Green Building (Taught)

Masters in Green Building

Develop a comprehensive understanding and confidence to apply sustainable design principles on our MSc in Green Building.

Achieving zero carbon in the design and building industry requires a transformation in materials and methods. This course equips students with critical thinking skills to effectively integrate green building principles into their work, projects, and professional practice, thereby enhancing their future employability in the sustainable construction or property sectors while learning to adapt the built environment to current environmental changes.

The course merges theoretical knowledge with practical hands-on learning and research experience in sustainable building design, construction, and renovation, enabling students to build scientific literacy, academic rigour, and teamwork skills, construct evidence-based arguments, and gain proficiency in research methods to undertake an advanced independent project.

Students will acquire a holistic understanding of sustainability, incorporate risk and vulnerability assessment into their decision-making, and comprehend how the urgency of climate change influences their choices regarding building design, construction methods, materials, and cultures.

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. This course is created and delivered by CAT and validated by UEL.

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 over 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, flexible and immersive learning
At CAT, hands-on practical learning takes place side by side with academic study, group work and lectures during residential on-site block learning weeks taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), an immersive learning environment. Nestled in a disused slate quarry on the edge of the Eryri 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. It is a flexible degree with a choice of modules, each 8 weeks long, taken over one year or two – meaning the degree can be part time.

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