Study Guide

Descriptions

CURRICULUM
Engineer (Bachelor of Science), Building Services Engineering

The special features of Karelia's building services engineering education are versatility, work-life orientation and pioneering. Upon graduation, you will have a broad knowledge of building services engineering, covering HVAC, electrical and automation skills. With this HVAC knowledge, you will under-stand building services engineering and be able to work in cooperation with experts from different fields. At the final phase of your studies, you can supplement your knowledge with advanced option-al studies in HVAC, electrical building services engineering and automation.

After graduating as a building services engineer, you will have a broad range of skills for jobs requiring building services engineering expertise in the public, private and third sectors, or as an entrepreneur. Your role may involve design, contracting management and expertise, equipment manufacturing or sales, supervision and regulatory tasks, or maintenance and servicing.

LVISA (L = Heating, V = Water, I = Ventilation, S = Electricity, A = Automation)

The qualification to be obtained

Degree title: Engineer, Bachelor of Engineering (UAS)
Extent: 240 credits / 4 years

Description of competences

As a graduate building services engineer, you will have a comprehensive knowledge of information modelling and digitalisation in construction. In addition to traditional HVAC skills, you will be a professional in the electrical and automation aspects of a building. You will also have the ability to work on projects and quality management tasks. After graduating from Karelia's Building Services Engineering training, you will have a good basic knowledge of the environmental responsibilities in your field and life cycle skills.

You have the opportunity to complete training requirements for several different qualifications as part of your building services engineering studies. Training in building services engineering will enable you to have an exam as
• the water and sewerage engineer for demanding sites,
• the ventilation and water designer for demanding sites,
• the foreman responsible for the most demanding sites,
• the foreman responsible for the renovation of demanding sites, and
• electrical qualification S2 training requirements as well as an electrical safety exam.

In addition to studies, work experience is required to achieve the qualifications.

Building competences and the content of training

Your qualification consists of a combination of work-based core and complementary skills studies. The Bachelor of Engineering (UAS) degree comprises 212 credits of core studies and 28 credits of complementary studies. Your core competency studies include 30 credits of practical training and a 15-credit thesis. You can also include in your complementary studies a maximum of 15 credits of sports academy coaching for competitive and elite athletes or student community and tutor activities, taking into account your professional objectives and the qualifications required in the field.

In the first year, you will learn about design tools, different building services systems and the basics to continue to advanced studies. In the second year, you will build up your knowledge of systems for conventional buildings and will be able to design HVAC systems for small houses. In the third year, you will move on to the design of more demanding projects and have the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in the areas of your choice through complementary studies. During the third year, you will also develop your skills in management and life cycle analysis. In the fourth year, you will demonstrate your skills in applied project studies and write a thesis. You can do a supervised intern-ship between semesters or during your studies.

Part of your studies will be carried out in collaboration with students from Civil Engineering and Energy Engineering in joint courses or projects.

Work-based learning

As a student of building services engineering at Karelia, you will have access to courses taught by experts who are actively involved in the working world. This will give you contacts to potential intern-ships and thesis placements, and possibly also to a post-graduation employer already during your studies. The teaching of building services engineering makes use of the expertise of alumni, as well as that of companies in the field, for example through guest lectures. As a building services engineering student, you can take part in excursions to see the activities and products of partner companies and network with potential employers. Traineeships and apprenticeships are available in the local area and are available throughout your studies.

In Karelia's RDI projects in building services engineering, you have the opportunity to carry out projects, internships and theses related to your studies. The multi-year and content-rich projects allow you to get to know the companies involved in the project, network with project participants even be-fore graduation and develop your own skills as part of the project team. The projects develop and implement packages that are in line with Karelia's strategy and the needs of the companies involved in the projects. The projects also contribute to the development of Karelia's education by providing new knowledge and material for the courses.

Pedagogical choices

Building services engineering education is based on classroom teaching, supported by work-life and project cooperation. The studies use collaborative, problem-solving, explorative and developmental learning. These approaches aim to support the development of your independent knowledge acquisition and application skills, as well as your working life skills during your studies. Your studies will also equip you for continuous learning and the development of your own skills.

Teachers will guide your development in building services engineering practices and tasks. In your studies, you will benefit from Karelia UAS learning environments and methods, as well as cooperation networks and partnerships. Your professional development will be enhanced by combining theoretical studies with practical design exercises and laboratory work, which are specific to the study of building services engineering.

Flexible implementation of studies

The range of building services engineering courses on offer allows you to study flexibly. There are study paths for different qualifications. You can gain flexibility in your studies by taking complementary courses, which can include studies in other fields. Your prior learning and work-based learning can be used as part of your studies. Flexibility and fluency in your studies will be supported through a personalised learning plan (HOPS). The building services engineering course provides a broad range of skills in the areas of HVAC, but you can specialise in HVAC or electricity towards the end of your studies.

Internationalisation

You will have the opportunity to internationalise through your studies, project work, international student exchanges and internships. You can also strengthen your international skills by acting as a tutor for international students. You can complete part of your studies at international partner universities or do one of your internships abroad.

Skills assessment

The aim of the skills assessment is to demonstrate to yourself and your future employers the skills you have achieved. The competence requirements are derived from the competence needs of the world of work. In engineering education, competences are assessed through work-based exercises, laboratory exercises, written and oral exams, reports and learning tasks. Assessment will be based on your self-assessment and peer assessment and feedback from your fellow students. Assessment feed-back helps you to monitor your progress and set new learning objectives. Karelia has common assessment criteria, which are used to define the assessment process and criteria for each course.

Career opportunities and guidance

Building services engineering graduates can work as building services engineers, in contracting as supervisors or experts, in equipment manufacturing and sales, in supervisory and regulatory positions or as property managers. Your studies will include professional growth and career guidance studies to support you in orienting your skills. Regular and in-depth internships and a thesis, usually in the form of a commission, will support your professional preparation and career planning.
Changes in the world of work and your own career development require continuous learning after graduation. Much of your learning will take place on the job, but it can be enhanced through training. You can complement your own skills with open university of applied sciences studies, studies aiming at Master’s degree at UAS or studies of Master of Science in Technology. A Master's degree will open up opportunities for you to take on managerial, specialist and development positions, for example. You will be supported by a tutor teacher and a study counsellor in your career planning throughout your studies.