MSc Sustainable Building Conservation

Accredited by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), this distinctive masters qualification addresses current challenges recognised worldwide.

We place emphasis on the role of sustainability within the historic context at both technical and strategic levels. By using our established expertise as a research locus for sustainable design, the course addresses these concerns, which have been identified internationally by the International Council on Monuments and Sites UK (ICOMOS), as the critical future direction of conservation education.

The course is offered on both a full time and a part time basis and attracts students from a broad range of backgrounds who benefit from the opportunity to exchange and build their expertise.
It is designed for graduates who want to pursue a career in this area and whose first degree was in a related area such as Engineering, Planning, Architecture, Archaeology, Surveying or Construction. It is also open to people who may have equivalent experience in the construction industry or in heritage management.

Former students have come from backgrounds including Architecture, Planning, Surveying, Engineering, Project Management, Construction, History, Archaeology and Fine Art Conservation. Many are employed in Local Authorities or Private Practice, some run their own businesses as conservation contractors, project managers or architects. We also have students who are recent graduates. The diversity of skills and experience amongst the students is key to the vitality of discussion, reflecting the complex nature of practice in this area.

Typically, you will need to have either:

a 2:1 honours degree disciplines related to the historic built environment such as archaeology, architecture, conservation, engineering, heritage, history, landscape architecture, planning, or surveying
a university-recognised equivalent academic qualification
or relevant professional experience evidenced by a reference.
Students whose first language is not English are normally expected to take the IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with 5.5 in all subskills, or an accepted equivalent.


You will also need to provide:

a signed and dated reference from an individual who is familiar with your work, either on an academic or professional basis. The reference should include information regarding how the referee knows you and for how long as well as their assessment of your skills, experience, work ethic, and suitability for this programme.
a personal statement which includes your reasons for studying this programme and any experience with issues related to the historic built environment and/or sustainability within your previous studies or professional career.
TOEFL (iBT) - At least 90 overall with minimum scores of 17 for writing, 17 for listening, 18 for reading, and 20 for speaking
International Baccalaureate (Language A) - HL 4 or SL 5