Building Regulatory Compliance - Waterford

The professional will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and competence to holistically evaluate regulatory compliance techniques in terms of traditional command and control regulation. They will gain the discretion to use other strategies for regulating a problem and the skill to select a regulatory strategy to provide a regulatory outcome in different contexts.

The programme has been developed in cooperation with the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, which supports Building Control Authorities on the implementation of the regulations and promoting a culture of compliance with the regulations.

Accordingly, the programme does not only focus on the regulations and consequences of not adhering to them, but on how the regulations and standards affect a positive, healthy, and safe environment where peoples’ best interests are at heart.

Regulatory professionalism encompasses, integrity, consistency and transparency which requires substantial training focusing not only on technical but also on mainstream regulatory compliance, inspection, and enforcement skills to help ensure consistency and fairness.

Mairead Phelan, Head of the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office (NBC&MSO), says that: “Building Regulatory Compliance is not just about is not just about Laws, it is about regulators and practitioners who operate in the space between these laws as enacted and protecting citizens and society from a range of risks, threats, or harms. This MSc is a must for regulators and practitioners in that it provides practical instruction on regulatory models, practices, policy formulation, the risk-based regulator using national, European, and international and case-studies”.

Aim
The primary aim of the programme is to produce high calibre individuals, distinct in their knowledge, skills and know how associated with Building Control and Regulatory Compliance.

Objectives
The objectives of the programmes are to:

- Develop a culture of integrity and compliance with Building Regulations.
- Provide a specialised knowledge of Building Control & Building Regulations and the Building Control Management System
- Provide detailed knowledge and skill to use dynamic thermal simulation software in the analysis of energy consumption of buildings by modification of the building envelope to ensure compliance with regulations.
- Provide specialised knowledge of the investigation and diagnosis of defects in buildings and their remedies particularly defects in relation to Building Control and Regulatory Compliance.
- Develop skills to make incisive decisions through an explicit and systematic understanding of the ethical, political, social, cultural, economic, technological, environmental, legal, and organisational factors in relation to Construction, Building Control and Regulatory Compliance.

Semester 1

Building Regulatory Enforcement
Building Control Legislation, Regulation Policy, and Practice
Economics & the Construction Sector
Construction Project Management
Energy Modelling for nZEB Design
Professional Development and Effectiveness

Semester 2

Building Regulatory Compliance
Building Control Management System
ICT for Construction
Energy Modelling for HVAC Systems & Controls
Lean Enterprise Thinking & Practice
Building Energy Performance & Analysis

Applicants for the should hold a NFQ Level 8 Honours degree with a minimum of Honours 2.2 in a cognate discipline.

Cognate discipline areas of study include: civil engineering, construction studies, construction management, architecture, architectural technology, building services, building surveying, quantity surveying, energy engineering, energy management, building physics, physical and chemical sciences, health and safety, fire management, fire systems, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, electronic engineering, systems engineering.
or
have a non-cognate NQF Level 8 degree with a minimum of Honours 2.2 together with a minimum of 5 years relevant industrial experience in a cognate area.

Entry to the programme may also be allowed via the Institute’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process on an individual case-by-case basis. This RPL process includes the matching of the candidate’s prior learning (education and experiential) with the equivalent Level 8 programme outcomes.

Eligible applicants must at least meet the minimum English language requirements for the Institute as detailed in the Quality Manual.

APPLICATIONS CLOSING 30 Aug 24

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Full-time
This 60ECT credit programmes delivery is designed on a block release model, to facilitate work-based learners, where students visit the university as follows:

Full Time: 8 times x 2 days (Thursdays and Fridays) each semester for one year

The programme uses a combination of traditional classroom-based learning, peer learning to allow for the sharing of knowledge, ideas and experience between the participants and is supported by technology facilitated learning to deliver a blended approach to students of all industry backgrounds.

Part-time
This 60ECT credit programmes delivery is designed on a block release model, to facilitate work-based learners, where students visit the university as follows:

Part-Time: 4 times x 2 days (Thursdays and Fridays), each semester for two years

The programme uses a combination of traditional classroom-based learning, peer learning to allow for the sharing of knowledge, ideas and experience between the participants and is supported by technology facilitated learning to deliver a blended approach to students of all industry backgrounds.

NEXT INTAKE September 2024

Graduates of this programme will have the opportunity to advance their careers in the area of building control and product regulation. This is particularly relevant to architects, architectural technologists, engineers, planners, building control officers, surveyors where the implications of building control have the biggest impact.

The programme offers and opportunity for students without a formal building control qualifications and experience to gain employment in several areas of the construction industry where promoting a culture of compliance with the building and construction products regulations is important. These include:

Designers
Quality Assurance and Control Managers
BCAR Managers
Assigned Certifiers
Building Control Officers
Health and Safety Specialists
Sustainability Officers.