Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £12,120 for the course
International/EU: £19,225 for the course -
How long will I study?
2 Years
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Where will I study?
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Study and gain skills in using cutting-edge technologies.
- Explore innovative methods of technical design and experimental architecture.
- Build your career, practical competence and expertise in decarbonisation.
- Develop your understanding of digital transformation and creativity.
- Undertake cross-disciplinary collaboration beyond typical practises of architecture.
Our MSc Zero Carbon Buildings and Technologies (Work Experience) course provides industry links to equip you with the skills and vision to tackle the climate emergency. With decarbonisation strategies and resilient design practises, you’ll use data to explore complex construction challenges in a variety of contexts.
The course also includes a 12-month period of work experience.
How you learn
The course brings together environmental and innovative technologies to achieve practical and sustainable goals in design, construction and operational practices. You’ll gain a strong theoretical and technical foundation in environmental architecture through experimentation and modelling, using data technologies to help you meet the needs of practice.
Sustainable development is at the core of the course. You’ll study modules that are developed to demonstrate knowledge and the practice of innovation, clean energy production, responsible energy consumption and healthy environments. The course has three integrated pillars covering design and construction, environment and performance, and digital and data technologies.
You’ll develop your knowledge, understanding and skills – applying them to environmental, digital and technically driven architectural design projects.
You learn through:
- lectures and seminars
- guest lectures
- individual and group exercises
- case studies
- field visits
- coursework
- projects
Key Themes
You’ll develop essential knowledge and skills in trimester 1 via two 30 credit modules. These modules extend into trimester 2 to allow progression into applied design, enabling students with or without an existing design background to flourish on the course.
All core modules are considered preparatory to, and extended by, the research project module. For example, in trimester 2 professionally focused modules draw on your skills and knowledge from trimester 1, supporting engagement in professional and interdisciplinary projects. Meanwhile, you’ll complete co-curricular activities with employers in both trimesters 1 and 2, giving you time to develop your confidence.
Your final research project is a consultancy project that academic teams will develop through employer-led scholarly research. You’ll undertake real-world inquiry and investigation through the exploration of data to assess zero carbon strategies. You’ll complete a reflective written element in your dissertation, covering the work experience and/or employability skills, individual capabilities and competencies gained through the different activities throughout the course or work experience. This helps you gain further skills for your future careers, especially in providing consultancy in energy and decarbonisation of the built environment.
Course Support
We aim to help you devise projects that match your interests while addressing contemporary environmental challenges. Projects can be located in a range of contexts, such as the practice you work in if you’re working while studying, or the home country of an international student.
You’ll also be supported to prepare for success with a meaningful and relevant learning experience, including:
- employability workshops for CV writing, interview techniques and networking
- our dedicated BOOST team helps you identify work experience positions aligned with your interests and career aspirations
Course leaders and tutors
Karam Al-Obaidi
Senior Lecturer in Sustainable ArchitectureDr Karam Al-Obaidi is Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture at Sheffield Hallam University.
Applied learning
Work experience
This course offers 12 months of hands-on experience in a professional setting, with the option to work in the UK or abroad. You’ll be responsible for securing your own placement, with our support. The work experience option is highly regarded by employers as a way to cultivate practical and professional skills, whether in the UK or internationally.
The course provides an excellent environment to learn and explore architectural technologies with a unique specialisation. You’ll have valuable opportunities to interact with the construction industry, including in digital and environmental labs with fabrication facilities, supported by research experts in these fields.
Live projects
The course promotes innovation and creativity in architectural investigation and design, advancing beyond typical architectural practice by implementing research-informed teaching.
Research skills are supported throughout the course. The course is delivered through a range of industry-aligned modules that allow you to deal with real-world problems and solve them through research and development.
The course is also connected with leading international software companies in digital modelling and digital twin technology, enabling you to design and learn on both national and international scales.
Networking opportunities
The course promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration in design and is taught by experts across the subjects of architecture and engineering, providing you with a distinctly interdisciplinary experience.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a wide range of careers, such as:
- environmental design and decarbonisation technology in architecture, architectural technology, engineering and built environment
- consultancy in environmental analysis, energy and carbon assessment, and building performance evaluation – focusing on decarbonisation
- software specialism in environmental data and modelling in the built environment
- technical retrofitting and digital prefabrication towards net zero
You could also follow an academic path to teach and research in environmental design, building science and technology, building performance, environmental data and decarbonisation in construction – with a pathway to undertake PhD study.
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
The course has the distinct environmental focus to achieve zero fossil energy consumption and zero carbon emissions in building design. It’s designed to prepare you to work with new digital technologies that enable connection between energy and building systems, making them reliable and smart.
Classes are delivered in lecture theatres and seminar rooms as well as specialist IT laboratories, with specialist facilities such as:
- data drive technologies software including BIM, CIM, Fabrication, Environmental Solutions and LCA
- workshop and laboratory resources for physical testing and fabrication
360 tour - architecture facilities
Entry requirements
All students
2:2 undergraduate degree in: Architecture; Architectural Technology; Building Surveying; Construction Management; Project and Facility Management; Engineering (Civil, Electrical and Mechanical); Planning /Urban Design; Environmental Sciences/Studies; Landscape Architecture; Interior Design.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Data-Driven Technologies (Building & City Information Modelling)
Decarbonisation And Performance In Building Design
Postgraduate Work Experience Applied Professional Diploma
Professional Practice And Management
Sustainable Retrofitting And Fabrication
Final year
Compulsory modules
Research Project
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £12,120 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. For this work experience route, your fees will be payable over two years, divided into two annual payments based on credits studied. The fee includes dedicated employability support to help you prepare for and secure work experience. It does not guarantee you a placement and if a placement is not secured the work experience fee will still be charged. If a placement is not secured you will transfer to the standard version of the course to complete your remaining credits, where the balance of your course fees will be due in year one in line with completing the course.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £19,225 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. For this work experience route, your fees will be payable over two years, divided into two annual payments based on credits studied. The fee includes dedicated employability support to help you prepare for and secure work experience. It does not guarantee you a placement and if a placement is not secured the work experience fee will still be charged. If a placement is not secured you will transfer to the standard version of the course to complete your remaining credits, where the balance of your course fees will be due in year one in line with completing the course.
Postgraduate student loans
Up to £12,858 is available in 2025/26 for home students on most masters courses.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 268.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
