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Building Services Engineering MSc

Course code

H300PSBLDSVE

Start date

January

September

Subject area

Mechanical Engineering

Mode of study

1 year full-time

3 years part-time (distance learning)

Fees

2024/25

UK £13,750

International £25,000

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Overview

Building services engineers are involved with virtually every aspect of a building’s interior environment. They design, install and maintain electrical and mechanical services - heating, cooling, lighting, water, lifts, and telecoms - and advise on issues of health and safety, security, sustainability and energy efficiency.

In short, they help buildings work, whether for residential, educational, commercial, industrial or cultural purposes.

Brunel's Building Services Engineering MSc gives graduates with engineering or technology backgrounds the technical, design and management skills they need to excel in this lucrative and multi-faceted profession.

You'll get a solid grounding in core subjects of heat transfer, energy conversion, acoustics, electrical services and lighting design as well as in the practicalities of building management, fire and smoke control, waste disposal and lifts and escalators.

Additionally, as there is a growing demand for a new generation of environmentally responsible buildings, you’ll also examine energy efficiency and sustainable design.

You can choose to study 1 year full-time at Brunel or the distance learning programme over 3 years.

This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and the Energy Institute (EI), which means your degree will put you on course to gain Chartered Engineer (CEng) status in the UK.  

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and 24-hour access to industry standard specialist software for engineering design at dedicated computer clusters on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

With the growing complexity of engineering services in modern buildings and the significance of energy conservation and emissions control, the role of the building services engineer is becoming increasingly important. Your Brunel engineering master’s will give you the technical, creative and managerial expertise that lead to excellent career opportunities.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Course content

The course is design to give graduates the technical and managerial training they need to pursue careers in building services engineering.

Work for your Building Services Engineering MSc degree consists of compulsory modules and a 15,000-word dissertation.

This course can be studied 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time distance learning, starting in September. Or this course can be studied 3 years part-time distance learning, starting in January.

Year 1

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Careers and your future

Our graduates work in building services and construction-related consultancies such as Hoare Lea, Arup, BuroHappold, AECOM, Cundall, BRE, ChapmanBDSP, Atkins, WSP Group, Faber Maunsell and Hilson Moran.

Other employers include county councils within their building management and environmental departments, EDF Energy, Skanska, Trend Control Systems and Honeywell Control Systems.

You can also progress to academic research.

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UK entry requirements

A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in Mechanical, Building Services  or technology subject. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis. 

Entry to this programme requires all students who are not nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) and have temporary immigration permission to remain in the UK to obtain an ATAS certificate. If you are made an offer to join this course and you are not an EEA national, you will be required to obtain an ATAS certificate as a condition of your offer. 

Applicants who will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. To find out if you will need an ATAS certificate, please visit this webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-out-if-you-require-an-atas-certificate#when-you-need-an-atas-certificate.

The deadline for Admissions to make offers to applicants who will require an ATAS certificate is 28 July 2023. This is to ensure any offer holders who need an ATAS certificate have plenty of time to obtain the certificate before their course starts.

This course is now closed to new applications for September 2022 from visa requiring applicants who will need an ATAS certificate to study the course. This is because there will not be enough time to obtain the ATAS certificate and apply for a student visa before the start of the course.

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EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
  • BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£13,750 full-time

International

£25,000 full-time

If you are a Distance Learning student, costs for 2024/25 are made up of:

  • £1145 per 15 credit module 
  • £4580 for a 60 credit dissertation 

More information on any additional course-related costs.

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase. 

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

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Teaching and Learning

How the course will be delivered

Required equipment

How you'll learn on your course

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Assessment and feedback

Modules are assessed by combinations of formal examination and written assignments. Examinations are normally sat in May.

Successful completion of the taught modules allows you to proceed to the dissertation stage. To qualify for the award of the MSc degree, you must submit a satisfactory dissertation.

MSc dissertation projects are normally carried out over four months for full-time students or one year for distance learning students.

 

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

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