of industry software such as IES.

    Typical entry requirements Help

    Individual offers may vary.

    For non-native speakers of English:
    6.5 overall and 6 in writing.

    Degree and/or experience:
    Good honours degree in an appropriate subject.

  • Course content

    Areas of study

    Sustainability is high on the agenda of built environment professionals, driving the provision of comfortable and healthy buildings while maintaining equitable use of energy and materials resources consumed, and reducing pollution.

    Core modules cover areas such as major environmental resource and pollution issues associated with construction leading to sustainable good practice; sources of sustainable energy and its utilisation in buildings; critical appraisal of energy consumption of energy in buildings and the determination of improvement strategies; and assessing the impact of buildings to the environment.

    Students are then able to specialise in areas of personal interest through optional modules which include ecological principles, air quality management and geographical information systems.

    The masters project is an individual research programme where students broaden their learning and develop research skills directed at critical appraisal, examine innovative solutions to the problem at hand, and are enabled to produce and defend a written thesis on a selected topic.

    Syllabus

    Core modules
    - Sustainable Construction
    - Sustainable Energy for Buildings
    - Energy Assessment of Buildings
    - Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings
    - Masters project

    Options, two from:
    - Introduction to GIS
    - Applications of GIS
    - Ecological Principles
    - Case Studies in Environmental Assessment
    - Air Quality Management
    - Systems for Environmental Management
    - Facilities Management

  • Fees and costs

    The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2013-14. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

    The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

    What's included in the fee?

    When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

    You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

    Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

    Sustainability of the Built Environment (MSc) (Full time)  [P2BH022]
    UK/EU (Full Time)4,500 GBP
    Island Students (Full Time)9,450 GBP
    International (Full Time)13,500 GBP

  • Location

    Location Help Moulsecoomb

    Located to the north of Brighton city centre, the Moulsecoomb campus offers students an excellent learning environment and a wide range of facilities. It is the largest of our five campuses with over 8,000 students.

    View campus maps and directions

    Living in Brighton

    Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

    Social scene

    Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    Music event on the beach

    Arts

    The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.

    Burning the Clocks winter solstice festival

    Sports

    Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.

    Playing volleyball on the seafront

  • Career opportunities

    Sustainability specialists are required on all new building projects, and to rate current domestic and non-domestic building infrastructure. Graduates from this course go on to roles within building design, planning, facilities management, architecture, construction, and other built environment professional or consultancy teams. Past examples of student employment include the Guinness Trust, Bioregional, and Willmott Dixon Construction.

    Visit the careers service website.

Apply now for your place
Book your open day place
Find out more

01273 642380
Email entec@brighton.ac.uk

If you are an international student, contact us on:

+44 (0) 207 250 6749
international@brighton.ac.uk

 

Visit the school that delivers this course