Overview

The MSc in Project and Enterprise Management (PEM) is aimed that those wishing to establish a career or advance their role in project management. The programme equips students with an understanding of cutting-edge thinking based on research carried out by staff and draws upon set texts written by the teaching team in the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management.

The course teaches concepts, tools and techniques employed in managing projects from their earliest stages of definition and development through to operations and maintenance. Such projects are primarily focused on construction in the broadest sense (building, civil engineering and infrastructure), but there is also reference to other areas including aerospace, automotives, electronics, organisational change, pharmaceuticals, software and IT.

Additional (non-assessed but compulsory) modules

Management skills aims to develop the management skills of students in relation to decision-making, team-working and the consultancy role. These are addressed with the help of appropriate specialist teachers and games specifically devised for the construction industry. The module is taught in the form of a series of workshops which take place during a weekend in term 1 or term 2.

Research Methods helps develop an awareness of research methods. The objective is for students to be able to mobilise theories and concepts for application to information and data collection in the field. The module is conducted in workshop format.

Use of Project Planning Software (optional) is a one-day course offering students the opportunity to acquire valuable hands-on experience in project-scheduling software.

Programme Objectives

This programme will equip you with the skills to perform senior management roles with a variety of employers, including:

• client organisations in property and construction infrastructure
• manufacturing, transport, financial, electrical, gas, water, petrochemical, pharmaceutical companies
• defence agencies and government departments
• public sector infrastructure client organisations
• consultancies and service providers working with public and private sectors
• management consultants
• financial institutions
• central and local government
• commercial research organisations

In addition, a number of students use the MSc as a foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

All students on the MSc Project and Enterprise Management programme get free student membership of RICS, which provides free access to research papers, funding for research, links to groups around the world, advice on full membership and more besides.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Contact details

Programme Director: Dr Stephen Pryke

Programme Administrator:George Burridge

Structure

Full-time students will attend classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays during terms one and two. In addition, students will be expected to spend time on private study, research and group work. Term three will be used to deal with assignments, examinations and the dissertation.

The first term will deal with four core (compulsory) modules in a lecture format. The second term provides an opportunity for you to choose four modules from a range of around twenty. Work on the dissertation commences in term one and continues until the following September.

To obtain your MSc, you need to pass eight taught modules and the dissertation. The eight taught modules require a total of eight assessments – six essays of 3,000 words each and two exams.

You will choose four of the eight taught modules and decide on your own research dissertation topic.

The part-time programme takes half of the modules per academic year and can be completed over a period of between two and five years.

Content

Term 1

PM2 Owner-based Management of Projects focuses upon the business context of projects and in particular their management from a sponsor/owner/client point of view. It deals with business strategy and the development of projects, marketing, sales and finance, procurement and supply chain management, risk and value management, conformance, information management and knowledge management.

PM8 Principles of enterprise management looks at structure and process, strategic issues and organisational effectiveness and efficiency. Key issues addressed include: choices in the organisation and operation of the firm depending on aims and objectives; competitive strategies; developing the enterprise; decision making and negotiation; strategic core competencies; continuous improvement; organisational learning and knowledge management; emotional intelligence and self-awareness test; decision making; relationship management; trust; and the moral economy. As well as teaching and seminars, the module uses video material, case study work and an IT-based self-awareness test.

CM1 The Economics of Construction - Economies, Sectors and Industries starts with the approach and methods of economics, especially decision-making, accounting, efficiency, capacity, productivity and profitability of the construction sector. Sessions include construction as a business activity; the social and economic value of construction; behaviour and motivation; an economic perspective; output and income concepts; productivity; profit; financial accounting; stock markets; markets; firms; clients; the ‘contracting system’; and contrasts within the construction sector.

In addition to the lectures, students will work on an exercise in construction productivity and profitability using economic and financial data from the Annual Business Inquiry and Financial Analysis Made Easy (FAME). This will be assessed as part of the term paper.

Term 2

Optional Modules

All option modules last five weeks and are delivered in ten hours of lectures. A PEM student must choose at least two modules from the project-based option modules and at least one module from the enterprise-based option modules. The fourth module is a free choice.

Choose two of these project-based modules [ PM3 to PM7 and PME]

PM3 Managing the Enterprise-project Relationship is ideal for those interested in measures of project effectiveness, managing portfolios, programmess and systems, project optimisation, realising project strategy, and interfacing project and facility management.

PM4 Technology and Design looks at the interrelationship of technology, design and projects. The module includes defining requirements, technology and design, managing design, information management and knowledge management.

PM5 The Procurement of Construction, Engineering and Professional Services looks at procurement types and standard forms, tendering, legal position, EU procedures, evaluation criteria, law of contract and documents, letters of intent as well as prime cost contracts, contract administration for project managers and legal liabilities for project managers.

PM6 Organisations and People in Projects concerns organisational structures and their design, effective communications, race and gender issues in organisations, project leadership, case studies in leaders’ roles, team formation and conflict and excellence in project management.

PM7 Managing Construction deals with construction productivity, design/ construction/procurement/operation and management interfaces, spatial planning, health and safety, and quality in construction and refurbishment.

PMD Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Sector looks at climate change and the impact of construction, the costs of ‘going green’, development of brownfield sites, environmental impact assessments, waste reduction and site waste management plans.

PME Supply Chain Management: Principles and Case Studies looks at the increasing importance of supply chains and their management (SCM) in our pursuit of value and efficiency. It deals with concepts, risk management and risk transfer in supply chains; client-driven SCM; a case study of Slough Estates plc with guest speaker; franchising; an innovative application of SCM; and the future for SCM – building for the 21st century.

