- Managing health, safety, welfare and environmental factors
- Controlling projects
- Managing project design
- Production management for advanced manufacturing
- Managing project handover and evaluating feedback
Construction Management
MSc/PgDip
Academic year of entry: 2013-14
Alternative start dates available
Distance Learning
International Students can apply
3 good reasons to study Construction Management at Salford:
- RICS and CIOB accredited
- Mapped to the Construction Management NVQ level 5 to allow attainment of the CSCS black card
- 100% employability for recent graduates
Course Summary
This course is intended primarily for those of you wishing to develop your career in the United Kingdom. The course is mapped to the underpinning knowledge of Construction Management NVQ level 5 and is designed to support the attainment of the black/professional CSCS card; the industry standard for all Construction Managers in the UK.
You will learn to better organise and plan complex construction projects, to diagnose corporate problems and to effectively manage teams, procurement, finance and risk.
Related Courses
- MSc Quantity Surveying
- MSc Quantity Surveying – Mechanical and Electrical
- MSc Project Management in Construction
- MSc Construction Law and Practice
- MSc BIM and Integrated Design
97% of School of the Built Environment graduates go on to employment and/or further study within six months of graduating.
DLHE 2010
Course Details
- The first course of its kind mapped to the underpinning knowledge in the Construction Management NVQ level 5 to support the attainment of the professional level CSCS card in Construction Management.
- Course development has been led by industry to ensure that material is relevant to current industry trends and emerging future skills areas in construction management
- Emphasis is given to the management requirements of the emerging area of advanced manufacturing in the construction process
- This course offers a structured route to obtaining the knowledge and understanding required to practice construction management.
Course Structure
This course can be studied full-time on campus or part-time by distance learning. Admission onto the course is in September with an additional intake in January for full-time students.
The Masters award consists of four taught modules followed by a Research Methods module and Dissertation. The PgDip requires the completion of the four taught modules. All modules are delivered over a 15 week period and are assessed through written coursework.
For the full-time study option:
You will study two 30 credit taught modules in each of your first two semesters, these are designed to give you the core knowledge required for construction management. In the final semester you will undertake a dissertation worth 60 credits.
For the distance learning study option:
A 30 credit taught module is studied in each semester for the first 16 months. Assessment of these modules is driven by real-world problems aligned to your workplace and job role. Teaching is based around a virtual learning environment supported by interactive online sessions and optional on campus workshops for those able to attend.
Dissertation (60 credits)
This module allows you to develop a research proposal with clear aims and objectives related to your study. You will undertake critical analysis of existing research and engage in various forms of recognised research in order to produce a sustained, sophisticated, and logical argument in the form of a written dissertation.
Full-time September Start
Semester 1
- Managing teams and individuals
- Enhancing working relationships and developing staff
- Managing disputes
- Integration management
- Project partnering
- Managing invited tenders
- Contracts and negotiation
Semester 2
- Managing health, safety, welfare and environmental factors
- Controlling projects
- Managing project design
- Production management for advanced manufacturing
- Managing project handover and evaluating feedback
- Managing project risks, opportunities, systems and teams
- Managing factors affecting project feasibility
- Managing bids and tenders
- Managing financial expenditure and recovery
Semester 3
Dissertation
Full-time January Start
Year 1, Semester 2
- Managing project risks, opportunities, systems and teams
- Managing factors affecting project feasibility
- Managing bids and tenders
- Managing financial expenditure and recovery
Year 1, Semester 3
No teaching
Year 2, Semester 1
- Managing teams and individuals
- Enhancing working relationships and developing staff
- Managing disputes
- Integration management
- Project partnering
- Managing invited tenders
- Contracts and negotiation
Year 2, Semester 2
Dissertation
Distance Learning September Start
Year 1, Semester 1
- Managing teams and individuals
- Enhancing working relationships and developing staff
- Managing disputes
- Integration management
Year 2, Semester 2
- Managing project risks, opportunities, systems and teams
- Managing factors affecting project feasibility
- Managing bids and tenders
- Managing financial expenditure and recovery
Year 1, Semester 3
- Managing health, safety, welfare and environmental factors
- Controlling projects
- Managing project design
- Production management for advanced manufacturing
- Managing project handover and evaluating feedback
- Project partnering
- Managing invited tenders
- Contracts and negotiation
Year 2, Semester 2 and 3
Dissertation
Entry Requirements
Applications for this course must have:
- A minimum of a second class undergraduate honours degree in a relevant discipline, or
- A minimum of a second class undergraduate honours degree in an unrelated discipline and significant relevant work experience within the built environment, or
- A recognised appropriate professional qualification such as RICS or CIOB.
English Language Requirements
International students must provide evidence of proficiency in English - IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5 or an equivalent qualification are proof of this.
