What does the day-to-day work of a HF construction planning technician (with a focus on civil engineering) look like?

HF construction planning technicians with a focus on civil engineering work in engineering offices, construction companies, planning offices, architectural offices, public administrations, consulting firms or independently. Depending on the size of the company and their work experience, they perform a management function, for example they can take over the management of projects or even head entire departments.

HF construction planning technicians with a focus on civil engineering play a central role in the planning and implementation of construction projects for buildings and facilities that have special technical and structural requirements, such as bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, etc. They create simple planning and design principles, but often obtain these from the architect or engineer and develop them further. They create simple planning and design principles, but often obtain these from the architect or engineer and develop them further. This includes developing simple designs using CAD software, for example, and dimensioning, scheduling and costing them. They also carry out structural analyses and select materials, taking into account construction standards and environmental aspects.
They are involved in all phases of the implementation of construction projects. They draw up schedules, coordinate the construction steps and the deployment of specialists, instruct employees, monitor and control the execution, are responsible for administration and keep an eye on the budget and costs. They are also responsible for ensuring that safety regulations are correctly implemented and adhered to.

HF construction planning technicians with a focus on civil engineering work very closely with engineers and architects as well as site managers and other specialists. They are also in regular contact with clients and other project participants.

Target group, personal characteristics and skills: Who is the construction planning course with a focus on civil engineering at a university of applied sciences suitable for?

The target group for this HF construction planning technician course with a focus on civil engineering includes professionals from the fields of architecture, interior design, civil engineering, spatial planning and landscape architecture who are interested in a sound, practice-oriented education and would like to increase their salary and career opportunities with the HF diploma.

You should have the following personal qualities and skills for the job:

• Spatial thinking
• Technical understanding
• Analytical skills
• Good time management and organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to work in a team
• Customer orientation
• Reliability and a sense of responsibility

Requirements for admission to the HF construction planning technician course with a focus on civil engineering at a university of applied sciences

The universities of applied sciences decide independently on the admission procedure. These are set out in their study regulations. They must adhere to the legal principles; you can find more information on this in the answers.
Admission requirements may therefore differ from school to school.

As a rule, you must meet the following requirements for admission to a civil engineering course (Techniker HF Bauplanung mit Fokus Ingenieurbau) at a HF:

• Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ) as a draftsman EFZ with the specializations: Architecture, civil engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, spatial planning

Or

• Other EFZ or another upper secondary level qualification or another equivalent qualification as well as relevant work experience in the field of construction planning of at least 1 year.

And

• 50% employment in the field of construction planning (for part-time studies)*

Note:

• Many schools offer various preliminary courses, e.g. in mathematics, so that you can refresh your knowledge in an optimal and targeted manner and are thus well prepared for the construction planning course.
• Some schools require a good command of English at level B1 (written and spoken).
• People with a technical vocational baccalaureate benefit from a shortened study period. As a rule, you can have one year credited. Please enquire about this directly with the school of your choice.
• Educational achievements that have already been completed may be credited. This may shorten the HF course slightly. The school of your choice will be happy to provide you with information on this.

* In full-time training, work experience and the transfer from specialist training to practice is regulated by internships integrated into the course.

Subject matter of the advanced training course for HF construction planning technicians with a focus on civil engineering

In the HF construction planning technician course with a focus on civil engineering, participants deal with the following topics:

• (Construction) physics
• Construction chemicals
• Mathematics
• Structural analysis
• Construction management
• Building materials science
• Geotechnics
• Surveying
• Steel and timber construction
• Water supply
• CAD
• IT
• Environment, safety, fire protection
• Monument preservation
• Sustainable building
• Building and environmental law
• Business administration
• English
• Project management
• Quality management
• Leadership / Employee management

This is not an exhaustive list, as the learning content and its name may differ from school to school.

The HFs are basically guided by the "Construction planning" framework curriculum* in terms of learning content, but they still have a certain amount of leeway in their design. For example, they can offer specializations within the scope of a maximum of 10% of the total learning hours, such as in civil engineering.
But be careful. The protected title "Certified Technician HF Construction Planning" remains unchanged!

