Construction Project Management - 2013 entry
BSc (Hons)
- single
Typical A-level offer: grades BBC to BCC
Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
Overview
'The course is well known within the industry and is accredited,' Student Sabrina Spagnoli
'The course is well known within the industry and is accredited,' Student Sabrina Spagnoli
Field trip to BRE Innovation Centre
This course is run by the Department of Real Estate and Construction
Construction project management concerns the setting-up, planning, organising and control of building and infrastructure projects, from the client first considering construction through to hand-over and evaluation of the end product. It involves management of people and organisations, money, time and technology.
This BSc (Hons) degree course provides an education in construction project management through four main themes: technology, management, project-based learning and practical experience.
The course encourages your intellectual and personal development by providing you with a body of knowledge and industrial experience that will prepare you for a professional career in the construction industry.
Through the industrial placements programme the course has strong links with a variety of construction-based companies. Coupled with the breadth of knowledge gained on the course, this provides graduates with diverse options for their career path, including construction management, project management and commercial management.
Why Brookes?
The department has offered programmes of study in real estate and construction for more than four decades. We have an outstanding reputation for the quality of our teaching and are developing a growing recognition as a centre of excellence in research of international standing.
We aim to give students a firm foundation and prepare them for long-lasting and rewarding careers in the property, construction and related industries. We offer a range of courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels developed in collaboration with industry to meet current and future societal needs. We maintain strong links with the professions and our courses are accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
We have developed strong and extensive links with the property and construction industry sectors and engage leading industry figures of international standing as visiting professors and lecturers. Many of our students are sponsored by the major property and construction companies. Our graduates are highly sought after by industry both nationally and internationally. Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are consistently ranked as excellent in both student surveys and independent quality assessments.
Our teaching is underpinned by strong research activity in the fields of property and construction. All of our academic staff are involved in academic research and/or professional/commercial consultancy work. This allows us to continuously improve our courses to be relevant to the ever-changing needs of industry and to reflect the latest thinking at the cutting-edge of innovation and practice.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Various teaching and learning methods are used to help you develop a range of personal, professional and study skills which will not only prepare you for graduation in the field of construction project management but will also facilitate lifelong learning. Lectures play a significant part in the teaching, together with demonstrations, small group tutorials, practical work, role plays, simulations, problem-solving exercises, and group and individual presentations.
Assessment methods for the modules vary and can include combinations of coursework assignments, laboratory and field practicals, class and web-based tests, oral presentations, group work and examinations.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the course, you will have:
- an understanding of the principles, roles and purposes of construction management
- knowledge and experience of current technologies used in building construction
- practical project management skills, such as budgeting and cost control, preparation of estimates and programming of construction work
- technical skills, including preparation of working drawings, site surveying and appraisal, drafting performance specifications and dealing with legislation
- broad-based management skills, such as organisation of resources, management of labour, evaluation of alternative strategies, and liaison with other design and construction disciplines
- transferable skills, including oral and written communication, teamworking, independent learning and research, problem solving, organisation, and use of information technology.
In detail
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Course content
In Year 1 you will acquire the fundamental knowledge required to understand the process of construction management. You will learn about building construction, materials, law, economics and processes, and how they are managed, while developing teamworking skills.
In Years 2 and 4 you will take modules that broaden and deepen your understanding. Technology studies will prepare you for your year in industry and include the processes of production, the provision of services and the principles and procedures of building design and construction. On the theme of management there is a concentration on the analytical and quantitative techniques associated with project planning, organisation and costs. You will also study construction law and contracts. Integrative project modules provide an opportunity for you to practise and develop your skills through a series of simulated construction projects.
In Year 3 you gain real-life experience working within the industry through a work placement. Our students' practical expertise makes them especially valuable to potential employers and they generally have a wide range of options to choose from for this part of the course.
Independent learning and research are an important part of the course, and in the final year you will complete a supervised dissertation on an approved construction-related subject of your choice.
Due to the course having similar professional competency requirements and learning outcomes to the BSc degree in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management, the students of both courses study the same choice of modules in Years 1 and 2.
In the final year of study (normally after a year of industrial experience) there will be a different choice of modules for each course. The benefit of sharing the same modules until the final year of study is that students will be able to defer the decision on which course to graduate until they have completed their third year industrial placement and are able to make a more informed decision about their future career progression.
As courses are reviewed regularly the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here.
Year 1
- Introduction to Building Design and Construction
- Introduction to Construction and Property Management
- Integrative Project I
- Economics of Built Environment
- Foundation Real Estate and Construction Law (double)
- Introduction to Commercial Management
- Introduction to Spatial Planning
Years 2 and 4
- Construction Practice and Procedure
- Quantity Surveying Practice
- Construction Technology (double)
- Building Science and Environmental Systems
- Construction Procurement and Law
- Integrative Project II
- Construction CIT
- Project Development Feasibility (double)
- Innovation in Management and Technology
- Project Management
- Advanced Procurement and Dispute Resolution
- Facilities Management
- Construction Management Dissertation (double)
- Languages modules
Work placements
The compulsory work placement, taken in Year 3, provides a valuable learning experience and is an important part of the course, consolidating your knowledge and preparing you for your final-year studies. During this year you will work in the construction industry for a minimum of 36 weeks.
