Three construction workers leaning over a table to discuss a plan document.

BSc(Hons) Construction Project Management

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
K252
Application
Full-time: UCAS
Part-time: University
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Architecture and Environment
Tariff points
104
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
Three years full-time; four years sandwich; five years part-time
Delivery
Full-time, part-time day release, sandwich
Programme leader
Aidan Turner and Dr Pablo Perez

This course is open for applications.

Page last updated 30 November 2023

Introduction

Work either full or part-time towards Chartered Builder or Chartered Construction Manager status and develop valuable industry skills on collaborative projects.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study construction project management?

The urgent need to support economic development in the south west and the UK generally is increasing the number of large construction and infrastructure projects requiring development.

There is growing demand for professionals who understand the business aspects of running a company, building technology and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) used in the project management of construction.

Why UWE Bristol?

BSc(Hons) Construction Project Management is accredited by the Chartered Insitute of Building (CIOB) (subject to conditions).

The course is available for both full and part-time study, so you can work towards Chartered Builder or Chartered Construction Manager status if you're already working in the industry.

Learn to effectively manage the construction process to meet client needs within external constraints. Study the principles of economics, business, law, building information modelling (BIM), building design and science, and construction technology and management.

Apply your knowledge and skills to real-life scenarios in a work-based research project or dissertation on a specific topic of interest.

Discover new techniques and approaches on site visits and field trips. Test your skills on a placement, which may qualify as part of the professional development required to achieve Chartered status

Where can it take me?

On graduation, you could work for UK or global construction organisations concerned with the management and business of developing and constructing buildings and other infrastructure.

You'll have opportunities to work in project management, quantity surveying, property development, facilities and asset management.

Structure

Content

Year one

You will study:

  • Law, Economics and Management
  • Construction Technology and Services
  • Environmental Physics and Materials
  • Principles of Sustainable Design.

Year two

You will study:

  • Construction Technology and Building Services
  • Project Management Tools and Techniques
  • Procurement and Contract Practice
  • Site Management
  • Professional Practice for the Built Environment.

Placement year (if applicable)

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two.

You'll complete the Workbased Research Project module. 

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You will study:

  • People and Financial Management
  • Technological Innovation and Life Cycles 
  • Strategic and Operational Management
  • Collaborative Practice
  • Dissertation.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but follow a different structure.

"While attending a UWE Bristol careers fair, I gained industry contacts from Mott MacDonald, which enabled me to start networking with them directly. This opportunity helped me to achieve my first role there as a Graduate Project Manager." Jessica, 2017 Construction Project Management graduate.

Learning and Teaching

Our staff provide a friendly, encouraging learning environment. They actively engage in research or professional practice to ensure that you learn directly from the latest academic and business developments.

Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, workshops and lab sessions that provide regular tutor support and feedback.

Your knowledge is consolidated through directed reading, site visits and field trips. To enable you to build project management and technical calculation skills, we provide industry standard IT applications, support materials and software.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Approximate percentage of time you'll spend in different learning activities*:

YearScheduled learning and teaching studyIndependent studyPlacement study
125%75%0%
223%77%0%
320%80%0%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Best practice

We have strong relationships with local practitioners and professional organisations such as the regional Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Constructing Excellence South West and Bristol.

Students have free access events and workshops promoting best practice.

We also arrange regular presentations from visiting professionals, academics and past students so you can learn about industry challenges and developments.

Showcase your work

Final year students regularly showcase their design projects and case studies to local employers and the public at UWE Bristol's annual degree show.

Study time

Lectures, workshops/seminars, group project work, and tutoring account for 12 hours of contact time each week.

We also expect you to spend at least 24 hours studying independently.

Part-time students

This course is available to study on a part-time day release basis. Modules are structured to allow you to attend lectures and tutorial sessions one day each week to minimise the time spent away from the workplace.

A large proportion of our part-time students are supported by their employer. A benefit of studying part-time is that you can put your learning directly into practice and use work-related problems in projects.

Assessment

You'll be assessed through a mix of coursework, presentations and exams.

These will assess your knowledge and skills and help you develop graduate attributes valued by employers including communication and presentation skills; IT and numeracy skills; and team work, project and time management skills.

You'll also build intellectual skills required for problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and evaluation, creativity and innovation.

Examinations are held in either January or May/June. Coursework consists of essays, reports, surveys, design projects, teamwork and progress tests.

Learn more about assessments.

Approximate percentage of marks awarded by each assessment method*:

YearWritten exam assessmentCoursework assessmentPractical exam assessment
138%56%6%
225%69%6%
331%66%3%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Features

Professional accreditation

UWE Bristol holds Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Accredited Centre Status during the period 2022-2027 and this course is CIOB Accredited (subject to conditions) during the period 2022-2027, having been judged to meet the CIOB Education Framework. Prospective members holding these qualifications have full academic exemption and once they have gained three to five years' relevant work experience may enter CIOB membership as an applicant to progress towards Chartered Membership without the requirement for an Individual Assessment.

Placements

Students who do a placement are more likely to graduate with a better degree and get higher quality work on graduation. As well as helping hone your professional skills, industry knowledge and network, a work placement will make you highly employable on graduation.

Our full-time students secure placements in a wide range of organisations.

Students in previous years have worked with national and regional contractors, specialist contractors, client organisations' project managers and multi-disciplinary organisations. The majority have been offered a position with their employer on graduation.

If you choose to study part-time and have HNCs/HNDs in a relevant subject, you can gain advance entry and apply learning on work-based learning modules throughout your course.

Fieldwork

We arrange site visits and field trips throughout the course to support your learning.

You will do one or two site visits each academic year. In year one and year two they are likely to be in and around Bristol.

During final year, you can attend an optional European study trip. Aimed at giving you an insight into European construction techniques and project management processes, this involves observing and speaking to construction professionals - some of whom are UWE Bristol graduates. Previous destinations have included Germany, Spain and Portugal.

Study facilities

Specialist facilities are available to help with your studies.

Study and collaborate with classmates in our new 'Hive' lounge and open computing area.

Develop skills in computer aided design (CAD), project management and building information modelling (BIM) on industry standard software.

Access leading resources, specialist journals and publications through our online portal.

Study in specialist laboratories for concrete and environmental services, environmental physics, earth sciences, and surveying technology.

Access specialist equipment for surveying and assessing buildings.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Construction, Property and Surveying facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

The demand for our graduates means you'll have a good choice of employment. The combination of design, technology, building, law and management subjects will also prepare you for industry or postgraduate study.

Recent graduates have gone into positions as construction managers, planning managers, site engineers or project managers with firms such as Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Kier Group. Some have set up successful businesses.

Others have branched out into fields such as personnel management, marketing and financial management.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

See also:

Prospects - careers in construction

Fees

Supplementary fee information

Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on. Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.

You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the four year course and then transfer to the three year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.

Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.

Learn more about funding.

Additional costs

This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.

Learn more about costs.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 104
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
  • English Language Requirement:

    International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page.

  • A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.

    For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.

  • Access: No specific subjects required.
  • Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
  • T Levels: No specific subjects required.

Entry requirements

If you don't meet the entry requirements, you may be eligible for BSc(Hons) Construction Project Management (with Foundation Year).

International applicants

For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

Direct Entry

Full-time students entering year two, and part-time students, would normally have a Foundation Degree, Higher National Diploma or Certificate in a closely related subject. You may be able to join the course in year two (full-time) or year three (part-time) or be credited with certain modules. With an HNC, you should aim for Merits in all your H2 (generally year two) units, where a Distinction can cancel a Pass.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus

Full Time

Part Time