* The framework curriculum is drawn up by a sponsoring body, which also periodically checks that it is up to date and of high quality. The sponsoring body of the framework curriculum is made up of the organization of the working world (OdA): the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects (SIA), the Association of Swiss Architects (BSA), the Association of Independent Swiss Architects (FSAI), theSwissEngineering STVthe Swiss Association of Consulting Engineers (usic) and the Association of Swiss Interior Designers / Architects (VSI.ASAI) and the representative of the training providers: the Conference of Colleges of Technology KHF-T.

Costs and financing of further training

You can expect the following costs for the two to four-year HF construction planning technician course with a focus on civil engineering at a university of applied sciences:

• Tuition fees*Between CHF 18'900 and CHF 24'600.
• Fees for additional certificatesSome schools offer further training in a specific area, for example in project management, where you can obtain a globally recognized certificate. You can find more information in the answers.
• Other extra costsSome schools charge additional fees, for example for enrolment, the student ID card, any preliminary courses, teaching materials, school documents, etc. Ask the school of your choice what additional costs you can expect.

* The amount of the tuition fees or semester fees for the civil engineering course at a higher technical college depends on the school and your canton of residence. The fees stated here apply to students resident in the canton of training. Students from outside the canton must expect to pay higher tuition fees.

Please note the following:
Courses at universities of applied sciences (HF) are financially supported (subsidized) by the cantons. Students from outside the canton pay higher tuition fees. The following requirements apply in order to receive cantonal subsidies:

• at least two years of residence in the canton
• The course is listed on the EDK (Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education) list of eligible courses (you will find the link to the list in the answer texts).

The cantonal subsidies are usually regulated by the school; these subsidies are usually already included in the tuition fees stated by the schools.

Duration of study, number of learning hours, forms of learning, teaching times, teaching format and learning effort

Duration of study:four semesters (full-time with integrated internships) or six semesters (part-time alongside at least 50% employment).

Number of learning hoursBetween 3600 learning hours (with relevant EFZ) and 5400 learning hours (without relevant EFZ).

Forms of learningThe learning hours of the HF construction planning technician training with a focus on civil engineering are divided into academic and practical training components. This means the following:

• Contact studies: e.g. traditional classroom teaching
• Guided self-study: e.g. exercises, reading assignments, research tasks
• Individual self-study: e.g. preparation and follow-up work, independent learning
• Practical experience: Practical experience in relevant fields of activity with a workload of 50% (for the part-time course)
• Internships: e.g. internship in a real field of work (for full-time studies)
• Qualification procedures: e.g. intermediate examinations, graded term papers

Lesson times:When the lessons for the engineering construction course are offered or held varies from school to school. They create their own timetables, and it also matters whether the course is part-time or full-time. In part-time studies, lessons often take place on a full working day or two evenings a week, sometimes even on Saturdays. On full-time courses, lessons usually take place every day.

Teaching format:Schools now offer a wide range of different teaching formats. In addition to traditional face-to-face lessons, you can usually also choose between hybrid and online lessons.

Have you lost track of all these different teaching formats?Following pageclearly shows you the advantages and disadvantages as well as the opportunities/special features of the respective format.

Learning effort: You should allow sufficient time to prepare for and follow up the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style, learning speed and chosen training model. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week for the part-time model.

Degree, diploma and title

During the HF Construction Planning Technician course with a focus on civil engineering, you must pass various learning objective assessments. These assessments may consist of semester or intermediate examinations and/or graded semester or project work. The design of the learning objective assessments is determined independently by the schools. It is therefore possible that these may differ from school to school.
The grades you achieve in the learning objectives assessments are included in your final grades.

If you meet all the qualification requirements, you will be admitted to the final qualification procedure. This is made up as follows:

• Practice-oriented diploma thesisIt should have a practical or economic benefit and is written on one of the competencies specific to the professional field.
• Oral and/or written examinations:The diploma thesis is presented by the candidates to a panel of experts, after which it is defended by the candidates in an expert discussion.

The schools decide what the (final) qualification procedure looks like in detail. It is set out in the study regulations.

Diploma and title

If the candidates have passed the final qualification procedure, they will be awarded the HF diploma. They are then entitled to use the federally recognized and protected professional title "Certified Technician HF Construction Planning".

In French: "Technicienne diplômée ES en planification des travaux / Technicien diplômé ES en planification des travaux"

In Italian: "Tecnica dipl. SSS progettazione edile / Tecnico dipl. SSS progettazione edile"

The recommended translation in English is: "Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Construction planning". This is not a protected title.