International Construction, Design and Sustainability (Top - Up)
Solent University (Southampton)
UCAS Code: ID14 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
About this course
Working in construction? Ready to take the next step in your career? This top-up course - designed for international students who want to earn a university qualification here in the UK - will help you to turn your existing experience into a valuable bachelor’s degree. You’ll study a curriculum that is tailored to the needs of international students, improving your understanding of built environment roles and their application within the global construction industry.
Core topics (including construction technology, design and project management) frame an in-depth study of sustainability and environmental impact. By working on industry projects and case-studies, you will have the opportunity to apply the things you’ve learned to real workplace scenarios. Additional training covers communication, resilience, self-awareness and teamwork; all of which are applicable to the professional construction environment.
The course team come from a range of professional backgrounds, holding many years’ experience in both higher education and the construction industry. They are actively involved with their industry colleagues, working on academic research and holding committee positions at a range of professional bodies. Opportunities to shadow professionals in the workplace have been built into the curriculum
As an overseas student, you will be well supported as you adapt to life in the UK. You’ll benefit from regular contact with both a student ‘buddy’ and an allocated course tutor. Your course tutor will assess your skills and knowledge, providing you with tailored support throughout the year.
The course is part of a well-respected and recognised programme, endorsed by our large network of employers. Many of our past students have found work through this network, putting future graduates in a good position to confidently seek employment.
Study under the guidance of an experienced teaching team. Learn about the increasingly important role sustainability plays in the success of modern construction projects.
The construction programme here at Solent has been running for over 25 years. The course draws on a wide alumni network to improve relationships with employers. Many of our alumni are now employers themselves.
Construction is a major source of employment both in the UK and abroad. There are opportunities for global travel and no two jobs are the same. Suitable roles for graduates include:
Construction/project manager
Site manager
Quantity surveyor
Building control surveyor
Facilities manager
This course is specifically designed to help international students to advance their career in construction. Applicants should have either:
a foundation degree or HND in a relevant built environment subject area,
a Chinese Associate/Ordinary Diploma with a suitable profile in key subjects, or
a portfolio of equivalent qualifications.
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an appropriate level of proficiency in the use of the English language.
Modules
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
International Construction and Design
Integrated Project
Academic and Professional Practice
Project Research Paper
Sustainable Construction and Design
YEAR 1 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Professional Practice and Communication
Building Production
Assessment methods
The majority of the course is assessed via coursework (83%). The remaining grade is made up of practical exams (17%). Coursework includes case studies, live briefs, access workshops and conference papers.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries
The Uni
Solent University (Southampton)
Department of Business and Law
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Building
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Building
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Want to take a degree that is definitely in demand? Try building! We're short of graduates in this area, so most graduates get jobs quickly. Building graduates make excellent surveyors, and that's currently one of the jobs that employers find hardest to fill, so there are great opportunities available of you want to try your hand at a surveying career. Building graduates also go into jobs in site and project management and other high skilled parts of the construction industry. There are jobs to be had in most parts of the country, so if you're technically-inclined and want to work somewhere specific, it might be worth considering this as an option. Building graduates are more likely than most to start their career with an employer who gave them work experience, so it’s particularly worth trying to secure links with industry if you take this degree.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Building
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£28k
£28k
£33k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Higher entry requirements
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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