Suitable For
Suitable for those working in the following areas/posts;
- Building middle and senior management
- Civil engineering middle and senior management
- Contract managers
- Estimating and commercial managers
- Operations directors of small firms
- Policy-makers
- Project directors
- Property and facilities managers
- Specialist construction managers
Applicant profile
This course is for you if you have a desire to enhance your current knowledge base and develop your career in the area of construction project management. You will have a strong academic and/or professional background in the built environment, enabling you to build on the experience you already have. Strong leadership skills and good knowledge of construction processes are a must.
Teaching
Full-time study is delivered by a variety of learning and teaching methods. Lectures introduce new material and provide the core knowledge base for each module. Tutorials offer the opportunity for discussion and debate with personalised instruction from lecturers. Project work is an important aspect of the course enabling you to initiate and control research or other techniques to develop solutions to prescribed tasks. Throughout the course expert guest lecturers in various fields are invited to deliver lectures.
Distance learning uses an internet-based learning environment backed up by intensive tutor support. Weekly online tutorials are led by tutors with student interaction. Our online repository of learning material enables you to undertake self directed study at your own convenience. Learning is driven by real-world problems aligned to your workplace and job role. Optional on campus workshops provide additional learning resources to those able to attend.
Assessment
You will be assessed through:
- Written coursework (100%)
- Continuous informal assessment by your tutors
90% of students thought that subjects were enthusiastically taught by staff
NSS 2010
Postgraduate Staff Profile
Aled Williams
Course Director: MSc Construction Management
Aled is the course director for MSc Construction Management at the University of Salford. He is also the director of the Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE), specialising in Construction, Surveying and Real Estate.
Aled's current research active area is industry engagement in higher education which aligns with the school ethos of industry linked, applied research in partnership with the key industry collaborators within the construction industry.
Employability
This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to develop a successful career as project manager in the construction industry. It reflects the scope of issues facing today's construction manager and seeks to equip you with the decision-making and problem-solving skills critical for success in a competitive environment.
Career Prospects
Many graduates use this course to gain the skills and knowledge required to advance their careers and undertake senior management role. Past graduates have followed careers in the construction industry in project management, construction management, architectural and engineering design management. However, a significant number have also branched out into parallel careers in the civil engineering, financial, legal and business sectors. Our graduates work across the globe for many of the world's leading built environment organisations. Many graduates have gone on to achieve notable success, with numerous winners of the Whiting Award and also several awards in the CIOB Building Manager of the Year competition.
More and more in today's corporate environment, successful organisations are viewing real estate and facilities management as an integral part of their strategic business plan. Real estate facilities management is a vital strategic discipline because it "translates" the high-level, strategic change required by senior decision-makers into day-to-day reality for people in their work or living space.
Alumni Profile
Trevor Gardner, Senior Construction Manager, Bovis Lend Lease
"I have just completed the course and I have been able to broaden my horizons and gain some valuable academic practice. There are times when I feel I have been taken out of my comfort zone with regard to learning, but crucial to this is the support of the lecturers who really put themselves out to make sure I understood and could confidently move forward.
The modules were all based around putting into place what I knew from my experiences of working on construction projects so it wasn't entering 'unchartered' territory completely and the course aspiration is to develop 'reflective practitioners'. I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and it has without doubt made me a far more capable person, both within work and for life outside work.
Above all I would like to thank the course leader and his module delivery team who could not have done more to help and support; but even more importantly this has continued through the duration of the course."
Links with Industry
The full Masters award is fully accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), allowing exemption from their academic entry requirements. The course is also the first of its kind mapped to the underpinning knowledge in the Construction Management NVQ level 5 to support the attainment of the professional level CSCS card in Construction Management.
This course was developed in cooperation with some of the leading construction companies in the UK to address the training needs of aspiring construction managers.
Guest lecturers from industry with expertise in relevant areas are invited to give lectures throughout the duration of the course.
Further Study
Our research is conducted through our 10 research centres. For those interested in pursuing a research qualification after completion of the Masters, each centre has identified topics where they particularly welcome research proposals. Of particular interest to Construction Management graduates will be the Management in Construction centre (MIC) and the Salford Centre for Research and Innovation (SCRI)
Fees 2013-14
| Full-time MSc, MA, LLM | £7,500 |
| Full-time PgDip | £5,000 |
| Full-time PgCert | £2,500 |
| Distance Learning | £1,250 per 30 credits |
| International Distance Learning | £1,812 per 30 credits |
Scholarships and Bursaries
We offer awards to help you study through our:
- Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship
- University of Salford student loyalty discount
- Country bursary scheme for International students only
There are also other sources of funding available to you.
For more information please see our funding section
Additional Costs
Students should expect to incur costs in the region of £300 for attendance at workshops. Costs are approximated based on the current academic year.
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.