Building HNC
Study level: HNC/HND courses
If you're already employed in the building industry, our vocational HNC aims to give you the knowledge needed to move into a professional role in construction-based disciplines, local government departments and the manufacturing sector.
Year of entry
Location
CU Coventry (Coventry)
Study mode
Part-time
Work based Learning
Duration
1-2 years part-time
Course code
CUCH016
Start date
September 2023
January 2024
March 2024
May 2024
The information on this page is for 2022-23 entry and should be used as guidance for 2023-24 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.
Course overview
The building pathway is intended for candidates working for house-building contractors or intending to pursue careers in quantity surveying.
This course is available on a day release basis only, so you will need to be in full-time relevant employment while you are studying with us.
Why CU Coventry
We offer a style of education which is flexible and designed to fit around your life, allowing you to benefit from a modern, forward-thinking higher education institution, reinforced by the quality and reputation of Coventry University. We aim to provide career-focused courses, wherever possible, coupled with placement opportunities to help prepare you for the world of work. We are dedicated to making higher education accessible and enjoyable to everyone, so we keep our fees low and made it a policy to cover one module at a time, allowing you to become a specialist in each topic before moving onto the next.
To ensure an optimised and continual student experience, the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses. For courses due to start in September 2021, in light of COVID-19, we are currently preparing for courses to be delivered in a variety of forms, subject to Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority will be staff and student safety.
How can we help?
Chat with an advisor now or leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
What you'll study
This course aims to develop your practical skills, real-world knowledge and theoretical understanding of the issues and processes in the multidisciplinary construction industry. the course reflects contemporary practices and emphasises the essential practical knowledge and competencies needed for career progression within the industry.
How you'll learn
This course is available as a part-time day release course on Wednesdays 9am-6pm, usually studied over two years. The course is separated into four modules, with three modules taught in each academic year. We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
Our teaching methods are varied, offering a number of teaching styles to suit the needs of all our students, so in addition to lectures, we also utilise a blended learning approach, including online aspects, workshops and group work. We also operate an open-door policy, with additional availability via email and our online learning platform, Moodle.
Progression through the modules develops knowledge and skills, including communication (written and oral), study skills, research methods, project management, presentation and career development. We will also encourage you to consider your employability and/or entrepreneurial development.
Unlike traditional institutions, there are no end of year exams. Instead, learning is assessed through coursework and phase tests, which is more reflective of our learning model.
Assessment
The learning outcomes of modules, assignments and projects will be clearly stated. Your work will be marked according to how well you achieve these learning outcomes and your final feedback will refer to each outcome, as well as providing an overall percentage grade.
Assessment will take the form of individual and group coursework, which is vocationally relevant. The wide range of assessment techniques will ensure that students are given every opportunity to demonstrate their skills in these areas.
Course Breakdown:
- Lectures and tutorials
- Self-directed learning
- Textbooks
- Module webinars
- Scenario-based learning sets
- Professional libraries and resources
- Journals and case studies
- Access to industry experts and practitioners
- Asynchronous online seminars
- Discussion forums
- Peer-to-peer learning
Job ready
On completion, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Contemporary issues relating to a sustainable built environment, including social, environmental and economic aspects.
- Appropriate mathematical methods, including those needed for modelling engineering problems.
- Common construction materials.
- Management practice and construction procurement.
- Principles of civil engineering and construction technology, methods and procedures.
- Building science with respect to materials, structure, services and internal environment.
- The legal and regulatory framework within which buildings are constructed.
- Health and safety in built environment design and construction.
- Preparation of project reports.
- Design processes used in construction.
- Management of the design process and the production of project documentation, including the planning, budgeting and control of costs.
- Relevant principles of applied mechanics in the main areas of structural mechanics and soil mechanics.
- Surveying and setting out.
Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
| Student | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Not available | £7,950 |
-
How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
Located on our Mile Lane campus, you will have access to multiple on-site libraries, fully equipped seminar rooms and an impressive IT suite.
Plus, you can take advantage of reading rights in Coventry University’s Lanchester Library, make use of sport centre facilities and receive full membership to Coventry University Students’ Union (CUSU).
Careers and opportunities
Successful graduates will not only have the opportunity to gain the knowledge needed for a successful career in the construction industry, but also sought-after skills to be self-managing, self-developing individuals.
If you successfully pass the HNC course and meet all relevant entry criteria, you will be guaranteed a place on a relevant degree course at CU Coventry, or subject to specific entry requirements you could potentially progress to a degree at Coventry University.
How to apply
-
UK students
Full-time UK undergraduate students apply through UCAS. Otherwise, you will need to apply to CU directly. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
-
Disclaimers
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase for UK and EU Students is expected to be in line with inflation. For international students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
