BSc (Hons) Building and Construction Engineering

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

BNU offers a contemporary curriculum providing a stimulating and challenging programme of study that reflects current practice and meets the needs of employers in the field of building and construction engineering.

Led by a dedicated teaching team with a wealth of experience within the industry, you’ll benefit from their insider-knowledge and the professional-network they bring with them. Our array of industry practitioners and working alumni will be involved in delivering guest lectures, masterclasses and workshops, and where possible, contribute to the assessment of your work.

You’ll learn hands-on practical skills to help you stand out to potential employers. You’ll get to grips with industry-standard equipment including in our CAD/CAM labs, ensuring upon graduation you are prepared for your first role.

Learning continues beyond the classroom; You’ll be provided with unique opportunities to develop the employability skills required by construction companies, from small to medium enterprises to large multinational construction companies, through work experience opportunities, live briefs and site visits.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

What facilities can I use?

We have a range of state-of-the-art-facilities for you to get hands-on with. Certain modules will see you undertake model-making workshops and develop computer aided design, an essential skill for to acquire and apply to project work. You may also learn AutoCAD, Revit, 3d Studio Max, Rhino and Photoshop through structured lessons in IT/CAD suites and studios. 

This mix of traditional and highly creative learning environments will enable you to learn essential knowledge and real-world skills, standing you in good stead for your professional career.

You are expected to take ownership of your learning and are required to spend time outside the contact time with tutors undertaking independent study. That’s why we offer a four-storey library filled with all the articles, books, research papers, computers and printers that you may need during your studies.

What will I study?

Buildings take on many forms, from newly built facilities, to the refurbishment of premises. Upon graduation your role within as a Building and Construction Engineer undertakes the technical and commercial management of projects which provide engineering design solutions to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment and community.

You will ensure that businesses, clients and end-user needs are considered throughout the operation and you will strive to sit within financial, environmental and safety constraints. As building and construction engineers, you could be working in a design consultancy, as a contractor or with an engineering company.

The Building and Construction Engineering course covers a range of key areas, from how to manage a team of engineers and technicians and how to collaborate with other construction professionals, to design building elements and the various services found in buildings.

As well as this, digital technologies are embedded in the curriculum and are a key part of the learning and teaching along with vocational skills. The course typically includes systems such as renewable and emerging technologies, energy management, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, drainage, lighting, power, water services and building management systems. You will consider design and construction methods evaluating the social, ethical, legal, environmental and economic factors relevant to engineering. This is to ensure you can navigate through problems as they arise using a holistic understanding of the sector to make the right decisions. 

This programme runs as both a full-time and Part-time course, with part-time structured across a five-year span, so you can fit it around your other commitments outside of study.

How will I be taught and assessed?

Learning and teaching activities are strongly focused on developing your knowledge and critical evaluation of theories and concepts in the field of building and construction engineering and its application in practice.  The activities are a mix of lectures, tutorials and seminars together with workshops and laboratory based individual and group working.

Case studies, live briefs, simulations and scenarios will be used to develop your academic study skills, graduate skills and attributes and employability skills. These will have emphasis on ‘real-world’ learning activities and scenarios that will enable you to address realistic problems.

The university’s virtual learning environment (VLE) will be used as a vehicle to support your learning, alongside class-based activities. Learning materials and discussion tools will be available on the VLE for all modules. 

You’ll study in a close-knit tutor group where everyone’s input is recognised and valued. Not only will you make friends for life, you’ll also make important connections that will last through your career, and you’ll form a network, just like you’d find in the working-world.

A variety of assessment vehicles are used as appropriate to each module.  The forms of assessment have been chosen to motivate learners to achieve and to create positive learning opportunities. The assessments are mainly coursework, which include:

• Written assignments
• Report 
• Portfolio and digital models
• In-class assignments  
• Computer-based test 
• Set Presentations (for example, poster and oral)  
• Laboratory exercises  
• Proposal 
• Dissertation