Oliver Connew
Student spotlight details
After several years working as a chartered building surveyor in Melbourne, Oliver decided to pursue the MSc in Sustainable Urban Development to deepen his expertise in sustainability, reshaping his career to focus on decarbonising the built environment.
‘I am an MRICS Chartered Building Surveyor, and I was working in Melbourne, Australia, for four years before enrolling on the MSc in Sustainable Urban Development. My work predominantly involved consulting on pre-acquisition technical due diligence on non-domestic real estate investments.
‘Building Surveying is inherently generalist, with many facets of the built environment to understand and consider for clients. I had always thought I might further specialise, and the part-time RICS-accredited degree in Sustainable Urban Development allowed me to do this in a way that aligned with, and could run in parallel with my pre-existing career.
‘Time management was the most challenging thing about the MSc for me. With two young children under 2 years old and a full-time job, undertaking the MSc was a real stretch at times to ensure I stayed organised and allocated enough time to deeply engage with the course content.
‘The diversity of the cohort who are accepted onto the MSc is staggering – quite literally from all corners of the world. I have benefited from a renewed global perspective, which is critical for international challenges such as sustainability in the built environment.
‘Using my building surveying background in conjunction with the MSc learnings, I now exclusively consult on decarbonising the built environment, including whole life carbon assessments and feasibility appraisals for non-domestic buildings in the UK.
‘To anyone who is considering applying to the MSc, I would say don’t hesitate! The MSc in Sustainable Urban Development will guide a critical interrogation of the world views you hold in more ways than you could ever imagine.’
