Study Guide

Description

Building services engineering is a key factor in the functionality, health, and safety of the built environment. It ensures that spaces maintain suitable conditions for their intended use, such as temperature, clean air, and artificial lighting. Building services engineering oversees the safe transfer and utilization of water and electrical energy required for operations. An increasing role in building services engineering involves collecting, transmitting, and utilizing various data related to space usage needs, as well as the growing automation.

In HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) engineering education, students learn to comprehensively manage the HVAC technical systems of buildings, creating conditions within spaces efficiently. Focus areas include heating, water supply and drainage, ventilation, and cooling systems. Additionally, HVAC engineering studies cover fundamentals of electrical building services, refrigeration technology, energy management, and HVAC design and contracting.

Occupations in the building services engineering field entail several responsibility tasks and competency requirements based on regulations. Systems must meet safety, functionality, and energy use requirements outlined in various laws and regulations by authorities. An increasing number of requirements stem from EU directives and international standards. Familiarity with, adherence to, and application of key regulatory requirements, as well as keeping up with industry changes, form the foundation of working in building services engineering.

Building services engineering is a crucial component of energy usage in buildings and the implementation of new energy solutions. Wise energy use and environmental impacts of properties are central themes in the field. It's essential in building services engineering to understand current and future needs of property users and find appropriate and functional solutions for them. In building services engineering, digitalization manifests notably in changing design practices through information modeling and the increase in automation and control technologies.

EMPLOYABILITY OF GRADUATES
Expertise in building services engineering is needed in both new construction and renovation projects. An increasing area of work involves tasks related to property operation and maintenance. Graduates from these studies work as building services engineers, in supervisory or specialist roles in contracting, equipment manufacturing and sales, monitoring and regulatory tasks, as well as property maintenance. Individuals in the field can specialize in a particular area or develop into a broadly skilled expert. A building services engineering professional can find employment in either small or large companies or choose to become an entrepreneur.

STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION AND ATTAINED EXPERTISE
In HVAC engineering education, students learn to manage a wide range of building HVAC systems comprehensively. Studies meet the educational requirements necessary for HVAC design qualifications. Joint studies with electrical building services engineering focus on creating HVAC holistic solutions that are energy-efficient, safe, healthy, and functional.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEACHING
The total extent of studies is 240 credits, distributed evenly over four academic years. Studies consist of the following study modules:

Basic Engineering Skills (8 credits)
Engineering Language and Communication Skills (11 credits)
Mathematical and Natural Sciences Skills for Engineers (25 credits)
Fundamentals of Building Services Systems (22 credits)
Fundamentals of HVAC Systems (22 credits)
Project Management in Construction (21 credits)
Energy and Lifecycle Management (15 credits)
Applications of HVAC Technology (23 credits)
Operation and Maintenance of Building Technical Systems (21 credits)
Elective Professional Studies (15 credits)
Free-choice Studies (15 credits)
Internship (30 credits)
Thesis (15 credits)
Throughout all study years, HVAC engineering and electrical building services engineering studies are closely linked, supporting collaboration and holistic solutions. Project studies aimed at developing employability skills involve collaboration with other fields of study, such as architectural and civil engineering programs. The degree includes 15 credits of elective professional studies, where students can supplement their expertise by taking courses from other programs. Additionally, 15 credits of free-choice studies allow students to select higher education level courses based on their interests and skill needs. These elective and free-choice courses can be completed at any stage during the studies. The curriculum is designed so that, except for the thesis work, all HVAC engineering studies are completed after 3.5 years. This allows students who progress faster to graduate ahead of schedule and offers flexibility in the final spring semester to choose elective and free-choice courses that best complement their study path.

Curriculum development and working life cooperation

The curriculum is based on the long-term development work of electrical building services engineering education and the new building services engineering program initiated in 2009, with its curriculum developed in extensive collaboration with industry players and other stakeholders. The aim of the education is to equip students with skills that address future challenges, focusing on holistic management, collaboration, and the environmental impacts of solutions.

The field of building services engineering is expected to offer new business opportunities as its significance grows in construction. Society, aiming for sustainable development and regulating the energy efficiency of buildings, assigns additional tasks to industry professionals. Due to the aging population, residential and working environments need to be constructed, renovated, and developed to provide safe and healthy conditions for all users.

Based on the experiences gained and an extensive skills needs assessment conducted in 2023, changes have been made to the revised curriculum to ensure that the education can continue to meet the rapidly evolving skills requirements of the industry. A significant change is the restructuring of studies at TAMK (Tampere University of Applied Sciences) level, allowing for a more diverse range of professional studies in other engineering fields as part of the degree.

Further information

he education in HVAC engineering is its own degree program. After graduation, students have the opportunity to apply for further studies either at a higher university of applied sciences after gaining sufficient work experience or directly into master's level studies at universities.