Creating New Opportunities - Breanna’s story
Architecture student Breanna talks about how the Shaping Futures scholarship changed her life.
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Architecture,
Building and Construction
You could help build a safer and more sustainable world.
Why study architecture, building and construction
Ranked in the Top 100 in the world for Architecture and the Built Environment, here you'll be encouraged to think differently about how to shape infrastructures and our environments and be inspired to build a better world. See yourself here in 2020.
98% Employed
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of Construction Management graduates found employment within four months
No.1 in NSW
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for overall student satisfaction
Top 100 in the world
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for architecture & built environment
About architecture, building and construction
Our architecture and building construction degrees will empower you to think differently. To imagine new ways to live, work, and experience the world – and bring these ideas to life. You’ll build the foundational skills needed to design and construct quality environments and excel in a range of roles such as a designer, drafter, infrastructure planner, building surveyor, construction manager, town planner, and more.
Our graduates don’t just design and shape the physical spaces of our cities and buildings – they stimulate the places we live and work, engage the community, and improve our world. Through live projects and work placement, you’ll learn how to lead and coordinate physical infrastructure projects, develop design principles that emphasise social, economic, and environmental sustainability, and become a consultative problem solver.
- Download the Architecture study area brochure (PDF, 2.2MB)
- Download the Building and Construction study area brochure (PDF, 1.1MB)
- Our graduates get jobs, with 94.2% employment rate for Architecture and Built Environment students four months after graduating (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2018)
- Be recognised – gain professional accreditation with numerous major bodies and professional organisations including Australian Institute of Building (AIB), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS)
- Make a difference working on projects with social impact. Like helping Indigenous communities in Alice Springs or designing and constructing facilities to help improve underprivileged communities in Salvador, Brazil.
- Harness our valuable industry connections – our partnerships with leading companies in the industry informs our teaching and provides work experience opportunities.
- Learn from the best: such as Construction Management (Building) Lecturer, Dr Trevor Hilaire, who negotiated a $2.6 million-dollar agreement with world-leading construction industry software providers, Buildsoft.
- We are a recognised global leader – The University of Newcastle is ranked in the Top 100 in the world for Architecture and Built Environment (QS World Rankings by Subject 2019)
- We are No.1 in NSW for overall quality of education (students) (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2018)
Undergraduate architecture, building and construction degrees
We understand that sometimes you don't know exactly which degree or course you'd like to pursue, but you know which field or major excites you. Use these areas of interest to narrow down your study options based on your interests and career goals.
All degrees
Architecture
Architecture is the study of designing buildings and spaces. Architects don’t just design and shape the physical spaces of our cities and buildings; they use architecture to stimulate the places we live and work, engage the community and improve our world. Architecture is now, more than ever, part of the public consciousness and immersed in popular culture through frequent glimpses in movies, advertising campaigns, TV shows like Grand Designs, and the rise of celebrity architects. Studying a degree in architecture can take you to unexpected opportunities.
Career examples
- Architectural Technician
- Architect
- Drafter
- Designer
Degrees
Surveying
The surveying degree focuses on the measurement, management, analysis and display of spatial information describing the Earth and its physical features. The work of surveyors know no bounds and could see you play an important role not only within your local community, but also across countries and continents. Locally you could be involved in projects like preparation for building of a new tunnel or mapping of flood areas for disaster preparedness. Globally your work as a surveyor could see you involved in the prediction of earthquakes and mapping of the ocean floor.
Career examples
- Registered Land Surveyor
- Mining Surveyor
- Town Planning
- Geospatial Specialist
Degrees
Construction
Construction managers plan, lead and coordinate projects – they play no direct role in hands-on building. By studying a degree in Construction Management, you will learn how to schedule and coordinate all of the design and construction processes including selecting, hiring and supervising trade contractors. You will also learn the requirements for handling the legal and financial aspects of construction projects.
Career examples
- Project Manager
- Property Developer
- Estimator
- Certifier
Degrees
Civil engineering
Civil engineers are responsible for the physical infrastructure that enables modern societies to function. Buildings, highways and railways, tunnels, airports, power generation facilities and harbour facilities are all designed, built and managed by civil engineers.
With the study of civil engineering, you could engineer energy-efficient buildings, or help develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure in developing countries. Or perhaps you’ll design Australia’s first high-speed train network to connect communities and reduce carbon emissions.
Career examples
- Civil Engineering Designer
- Structural Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Water Engineer
Degrees
Combined degrees
Studying a combined degree in civil engineering or surveying and a related field gives you two qualifications at once. The advantage is that you graduate with two degrees in less time than doing them separately. You may also get an important boost in the employment market as employers are increasingly looking for staff with diverse skill-sets.
Degrees
What's
your
2020
vision?
Watch Gidail's story
Read More
Are you looking for a hands-on path to building the heart of a community? Look no further than the inspiring story of Bachelor of Construction Management (Building) (Honours) student Gidail Bakini. Gidail believes well-built infrastructure is key to community health and growth, and that durable, safe homes allow families to thrive. That’s why he’s pursuing his degree, and why he hopes to bring what he learns to the town where he grew up in Sudan.
Gidail and his family moved from Soba, Sudan, to Australia when he was young. Two years ago, he travelled back to Soba and was surprised by the quality of the roads, buildings, and homes there. He describes seeing clay dwellings and tents in the poorer villages, and roads constructed from mud and sand.
“I wanted to go back and change all that, create a safer environment for them all,” says Gidail. He’s particularly interested in building out the roadways to Soba. “I’d like to provide them with main roads that they could actually drive on. It will cause fewer crashes. The incidence of crashes is very high there.”
Gidail feels an important part of his education is being able to observe how construction works in other parts of the world. In 2018, he was chosen to travel to China as part of the Ma & Morley Scholarship program. He describes the experience as energizing and eye-opening, especially what he learned from Chinese methods of construction.
“The program allowed me to visualise how they construct the buildings and facilities there, which will allow me to incorporate it into my degree and future plans once I finish,” Gidail explains.
He plans to expand his knowledge even further by taking advantage of one of the University’s programs to work and study abroad.
“I’d like to go to USA to do an exchange or internship and see how the construction differs from Australia, then incorporate it into the Australian way of construction…see what differs, how you can make it better, what opportunities come with it.”
For now, Gidail is taking advantage of the University community he describes as “very welcoming and friendly,” and the advanced technology his program offers, including the use of virtual reality.
“With VR, we were able to design a home and see firsthand how the product will look and if there were any defects to change that could result in poor home performance.”
Gidail looks forward to graduating, returning to Soba to improve their infrastructure, and eventually making a difference in other regions of the world, as well.
“Once I finish my degree in Construction Management, I’d like to take all the skills I’ve learned and create a safer environment for all people—especially in developing countries.”
Student work
Our architecture degree culminates in spectacular public exhibitions.
Why study at Newcastle?
Gidail's story
Hear first-hand why Bachelor of Construction Management (Building) (Honours) student Gidail chose to apply for the inaugural Ma & Morley scholarship and his experience as part of the scholarship program.
Designing social justice
Lily is pursuing social justice and humanitarian architecture.
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