BSc (Hons) Construction Management

Ensuring that a building project runs smoothly, with enough materials, equipment, workers and money to deliver it, is a huge task. So, too, is monitoring construction quality and progress.

This course will give you the knowledge and contacts to take on that kind of responsibility.

You'll learn a broad range of skills in your first year, sharing modules with Civil Engineering and Surveying. Later you can choose to specialise in specific construction management disciplines.

There are so many aspects to construction management -  sorting out resources, materials and labour, planning transport routes. It's all about what we call 'supply chain management'. You have to make sure everything runs efficiently - and that means a lot of work in many different areas. 

You need to have good interpersonal skills and be comfortable working as part of a large team. And you have to keep in mind your client's requirements at all times. This course will help you learn how to juggle all these responsibilities successfully.

Key areas you'll study include the planning and financing of projects, required contract law and of course health and safety knowledge - both for yourself and others.

Building without proper planning can be a dangerous business when it comes to working at heights, excavating and shifting materials. You'll learn how to manage it and make it safe.

You'll also learn about sustainable design. Plus, you'll look at the contractual side of things, and how to ensure sub-contractors work to the required standards.

Among the modules you'll study on the course are: Building Technology and Materials: Advanced Technology, Planning and Production; Legal and Regulatory Framework; Contract Law in Construction; Tendering, Estimating and Cost Control; Sustainable Building Technology; and Project Management Studies.

Think of a triangle with three points - time, cost and quality. Time planning and logistics, cost control and management, and quality control are vital skills for a construction manager, and they're skills employers will be looking for when you graduate.

• Tawjihi: 60% for Foundation
• 3 x AS Levels: Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 2.0 for Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 3.0 + SAT1 1070 for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 25 points with minimum 15 at Higher Level for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• 3 x A Levels: Direct Entry to Bachelor's

Thanks to our excellent links with industry, graduates from this course have gone on to work on projects all over the world.

Some have been involved with UK construction projects such as the Shard and the Olympic Athletes' Village in Stratford. Others have travelled internationally to areas of dynamic regeneration such as Dubai or Qatar.

Many of our overseas students go back to work in countries such as Nigeria and Malaysia.

Your most likely job on graduation will be an assistant site manager, working in a role where you have responsibility for a broad range of activities. If you perform impressively on site, and deal well with people, you could soon find yourself taking responsibility for really large projects.

A typical project will take 18 months or two years, during which time you'll be working very closely with a wide variety of people performing different jobs.

If you're working on a rail project, or on the London Underground, work often needs to be scheduled for weekends and Bank Holidays. You might spend six months planning for one Bank Holiday weekend, booking in equipment, materials and labour. Imagine the satisfaction you'll feel when everything you have planned for comes together.

It's a hugely challenging but hugely rewarding area of employment.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.