Management in Construction with Law

Entry requirements

Good honours degree (minimum 2.2) or equivalent in a related discipline, and/or suitable industrial experience. Please note: each application is assessed on an individual basis and may be subject to additional requirements, such as undertaking short course(s), work experience and/or English language qualification(s). Meeting particular minimum entry requirements does not automatically guarantee a place.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The varying and increasingly complex nature of the construction industry has led to a demand for professionals with the skills to analyse, manage and solve intricate problems that often arise on major projects. Designed to address this demand, this industry-accredited, part-time course is particularly suitable if you have an interest in the commercial aspects of the construction industry and would like the confidence to operate in the challenging environment of contractual arrangements. This specialised course is more suitable to applicants with a number of years of work experience in the construction industry.

Further learning programme – MSc (non-technical)

This degree is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators, which includes the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers, under licence from the Engineering Council, 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 Joint Board of Moderators for further information.

Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

Please check the Engineering Council website for more information.

What will you study

You will study the English legal systems and examine in detail the forms of contract in common use. You will gain an understanding of how design and construction work is priced and how to control these costs. You will learn how to analyse the rights and liabilities of the parties involved in the construction process, and how to manage dispute resolution. You will also develop a commercial awareness of inter-company relationships, as well as gaining a working knowledge of modern project management and risk management techniques in controlling construction and design work.

Available modules

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

• Management of Project Risk, Quality and Safety

  The module starts with a general introduction into the management of projects, and then goes more deeply into the technical aspects of project management techniques and project risk analysis.

  It also covers many aspects of health and safety legislation and practice, starting from the history of health and safety in the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act, risk assessment, and covers major sets of regulations that impact on construction work. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations are dealt with in depth, as this is a key piece of statutory legislation that relates to the construction industry. Good practice and the importance of advice and guidance are emphasised.

  Quality management is dealt with in relation to the requirements of the latest edition of ISO9000, and the process leading to registration under this standard. Modern practices in quality and the use of various quality management techniques are covered.
• Business in Practice

  This module runs on Saturdays.

  This module is aimed at the practical needs of students from different academic contexts such as, but not limited to computing, science, medicine, biotechnology and the health services who are aspiring team leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs in business within the context of the commercial, public, voluntary, or academic sector.

  The module introduces and uses activities and problem-solving to investigate business topics ranging from finance, accounting, budgeting, and marketing, to organisational management by developing the leadership skills to meet business challenges and cope with its complexity.
• Construction Law and Dispute Resolution

  This module further develops understanding and development of knowledge and skills of law and dispute resolution methods for professionals and managers of construction projects and considers the interrelationship of common, contract and statutory law in relation to construction disputes is essential to researchers, professionals and managers in the construction industry.

  In addition, the research and application of construction/dispute resolution law and related procedure are investigated in order to maintain sustainable commercial and professional relationships.

  The overarching aim is to give you the skills and knowledge to operate at more senior levels in the construction industry, to understand the industry practices and apply construction law to resolving disputes.
• Legal Obligations and Conditions of Contract

  In this module you will:

  • acquire an understanding of the legal rules governing the law of contract, the law of tort and the administration of the English legal system;
  • apply the tort of negligence, duty of care, breach of duty and remoteness of damage; and
  • evaluate and critically analyse how a contract is discharged and identify how a contract is performed and breached.
• Dissertation

Information for international students

In order to complete your programme successfully, it is important to have a good command of English and be able to apply this in an academic environment. Therefore, if you are a non-UK applicant* you will usually be required to provide certificated proof of English language competence before commencing your studies.

For this course the minimum requirement is Academic IELTS of 6.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in Reading, Listening and Speaking.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements may be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Please make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we'll consider.

* Applicants from one of the recognised majority English speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Fees and funding

Please visit our website for further information.