MSc Construction Project and Cost Management

Understand the need for financial management in the construction industry

Which projects should a firm or individual invest their money in? How can you find out a company’s profit at the end of the year? How should this investment be financed? How can you tell how healthy a company is?

This course introduces you to the key concepts of financial management and will prepare you for more advanced study of managing finance. You will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the key financial questions which are faced by directors, construction and project managers of firms.

This course is for people working in or studying the built environment. This might be students, recent graduates or construction professionals engaged in construction cost and project management, civil and structural engineering, architectural technology, surveying and building services engineering.

Please note that the staff described in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below may be subject to change.

Evaluate the key principles and strategies of construction project management

This course is designed to provide you with a broad overview of the make-up of a project and the fundamental activities that take place in construction project management.

You will explore the life cycle of a project and the key activities within each phase. You will investigate the key steps in defining a project, including setting objectives, determining scope, identifying stakeholders and clarifying strategies.

As part of this course, you will examine the increasingly critical role of project management within construction, focusing on various international case studies.

This course is for people working in or studying the built environment. This might be students, recent graduates or construction professionals engaged in construction cost and project management, civil and structural engineering, architectural technology, surveying and building services engineering.

Please note that the staff described in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below may be subject to change.

Discover how contemporary issues affect construction management

On this course you will consider global contemporary issues in construction management and how they affect the socio-economic development offered by the construction industry.

You will have the opportunity to learn the importance of good construction project cost management and get an introduction to common approaches to construction research, including research strategies and formulation of research questions.

You will finish the course by exploring a typical framework for a research proposal and drafting a research proposal of your own for other learners to review.

This course is for professionals and students who are involved with construction management, and project and cost management in the construction industry. It will be particularly useful to those who wish to update their research skills.

Get to grips with pre-contract management in construction

On this course you will get an introduction to pre-contract management practices for construction projects. You will have the opportunity to explore what constitutes procurement and learn the structure of the project stages (according to the RIBA Plan of Work) and how to estimate their cost.

You will also get the chance to build your knowledge of various procurement options and explore the tendering stage: addressing what elements need to be considered when preparing a Bill of Quantities (BoQ), such as taking off and working up.

This course is for students, recent graduates or construction professionals engaged in construction cost and project management, civil and structural engineering, architectural technology, surveying and building services or engineering.

Build your understanding of contract management in construction

On this short course, you will have the chance to explore the contract management process in the context of construction. The course offers insight into contractual mechanisms and procedures at both pre-construction and construction stages.

During the course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the principles of the formation of a contract in English law, explore the rights and obligations of parties, and get to know the role of the contract administrator and project manager in a construction contract.

This course is for anyone keen to build their understanding of contract management and how to form contracts in English law.

Please note that the individuals listed below under the title ‘Who will you learn with?’ may be subject to change.

Understanding the procurement process in construction

What is procurement? How does the procurement process work? What procurement strategies are available? Find answers with this course that aims to develop your understanding procurement in the context of the construction industry.

You’ll have the chance to examine the factors that affect the choice of procurement strategy and work to develop an understanding of tendering and its application in the construction industry.

You will also have the opportunity to evaluate the principles of depreciation and the methods for calculating depreciation in a construction context.

This course is for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of procurement strategies and the procurement process in construction management.