Overview
BSc Project Management for Construction (Sandwich Programme)
The BSc Project Management for Construction is a management-based degree focused on the project management of capital projects. Students will build their understanding of the widest aspects of the construction development process, from clients developing their requirements for new capital projects through the design, procurement and construction stages, to the final occupation and maintenance of new facilities. Projects are appreciated from the perspective of many of the relevant stakeholders including clients, occupiers, funders and designers, as well as from the point of view of the contractor.
There are four main subject themes running through the programme:
- The management theme introduces the study of basic management principles and progresses to marketing and financial management, together with advanced principles applied specifically to the construction industry.
- The technology theme develops an understanding of construction technology from a science, materials and sustainability base, through to an appreciation of methods and their impact upon the management of production processes. These include installation and choice of building services and an awareness of the factors determining the choice of methods of construction from an economic and management point of view.
- Construction production processes initially deals with the roles and relationships within the building team, through the history of the development of the built environment. This includes an examination of the role of planning and logistics. In the final years you will deal with project and production management coupled with an understanding of procurement, estimating and cost control of the project. The quantity surveying aspects of contract administration and practice also figure strongly within this theme.
- Business environment develops an understanding of and framework for the economics and legal systems which influence and control the business of construction. This theme emphasises the growing importance of the building contract in terms of its legality and reflects the increasing use of arbitration, litigation alongside adjudication and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
All the themes are integrated in the final year of the programme in Technology II – a key project developing all the above themes into a major case study which includes design, technology, project management, evaluation and development.
Programme objectives The course looks at the context in which the development process takes place, including understanding how construction makes a contribution and its place within the wider economy. As you progress through the degree you will:
- Learn how projects are appraised, investment decisions made and how financing of capital projects takes place
- Learn how legislation impacts and influences the construction process and the wider environment
- Develop excellent skills in leadership and widen your interpersonal and presentation skills through a number of participatory projects
- Consider the way we build and how this is altering and evolving to accommodate a changing climate
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Successful completion of the degree provides full exemption from the professional examinations of both the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Structure
Structure:
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Programme Structure
There are four main subject themes running through the programme:
· Management
· Technology
· Construction Production Processes
· Business Environment
The management theme introduces the study of basic management principles and progresses to marketing and financial management together with advanced principles applied specifically to the construction industry.
The technology theme develops an understanding of construction technology from a science, materials and sustainability base, through to an appreciation of methods and their impact upon the management of production processes, including installation and choice of building services and an awareness of the factors determining the choice of methods of construction from an economic and management point of view.
Construction production processes initially deals with the roles and relationships within the building team, through the history of the development of the built environment. This includes an examination of the role of planning and logistics. In the final years you will deal with project and production management coupled with an understanding of procurement, estimating and cost control of the project.
The quantity surveying aspects of contract administration and practice also figure strongly within this theme.
Business environment develops an understanding and framework of the economics and legal systems, which influence and control the business of construction. This theme emphasises the growing importance of the building contract in terms of its legality and reflects the increasing use of arbitration, litigation alongside adjudication and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
All of the themes are integrated in the final year of the programme in Technology II which is a major project developing all of the above themes into a major case study, which includes design, technology, project management, evaluation and development.
Dissertation
This unit provides students with the opportunity to carry out individual research, into a chosen aspect of study arising from the course programme.
Content
First Year
Introduction to Management provides an awareness of what managers do and why their activities are crucial to the success of any business or public sector agency. Emphasis is on the processes of management.
Materials - Their Use and Structural Function provides a framework for identifying the factors affecting the selection and use of a range of materials employed in compressive and tensile building structures.
Introduction to the Built Environment is an overview of how the construction industry operates. It looks at the role of different professionals who offer a wide range of services and skills and examines the basic technology and terminology of buildings and their services.
The Construction Industry and its Management is an introduction to the UK construction industry describing the products, processes and evolution of management inputs required at different levels and stages.
Economics 1 introduces the economic principles governing the context in which projects are evaluated and provides the foundations for understanding the nature of project value and the financial techniques used in practice for analysing and evaluating projects.
Introduction to Law offers students an understanding of the English legal system and the sources of law, after which they study law specifically related to the construction process and project participants.
Computing for the Built Environment introduces information technology and reveals the full range of software applications currently in use in the UK construction industry.
Production of the Built Environment considers the roles of (and relationships between) professionals, industries, enterprises, regulatory and government bodies in the social regulation of the built environment and looks at the inception, commissioning, design and production of buildings (Joint Unit).
Second Year
Introduction to Marketing develops your understanding and awareness of the principles and practices of marketing in different areas, with specific emphasis on built environment sectors.
Project Management 1 develops the concepts underpinning the discipline of project management and the professional role of the project manager.
