CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
IN LINE WITH THE MISSION OF THE MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF DESIGN, GRADUATE STUDIES IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY ARE CONCEIVED TO INTEGRATE THE PRESENT REQUIREMENTS OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION WITH THE FUTURE NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRY, DOMESTICALLY AS WELL AS INTERNATIONALLY.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Construction Management at the University of Melbourne is understood in the broadest possible way, as a discipline ideally incorporating any area of technical endeavour that seeks to improve our ability to manage the industrial structure, the fabrication and procurement process, and the output of building.
To this end, the Master of Construction Management at Melbourne rests as much on practice as it does on theory: it is a professional degree for graduates who not only want to gain employment in
the construction industry but also want to contribute, intellectually, to tackling its social, technological, financial and environmental challenges.
In order to enable highly qualifying, true post-graduate instruction in the discipline, the Master of Construction Management provides students with the possibility to organise their studies and concentrate their curricula in seven different areas of specialisation:
» building
» cost management
» project management
» building systems and trade specialties
» corporate management
» policy
» research & development.
Some of these areas are there to provide graduates with solid foundations for a future career in construction or construction academia, whereas other areas have been designed for students coming back from industry, who are interested in further developing their expertise strategically by accessing knowledge frameworks not yet broadly available in practice.
Each area has its own list of core and selective subjects, chosen from a pool of offerings common to the program.
THE PROGRAM
The structure of the Master of Construction Management is organised around 200-credit points, or 16 subjects (12.5 points each). Full-time load per semester is four subjects (50 points.)
The curriculum in each area of specialisation consists of:
» 8 core subjects (100 points)
» at least 4 selective subjects (50 points) chosen from a menu of 12
» and up to 4 elective subjects picked from broad university offerings
(For each area, the program recommends 24 subjects as possible electives.) Two electives must be agreed upon with the academic coordinator.
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
This course is recognised by national and international professional associations and undergoes a regular review process for quality assurance.
CAREER OUTCOMES
Depending on their specialisation, graduates from the Master of Construction Management are expected to work with general construction companies, quantity surveying organisations, project management firms, trade specialists and specialised consultants, institutional bodies and research institutions.
SPECIALISATIONS
Building
The major in building is conceived for those students who aspire to become construction managers and work with medium-large general contracting companies. It has a strong technical component concerned with construction planning, contract administration and site operations.
Cost Management
The specialisation in cost management prepares students for a professional career in quantity surveying, cost engineering and cost estimating in the Australian and the International market. Its main technical component is concerned with all aspects of contractual and financial management in construction projects.
Project Management
The specialisation in project management is conceived for students who have an interest in coordinating all aspects of the building procurement process on behalf of clients or within client organisations. Educational focus is placed on the integration of technical dimensions and the ability to understand, foresee, evaluate and control industry contributions to a project.
Building Systems and Trade Specialities
The specialisation in building systems and trade specialties is designed for those who want to study and contribute to the construction industry from a supplier, manufacturer, or specialised consultant perspective, particularly by focusing on innovative components and products. Attention is centred on the analysis of the industry and the ways in which industry actors come together, at both market and project level.
Corporate Management
The specialisation in corporate management is conceived to give students the ability to analyse and understand the relationship between companies, industry and markets in construction, so as to allow them to assume strategic roles in the corporate structures active in it.
Policy
The specialisation in policy is aimed at producing graduates interested in and capable of dealing with the macro aspects of the construction industry, and intervening on its structural characteristics by working for government, institutional bodies or industry groups.
Research and Development
The specialisation in research and develop- ment caters for students interested in pursuing higher research degrees in construction and developing an academic career, or occupying R&D positions in the industry. It is designed to provide an all-encompassing view of the industry and its challenges, as well as promote analytical, problem-definition and problem-solving skills at an academic level.
Compulsory subjects for students with a previous degree from a non-cognate discipline
The following compulsory introductory subjects must take prior to being admitted to specialised Master offerings:
Commercial construction
Construction of buildings
Cost management
Environmental systems
Fundamentals of built environment law
Management of construction
Managerial economics
Materials and structures
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