About the School
Set yourself apart, with experience of the industry in its totality and a career-minded focusThe School of The Built Environment and Architecture (BEA) is one of the UK's largest and most acclaimed schools in this field - but it’s not a solo mission.
We work in partnership with our stakeholders in industry and in the community. And we do it for a reason – to contribute to Southwark, the UK and the whole world.
Join our diverse community
We know that real change doesn’t trickle down – it bubbles up. Our staff and our students reflect the diversity of the community in which we live. With academics from all round the world, we create a comfortable environment in which everyone, including our international students, can feel at home.
We also have a positive gender ratio compared to other universities in this sector – and this ratio forms a virtuous circle. A strong female presence amongst the staff, coupled with accessible courses, attracts more women to come to us and to recommend us.
Gain a professional edge
The majority of our academic staff are practitioners who’ve worked in the field. They combine their academic and industrial experience to bring a real-world, applied edge to their teaching.
Almost all of our courses are applied and accredited by professional institutions. What makes us unique is the way in which we combine your needs with the needs of industry. Using feedback from our key stakeholders, plus our own in-depth experience of the ways in which people learn best, we bring the world of work into the classroom and vice versa. With this approach, we can give you the skills, both professional and personal, to get a job straight away.
Experience leading facilities
When professional bodies visit the School, they consistently praise our lab facilities. Our Building Information Modelling Centre (BIM), for example, has around 20 high-powered computers that can run all the software that students need – few schools have a dedicated BIM centre, let alone one with these facilities. It uses 3D models rather than 2D drawings, so students can see how a building comes together, create their own models and - with the right data - can work out costing and production information.
As well as our BIM centre, we have a Digital Architecture and Robotics lab (DAR) and extensive 3D printing facilities for our architecture students to use in producing their models.
The School is set apart by the breadth of our offer – we’re unique in reflecting the composition of the entire construction industry, from architecture, civil and building services engineering to property and construction management, quantity and building surveying. Our courses cover the complete process, so that for students, the possibilities are limitless. You will experience the construction and built environment industry in its totality.
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