Construction Project Management - MSc
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.
The Construction Project Management MSc prepares you for complex construction projects in a constantly changing globalised industry. Such an industry calls for skilled professionals who can deal with the challenges ahead.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time
- Location City Centre
- Award MSc
- Start date September 2024, January 2025
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Engineering and the Built Environment
- Faculty Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
The Construction Project Management MSc prepares you for complex construction projects in a constantly changing globalised industry. Such an industry calls for skilled professionals who can deal with the challenges ahead.
What's covered in this course?
Accredited by RICS and CIOB, this course gives you a broad yet rigorous grounding in the fundamentals of organising and managing construction projects, and provides you with the knowledge and skills needed as a project manager. Our Construction Project Management postgraduates are highly sought-after and have secured positions with companies such as Turner & Townsend, Miller Construction and Acivico.
The MSc Construction Project Management course will enable graduates with degrees in surveying, construction, architecture, civil engineering and real estate to enter the construction management profession. Practitioners with extensive construction work experience but without a first degree will also be considered, subject to entrance exam and interview.
The course gives you a broad knowledge of the challenges of a changing construction industry. You’ll cover law and contract, sustainability, business management, project management and innovation. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is embedded in the course for integrated project delivery.
Professional staff with industry experience will offer support and guidance. We are constantly reviewing and researching the most up-to-date construction developments to be able to pass on the latest industry knowledge. This is supported by guest speakers such as Andrew Hornby, one of our graduates, who now works for Arcadis. We also have excellent links with companies in the region, including Willmott Dixon, Galliford Try and Birmingham City Council.
The Masters in construction project management course is taught in the prestigious £114m Millennium Point building – part of our City Centre Campus – with technology and facilities that reflect advanced professional practice. Our City Centre Campus location is an inspirational place to learn. Birmingham’s Big City Plan, regenerating and developing the city, means there are plenty of opportunities within the built environment. And you’ll have the added advantage of being based near construction sites, including our new Conservatoire development and the new high speed rail track, HS2, giving you invaluable insight into the construction industry.
Tailor your degree
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course. This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Accredited By
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
The MSc Construction Project Management degree focussed primarily on establishing ‘creative minds’ in the field of property and construction. The course enabled me to focus on building my own company within my parent company to overcome all challenges related to property and construction management.
Ajay Nahar – Alumnus
Why Choose Us?
- Accredited Course - This course is fully accredited by both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
- Preparation for industry - Successful completion of the course enables you to pursue professional membership of both CIOB and RICS after the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
- Highly employable graduates - Our graduates have secured positions with companies such as Miller Construction, Parkwood Consultancy, HS2 and Turner & Townsend Project Management.
- Professional placement option – Gain desirable employability skills with the option of a professional placement.
- Strong industry links - Our links with companies such as Wilmott Dixon and Galliford Try help you make vital contacts and gain practical experience to back up theory.
- Multi-Professional learning - Develop understanding of all aspects of this industry in workshops with students from other built environment post-graduate courses.
OPEN DAY
Join us on campus where you'll be able to find out more about your course, learn about postgraduate finance and get an insight into studying at BCU. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 29 June 2024
Entry Requirements
Essential Requirements
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A good UK honours degree at 2:2 or above/equivalent in surveying, construction, civil engineering, real estate or any other construction subject. |
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In exceptional circumstances, students who have relevant professional experience maybe invited to an interview and take a test, at which you will be required to demonstrate the necessary knowledge and understanding for entry onto the course. |
Additional information for EU/International students
| Essential |
|---|
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An equivalent overseas qualification in surveying, construction, civil engineering, real estate or any other construction subject. |
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Non-EU students need to demonstrate a good command of English. IELTS 6.0 or equivalent is needed before you can enrol in this programme. |
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £8,925 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £9,820 in 2024/25
- Part Time
- 24 months
- Show fees
- £992 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 80 credits
- Year 2 - 100 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
Award: MSc
Starting: Jan 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £8,925 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £9,820 in 2024/25
- Part Time
- 24 Months
- Show fees
- £992 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 80 credits
- Year 2 - 100 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £17,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £19,485 in 2024/25
Award: MSc
Starting: Jan 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £17,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £19,485 in 2024/25
Professional Placement option*
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study.
