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MSc Construction Management

Year of entry
2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
Course duration
Full Time: 12 months Other: Flexible learning: 18-63 months

Year of entry
2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
Course duration
Full Time: 12 months Other: Flexible learning: 18-63 months

Our Msc Construction Management is an international programme of advanced management studies for the modern construction industry.

We develop specialist expertise on how to manage organisations engaged in construction from the multiple perspectives of the client, design team, and contractor. This includes an overview of how the construction sector operates in the developed and developing world and of the macro-economic and micro-economic factors that influence the work of the sector.

The distinctive focus is on the management of the construction firm, including finance, organisation, project procurement, contracts for design and construction, information and communication technologies in the construction sector and the expectations of clients, developers, financiers and investors in a project.

The course suits those who have an interest in pursuing a career in the management of construction, whether on the supply side or the demand side. Graduates with professional experience will find this course provides a strong grounding for promotion to more senior management positions in the industry. Graduates without experience will find this course an excellent way to gain mastery of the topics relating to management in construction.

Another distinctive feature is in the application of research carried out by the staff of the School; the research informs policy nationally and internationally. All of our research is carried out through close work with industry partners and develops new ways of thinking about the management of construction. The course is constantly being updated with the latest thinking in all the various aspects of construction management.

The course is for graduates from any discipline who are seeking a professional qualification leading to employment in a dynamic, exciting profession involving the application of financial, managerial and property design skills.

The course is offered as a one-year full-time course, or as a flexible modular course. It is accredited by RICS and CIOB. (Accreditation is reviewed periodically. Successful completion of this course satisfies the academic requirements for membership of CIOB and RICS.).

For more information, please visit the Construction Management and Engineering website.

Overview

Our Msc Construction Management is an international programme of advanced management studies for the modern construction industry.

For more information, please visit the Construction Management and Engineering website.

Entry requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 5.5.

Entry requirements: Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (good second class or above). If you have other qualifications and a number of years’ relevant work experience, you are welcome to apply.

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score, you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

Modules

Core modules

Business of Construction

Write a reflective piece which applies what you’ve learned to a case study. You’ll consider the evolving nature of management in construction firms that bring new opportunities and challenges to the sector.

Managing Construction Projects

Strengthen your understanding of the management of resources within construction. You’ll apply your ideas to real-world contexts that address delivering service to meet targets, along with maintenance and development of the business.

Construction Contract Law and Design Management

Apply lessons from research and practice to increase your understanding of contractual relationships in construction projects, the design process in contemporary construction, and tools and techniques used for its management.

Research Skills

To prepare you for your dissertation research, you’ll learn how to formulate a research problem, develop, and apply investigative approaches, interpret data, and present your findings.

Research Dissertation

Formulate a research problem in the field of construction. You’ll select appropriate research methods and apply recognised strategies and techniques to address the problem in a sustained and logical written piece on the topic.

Optional modules

Human Resource Management, and Real Estate Development and Appraisal

You’ll examine the role of human resource management in the construction industry, along with financing and financial appraisal of real estate development projects.

Strategies and International Construction

Prepare for leadership roles in construction by analysing the influence of culture, climate, geology, regulation framework of codes and standard, compliance, and ethical behaviour within different global construction markets.

Building Information Management and Socio-technical Change

Explore approaches that implement socio-technical systems into the built environment, including the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). You’ll address how the potential for BIM rests on the understanding of how socio-technical systems are supported.

Innovations in Digital Practice

Sharpen your skills by engaging with the built environment using digital tools and technologies. You'll examine the relationship between people, technologies, and information by incorporating social science methods.

Organising for Innovation and Digital Transformation

Discover how to implement and manage innovation and digital technologies in the built environment. You’ll identify and assess the potential and ramifications for new technologies, assisting with your learning on how to map, define, and analyse design.

Infrastructure Development and Urban Sustainability

To understand sustainable development in urban settings, you’ll review the challenges of delivery and their impact on achieving goals. This explores the role of infrastructure and theoretical frameworks that underpin the process.

International Construction Labour and Construction Sector Transition

Gain perspective on construction labour markets, recruitments, and management of migrant workers in emerging economies. By reviewing case studies, you’ll discover transition management approaches to successful construction sector reform.

Carbon Management and Life Cycle Assessment

Address the management of carbon dioxide emissions and the need for mitigation by studying the latest scientific understandings on the issue. This covers key concepts in Life Cycle Assessment to assist you in interpreting and critically reviewing a study.

Construction Risk Management

Through discussion and case studies of the global construction market, you’ll identify risk in projects, implement methods and analyse their impact, develop strategies, prepare and uptake risk management plans.

Construction Economics and Cost Management

Learn how to estimate, plan, manage, control, and engineer building costs across stages of the development process. This includes how the economic analysis framework can be used to address problems and questions within modern construction.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £12,550

New international students: £26,950

Tuition fee information

The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated. Fees are calculated pro rata for flexible modular study.

Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information, including information for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

See list of Construction Management and Engineering scholarships

Careers

Graduates will follow careers in a wide range of construction-related vocations: architectural and engineering design, project management, construction management, general business management, investment appraisal and in the public sector. Some pursue a career in research. This programme is particularly attractive to international students seeking to expand their knowledge and learn about construction management in different national contexts.

MSc Construction Management

Tuition fee information

EU student fees

Additional costs

Financial support for your studies

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