The sustainable building systems program focuses on the design and operation of buildings to provide a comfortable, healthy, and productive indoor environment with minimal energy and environmental impact. Students have an opportunity to develop leadership and decision-making skills to implement sustainable building practices in either the private or public sectors in the global market.
The graduates of the Master of Science in Sustainable Building Systems program should display a high level of engineering knowledge in a broad range of architectural engineering, civil engineering, and construction management while embracing the concepts of engineering sustainability as related to energy and materials usage and the effects on the environment. Graduates will have the base training necessary to lead efforts within companies to plan and implement sustainable practices for the design and operation of buildings, realize energy and materials efficiency improvements, and minimize environmental impact. Upon graduation, students will have a theoretical background to the concepts behind the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate examination.
Below is a typical course sequence for graduation in two semesters. The program is flexible to accommodate full-time students—who wish to proceed over a period of two to four semesters—and part-time students—who can complete the program requirements by taking one to two courses per semester, finishing the program in approximately four years.
| Degree Requirements | Full-Time Study | Part-Time Study |
|---|---|---|
| Core courses | 12 | 12 |
| Restricted electives | 8 | 8 |
| Open electives | 12 | 12 |
Graduate Certificate Options
Students enrolled in a master's degree have the opportunity to also pursue one of the many engineering graduate certificate options in addition to or in combination with the MS degree. Students should consult their faculty advisor regarding these options.
Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership
Master's Degree in Sustainable Building Systems with Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Students may complete a Master of Science in Sustainable Building Systems in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Students must apply and be admitted to the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program in order to pursue this option. The program requires fulfillment of the 16-semester-hour curriculum required to earn the Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership, which includes an industry-based challenge project with multiple mentors. The integrated 36-semester-hour degree and certificate will require fulfillment of the 12-semester-hour core curriculum and 8 semester hours of restricted electives from the sustainable building systems coursework.
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department encourages students pursuing a GIEL certificate to complete their MS coursework requirements in their first year and their GIEL certificate requirements in their second year. Students who prefer to complete their GIEL certificate requirements in their first year are asked to speak with their MS degree advisor beforehand.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 5210 and ARCH 5211 | Environmental Systems and Recitation for ARCH 5210 | 4 |
| SBSY 5100 | Sustainable Design and Technologies in Construction | 4 |
| SBSY 5200 | Sustainable Engineering Systems for Buildings | 4 |
| Students must register for this 0 SH course every semester: | ||
| Sustainable Building Systems Seminar | ||
Electives
Restricted Electives List
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
| Integrated Building Systems | ||
| Construction Project Control and Organization | ||
| Alternative Project Delivery Systems in Construction | ||
| Life Cycle Assessment of Materials, Products, and Infrastructure | ||
| Construction Management | ||
or EMGT 5220 | Engineering Project Management | |
| Legal Aspects of Civil Engineering | ||
| Financial Management for Engineers | ||
| Building Performance Simulation | ||
| Information Systems for Integrated Project Delivery | ||
Other Electives List
Any restricted elective not used to meet the restricted elective requirement can be taken as another elective.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 12 semester hours from the following: | 12 | |
| Financial Reporting and Managerial Decision Making 1 | ||
| Financial Reporting and Managerial Decision Making 2 | ||
| Urban Informatics and Processing | ||
| Behavior of Concrete Structures | ||
| Behavior of Steel Structures | ||
| Special Topics in Civil Engineering (Dynamics and Control of Infrastructure Systems) | ||
| Value Creation through Financial Decision Making | ||
| Valuation and Value Creation | ||
| Real Estate Finance and Investment | ||
| Cities, Sustainability, and Climate Change | ||
| Environmental Issues in Manufacturing and Product Use | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required