You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School. Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Master's
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
This module seeks to help the students understand and evaluate construction contracts, their application and execution, as well as the legal aspect of construction. The module is designed to make the students develop a systematic understanding of the knowledge and critical awareness of the issues and opportunities for the management of construction projects. It also seeks to make the student aware of and appreciate the conflicting interests within construction projects and the need to manage such interests effectively. To be able to manage such interests, the module prepares the students to be aware of the legal and organisational factors at play in the construction industry and the methods available for managing/resolving disputes that may occur during the execution of projects.
The programme philosophy seeks to respond to a changing employment market and to the changing requirements of the construction industry. Its aim is to give you a broad yet rigorous grounding in the fundamentals of organising and managing construction projects. This module is consistent with this philosophy as it discusses the reality of construction activities which have a long-lasting effect on the environment therefore sustainable and environmentally sound construction methods and innovative management practices are needed.
This module explores various methods of project management within the context of construction. It explores the practical aspects of the development and construction process and in particular, those areas over which a Project Manager would expect to have some control. Themes such as specifications, programming, costing, stakeholder, risk and project control are addressed towards providing practical solutions. This module focuses on the practical skills needed for a project manager to effectively manage a construction project.
This module seeks to provide students the opportunity to critically examine and analyse topical business management issues in a construction organisational context. Through business management techniques and contemporary case studies, students will explore strategic and operational business issues in the construction environment such as economics, accounting and finance, market development, corporate social responsibility, resource and knowledge management, etc. This module develops students’ contextual awareness and competencies in business management so that they can better manage their projects and are ready to progress in their career.
This module takes a production process view of design, construction and operation enabling students to appreciate developments in effectiveness and efficiency and how these can be managed. This will consider concepts such as transformation, flow and value creation to understand the notion of integrated project delivery.
This course is seeking to create effective, efficient and creative managers of construction projects from design right through to occupation. Innovation is a key aspect of this both in managers’ ability to conceive of new approaches but also to implement series of improvements and to cope with disruption. The module takes a ‘learning approach’ to innovating considering this at both the system level and the individual level.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed Level 7 project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying and informed by the research strategy of your school, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
Professional Placement (optional)
In order to qualify for the award of MSc Construction Project Management with Professional Placement, a student must successfully complete all of the Level 7 modules listed above as well as the following Level 6 module:
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Download course specification
Download nowThe overall teaching, learning and assessment strategy of this course is that you are at the centre of learning and teaching, which has a particular focus on the reflective learner and the development of professional skills and applied research. To achieve this and to ensure that you are exposed to a wide range of learning and teaching methods, we use lectures, seminars, workshops, action learning sets, group work, problem based activities, guest speakers, on-line learning via Moodle, site visits and discussion forums.
Our teaching is very interactive, and you are encouraged to share your experience and opinions with your peers. Critical thinking is vital in Master’s study, and you are required to develop your own ideas and come up with solutions to problems based on solid evidence and logical analysis. You’ll also be expected to complete reading and assignments outside of class hours.
Although this programme is module based, each module forms part of one of the programme themes. This ensures that module design and associated teaching and assessments link together in progressive subject development. Our part-time students attend lectures on day-release basis, and share the modules with our full-time students.
Various assessment will be used in this course:
| Module | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Construction Law and Contract | Essay |
| Sustainable Construction | Portfolio |
| Project Management Methods | Portfolio |
| Innovation in Construction | Essay + Individual presentation |
| Business Management | Essay + Group presentation |
| Integrated Project Delivery | Essay |
| Dissertation | Research proposal + Dissertation |
Professional Placement option*
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study.
You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School. Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
This course is accredited by:
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
The course is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Successful completion of the course will lead to Professional Membership after the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
The Chartered Institute of Building is at the heart of a management career in construction. Its focus is on those entering and already in a management career in construction, by delivering qualifications and certifications that meet the needs of a changing industry. It works with members, employers, academia and governments across the globe to drive forward the science, practice and importance of management in construction.
Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
This course is accredited by Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
Employability
Enhancing your employability skills
This course is fully accredited by both The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). All their required competences / learning outcomes are covered in this course.
We have a very close working relationship with our accreditation professional bodies RICS and CIOB. We have annual partnership meetings with them to steer the development of our course. You can participate in regional events such as seminars and site visits as a student member to not only get updated industry knowledge but also network with the practitioners.
We also work very closely with our industrial partners such as Willmott Dixon, Galliford Try and Birmingham City Council. They are not only actively involved in our course development, teaching and assessment but also contribute in various ways as guest speakers, as well as offering site visits, summer placements, research projects and employment.
Student Opportunities
Students from this course have worked with lecturers on two SAP (Student Academic Partnership) projects. They have used audio and video recordings to capture alumni’s learning experience and have engaged overseas alumni in the internationalisation of the curriculum through the collection of project case studies.
There is also an e-mentoring system in place: we can assign a previous student who has successfully completed this course with a similar background to mentor another student electronically (by email, telephone and social media).
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Each year, over half of our students are international students. They come from countries such as India, China, Nigeria, Thailand, Russia, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Pakistan, Myanmar, Spain, Sweden, Jordan, Lebanon and Sudan. Our students are from different disciplines within the construction industry such as civil engineering, architecture, quantity surveying, building surveying and construction management, and many of them have rich construction working experience. The diversity of our students means that you can work with people from different cultural backgrounds, share your experience and understand construction project management from different perspectives. You are encouraged to investigate your own home country’s construction practices for your assessment and dissertation research so you can be better prepared for employment and career development after your study.
Student stories
Indian graduate Sahib Nazir believes the course helped him gain his career success. He took an entrance examination for the government of Jammu and Kashmir (roads and buildings works). Almost 8,000 students applied and Sahib was one of 300 engineers accepted.
He said course leader Dr Hong Xiao had a major role to play in the encouragement and support of each and every student.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
The facility our students value most is not actually on campus, but is the location of the campus in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside opposite the new High Speed 2 station construction, and minutes from dozens of fascinating live projects within the city centre.
Birmingham as it changes constantly on our doorstep really is our ‘living lab’. By simply looking out the window of our classrooms you’ll be able to witness live projects as they’re happening around us. You’ll constantly be inspired by dozens of fascinating case studies just from walking from the station to the campus.
The facilities on offer to our students reflect the work environment you will enter as you start your career. Learn more about what we have to offer below.
Our staff
Dr Hong Xiao
Senior Lecturer
Hong obtained his BEng in Industrial and Civil Buildings in 1985, and MSc in Construction Management in 1988 from Hunan University, China. He lectured there until 1998. He came to Britain in 1998 as an academic visitor sponsored by the Chinese Government, and then began his PhD study at the University of Wolverhampton. His PhD research...
More about HongDr Saeed Talebi
College of Built Environment Academic Lead for Teaching Excellence and the Student Experience
Dr Saeed Talebi is a Senior Lecturer at the College of Built Environment, Course Leader for Quantity Surveying and College of Built Environment Academic Lead for Teaching Excellence and the Student Experience at Birmingham City University. He also holds the distinguished title of Visiting Fellow at the School of Engineering, Design and Built...
More about SaeedDr Emmanuel Aboagye-Nimo
Senior Lecturer in Construction Management
Emmanuel Aboagye-Nimo is a Chartered Construction Manager (MCIOB) and a Senior Lecturer in Construction Management. He teaches on a range of Built Environment modules and supervises researchers of various levels from undergraduate to doctoral projects.
More about EmmanuelDr. Ekanayake Mudiyanselage
Lecturer in Quantity Surveying
Anushika is a Lecturer in Quantity Surveying at the Department for Built Environment. She holds a PhD in the field of construction management and engineering from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and BSc in Quantity Surveying from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Her research interests include Supply Chain Resilience, Construction...
More about Ekanayake