Construction Project Management MSc



Any construction project needs to be expertly managed to ensure its successful completion.

Overview

The role of a Construction and Project Manager is to take responsibility for this outcome, managing all elements of the job, including contractors, materials, budgets and timelines.

A complex and often high-pressure role, requiring a methodical mind and excellent coordination skills, it's also one that can be hugely satisfying.

You'll graduate ready to take on major ventures, and be able to co-ordinate them efficiently and effectively.

You will gain an industry-recognised qualification as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). 

Typical entry points to this course are in January and September. Please enquire for more information.

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Mode of Study:

Full-time (available as Part-time)

(available as Online-learning)

Duration:

1 year

Start date:

Jan

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Course details

You will study six taught modules. A standard module is equivalent to 200 hours of learning and on successful completion of each module, you will achieve 20 credits towards your chosen award. 

You will also undertake personal research and complete a dissertation to gain 60 credits towards your masters degree.


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    How you’ll be taught

    The core material is delivered through lectures and tutorials taught by professionally qualified academic staff and industrial specialists. Independent study is required for each of the modules. Lectures present concepts, theory, techniques and background information.

    Students will undertake three taught modules in each of Trimesters 1 and 2 of the academic year and complete their dissertation in the final trimester.

    You can choose to start in either January or September.

    Duration:

      • September starts: 12 months
      • January starts: 18 months with a three-month break over the summer (after the first taught trimester)

    You will generally attend the university two days a week.

    Term dates are available through the website. This course can also be studied part-time and by online learning. 
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    Assessments

    Assessments

    Assessments are by a mixture of coursework, case study assignments, projects and exams. This can consist of a variety of tasks including report writing, essays, research briefs and posters. You will be provided with formative feedback throughout the modules. This will enable you to assess your progress and level of understanding. Full details of the assessment strategy for each module can be found in the module catalogue by clicking on further information for modules listed and then click on the down arrow beside the delivery date of the module.


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    Work placement

    There is no credit bearing work placement element, however students are encouraged to seek work placements and there is a school unit available to assist the student.
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    Facilities

     All teaching will take place at the Merchiston Campus of Edinburgh Napier University. This is situated at the heart of the beautiful city of Edinburgh allowing the student easy access to one of the most desirable cities in the world.

    The campus is a modern and vibrant facility with state of the art teaching and student support facilities.

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Building Economics ( BSV11111 )

Macroeconomic overview of the national economy.
Appraisal and analysis of the economic structure and health of the property and construction industries and economic trends in the construction industry.
Economic models of urban location and growth, urban land economics, theoretical analysis, assumptions and application of models.
Economic aspects of urban problems.
The concept of building value.
Principles of developer's budgets.
Balancing value and cost.

Further information

Dissertation ( BSV11120 )

Research methodology, developing a proposal, designing a research strategy, literature reviews, data gathering, analysis, presentation, writing up and presentation.




Further information

Procurement Strategy ( BSV11104 )

The module addresses three areas of procurement, strategic issues, selection and decision making, operational and practical considerations, and performance measurement. The content covers aspects of the decision to build and procurement method selection on objective basis, use of professional advisors, procurement management, relative procurement efficiency, procedural stages and their discrete objectives, priorities and risks, project maintenance profiling. EU procurement directives and procurement abroad -commonality and divergence. Client value for money philosophy and techniques. Decision making process. Key performance indicators applied to procurement methods.

Further information

Production Management ( BSV11103 )

Production Management – analysis of construction strategies, physical production systems, on and off site production.
Production planning and programming: phase planning, progressive planning; programming techniques.
Analysis of work study techniques and their use in productivity studies.
Resource Management: manpower planning, plant management; sub-contractor selection, control and co-ordination; materials purchasing and control system; supply chain management and lean construction.

Further information

Project Appraisal and Finance ( BSV11102 )

Project life cycle. Feasibility Studies. Techniques of Economic Project Appraisal. Required Rates of Return on Project Investments. The Capital Asset Pricing Model. Identifying and Valuing Options. Cost Benefit Analysis of Public Sector Projects. Multi-criteria Analysis. International Capital Budgeting. Projects and Environmental Effects.

Project Finance. Domestic and International Financial Institutions. Multilateral Agencies. Financial Instruments. Syndicated Lending. Bonds. Financial Engineering. Derivative Products. Financial Options, futures and swaps. Costs of Raising Project Finance. Financing Infrastructure in Emerging Markets. Financing PFI/PPP Projects. Case Studies.



Further information

Project Management ( BSV11101 )

1. Introduction to project management, what it involves in the modern construction project, and its evolution. 2. The contemporary construction client; why an understanding of clients is vital to successful project management. 3. Project Organisation. 4. Power, Authority, Politics and Responsibility in Project Management. 5. Project Planning using Work Breakdown Structures and Network Analysis techniques. 6. Project Control using Variance Analysis and Earned Value Analysis.

Further information

Project Risk Management ( BSV11105 )

Philosophy of risk. Risk Management Methodology. Risk Identification. Risk Analysis. Management Response to Risk. Major Sources of Risk and Uncertainty.
Expected Monetary Value, Decision Tree Analysis. Sensitivity Analysis. Value of Perfect Information. Elicitation of Probabilistic Information. Utility Theory. Multi-attribute Utility Theory. Risk In Bidding Decisions. Reverse auctions. Risk and Property Auction Design. Risk Analysis Software. Monte Carlo Simulation. Human Aspects in Risk Analysis.
Risk Allocation in Contracts. Insurance and Bonds. Risk in PFI/PPP Projects. Risk in International Project Investments. Portfolio Theory and Practice. Firm-wide Risk Management.
Role of a risk Manager. Case Studies.




Further information

* These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

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Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme.

We may also consider applicants who have completed a Bachelor (Ordinary) degree if they have sufficient relevant work experience within the industry. There may also be an additional essay requirement if they apply with less than an Honours degree, this would be confirmed on submission of the application to the Admissions Team.

As this course is accredited by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the minimum level of qualification to be considered will be at Bachelor (Ordinary) degree level. To check the equivalence of your qualification or experience, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team.

English Language requirements 

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BN Nursing/MSc Nursing (Pre-registration) (Adult, Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities)
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students From 2023/24 2024/25
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £6,930 tba
Overseas and EU £17,090 tba
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers

You will graduate into an industry where your skills are in high demand. With the resurgence in the property market and investment both by the private and public sector in capital projects and infrastructure, there is an increasing demand for Construction Project Managers to service the numerous projects coming on-line across the UK and further afield.

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