Built environment

Making your career choice at any stage of your education can be a daunting challenge. Some of us make the choice before entering an institute of higher education, others leave it to chance and see where life may take them. No matter how you arrived at the School of Built Environment you are now faced with the inevitable question, where do I go from here? You may know in which direction you are heading or you could still be waiting to see what opportunities become available. No matter which category you place yourself in, if you are visiting this website then you need some questions answered.

In order to enter certain professions after graduating you may have to do further study or to be able to apply further skills gained through voluntary or paid work. Of course doing work experience is always beneficial no matter what career you chose to follow. Visit finding a job , vacation and volunteering work for more information.

Transferable key skills

No matter what degree you are doing or have done you have obtained transferable skills. The School of Built Environment graduates are able to successfully communicate clearly and concisely due to their group and individual projects, they have good personal and interpersonal skills and also accurately locate, extract, analyse and interpret data from multiple different sources making them an independent and self managed individual with great time management. All of these skills are useful throughout life but are also very desirable attributes for potential employers.

For more transferable skills obtained from a degree within the School of Built Environment visit either Honours degree benchmark statements or look at Prospects Options.

The School of Built Environment has three departments: the Department of Architecture, Department of Planning and Real Estate and Construction. Each offers degrees ranging from Architecture, Leisure and Tourism and Construction Management respectively.

Click the links below for your department:

architecture

planning

real estate and construction

Department of Architecture

Key job opportunities

Graduates from this department have followed careers such as:

Architects
Architectural technologists
Interior designers
Building surveyors
Project mangers
Web designers
Town planners
Building surveyor
Higher education lecturer Conservation officer
Landscape architect
Planning and development surveyor
Production designer for theatre/television/film

Although for many graduates some of the jobs listed here may not be their first option, they are realistic possibilities that can be considered with the degree they have undertaken. Many vacancies advertised for graduates do not ask for specific degree disciplines because employers can recruit graduates straight from their degree and will provide training and development as required. For more detailed information of the job opportunities available, see the Prospects job profiles.

To find out more about future or part-time employment visit our pages on ‘finding a job’. The Careers and Development Centre can also help you to ‘apply for a job’.

Remember to enter certain professions you may have to do further study or be able to apply particular skills gained through voluntary or paid work. Visit vacation and volunteering work

Postgraduate study

You may not be considering moving straight from you degree into employment. Architecture graduates can go on to study for qualifications that are recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architects Registration Board to qualify and practise as architects.

Some architecture graduates will choose postgraduate study in other technical subjects, such as engineering, design or computer science.

Students can opt for further study, either part time or full time.

For information on further study visit our ‘further study’ pages and 'postgraduate students'.

For further information and links to recognised qualifications, click here.

For specific details of postgraduate study within the department of planning at Oxford Brookes University, click here.

Architecture graduate case studies

To read how other Architecture graduates have progressed in their chosen careers, click here.

Useful links

Two useful sites, exploring career options. These sites have great links to other sources of information.

http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Reference/Library_898.html

http://www.careersinarchitecture.net/

This site searches for potential employment opportunities and also shows the opportunities that are available for Department of Architecture graduates.

http://www.ribaappointments.com/

Department of Planning

Key job opportunities

Recent graduates from the Department have followed careers in:

Local councils
Central government
Housing and social administration
Property development
Urban design
Town centre management
Environmental advocacy
Road and rail transport agencies
Planning consultancy
Construction
Private consultancy
Local government leisure and recreation

Other employment opportunities using the degree obtained could be as diverse as journaliasm, secondary school teaching and events organisation.

Many employment opportunities for graduates will not ask for specific degree disciplines because employers can recruit graduates straight from their degree and will provide the relevant training and development. For more information of the job opportunities available, click here.

To find out more about future or part-time employment visit our pages on finding a job. The Careers and Employment Centre can also help you to apply for a job

Remember, to enter certain professions you may have to do further study or be able to apply particular skills gained through voluntary or paid work. Visit vacation and volunteering work.

The Department of Planning also encourages students to partcipate in academic exchange as part of their degree programme. This could be a great opportunity for anyone seeking to work in particular professions. For more details see the Brookes International Exchanges pages.

Postgraduate study

You may not be thinking of moving straight from you degree into employment. Many students opt for further study, either part or full time. For information visit our further study pages.

Graduates from the Department of Planning have many different reasons for continuing their studies: a real enthusiasm for their chosen degree; a desire to pursue a chosen career path; being unsure about what career to choose. No matter the reason for your choice, it needs to be thought through seriously and you must consider whether or not you are taking on further study for the right reasons. The Prospects website has information to help with your decision.

For specific details of postgraduate study within the department of planning at Oxford Brookes University, click here.

Graduate case studies

To read how other graduates have progressed in their chosen careers, click here.

Department of Real Estate and Construction

Key job opportunities

Recent graduates from the Department have followed careers as:
Graduate Surveyor, Project Manager,
Army Officer Training, Landscape Builder,
Assistant Surveyor, Assistant Project Planner,
Business Development Consultant, Trainee Consultant,
Recruitment Consultant, Quantity Surveyor,
Property Renovator, Technical Director,
Estate Agent Lecturer,
Land Buyer, Assistant Site Manager

These sites will help your search for employment opportunities:

Recruit Construction

Hudson

http://www.careersinconstruction.com/

Useful site to explore for up to date construction industry information:

http://www.constructionskills.net/aboutus/