Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


Academic Information

Building science is a field of study concerned with the technical performance of buildings, building materials, and building systems that draws upon physics, chemistry, engineering, architecture, and the life sciences. Understanding the physical behavior of the building as a system and how this impacts energy efficiency, durability, comfort and indoor air quality is essential to innovating high-performance buildings. Modern building science employs models of the building as a system (systems theory), and applies empirical techniques to the effective solution of building design problems.
 

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


Careers

What Can I Do with a Certificate in Building Science?

It takes a large team of diverse professionals to design and build a work of architecture. Among the building design team, building scientists play many important roles working side-by-side with architects, engineers, construction teams and other specialists to deliver high-performance / low-impact buildings. Building Scientists specialize in the technical aspects of architecture, including energy performance, structural integrity and resilience, resource use optimization, and the comfort and health of those who occupy buildings. Building Scientists are qualified to work for organizations that deliver architectural, engineering, construction and building science services.
 

Career opportunities that might be pursued:
  • Acoustic consulting
  • Building commissioning and Building Performance Evaluation
  • Building facade engineering
  • Building forensics
  • Building retrofit
  • Building services engineering
  • Carbon management
  • Construction project management
  • Construction products design
  • Design programming and project management
  • Energy performance (analysis and modeling)
  • Environmental consulting
  • Lighting design (artificial and daylighting)
  • Material technologies
  • Mechanical engineering (HVAC systems)
  • Plumbing engineering (Supply, DWV, Hydronics)
  • Power generation and storage
  • Quantity surveying (material and cost estimating)
  • Renewable energy
  • Sustainable building design
  • Water engineering
  • Wind engineering

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


University Requirements

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 15
Major GPA 3.0
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

Purpose Statement

The Building Science Graduate Certificate program provides students with fundamental, contextual and technical, knowledge of the integrated process used to deliver high-performance buildings. Building science is a field of study concerned with the technical performance of buildings, building materials, and building systems that draws upon physics, chemistry, engineering, architecture, and the life sciences. This program introduces students to the current best-practices used to deliver high-performance/low-impact buildings.
 
This program is designed for NAU graduate students currently enrolled in engineering, environmental or related sciences, including a Graduate degree in Civil, Environmental or Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Science or in a related field.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


Details

Graduate Admission Information
Additional Admission Requirements
Certificate Requirements
Additional Information
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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences

Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering

Building Science, Graduate Certificate


Campus Availability

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