Extended Degree Programme Built Environment

You’ll start off looking at the subjects that you’ll face in your first year of degree studies, setting you up with the academic and technical grounding you need. For details on modules at degree level please look at the individual course entries of your chosen progression route.

This preparatory year is all about giving you the core grounding of knowledge to move on to a qualification that fits your future career ambitions. You don’t have to have it all worked out in advance, your tutors will be on hand to advise you. The results you achieve may restrict your subject choices.

• Art and design
  This module will introduce you to visual design and seek to strengthen the understanding and appreciation of artistic design in all its many forms. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Constructing the built environment
  This module will seek to develop this context into an understanding of the use of traditional materials and construction technologies in domestic buildings of the past and the development of the modern technologies used today.The module focuses on the history of the built environment, domestic construction and the role of the institutions and regulatory authorities in the construction industry. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Construction mathematics
  This module focuses on the basic mathematical skills required from you, not assuming any level of previous knowledge. It focuses on areas applicable to your choice of future study. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Design concepts
  The module continues to introduce you to visual design and to develop your understanding and appreciation of design in its many forms. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Integrated project
  In this module, you'll work together in groups of 3 or 4 to form multi-disciplinary teams to propose and develop a specific idea for a large scale development. The objective requires the development of an idea through field and desktop research, together with its development into a cohesive design proposal by further research, testing and hands-on design, utilising each disciplinary skill within the team. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Practical skills for architecture
  This module provides an introduction to the workshop and drawing skills associated with students aspiring to a career in architecture. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Practical skills for construction
  This module is designed to introduce some of the basic skills required for those entering the construction/surveying field, by providing an overview of many of the concepts expected from the construction professional today. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Principles of construction science
  This module covers the principles of chemistry and physics, at a level between GCSE and A-level. It serves as a preparatory unit for students intending to undertake Built Environment undergraduate degree courses in the University, and introduces you to a range of skills required in both the chemical and physical sciences, as appropriate to your intended programme of study. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Study skills
  This module provides a foundation in study skills, methodology and presentation for the rest of your studies in the University. You'll develop your IT word processing and spreadsheet working skills. The unit involves group work and develops team-working skills and covers exam preparation, revision and question answering techniques. It will introduce you to your own Personal Development Planning process, which should grow and adapt with you throughout your course of study in the University and beyond. Assessment method: 100% coursework.

Full-time and part-time modes:

Full-time students, subject to assessment, be considered for entry to all the degree programmes listed.

Part-time students undertake five units of study in the year and may then be considered for entry to the HNC Construction programme that may then be credited and counted towards a part-time degree. However, students wishing to study the BA (Hons) in Architecture are advised to study full-time in order to develop their portfolio to the required standard. In all cases, students will need to discuss their options and required grades with the Course Director for their choice of degree.

This year is your launch pad to further study with us. Complete it successfully and you can choose from a number of courses – take a look to see where the next few years could take you:

• BA (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
• BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology
• BSc (Hons) Construction Management
• BSc (Hons) Commercial Management (Quantity Surveying)
• BSc (Hons) Building Surveying (with HNC Construction).

Take a look at some potential careers, including building surveyor / architect / quantity surveyor / project manager, on Prospects.

Employability Service

We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

An Extended Degree is a structured 4/5 year programme (when completed full-time), where the first year is designed to prepare you with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake a degree-level course. On successful completion of this preparatory year you'll naturally progress your studies with LSBU in any of the following branches of the built environment:

• BA (Hons) Architecture (RIBA Part 1)
• BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology
• BSc (Hons) Construction Management
• BSc (Hons) Commercial Management (Quantity Surveying)
• BSc (Hons) Building Surveying (with HNC Construction).

The experience that you gain during the initial year, and your discussions with tutors, will ensure that you choose the best degree suited to your interests and abilities. You can transfer from one course to another too. However if you're considering Architecture you'll need to decide by the Semester 2 of the Extended Degree Programme.

2018 Entry

• A Level EEE or
• BTEC National Diploma - MPP or
• Access to HE qualifications with 45 Passes or
• Equivalent level 3 qualifications worth 64 UCAS points
• Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
• We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.

The Extended Degree is intended for either:

• Candidates over 21 who may not have appropriate formal qualifications for direct entry. Such candidates will normally be required to attend for interview at which time they will be encouraged to demonstrate their suitability for and commitment to study at higher education level
• Candidates under 21 who do have the requisite number and level of GCSE or BTEC passes, but in the wrong subjects for chosen degree (i.e. student wishing to study architecture, but with A-levels in science subjects).

For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.

Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 160 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 102 KB).

Possible fee changes

The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.

The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.

Scholarships

We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.