Intro

The construction industry is complex with many different elements to consider during the life-cycle of a project and beyond. Our accredited MSc focuses on the operational aspects of a construction project equipping you with the knowledge and understanding you need to take on client, consultancy and contractor managerial roles.

You will learn how to analyse the operational environment, problem solve and manage operations effectively on site. And you’ll develop your understanding of a project’s business case, design, client requirements and construction law, considering the needs of people, resources, organisations, materials and its impact on the environment.

Working in a team you’ll produce and appraise a proposal for a complex project based on a real-world scenario. You’ll learn how to balance timings, costs and performance with the needs of health, safety, welfare and the environment, and produce plans and build skills using specialist industry software.

You will learn with a team of researchers who are experts in construction, engineering and sustainable development. Our team consult for national and regional governments, and organisations such as the Environment Agency and DEFRA. Working closely with your supervisor you’ll research and produce a dissertation that reflects your interests and career aspirations and have the opportunity to specialise through option modules.

You also benefit from our well-established links with industry and access to our specialist facilities.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) and the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM).

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Course structure

You can study this course full-time or part-time.

The course consists of taught and research components. To be awarded the MSc you must obtain 180 credits. Six taught modules at 20 credits each, plus your dissertation at 60 credits. A typical 20-credit module requires a total of 200 hours study time.

For the taught element you will be at university for lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes, individual supervision sessions and team working. Modules are assessed based on learning objectives using coursework, presentations, oral and/or written examination at the end of the semester.

 The masters dissertation is an individual research project. You explore innovative solutions to the issues you are examining and produce a written thesis in an area of construction engineering, technology or management that is of particular interest to you.

Construction students on placement

Areas of study

You'll consolidate and expand your skills and knowledge through the six core modules, and choose one option module. The dissertation is an opportunity to develop a piece of independent research in a relevant subject of your choosing.

Core modules

  • Masters Dissertation
  • Construction Management
  • Project Planning and Analysis
  • Construction Law and Procurement
  • Project Risk and Financial Analysis
  • Sustainable Construction

Options*

  • Energy Assessment of Buildings
  • Environmental Impact Assessment
  • Environmental Management in Organisations

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Students studying architectural diagrams on the computer

Careers

Accreditation 

Our MSc is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers.

Our accreditation is being reconfirmed with the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) as part of a regular review. JBM comprises the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, the Institute of Highway Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution. We have every expectation that our accreditation will be renewed later in the academic year.

 

CIOB logo

CABE logo

RICS logo

JBM accrediting body logo montage 2021

Preparing for your career 

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree.

  • Gain a critical understanding of the construction management process within the project life cycle
  • Develop a wider knowledge and understanding of the operational aspects of a project, from a specialised construction management view
  • Develop advanced research, analytical, presentation and communication skills and demonstrate team working, leadership and independent solution-driven critical thinking skills.
Construction student on placement

Facilities 

Your learning is supported by access to our specialist facilities including:

  • software suites running software 
  • environment and public health lab
  • soil and water analysis lab
  • soil and sediment analysis lab
  • concrete lab
  • geology lab
  • hydraulics lab
  • environmental simulation lab
  • gamma logger and spectrometer
Civil engineering laboratory

Industry links 

Our well-established links with industry provide networking opportunities and shared insight. Senior representatives of construction companies, architects and surveyors from around the region meet regularly at our industry advisory board to review our courses, ensuring they remain up-to-date and relevant to industry.

Graduate destinations 

Graduates have gone on to successful construction management careers in organisations such as Buro Four, Mace, Kier and London Underground or as researchers undertaking further study at doctorate level.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
Honours degree; or other degree plus at least two years postgraduate experience in a position of responsibility; or full membership of a relevant chartered professional body.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,100 GBP

International (full-time)15,800 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

For architecture, interior architecture, design and product design, additional costs are as follow

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Over the last four years Moulsecoomb has undergone a major transformation, planned with accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in mind.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

On campus you’ll find professional-standard facilities and learning resources for all of our subjects and a brand new academic building Elm House, alongside the library, student centre, fitness facilities and the Students’ Union.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Two people walking past Mithras halls

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Moulsecoomb Place, Mithras halls and Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
    • Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
    • Moulsecoomb Place halls are all self-catered and are located right on campus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Park

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Students eating at the Hub

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Students talking in a social area

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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