Masters in Green Building

A flexible Master’s degree designed to develop a deep understanding and confidence around sustainable design principles and sustainable materials, their regulatory and legal requirements and their practical use. Taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), which pioneered sustainability practice and theory in the UK, you will get hands on practical experience alongside in-depth academic study to gain a rigorous understanding of the social, practical, political, economic and environmental aspects of green building.

This Master’s degree tackles these themes through a combination of academic study, discussion and hands-on practical work. We give our MSc students the knowledge, skills and experience needed to develop a career in the environmental sector and make an impact. The programme draws on our expert staff and a wide selection of academics and specialist guest lecturers; people who have made exceptional contributions to environmental thinking and action.

The MSc course uses the concepts of sustainability and adaptation transformation to frame an analysis of environmental and climate change policy and its implications for society. Students can then choose modules from a wide range of topics which cover the practical uses of sustainable building materials and methods, the theory behind the selection and use of materials, energy flows, building design, planning and retrofitting, waste management and policy and planning issues.

How is the course taught?

Our MSc programme is taught either by distance learning or through residential blocks in one of the most imaginative environmental buildings in the UK, or through a mixture of the two.

What qualification will you receive?

Successful completion of the programme MSc Sustainability and Adaptation at the Centre for Alternative Technology leads to the award of Master of Science (MSc) by UEL. The programme is also available to study as a Postgraduate Certificate and as a Postgraduate Diploma.

Modules include

• Introduction to Sustainability and Adaptation
• Sustainability and Adaptation Concepts in Practice
• Sustainable Materials in the Built Environment
• Ecosystems and Ecosystems Services
• Introduction to Politics and Economics of the Environment
• Energy Flows in Buildings
• Cities and Communities
• Low and Zero Carbon Buildings
• Energy Provision
• Circular Building
• Applied Research Design
• MSc Dissertation

Why study at CAT?

Studying at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is a truly unique experience. For the past 50 years CAT has been at the forefront of the environmental movement, pioneering low-carbon living and renewable technology. At the Graduate School of the Environment (GSE), students benefit from our extensive practical and academic knowledge, graduating with the skills needed to become leading players in the sustainability sector. Find out more about our facilities here.

Hands-on learning

At CAT, hands-on learning takes place side by side with academic study. Residential on-site block learning weeks are taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), an inspiring learning environment. Nestled in a disused slate quarry on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park, CAT is a living laboratory for practical, sustainable solutions. It contains some of the most innovative and renowned environmentally conscious buildings in the country, as well as one of the most diverse range of installed renewable technologies, on site water and sewage treatment, sustainably managed woodland and acres of organic gardens.

Flexibility

Courses can be studied full or part time and our course structure allows you to choose the mode and level of study that suits you, helping you fit your studies around other commitments. Full-time study at MSc level will allow you to complete the course in 18 months. Part-time study at MSc level will allow you to complete the course over a recommended 3 years.

Our modules are taught in blocks taken either with an intensive residential stay of five or six nights at the centre, or completely by distance learning. MSc students are free to choose between these teaching modes for every module. There is a choice of modules, each 8 weeks long, taken over one year or two, followed by a dissertation. It is a masters degree designed to give you the best possible experience whilst also meshing neatly with the pressures of modern professional and family life.

Immersive learning environment

Optional residential module weeks include lectures, seminars, group work and practicals. Applied work tends to dominate later in the week once we have laid the theoretical groundwork. These module weeks provide a truly immersive environment to escape daily life and apply yourself to new learning. Many eminent experts give guest lectures or hold seminars during these modules, as it is a course which seeks to draw on the expertise and learning of the whole environmental sector.

Is this the course for you?

Interested in studying this course? Join us for our next open day or contact us.

This course is created and delivered by CAT and is validated by the University of East London.

Find out more about the course on the CAT website.