Building EngineeringInnealtóireacht Foirgníochta

Leaving Certificate Requirements

QQI/FET Requirements

In addition to the QQI minimum entry requirements, QQI quotas and QQI points apply. The max QQI points awarded is 390. Further details at www.tudublin.ie/qqi

Mature Applicants

Applications from mature students (23+) are welcome. Further details at www.tudublin.ie/mature

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. Applicants for this course should have a minimum IELTS (Academic Version) English Proficiency of 6 overall (or equivalent) with nothing less than 6 in each component.

View Other Videos 

• What is building Engineering
• Building Engineering course choice has paid off for David Keller
• TU Dublin Building Engineering - Lecturers & Students explain why this course is now in high demand
• TU Dublin Engineering & Built Environment courses get you into the real world!

Course Description

Building Engineers are responsible for designing the engineering systems in buildings. These systems consume almost half of all the energy we use today. Building Engineers together with architects design energy efficient and environmentally-friendly buildings.

All the mechanical and electrical systems inside a building which make it safe, make it work and make it a great place to be, come under the title of ‘Building Engineering’.

How do we design buildings that consume much less or even no energy at all? This is the challenge that you’ll face as a modern Building Engineer.

There is a strong emphasis throughout the course on low energy design and the application of what you learn through practical and project work. When you’ve completed the course you will have a detailed knowledge of the design of energy efficient engineering systems in modern buildings.

In the first year you’ll complete a “design, make and test” project. An example of this could be to design, make and test a solar collector. You will learn about how energy is used in buildings, how to design heating and ventilation systems and undertake mini project work. You will also study physics and maths.

In the second year you’ll learn more about the design of mechanical and electrical engineering systems and buildings using computer aided design. You will learn about assessing the energy performance and energy rating of buildings. Projects are an important part of the second year allowing you to apply what you have learnt during the lectures to an actual building. You will complete two design projects in the second year working in a group with other students.

The third year of the course includes the major design project and dissertation. The main design project builds on the project in the second year. You will design all the engineering systems for a large commercial building including design drawings and calculations. The dissertation is a detailed study into one area of your project that you find interesting. This might be about solar energy or a new method of air conditioning.

Study Abroad Opportunities

On progression from this course to the level 8 (TU825) honours degree course,  you have the option of spending 6 months with the Hochschule Munchen (University of Applied Sciences in Munich) which has nine specialist laboratories covering all aspects of Building Engineering.

Professional Accreditation

This course is accredited by Engineers Ireland and you can work anywhere in the world.

Further Study

Students who reach the appropriate level in the final year have the opportunity to join Year 3 of the Building Engineering Sustainable Energy Systems Honours Degree in TU Dublin.

Work Placement

We work with 20 industry partners to secure informal work placement over the summer for our students, both in Ireland and abroad.

Building engineers are one of the most sought after types of engineer and were the highest paid engineer category in the construction sector in 2019.

There’s a huge range of career opportunities, in four key areas:

(i) the exciting field of low-energy systems and using renewable energy from solar, geothermal and ambient sources

(ii) design of modern industrial facilities for clean-room manufacturing in pharmaceuticals, microprocessors and medical devices

(iii) energy and facilities management

(iv) project management and statutory validation.

This course has 100% employment rates (even in recessionary times). It is closely aligned with over 20 industry partners who recruit directly from the course, including Varmings, OCSO, Jones Engineering Group, AXIS Engineering, Dornan Group, Daikin, Homan and O’Brien, Wilo, Ethos Engineering, OPW, Cundall and Partners, JV Tierney’s, SIRUS, Kirby Group, McElroy and Associates, Designer Group, Heat Merchants, Quinn Downes, Tritech, Temec, Murphy Belton.

Tech companies such as Google and Facebook have their own in-house Building Engineering teams.

Graduate Job Titles:

• Building Engineer
• Building Services Engineer
• Mechanical and Electrical Engineer
• Sustainability Engineer
• Environmental Engineer
• Architectural Engineer (US)
• Lighting Designer
• Acoustic Specialist
• Fire Services Engineer
• Technical Sales Engineer
• Project Manager
• HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning) Engineer

Please note, there is no advanced entry to this course.

Building Engineering at TU Dublin gives students a set of skills which makes them sought after around the world and gives them the ability to work in a huge number of fields and roles which are challenging, interesting, enjoyable and well paid.

Highly regarded within the industry, as a graduate that was initially hired without the need for an interview due to my completion of the course, I feel it couldn’t stand to me anymore that it has.

A number of students from my year are on six-figure salaries, working all over the world, in pharmaceutical, oil and gas, data-centre technology and other leading industries.

Students who reach the appropriate level in the final year have the opportunity to join Year 3 of the Building Engineering Sustainable Energy Systems Honours Degree (TU825) in TU Dublin.

On graduation, you may continue to postgraduate studies at TU Dublin or elsewhere.