MSc Construction Project Management

Year 1

Programme lead: Dr Graeme Bowles

MSc students undertake eight taught courses plus a research dissertation. Students on the Postgraduate Diploma programme take the eight taught courses only.

Students study seven mandatory courses and choose one optional course from a choice of electives.

Semester 1

Core courses

• Project Management: Theory and Practice
• Strategic Commercial and Contract Management
• Value and Risk Management

Options

• Sustainability for Construction Professionals
• Environmental Geotechnics
• Urban Economy and Property Markets
• Advanced Construction Technology

Semester 2

• Construction Practice and Information Technology
• Construction Financial Management
• People and Organisation Management in the Built Environment
• Project Management: Strategic Issues

Semester 3

• Research Dissertation (CPMQS)
• Integrated Project

Course summaries

Project Management: Theory and Practice

To provide the student with an understanding of the concepts and practices of construction project management used to provide value added services to clients. The course develops understanding of the issues related to the management of construction clients and other project stakeholders and how their needs can be co-ordinated, managed and delivered from the project's design stage through production to occupation and maintenance within the context of client satisfaction and the overarching construction project constraints of time, cost, quality sustainability, health and safety management.

Strategic Commercial and Contract Management

• Provide knowledge of the principles of strategic commercial management together with a framework for critically understanding commercial practice within and between organisations.
• Identify generic aspects of this practice, providing a theoretical foundation to and common vocabulary for these activities (by reference to existing and emergent theories and concepts, for example, transactional cost economics and relational contracting), and to examine relevant commercial management best practice.
• Provide the intellectual skills to communicate the rationale behind the strategic commercial decisions made by organisations.
• Provide practical and transferable skills for designing, negotiating, awarding and managing B2B transactions.

Value and Risk Management

Aims to introduce the concepts of value & risk management, apply them to strategic and tactical problems and illustrate their tools and techniques through case studies.

Construction Practice and Information Technology

Aims to provide an insight into the development of information systems in the construction industry. The course will help students to evaluate the use of modern ICT means and their impact on business performance in construction; study relevant IT concepts and appraise its applicability to construction process re-engineering and develop adequate research skills in reviewing and preparing academic publications.

Construction Financial Management

Aims to enable students to appreciate and make an intelligent contribution towards the managerial and financial aspects of construction companies in general and construction projects in particular. This includes developing awareness and understanding of the need for financial planning and monitoring and the cost control process.

People and Organisational Management in the Built Environment

Aims to develop a high level of interdisciplinary understanding about complex organisational and personal management processes and how important they are in underpinning technical skills to deliver high quality services as a professional. Students will learn about and explore management theory and practice and will have a chance to reflect on their own personal development in a synoptic way. This will be valuable in terms of career development, as management competences and self-reflection are increasingly sought in practice.

Project Management: Strategic Issues

Aims to further develop the learners theoretical and practical knowledge in the implementation of Project Management Principles in the construction industry. The course is designed to raise student awareness as to why the construction industry under-performs when compared to other industries. This enables learners to appraise and critically analyse the performance of the project management discipline in order to explore what is needed to improve this performance, with emphasis on the UK construction industry.