Hungry for knowledge? Three new construction Masters courses have just joined the ranks

Salford University: MSc Advanced Manufacturing in Construction

What will you learn?

Students learn how to manage off-site construction projects. The course consists of three core modules: strategic management of off-site construction; production technology and systems; and IT in manufactured construction. A fourth module is chosen from automation and robotics, product development, or management and entrepreneurship. Students also produce a dissertation or an industrial research project.

Who is the course suitable for?

Project managers who implement and manage off-site manufactured projects. Students need a second class honours degree in a construction-related discipline, a degree in an unrelated area with three to five years’ work experience in construction, or a professional qualification in a construction-related area.

What is a typical assignment?

Students could be asked to design an off-site manufactured project around the constraints of a hypothetical site, and write a production strategy for either a customer-orientated or production-centred system of off-site manufacture.

How will it help when applying for jobs?

The course equips students to work both on site, managing construction projects, and in factories overseeing the manufacturing process. Programme director and senior lecturer Dr Mohammed Arif says: ‘There is a big market in the industry for people who can look at construction from a different paradigm. This course trains a workforce that can deal with construction with a new mindset.’

What do the students say?

Sai Mohit Muku from India, a 24-year-old electrical and electronics engineering graduate, says: ‘I have learned about managing the process, the complexities involved and the risk management measures to be taken which has made me think about the next generation of construction.’

What else do I need to know?

Fees are £9,300 for the full-time course, or split over two years for part-time. Distance learners pay £6,450 for a two-year course. Students can start in February or October. Full-time students study need to be on campus two days a week, part-time students one day a week.

Oxford Brookes: MSc Project Management in the Built Environment

What will you learn?

The course covers management theory, risk management and legal issues. It aims to teach the theory of project management and assist students in applying it to problems. Modules include project planning and procurement; management theory and human behaviour; technology and design management; opportunity and risk management; and project finance and appraisal. A dissertation may be industry or research based. Field trips are planned to large UK projects, such as the 2012 Olympics, and to Europe.

Who is the course suitable for?

Students usually have an upper second class honours degree in any subject plus at least six months’ experience in construction. The course could suit project managers at the start of their career who do not have built environment qualifications and want to become chartered with the CIOB or RICS, or those with project management experience but little structured training.

What is a typical assignment?

Assignments could include a 750-word summary of a legal case, a 2,000-word essay on how conflicts arose in the Scottish Parliament building project, or an adjudication presentation for the law module.

How will it help when applying for jobs?

You will have learned about a wide range of subjects related to project management and applied the theory to practical situations. There is also the opportunity to become chartered by the CIOB or RICS.

What do the students think?

James Atkins ICIOB, a 26 year-old site manager for contractor BAM, is doing the course through distance learning and is interested in moving into project management. ‘It has shown me how to deal with people management issues. It is also a good degree for people who have not necessarily got an undergraduate degree in construction.’

What else do I need to know?

Fees are £9,950 for full-time students, split across two years for part-time students. Full-time students spend three days a week in Oxford, part-timers mainly study online but are in Oxford for five week-long sessions over the two years.

Anglia Ruskin University: MSc Sustainable Construction

What will you learn?

The course looks at the environment, sustainability and management, covering technical issues, policy and politics, and how to manage them. Students will learn how to implement environmental management plans and develop solutions to environmental issues, including managing the impact of the actual construction phase, the sourcing of materials and use of energy on site. Although not directly their responsibility, students will also learn about sustainable energy and sustainable design.

Who is the course suitable for?

It should appeal to construction managers already at work in the industry, staff working for developers and public sector clients, or anyone with a relevant degree who wants to pursue a career in sustainable construction management.

What’s a typical assignment?

Students might have to design an Environmental Management Plan, critically assess different design options and interpret legislation. The course is designed to be as vocational and practical as possible.

How will it help when applying for jobs?

Mike Coffey, director of post-graduate studies in the Department of the Built Environment, says: ‘The importance of sustainable construction has been growing and growing, and so are the pressures and demands on construction managers. It will enable students to deal with those pressures in the future.’

What else do I need to know?

Full-timers spend two days a week at the Chelmsford campus, part-time students one day.