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Queen's University Belfast

Construction & Project Management

Overview
You'll learn to apply management methods to design, engineering and construction problems, and be able to be plan, monitor and control construction projects by integrating technical knowledge with leadership, commercial and managerial skills.

About You
You could be: a civil engineer, an architect, a planner, a manager, a lawyer, or an archaeologist

You could have been in work for a while already: some of our previous students have been many years into their career when they join us.

Or you may be a recent graduate, for example with a BEng. This Master's gives you the opportunity to acquire a management 'bolt on' on top of your engineering degree.

What Will You Learn?
The course's primary focus is on project management, which will give you the chance to take your career forward in any industry, not just in construction.

We teach the principles of project management the distinct discipline of working to agreed deadlines, starts and finishes on a given project.

What's Involved
In your first semester you'll have the option to take a three-day study tour in London. You'll get an insight into how industrial companies work, who are always interested in Queen's graduates. Companies such as:
•The McAvoy Group,
•JA Rattigan and Son
•Keir
•CrossRail, and
•Multiplex, who built Wembley Stadium. They value our students so much that they dedicated an entire day of the last study trip to addressing us, with every senior figure available to talk to us.

Why Queen's?
The degree has been accredited by the following:
•The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
•Accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree. See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.
•Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

Entry requirements

MSc:
Graduate
Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or above in a relevant Science, Engineering, Architecture, Management or Social Science discipline, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.

Applicants who do not meet the above academic requirements but hold a relevant professional qualification and can demonstrate appropriate experience, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

PgDip and PgCert
Graduate
Normally a Third Class Honours degree in a relevant Science, Engineering, Architecture, Management or Social Science discipline or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.

Applicants who do not meet the above academic requirements but hold a relevant professional qualification and can demonstrate appropriate experience, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL).

Please visit http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicy for more information.

Please note: the PG Certificate is only open to UK and EU applicants.

International Students
For information on international qualification equivalents please select Your Country from the list on our International Students website.

English language requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
• Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
• Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.

Duration

MSc: 1 year full-time, 3 years part-time.
PG Diploma: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.
PG Cert: 1 year full-time

Teaching times
Semesters 1-2: Mon and Tues, 12 weeks/semester, lectures 1.00-7.30pm. Will include team-working for coursework preparation outside of lecture times; and may involve optional self-funded UK/International Study Tours.

Careers or further progression

Career Prospects
PgDip/PgCert
Introduction
There are excellent career opportunities for our graduates as project managers, contract managers, design managers, project architects, project engineers, planners, etc., within project management consultants, construction companies, property developers and government agencies, amongst others. Graduates are also well prepared for PhD research, which may lead to careers in research establishments and universities.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

MSc
Employment after the Course
Where Could You Be In Five Years Time?
You could be anywhere in the world as a project manager any of the major design, project management or construction consultants.

Countries such as India and Canada are investing heavily in their infrastructure trillions of dollars in the next few years - and they need project managers like you to make it happen.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

Further enquiries

Ron Coates
Course Director
Email: askeps@qub.ac.uk

Subjects taught

Course Details
• Construction Economics and Facilities Management
• Construction Law 1: Contract Law, Tort and Evidence
• Construction Law 2: Dispute Resolution
• Design Management
• Procurement and Contract Administration
• Project Management
• Planning and Control
• Research Methods for Managers
• Strategic Management and International Construction
• Individual Research Project (Dissertation)

For full-time students the final four months of the programme (Semester 3) will be dedicated to an individual research project. Part-time students may arrange their programme, subject to timetabling and arrangement with the Programme Co-ordinator.

Students matriculating from the joint programme with other universities will be granted programme credit for four modules taken at that university.

MSc with Industrial Internship
Students on the Construction and Project Management with Industrial Internship programme will undertake a second year of study on an Industrial Internship with a construction employer.

The University does not organise or provide Industrial Internships. It is the student's responsibility to arrange their own Industrial Internship (anywhere internationally) that can be approved by the University in line with agreed Health, Safety and Welfare requirements and with specifically approved induction criteria. See also the University requirements for supervisors/mentors (Details in Assessment, below).

Please note that only those who achieve an average of 55 per cent in Year 1/Semester 1 taught modules will be allowed to progress into the Year 2 Internship. Students who do not meet this criterion will complete the one-year MSc in Construction and Project Management.

Comment

Learning and Teaching
Who Will Be Teaching You?
A small core of tutors with decades of academic and industrial experience. Here's what your predecessors liked about them:

"Ron Coates for his superlative use of anecdote and Dr John Spillane for being very generous with his time in spite of being one of the busiest people I know."

Environment
You'll be taught in a class of around 50 if you're a full-time student, alongside students from places such as India, China, Vietnam and Egypt. Our teaching starts in the afternoon as we know some of you will need to take time off work to attend classes. You'll have the beautiful new Graduate School at your disposal as well as the facilities within the School.

Construction and Project Management highlights
Our Joint Board of Moderators accreditation means that when you graduate, you have the chance to become a chartered engineer.

Professional Accreditations
• The degree has been accredited by the following: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) undergraduate first degree. See www.jbm.org.uk for further information. Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Assessment method

Assessment is carried out in January and May.
Overall ratio of coursework to unseen examinations is 50:50

Written dissertation/thesis

PG Diploma students who achieve, at the first attempt, an MSc standard of performance in coursework and examinations, will be invited by the Board of Examiners to transfer to the MSc pathway.

MSc students who have achieved a minimum of 50 per cent in the compulsory modules and an average of 50 per cent or above overall in the taught programme, are required to undertake an individual research project and submit a dissertation in September. This dissertation must be passed at 50 per cent for the award of the MSc.

Students who achieve an overall average for their taught modules and dissertation in the range 60 per cent to 69 per cent will be awarded a Commendation. Students who achieve an average of 65 per cent or above in the taught programme and 70 per cent or more for the dissertation, with an overall average of 70 per cent or more, will be awarded a Distinction.

Application date

MSC
Applications for this course, received after 30th June may not be accepted. A deposit will be required to secure a place.

Postgraduate Taught
Closing dates do apply for some of our courses, and details of these are available on our Course Finder. We advise you to apply as early as possible, particularly for those courses where there is a high demand for places. Early application is also important for international applicants to allow sufficient time to obtain a student entry visa.

How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal go.qub.ac.uk/pgapply and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply. See application weblink below.