BSc(Hons)
Construction Management (Commercial Management)

About this course

• Entry year: 2012/13
• Course code: K220
• Level: Undergraduate
• Tariff points: 260
• Department: Construction and Property
• Campus: Frenchay
• Duration: Three years full-time; four years sandwich; five years part-time by day release Part-time applicants please see 'How to Apply' section to download an application form.
• Delivery: Full-time, part-time day release, sandwich
• Study Abroad: Yes
• Programme leader: Simon Lee

Introduction

BSc(Hons) Construction Management (including the BSc/BSc(Hons) HND top up)
BSc(Hons) Construction Commercial Management
BSc(Hons) Construction and Property Management

If you are interested in design and technology, business studies, project or construction management, you will find one of these courses stimulating.

The courses look at the whole building cycle from inception to end of economic life, dealing with the procurement, design or construction management, recycling and disposal of the building, and balancing the often conflicting requirements of clients, users and the community.

The three courses are closely related, and have a common first year (enabling you to switch between them during this time) but each develops a particular emphasis in the second and final years.

All three courses are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Construction Management
This course concentrates on the construction phase of the building cycle. There is a growing need in the construction industry for professional managers who understand the management and business aspects of running a company, as well as the technology and project management of building. This course will enable you to manage the construction process to meet the needs of clients within legal, economic and environmental constraints.

Construction Commercial Management
This course concentrates on the legal and financial aspects of construction. It will give you the quantity surveying knowledge and skills to manage the legal and financial aspects of building, covering the design, construction and post construction phases. The course is also excellent preparation for the role of project manager for both contractors and clients.

Construction and Property Management
This course concentrates on the building surveying and property management aspects of construction, preparing you for the design and management of clients' building stock, and providing skills to identify defects and avoid premature obsolescence of buildings, as well as enhancing their use, updating and refurbishment.

The courses may be studied either full-time (with or without a sandwich placement year) or part-time by day release, and you may switch between modes if your circumstances change. The day release courses are designed to take five years but may be extended if necessary. Some students start with a year full-time, then complete the course with a further three years part-time, so that they can work to support themselves, and gain valuable work experience. Many employers will pay the fees and give time off for part-time students.

The Department's inter-professional approach includes projects where you will work with students from other disciplines within the built environment, ranging from architectural technology to civil engineering to town planning. This encourages mutual respect and understanding of the professions which you are likely to be working with during your career, and helps you to develop and practise the skills of presentation, negotiation, communication, and delegation.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) offers The Queen Elizabeth scholarship for university students on accredited construction courses: for more information see www.ciob.org.uk/education

Bristol is a major city which is expanding rapidly with a large number of construction projects on different scales, including some of international importance. This is an invigorating background to studying this course at UWE Bristol. The courses have a strong emphasis on the technology and management of projects.

The course is supported by a group of employers who contribute towards resources used in teaching, offer sponsorship and placements to students, and who are keen to employ our graduates. You can find more information at Construction consortium

 

>> Structure

Student's view

Interview with a graduate student

"The best things about the course were the good mix of subject matter, and staff that had a genuine interest in the students. The course was a massive stepping stone: I would not have got the job I did upon graduation without the degree. I worked as a construction manager and am now a self-employed project manager, and part-owner in a small construction company."

Tanya Godwin

Structure

Content

First year

The first year common to all pathways includes

• construction technology
• introduction to building science
• data and analysis
• the process of development
• design project
• business economics and management for construction
• introduction to law and construction contracts

Second year

• construction product and process technologies
• site management and engineering
• quantity surveying project
• inter-professional development project
• building services engineering
• site management and engineering

Final year

• construction commercial management
• strategic cost planning
• management strategies
• technological innovation and life cycle
• financial and human resource management
• interdisciplinary issues
• dissertation

Our courses are continually reviewed to ensure they reflect current practice and the latest technologies and learning. The topics given are provided to give you an idea of what you are likely to study when you start your course. They reflect what students are studying and you may find some variation between this and the final version on your course.

Teaching and learning

Teaching methods are varied depending on the module; lectures, project work and tutorials all have a part.

The teaching staff provide a friendly, enabling environment for learning. They are also actively engaged in research or professional practice, ensuring that you learn directly from the latest academic and business developments.

Study time

The courses may be studied either full-time (with or without a sandwich placement year) or part-time by day release, and you may switch between modes if your circumstances change. The day release courses are designed to take five years but may be extended if necessary. Some students start with a year full-time, then complete the course with a further three years part-time, so that they can work to support themselves, and gain valuable work experience. Many employers will pay the fees and give time-off for part-time students. Further information about studying part-time.

BSc/BSc(Hons) Construction Management HND top-up
If you have successfully completed an HND in Building Studies, this is an opportunity to obtain an unclassified degree after one year of study, or an honours degree in one and a half years full-time.

The modules included reflect the scope and balance of Years Two and Three of the BSc(Hons) Construction Management course. They include Technological Innovation and Life Cycle; Project and Contract Management; Production Management; Project Planning; International Construction and Property Development; Building Services Engineering; Interprofessional Issues; Property Development and Construction in Europe; Financial and Human Resource Management; Pacific Rim Construction, Development and Management.

Assessment

Assessment is achieved through a balance of coursework and examinations. Examinations are held in either January or May/June. Coursework will be a variety of essays, reports, surveys, design projects, teamwork or progress tests.