PMG The Management of Large Projects and Programmes looks at problems of scale and complexity in large projects, governance, stakeholder engagement, sustainable vision and accountability. It discusses managing benefits, value and risk, configuration management, change control and systems integration. The programme also focuses on managing large projects and programmes in practice.

Choose one module from the following enterprise-based modules [PM9, PMA, PMB and CM7]

PM9 Relationships between Firms is for those interested in organisational behaviours, transactions costs and behaviour, as well as functional behaviours such as marketing management, and trust in both theory and practice.

PMA Capturing and Delivering Value deals with requirements such as solicitation, briefing and core competencies, as well as dynamic capabilities for adding value, bodies of knowledge, capturing value and the role of the systems integrator.

PMB The Construction Firm – Contractors and Subcontractors includes important themes such as business strategy, national and organisational culture, organisational behaviour and engaging and managing subcontractors.

PMF Marketing and Project Business Development deals with a strategic approach to marketing and business development and should be selected by those who want to pursue a project- or enterprise-based role concerned with the development of new business.

CM7 Managing Professional Practice deals with the character and structure of the professional firm, the economic cycles and internal systems, practice management, managing change and systems integration, managing people and markets.

Choose one of the following economics-based modules as your fourth option module: [CM3 to CM9]

CM3 Construction Booms and Slumps asks the following questions: what are business cycles, building cycles and property cycles? Why do each of these cycles occur? Why do they vary in strength over periods of time and between countries? How do economic actions in the construction and property development processes behave so as to generate cycles and how do they respond to such cycles? Can we forecast construction and property cycles?

CM4 Construction Clients and the Market for Contracts looks at the selection of an appropriate procurement system from the economist’s viewpoint, as well as selection of a preferred bidder and determination of contractual terms and project implementation.

CM5 Economics of Appraisal of Construction Projects – Leading Issues is for those with an interest in private finance initiative (PFI) projects and in particular net present value (NPV) and discount rates; economic theory and PFI incentives, innovation and transaction costs; PFI in practice: the case of prisons; future prospects and developments in the purchasing power parity (PPP) market; and value-for-money studies of PFI: the audit evidence.

CM6 The economics of speculative construction development

In this module we look at the different types of speculative developer, simple methods of calculating investment returns and residual land valuations, project investment appraisal using net present value (NPV), risk and uncertainty, required return under risk: market risk, CAPM and beta, managing risk and uncertainty: financial risk, unique risk and market risk, case studies on firms and projects.

CM7 Managing Professional Practice (see above for details)

CMD Construction Industry Development is about the problems of and prospects for the construction industry in developing countries. Three developing countries have been chosen as case studies – Malaysia, Ghana and India.

PM1 Project Management topics include relationship networks, information processing, project characteristics, strategy, programming and project planning, organisational theory and management practice, project definition and briefing, and leadership in projects. Recent site visits have included Vauxhall Cross (www.stgeorgeplc.com/index.cfm?artilceID=60), The 2012 Aquatic Centre (www.zaha-hadid.com/sports-and-leisure/london-acquatics-centre) and the Westfield Shopping Centre – the largest of its kind in Northern Europe (uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/vision/design-story/).

Staff

Programme Director

Dr Stephen Pryke
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Staff teaching on the programme currently include

Dr Aaron Anvuur
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Dr Chen-Yu Chang
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David Coles
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Dr Andrew Edkins
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Dr Taha Elhag
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Malcolm Frow
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Graham Ive
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John Kelsey
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Prof Jim Meikle (visiting professor)
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Professor Peter Morris
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Dr Mark Page
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Dr Abraham Park
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Dr Aeli Roberts
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Miles Shepherd
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Dr Hedley Smyth
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Applying

Application procedures, fees, funding and scholarships

For information, please see the faculty admissions information here.

Programme-specific information follows below.

Prior qualifications

You should have a UK second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent. Membership of a recognised professional body may also be accepted as acceptable entry qualifications. Some work experience is desirable but those with good academic qualifications may still be eligible without experience. You will need to demonstrate an interest in MSc PEM and the relevance of the programme to your future career.

Most applicants who satisfy these criteria will be invited to participate in an interview with the Course Director in London, or a telephone interview if it is not possible to come to London.

When to apply

The MSc Project and Enterprise Management programme attracts a large number of applicants and competition for the limited places available is fierce. You are advised to apply as early as possible up to 12 months prior to the proposed commencement of studies. All applicants are advised to apply before the end of July for study commencing September of that year.

Applications received after the end of July will be carried forward to the following year.

Contact

If you want to chat about the programme, please contact Stephen Pryke.

Opportunities

Enrolment on the MSc Project and Enterprise Management programme (PEM) at the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management enables you to join a group of students and academics working on leading-edge research in the field. Teaching is continually refreshed through the ongoing research of UCL academics and a group of practitioners working alongside them who are employed by some of the world’s most prominent consultancies and commercial organisations.

Students are encouraged to be proactive in learning and to contribute to the research carried out by the university. There are a number of examples where PEM students have collaborated with UCL staff in the publication of research papers, or have contributed to research projects undertaken by staff within the Bartlett.

The programme draws on recent research and a range of publications produced by UCL staff. It is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Stephen Pryke as an APC Assessor for RICS is able to advise those who wish to enter the RICS on completion of MSc PEM.

Completing the MSc in Project and Enterprise Management at the Bartlett provides a platform from which to achieve a variety of ambitions, from a career in construction or engineering project management to consultancy or academia. The network that you establish at UCL will provide opportunities and support for the rest of your chosen profession.