The course has strong links with a variety of construction-based employers ranging from local house-builders to international construction companies. The range of work experience offered to students is therefore broad, from managing the restoration of a country manor house to the project management of a multi-million-pound city office development.
If you are a part-time student working in the industry in a suitable capacity, you will be exempt from industrial placement.
Study abroad
In the second year there is a European field trip aimed at broadening your understanding of construction design and management outside the UK. In addition, some students undertake their industrial placement year abroad.
Departmental research highlights
The Construction and Project Management Group brings together individuals with a wide range of expertise in the construction engineering and management fields. The work of the group is highly interdisciplinary and draws on engineering, management, computer and social sciences, and psychology to address challenges facing the construction industry. A particular focus is on the development and use of emerging digital technologies and innovations in sustainable building technologies in enterprise and project networks. Recent projects have included an EPSRC funded project on Knowledge Management in the Construction Industry and a joint TSB/EPSRC funded project on Integrated Carbon, Waste and Cost Modelling.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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Department
Department of Real Estate and Construction
Professional accreditation
The course is dual accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and therefore provides a recognised qualification for graduates wishing to gain membership of either of these professional bodies.
At the last CIOB visit, the panel commented on the high standard of teaching facilities and the support provided to students by the well-qualified and enthusiastic team of staff.
Course length
Full-time: 4 years, including 1-year work placement
Part-time: please contact us for details
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
September 2013
UCAS code
K221 BSc/QM
Fees / funding
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Tuition fees
The fees shown are for the academic year 2012/13. The fees for 2013/14 have yet to be set, and are likely to increase.
UK/EU students
Full-time: £9,000
Part-time: £750 per module. You can take up to five modules per academic year.
Placement year: £2,000. This is the fee for students taking their placement in 2012, and will increase annually with inflation.
International students
Full-time: £11,000
Placement year: £3,290. This is the fee for students taking their placement in 2012, and will increase annually with inflation.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Funding and scholarships
Leadbitter Construction, based in Oxfordshire, offers a £6,515 sponsorship each year to a second-year student.
Many companies employing students on placement offer sponsorship for the final year.
For general sources of financial support, see:
Apply / Entry reqs
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Typical offers
A-level: grades BBC to BCC
IB Diploma: 30-31 points
Advanced Diploma: grade B, including A-level at grade B
Other typical offers include:
- 2 A-levels plus 2 AS-levels equivalent to the offers above
- 1 12-unit vocational A-level (any programme) plus 1 A-level or 2 AS-levels
- BTEC national diploma DMM.
Applicants will be required to attend an interview (usually between December and mid-March) before an offer is made. Offers and the level of offers are dependent on performance at interview so it is worth applying even if you may not meet the average offer of BBC-BCC.
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: Mathematics grade C or above
Please also see the university's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
Please see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Full-time students should apply for this course through UCAS.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Student experience
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Construction Project Management
As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries which will provide you with a host of work placement and other learning opportunities.
Oxford is an outstanding place to study the built environment, from large-scale urban developments to world-famous historic architecture.
It is a vibrant city with plenty of attractions for its large student population, from theatres and cinemas to museums, art galleries and music venues. A bustling and stunning cosmopolitan city, Oxford has excellent shopping, restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs.
Situated in the heart of rural England and home to around 150,000 people, Oxford offers students a clean and safe environment less than an hour from London and international airports.
Specialist facilities
Oxford Brookes has first-class facilities, helping you get the very best from your studies. From libraries to IT suites, you'll find everything you need and we're constantly investing in our services.
A technology laboratory offering testing facilities for the construction industry was opened in 2009. Equipped for both structural and building physics testing, the laboratory features modern facilities for testing that complement our advanced computer modelling and analysis capabilities. The technology laboratory is well equipped for structures tests and demonstrations in steel, concrete and timber. It includes several large reaction frames, concrete mixing and casting facilities and cladding testing equipment.
General support services
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Accommodation
At Brookes we understand that when you live away from home it's important to be somewhere that you feel comfortable and safe.
After graduation
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Professional accreditation
The course is dual accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and therefore provides a recognised qualification for graduates wishing to gain membership of either of these professional bodies.
At the last CIOB visit, the panel commented on the high standard of teaching facilities and the support provided to students by the well-qualified and enthusiastic team of staff.
Career prospects
Our graduates have an outstanding employment record. Local and national construction companies, developers, project managers, house-builders, surveyors and housing associations regularly recruit our students.
Many of these companies visit the department annually to meet and interview students for both placement and graduate positions. Our graduates are recognised as having an excellent level of communication, presentation and problem-solving skills as well as practical experience from their industrial placement year.