You are encouraged to do 'formative work' to prepare for assessments: this does not count towards your marks but the feedback which you receive will help you to improve your performance. Support is available for students who have difficulties with numeracy, IT, literacy and study skills.

>> Features

Special Features

Professional accreditation

These courses are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building, and meet the academic requirements for membership.

If you are seeking membership of the Royal Institution of Charted Surveyors (RICS) you may achieve this by completing a RICS accredited postgraduate course once you have graduated from the BSc(Hons) Construction Management / Construction Commercial Management / Construction and Property Management. We currently offer Graduate Diplomas in Building Surveying and Quantity Surveying, and an MSc Construction Project Management, all of which can be studied full time or part time.

Placements

If you are doing the full-time course, you may spend your third year in a placement to gain practical experience, and to qualify for a 'sandwich' degree. In the past, students have worked with national and regional contractors, specialist contractors, client organisations' project managers and multi-disciplinary organisations. A common pattern is for half the period to be spent gaining on-site experience, complemented by work associated with the design, cost and planning of construction projects. You will normally be paid by your placement employer. We offer support and guidance to help you find a placement, and you will be visited by a tutor who will also be available if you have any problems.

If you are proficient in a second European language you may be able to spend your placement year in Europe. T

Interview with a placement student

"My name is Gary Dudman, and I did a placement at O'Rourke, which is massive organisation, internationally 5,000 or so employees. I worked on a project to build a police station in Lewisham, South London. It cost just under £30million. It had a multi-story car park, two main blocks, stable block, training block and a vehicle examination block, so it is the second largest in London after Scotland Yard.

"As I progressed, I worked with one of the main construction managers and the he gave me a couple of packages to look after myself. These included checking the progress out on site, making sure they were doing what they should be doing and everything was ready for them, talking to the subcontractors, making sure they had enough materials and men. The amount of responsibility changed as I got more confidence and more experience, and I gained more knowledge. I liked the fact they gave me a lot of responsibility because it made it more interesting and made me keener to get in there and make sure the job was done right. As soon as I finish my degree I want to go travelling, but after that I want to go back and work for Laing O'Rourke. They're sponsoring me for this year and have offered me a job at the end.

Advice to other students

"The advice I would give to anyone considering Construction Management is to make sure you do a sandwich course. It's by going out on site that you can put what you've learnt in to practice. It blew me away, how much experience I got in one year out.

Why did you choose UWE?

"I did my BTEC National Diploma in Construction. The main reason I then chose UWE for my degree was the syllabus - the things I would be doing interested me the most out of all the other degrees I looked at in other institutions. The thing I enjoy most about the course is the fact that it covers quite a broad area of construction, it has the nitty-gritty technical side but it also covers surveying, structures, building economics and finance, which I thought was good because I don't know exactly what I want to do in five or ten years time."

Fieldwork

You will participate in an overseas study trip in the final year. Countries we have so far visited include France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Study facilities

A range of specialist facilities are provided by the Department. A suite of computer rooms supports software for word processing, data analysis and spatial enquiry. They provide access to e-mail and internet, including Faculty and University websites which enable you to use a large number of specialist electronic journals and publications, and resources provided by lecturers to support their modules.

A Project Room provides space for you to work on individual and group assignments, together with a range of materials and equipment. An audio-visual group provides support for photography, digital imaging, filming and sound recording. You may also use the well equipped laboratories for concrete and environmental services, environmental physics, earth sciences, and surveying technology, each with specialist technicians supporting both teaching and research.

Student representatives sit on a wide range of committees at Faculty and course level, where they can influence discussions and decisions which affect your learning experience.

>> Careers

Careers/further study

The demand for construction management graduates from UWE Bristol means that you will have a good choice of employment. The excellent mix of design, technology, law and management subjects will also prepare you for postgraduate study.

You may take up a career with UK or international construction companies or consultancies concerned with the management and business aspects of producing buildings, or work in project management, quantity surveying and building surveying, property development or facilities management.

Recent graduates have taken up posts as construction managers, planning managers, site engineers or project managers, with firms such as Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Kier Group. Some past graduates have set up their own successful businesses, while others have branched out into other fields such as personnel management, marketing and financial management. You can expect to progress into senior management or partnership as you gain experience in the industry.

Where are they now? Have a look to see what some of our graduates are up to. Rupert Perkins, who graduated from one of our construction management courses in 1994, became Chairman of the National Federation of Builders in 2009.

>> Entry

Entry

Typical offers

• Tariff points: 260
• GCSE: Maths, English Language and Science at grade C or above required.
• Relevant subjects: We are happy to consider applicants who have completed a BTEC National Award in Construction (Bridge Year).
• Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language.

Advice on typical offers

In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about entry requirements.

For the HND top up, you need an HND in Construction or Building Studies with a good number of Merits.

Students who successfully complete the Built and Natural Environments Foundation course may be permitted to transfer onto the first year of this degree course.

If you have a Foundation Degree, Higher National Certificate or Diploma in a closely related subject, you may be able to join the course in the second year (full-time) or third year (part-time) or be credited with certain modules, which will shorten the course for you.

Fees

For information on fees and funding please see our webpage on fees and funding

For further information

• Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333
• E-mail: admissions@uwe.ac.uk