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Study program Sustainable Built Environments

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General information

Name of the programme: Sustainable Built Environments

Type of programme: Master’s, 2nd Bologna cycle

Degree awarded: “magister inženir/magistrica inženirka trajnostnega grajenega okolja”, equivalent to a Master of Sustainable built environment engineering, abbreviated to mag. inž. traj. graj. okolja 

  • 2 years

ECTS credits: 120 ECTS

Mode of study: full-time, part-time

  • Izola

 

About the programme

The Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) study programme offers a complete set of skills and knowledge in the fields of engineering, wood, and architectural science. These skills do not only have the advantage of being highly applicative in the natural environment, but offer an interdisciplinary approach that is necessary for one to actively follow the development of contemporary construction science or successfully work in the academic sector, public administration, or the economy.

The main goal of the SBE study programme is train and education students to develop, construct, and renovate the generation of buildings and structures that consider human health as well as environmental and social impacts. This programme is intended for civil engineering and wood science graduates, who wish to deepen their knowledge of sustainable building design as well as obtain new knowledge.

Graduates from SBE will be able to solve complicated problems and face challenges that arise in the field of the sustainable built environment. They will also be able to cooperate in research and development work within construction, building, and civil engineering institutions or begin independent scientific research work at research institutes.

Admission requirements:

  • Having completed an undergraduate degree in the field of civil engineering or wood science; or
  • Having completed a professional study programme (recognized prior to June 11th, 2004) in the field of civil engineering or wood science; or
  • Having completed a study programme in other professional fields equivalent to the study programmes mentioned under a) and b) in terms of duration and credit points on the condition that the candidate completes additional examinations in the SBE subject matter essential for continuing their studies (up to 30 ECTS). The content and credit points of which depend on the study programme the candidate has already completed. Additional study obligations are assigned to the student by a special FGO commission.

If additional study obligations are required, the candidate completes these during their undergraduate degree through special training courses or by taking exams prior to their enrolment in the SBE study programme.

International candidates may also meet admission requirements with completion of an equivalent undergraduate study programme at their home institution.

If there are enrolment restrictions, candidates will be selected on the basis of grade point average and diploma thesis from their undergraduate study programme.

Advancement requirements

To enrol in the second year of the study programme, a student must gain a minimum of 48 ECTS from courses and obligations in the first year.

A student may be admitted to the second year of study even without meeting the aforementioned progression requirements, but must have justifiable reasons for doing so including: maternity, illness, extenuating family and social circumstances, special needs status, active participation in top-level professional, cultural, and sporting events, active participation in university bodies, etc. on the condition that they have gained at least 42 ECTS in the first year. In such cases, individual applications are processed by a special FGO study committee.

Repeating a year

In accordance with the provisions of the Slovenian Higher Education Act, a student who failed to meet the progression criteria determined by the study programme may repeat one year during their study on the condition that they gained at least 24 ECTS during the first year of enrolment.

By advancing or repeating a year, the student maintains their student status and with it the rights and benefits, as stipulated by the Act and the Statute of the University of Primorska. In accordance with the Act and Statute of the University of Primorska the student may apply for an extension of their student status for a maximum of one year.

To complete the second year of the SBE study programme, all of the study obligations defined by the curriculum and the study programme must be completed. The student completes their Master’s thesis under the guidance of their mentor, who is chosen in the second year of study.

Transferring between programmes – admission in the 2nd year according to the criteria for transferring

Transferring between study programmes is possible based on the stipulations by the Slovene Higher Education Act, Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes and in accordance with other subject regulations.

A transfer between programmes means the cessation of a student’s education at the institution the student is transferring from and the continuation of their education at the institution the student is transferring to. When transferring the comparability of study programmes and study obligations completed during the first study programme are taken into consideration and are evaluated on an individual basis.

According to the criteria for transferring a student at a postgraduate study programme can enrol in the 2nd year of the study programme Sustainable Built Environment, if the following requirements are met:

  1. The student fulfils the requirements for admission in the postgraduate study programme, Sustainable Built Environment
  2. The study programme the student is transferring from ensures the acquisition of competencies comparable to those ensured by the Sustainable Built Environment study programme
  3. Other criteria are met, according to the criteria for transferring (comparable curriculum, comparable study requirements, which the student has successfully completed in the first study programme).

