UCL's first Singapore-based students graduate from environmental MSc

20 students became the first Singapore-based graduates of the programme, which was established locally by UCL and the BCA in 2010.

The programme is designed to develop best environmental practice among building professionals, and ensure they have the expertise to manage and maintain environmentally sustainable buildings in Singapore. This is in line with Singapore's ambition to transform itself into an increasingly green and sustainable global city by 2030. All students study part-time, and the first cohort includes professionals from leading institutions including commercial building developers, university and hospital estates and facilities departments, hotel operators and facility management companies, who will now be applying what they have learnt.

The programme has been taught by leading experts from UCL's Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, hosted at the BCA Academy campus, and uses 'blended learning' - a combination of traditional face to face teaching by visiting UCL lecturers, and distance learning using live video links, one-to-one online tutorials, video seminars, discussion forums and other materials on UCL's virtual learning environment, Moodle.

The MSC has proven to be extremely popular with some 60 students currently enrolled in Singapore alone.

Programme leader Professor Alexi Marmot, Head of the UCL Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, and Bartlett Vice-Dean for Teaching and Learning, said: "We have been running this MSc programme at UCL in London since 1992, and it was logical for us to consider expanding it into Singapore, given that the government of Singapore has estimated that it needs to train 6,000 'green' specialists in the operation and management of buildings over the next ten years. We look forward to many more students graduating out of Singapore in the future."

"The 'blended learning' component has been a particular highlight of this programme, enabling our students to enjoy a combination of distance and face-to-face learning which has, in my view, ensured they have enjoyed the best of both worlds. Our Singaporean students have also been of huge benefit to our London-based students, strengthening the valuable international dimension of the programme."

Dr Keung, Chief Executive Officer of BCA, commented, "The rising trend towards sustainability and energy efficiency will create job opportunities in Singapore and a demand for well-trained facility managers to manage the operations and maintenance of green buildings."

Mr Lincoln Teo, a new prize-winning graduate of the UCL-BCA programme and a Project Director with Times Properties Pte Ltd said, "The UCL Master of Science in Facility and Environment Management programme has equipped me with a broader and deeper understanding of the knowledge and operational skill set required for the proper management of buildings and the environment. In particular, I have acquired the right managerial tools to identify problems; analyse situations and formulate appropriate strategies to meet stakeholder requirements whilst supporting Singapore's sustainability agenda for the built environment."

Media contact: Dominique Fourniol

Links:

UCL Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
Singapore Building Construction Authority (BCA)