Master of Construction Management Practice

Overview

Ensure construction projects are managed on time and to budget with the Master of Construction Management Practice. This course will prepare you for professional roles in managing people, equipment, materials, and projects in building construction and civil infrastructure works. Our syllabus covers advanced management and engineering approaches, as well as the innovative tools, including software, needed to manage construction projects.

Aims and objectives

At the completion of the Master of Construction Management course, graduates will be able to: 

• Apply high-level advanced knowledge and skills in Construction Management practice related to design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings and civil infrastructure

• Plan and execute an independent research project in a relevant Construction Management topic by applying appropriate research principles, sound methods and technical research skills

• Reflect in managing practical issues/ complex problems and describing/ developing contemporary and sustainable Construction Management trends and best practices related to design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings and civil infrastructure 

• Investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, perceptions, problems, concepts and theories of Construction Management practice to provide rational solutions to composite problems using critical thinking and team-based/ independent judgement in the project-based construction industry

• Exercise clear and coherent communication for all professional purposes with specialist and non-specialist audiences including clients, customers, multi-disciplinary/ multi-cultural project teams and stakeholders

• Exercise and exhibit a high-level of accountability, autonomy, credibility, ethics, and integrity in all professional responsibilities and personal work outputs.

Career opportunities

The Master of Construction Management Practice postgraduate course aims to prepare graduates for future professional roles in managing people, equipment, materials, technological processes, projects and funds in the construction projects and construction industry organisations.

Graduate skills

The program will provide the following generic attributes:

• Providing career orientated education

• Developing links with industry and knowledge transfer 

• Undertaking research which is applied and relevant to the needs of industry 

• Developing lifelong learning skills

• Establishing international links including opportunities for collaboration with Swinburne’s other campuses

Professional recognition

Completion of this course may assist graduates in meeting eligibility criteria for membership to various levels of Engineers Australia.

Volume of Learning

Points and all other units in the course normally carry 12.5 credit points. A standard annual full-time load comprises 100 credit points and a part-time load comprises 50 credit points. The volume of learning of the Master of Construction Management Practice is typically 12 months.

Research Statement

The AQF level 9 research components are met in the Master of Construction Management Practice specifically through the unit CVE80001 Research Paper. This postgraduate unit provides students with the opportunity to undertake a minor research investigation on a construction management topic and prepare a research paper having potential to be published in peer-reviewed conferences or journals. Elements of research methods will also be introduced in the core unit CSM80006 Engineering Project Management. Research methods and skills are also taught and developed over weekly synchronous lectures and material made available online in CVE80001 and assessed at mid-semester prior to the development of a full paper. The unit is primarily assessed on the strength of the students’ research skills, via the following assessment pieces such as (a) a final paper or report (70%); and (b) an oral-based presentation (20-25%). In this way, both written and oral communication skills are explicitly assessed. Conducting research on a topic specific to the postgraduate course allows students to develop, and be assessed on a range of skills such as: (i) the ability to work independently; (ii) the ability to work on a relevant problem that may be unfamiliar; (iii) open-ended problem-solving; and (iv) systematic analyses. Weekly tutorials and meetings with an academic supervisor provide opportunities for students develop the following research skills:- create, reflect upon, and iterate the study; understand and improve their knowledge of research design principles; manage a research project; analyse and appraise the literature and the current state-of-the-art. These skills are also inherent in the production of a paper that is targeting potential publication outcomes. Furthermore, the capstone unit would have some potential applied research opportunities in a relevant work-integrated learning environment.

Maximum Academic Credit

The maximum level of credit that can be granted for the Master of Construction Management Practice is 25 credit points (normally two units). Note that the Graduate Certificate of Construction Management does not provide advanced standing into this degree.