BSc(Hons) Construction Project Management

Through lectures, tutorials and practical experiments, this module will explore construction materials and the physics of internal building environments. You'll investigate the properties and uses of timber, masonry, steel, concrete, glass, plastics and emerging materials. Experimental work will examine light and lighting, noise and acoustics, air quality and ventilation, thermal comfort and heat flow. By connecting material science with environmental performance, you'll develop an understanding of how design choices influence comfort, health, energy use, climate change, and both operational and embodied carbon in buildings.

This module will introduce domestic construction from foundations to roof, including finishes and building services. Topics are likely to include, but will not be limited to, structural behaviour and load distribution, construction techniques, services integration, and technical drawing and communication. You'll compare traditional, contemporary and emerging practices while considering regulation, sustainability, health and safety, ethics and professional standards. Further study may cover feasibility, circular economy principles and passive or environmental design, helping you understand how materials, systems and services combine within domestic buildings.

This module will introduce the process of recording, designing and specifying buildings while developing fundamental drawing and measurement skills. Topics are likely to include, but will not be limited to, architectural context, design theory, function, form and style, user requirements, briefing and design methodology. You'll consider structural and environmental appraisal, urban and housing design, accessibility, load paths, sustainability and professional ethics. Practical work will introduce sketching, computer-aided design, building information modelling, detailing of simple buildings, planning applications, and design and access statements.

This module will introduce legal, economic and management principles relevant to the built environment. You'll develop an understanding of the frameworks within which property and construction activities take place, considering how legal responsibilities, economic influences and management decisions affect professional practice. Through applied examples, you'll learn to interpret information, recognise the interests of different parties and make reasoned judgements about practical situations. The module will strengthen your analytical, communication and decision-making skills while providing a foundation for later study of contracts, organisations, markets and project delivery.

This module will develop your ability to justify construction and building services solutions for non-domestic buildings. You'll investigate substructures, framed systems, envelopes, internal components, fire strategies and modern methods such as modular and off-site construction. Digital tools, including BIM, will support data-informed decisions. Building services topics are likely to include HVAC, lighting, energy and water, alongside whole-life assessment, BREEAM, Passivhaus, net zero and circular economy principles. You'll evaluate solutions against regulation, performance, safety, accessibility, cost, time and stakeholder requirements.

This module will introduce the operational and managerial practices needed to coordinate construction sites effectively. You'll explore systems thinking, site layout, logistics, supply chains and the integration of on-site and off-site activity. Topics are likely to include health and safety, method statements, risk assessments, quality systems, labour, materials, plant, scheduling, cost control, critical paths and resource levelling. You'll also examine environmental management, waste reduction, performance indicators and digital technologies, developing practical decision-making skills for safe, efficient and sustainable site production.

In this module, you'll develop a thorough understanding of project management tools and techniques aligned with the Association for Project Management Body of Knowledge and the CIOB Educational Framework. You'll explore project context, people, delivery and interfaces, including governance and project environments. Topics may include communication, conflict, delegation, leadership, negotiation and teamwork, alongside business cases, planning, monitoring, stakeholder management, benefits, change and configuration control. You'll also consider schedules, costs, investment appraisal, risk, quality, resources, health and safety, law, security and sustainability.

This module will help you develop the professional, academic and reflective skills needed to succeed within the built environment sector. You'll engage with employers, professional bodies and university support services while exploring career opportunities and future directions in a rapidly evolving and increasingly digital industry. Topics may include professional ethics, career planning, job applications, business and data skills, critical writing, literature reviews and the use of feedback. By reflecting on your development, you'll strengthen your professional identity and prepare for future employment or placement opportunities.

This module will introduce the procurement and contractual processes that support construction projects from conception to completion. You'll explore legislation, contract forms, tendering procedures, risk management and the rights and responsibilities of project stakeholders. Topics may include planning law, environmental considerations, health and safety, collaborative working, payment procedures, delays, variations and supply-chain management. Using practice-based scenarios, you'll learn how contractual and procurement decisions influence project delivery and develop the skills needed to apply professional knowledge within real-world construction contexts.

This module will develop your ability to work collaboratively across built environment disciplines. Taking on a professional role within a development project, you'll consider financial, socio-economic, political, environmental, legal and technical factors at different stages of the process. Topics are likely to include procurement, contracts, planning, building regulations, health and safety, development appraisal, finance and asset management. You'll explore team roles, barriers and enablers to collaboration, stakeholder and community engagement, professionalism and ethical responsibility while strengthening communication, teamwork and informed decision-making.

This module will examine how organisations translate strategic objectives into effective operational management. You'll explore the relationship between long-term direction and day-to-day delivery, considering how resources, people, performance and change are managed. The module will help you analyse internal and external influences on organisational decisions, evaluate alternative approaches and understand how leadership and management support implementation. Through relevant contexts and evidence, you'll develop strategic thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills while learning to communicate recommendations that connect organisational priorities with practical action.

This module will support you to complete an independent dissertation on an agreed topic relevant to your programme. You'll define a focused question, critically review appropriate literature and select methods suited to your enquiry. With academic supervision, you'll manage an extended research process, address ethical considerations, analyse evidence and develop a coherent argument. The dissertation will strengthen your independence, critical judgement, project management and written communication while allowing you to investigate a subject in depth and demonstrate how your findings contribute to academic or professional understanding.

This module will examine how technological innovation influences buildings and assets across their lifecycles. You'll explore the adoption, application and management of new technologies from design and construction through operation, maintenance, adaptation and end of life. The module will consider how innovation can affect performance, value, sustainability and user experience, alongside risks, constraints and organisational change. By comparing options and evidence, you'll develop your ability to evaluate technological choices, understand lifecycle consequences and support informed decisions within built environment practice.

This module will develop your understanding of the financial and people-management factors that influence construction projects and business performance. You'll explore project evaluation, cashflow appraisal, cost planning, budgeting and investment decisions, alongside forecasting, productivity and resource management. Human resource management, motivation, communication, quality and performance will also be examined in the context of project delivery. Through practical exercises and case-study activities, you'll learn how financial, operational and personnel considerations interact, helping you make informed decisions about project planning, resourcing and management within construction organisations.