According to the criteria for transferring between study programmes, a student of an equal foreign study programme can enrol and was, in accordance with the law, granted the right to continue studying in the Sustainable Built Environment study programme through the process of recognition of foreign education.

In case of enrolment restrictions, candidates are selected on the basis of grade point average of the study programme, from which the candidate is transferring.

Individual applications for enrolment according to the criteria for transferring are examined by a special UP FGO commission. During the examination the commission will consider both the relatedness of the professional fields and the comparability of the study programmes in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes. The commission can also assign additional prerequisite exams.

Within the framework of related study programmes – both in Slovenia and abroad – a student may complete up to 32 ECTS credits on any programme at a related higher education institution, which can be, in accordance with relevant regulations, admitted in the Sustainable Built Environment study programme.

Course structure

The study programme includes 15 courses and the preparation and presentation of a Master’s thesis. The courses are split into required courses (12) and elective courses (3).

A student may select external elective courses within the framework of accredited study programmes offered by higher education institutions in Slovenia and abroad. Within the external electives framework a student can select courses that are a part of postrgraduate study programme in the fields of construction and sustainable management. Considering the student’s specific interests, generally related to their Master’s thesis (2nd year), the student may select their electives from study programmes in other academic fields. The student may decide to select internal electives instead of external.

The course offerings by term, course structure, and status (elective/required) are presented here.

Graduate competencies

The study programme aims to equip graduates with the general skills and knowledge described below:

  • Ability to employ critical thinking and self-assessment;
  • Ability to generate new and creative ideas;
  • Using the acquired knowledge and skills in practice;
  • Capacity to conduct scientific research on an adequate level;
  • Ability to constructively interact with others, regardless of their cultural background, respecting diversity;
  • Capacity to take initiative on entrepreneurial and intellectual curiosity;
  • Ability to assess and maintain a high quality of work;
  • Competence to conduct work in an international environment.

Course-specific skills and knowledge:

  • Ability to describe a given situation using correct symbols, units, and statements
  • Ability to present an understanding of concepts and principles of the sustainable built environment
  • Solving construction-related problems (and problems in general) using modern technology
  • Develop the ability to critically analyse a given problem
  • Deducing new logical conclusions from a given dataset
  • Capacity to face problems related to the sustainable built environment with confidence and to find solutions
  • Capacity to analyse, synthesise, and predict solutions and consequences of factors within the field of construction with regard to sustainable development
  • Critical judgement of events and developments within the field of the sustainable built environment
  • Ability to seek, obtain, and incorporate new knowledge independently
  • Ability to seek out and interpret new information and place it within the context of civil engineering
  • Ability to perform independent work
  • Understand the applicative value of mathematics and statistics
  • Understand construction materials from a microscopic to a macroscopic level
  • Capacity to characterize material properties
  • Ability to design wooden structures
  • Knowledge and understanding of the themes of health preservation in the built environment, as well as understanding risk factors in this context
  • Ability to assess the environmental impact of construction materials and buildings
  • Ability to analyse an existing building and to design a building energy renovation project
  • Understanding the meaning of alternative material sources within the field of sustainable construction

Completing studies

To complete the study process all study requirements, defined by the curriculums and the study programme, need to be completed. The student makes their Master’s thesis under the guidance of their mentor, chosen in the second year of study. Preparation of the thesis and the thesis itself must be done in accordance with the guidelines for the preparation of the Master’s thesis.

Graduate employment opportunities

Graduates of the SBE study programme will be able to find employment in the building sector concerned with sustainable building construction, especially wood construction companies. Graduates will also be able to find employment in other fields where knowledge of sustainable development and wood science are required, such as strategic and logistic departments of larger companies.

Employment opportunities await SBE graduates in other industry sectors as well including the biotechnology sector. These opportunities are enhanced if the graduate gains additional skills and knowledge through elective courses.

Graduates can be involved in research and development work in a variety of institutions or begin with independent scientific research.