Building Services 1 considers the range of building services in domestic, commercial and industrial buildings and develops an understanding of the basic function of mechanical services currently in use.
Technology Studies follows the introduction to construction technology at level 1, enabling you to further your understanding by focusing upon developments in structural form for larger framed buildings.
Quantity Surveying and Contract Procurement offers a broad and critical perspective on building procurement methods, tendering, estimates, cost planning, cost control and life-cycle costing, as well as an understanding of contract documentation and quantity surveying.
Law 1 gives students a broad understanding of law theory and practice, which will be relevant to the construction process and the construction professional.
Economics 2 furthers your understanding of economic principles by specifically applying the techniques to different project valuations and markets (construction and real estate) within the broader economy.
Building for a Sustainable Future encourages you to consider the challenges faced by society due to changing climate and diminishing resources. You will look at construction’s impact and how this can be reduced alongside how the built environment of the future will be shaped.
Third Year - Work Placement
A placement provides a unique introduction to the managerial and professional aspects of overseeing construction projects and the running of a construction organisation.
Final Year
Organisational Management gives an insight into the way in which the structure and design of organisations can improve their effectiveness and introduced to contemporary issues in organisational theory.
Project Management 2 critically examines the execution of the development process, from inception of a project to completion and handover.
Building Services Engineering 2 looks at the technical aspects and managerial considerations involved in design and installation of building services. Technological developments, changing demands of services and the wider implications of their use are addressed.
Construction Procedures and Administration is a critical perspective on the tendering techniques and the management and practice of the estimating function within the building organisation, as well as contract surveying practice and administration.
Financial Management provides students with an understanding of the issues facing government and industry leaders.
Dissertation is an in-depth study that allows the development of research and analytical skills in one or more of the areas of the course that has been of particular interest.
Project Evaluation and Development consolidates all areas of study into a group project in which individuals assume the roles of a major project management organisation and are responsible for conceiving, designing, procuring, constructing and delivering a hypothetical development on a real site.
Staff
Teaching of the BSc Project Management for Construction sandwich programme is delivered by a team of lecturers from across the UCL Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, each of whom has extensive experience and expertise in their academic field of study. Many of the staff have had wide-ranging involvement in construction projects.
The course team is responsible
for the delivery of the programme and has a close, direct engagement with
students.
Staff teaching on the programme currently include
Dr Aaron Anvuur
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Graham Bailey GCBAI05
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Dr Chen-Yu Chang CYCHA73
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David Coles DCOLE65
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Dr Taha Elhag TMSEL60
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Dr Joana Geraldi JGERA93
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Iain Lyall ILYAL91
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Peter O'Connor
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Dr Abraham Park
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Dr Aeli Roberts
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Dr Hedley Smyth HSMYT78
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Dr Satu Teerikangas SPTER76
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David Woolven DRWOO58
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The programme also receives support from other academics in the school and from a range of visiting lecturers from industry who contribute specialist inputs.
The external examiners for the programme are either senior built environment academics or leading industrialists from the construction industry.
Applying
Application procedures, fees, funding and scholarships
For information, please see the faculty admissions information here.
Programme-specific information follows below.
Prior qualifications
The BSc Project Management for Construction programme accepts students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Your interest in construction is considered to be more important than particular A-level subjects. As the degree programmes are in a specific vocational area it is essential that your application indicates a firm understanding of the subject and explains why you have chosen to study it.
Your application
Your application will also benefit from a demonstration of wide and varied interests beyond school or college and it would be desirable to show evidence of leadership or organisational skills either in school/college or outside. It would be beneficial if you had been able to arrange directly-related work experience.
UK applicants who meet the entrance criteria are invited to an interview. Sessions last half a day and consist of a tour of UCL, and a lecture introducing the subject area to give you an outline of the degrees and the employment prospects. This is followed by an interview where you will be asked further about your reasons for choosing the degree, and to explain any career aspirations you have formulated.
It is only necessary to apply for one of the programmes as you have the option of transferring to the three-year BSc or four-year 'sandwich' BSc once you are a UCL student.
Opportunities
Former graduates of BSc Project Management for Construction at the Bartlett are in great demand from a wide range of employers in project and construction management, contracting companies and other professional organisations.
One of the reasons students become so employable is because of the breadth of their studies which, in addition to the main themes of construction technology and project management, provide a solid foundation in economics, law and general management.
The following examples are drawn from data collected on behalf of the Higher Education Statistics Agency for the 2006-2008 graduating cohorts as part of a survey of first career destinations of UK/EU graduates six months only after graduation.
- Assistant Project Manager, Davis Langdon (2008)
- Graduate Engineer, Laing O’Rourke (2007)
- Trainee Construction Manager, Mace Ltd (2006)