MSc Construction
Cost Management
Programme information
The programme provides an opportunity for new entrants to the
professional practice of Construction Cost Management, who have
taken degrees in non-related disciplines. It provides an introduction
to the fundamental academic subjects related to Construction Cost
Management and an understanding of the latest academic theories
and research, which inform vocational practice in the financial
management of construction projects.
What is Construction Cost
Management?
All development projects, construction projects and construction
opera-tions must be financially managed. This requires forecasting, budgeting, planning, monitoring and settling of
accounts on behalf of the developer
or the constructor. Construction cost managers or quantity surveyors undertake these tasks by applying
experience, skills and techniques of
financial planning and appraisal, quan
-tification and costing or work materials and operations.
In all contemporary development and construction projects, the finan
-cial imperative is intense. Modern cost management in this context is complex. Client organisations are often pluralistic, comprising multiple stake
-holders with different objectives. The complexity of the construction process leads to inherent uncertainty. The role of the cost manager is to integrate the various sectors of a supply chain in order to manage costs and revenues throughout the duration of the project from inception to completion. The
successful cost manager must therefore have the ability to integrate and lead an accountancy team in an atmosphere of uncertainty. Effective leadership and sensitivity to human and design issues are vital as well as financial acuity. The discipline of cost management contin
-ues to evolve and the Reading MSc in Construction Cost Management is at the forefront of these developments.
A Masters degree without a
career break
The modular structure provides the
opportunity to study by combining intensive residential weeks at the University spread over two years for part-time students. (Full-time students undertake the same learning com
-pressed into one year.)
Each module includes internet-based distance–learning support, accessible only to registered students. Modules are taught by academic and industry experts and include rigorous practice-related assignments. The MSc course is completed by a research–
based dissertation on a topic of the
Our courses
MSc Construction Cost Management 12 months full-time.
MSc Construction Cost Management 24-63 months Flexible part-time. Entry requirements
Candidates must possess a good
honours degree in any discipline. International students
If your previous education was not
taught in English, an IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 570 is required.
For more information see:
www.reading.ac.uk/study/ international/study-english.asp
Related subjects
MSc Project Management MSc Construction in Emerging Economies
MSc Construction Management MSc Design and Management of
Sustainable Built Environments MSc Renewable Energy: Technology and Sustainability
Research degrees
In addition to taught programmes, we offer research degrees. For more information about the availability of research degrees, please contact:
MSc in Construction
Cost Management
The School of Construction Management and Engineering enjoys
an international reputation for its high-quality built environment
research, industry-engagement and teaching. The reputation of the
School is based on the authority of its academic staff, including ten
professors. This wide range of expertise and international experience
contributes directly to the quality of the School’s degree courses and
research programmes. Nearly 90% of our research has been rated as
being of international standing (RAE 2008).
Academic excellence and practical
relevance
The Reading MSc in Construction Cost Management was launched in 1999 as a unique and innovative route for entry
to a professional career in the
construc-tion industry and surveying profession for graduates from a wide range of disciplines. It very quickly attracted a reputation as the premier programme in cost management for the construc
-tion industry and surveying profession. Many leading organisations sponsor candidates for the programme on a regular basis, several of whom have now risen to influential positions in the industry. The programme attracts high quality graduates from all disciplines and prepares them for a career with a professional firm or construction
contractor. We take applications from the UK and overseas. The programme is unique in the way it combines academic excellence with practical relevance. The programme content is continually updated to reflect best practice in a changing and increasingly global industry.
Career opportunities
Graduates will typically find employ
-ment in cost manage-ment or quantity surveying with public and private
sector clients, consultants, or
contrac-tors in the building, civil engineering or oil & gas sectors.
‘I chose to complete my MSc in Construction Cost Management at the University of Reading as it is a highly respected Institution as recommended by the RICS which offered current best practice in the industry and a wealth of resources.
A place to excel
The University occupies a spacious parkland campus of 300 acres.
Formerly a private estate, it was extensively landscaped in the
18th century. Rich in mature trees and shrubs, the campus includes
a lake and a conservation area. It provides a green and tranquil
setting for walking or jogging. Despite its parkland nature, the
campus is only a mile and a half from the shopping and leisure
facilities of the busy centre of Reading. The town is 40 miles west
of London between Windsor and Oxford. The train journey from
Reading to London Paddington is 25 minutes.
Accommodation
For Full-time mode
The University has a range of halls (self-catered, catered) and different types of rooms (premium en-suite room, en-suite room, townhouse room, standard room with washbasin, and standard room without washbasin). For more information, please visit the accommodation website:
www.reading.ac.uk/life/life-accommodation.aspx
For Part-time mode
The Cedars Hotel
The Cedars Hotel is a purpose built Hotel and Conference Centre on
Whiteknights Campus, with 34 double en-suite bedrooms and 2 twin en-suite bedrooms with disabled facilities, available all year round. All rooms are equipped with televisions, desks, telephones, tea and coffee making facilities, fresh towels and linen, Wi-Fi internet, and free on-site car parking.
For bed & breakfast enquiries, please contact reception on +44 (0)118 378 8906 or email [email protected]
Local hotels around the campus
We also maintain a list of local hotels and guest houses if you would like to reside in the town rather than within the Whiteknights campus. The list is
available online at www.reading.ac.uk/about/about-hotels.asp.
Advanced practice: the School’s long-term collaborative relationships with leading professional cost management and quantity surveying organisations and international and national construction
companies ensure that the programme is at the forefront of construction cost
management practice worldwide. Research-intensive environment: the School’s internationally-leading built environment research informs
the programme content and provides
a research-intensive environment for students.
Multidisciplinary ethos: the School’s multidisciplinary approach to the built
environment ensures that students are
equipped with a good knowledge-base to understand and solve complex cost and financial problems in development. The degree is accredited by the
Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Continuing professional development: individual modules may also be taken as part of a personal continuing professional development (CPD) programme. CPD delegates are not assessed and only attend module sessions. A University certificate is awarded on completion of each module (for fulfilling professional requirements for CPD).
The School has a proven-track record of successfully delivering Construction Cost Management and Quantity Surveying education for 30 years.
Career options
Career options that could stem from the programme:
Construction cost manager
Financial director
Professional quantity surveyor Contractor’s quantity surveyor
Construction contract manager
Previous dissertation titles
include:
The implementation of Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) projects: a case study from the Sultanate of Oman.
The development and impact of long-term construction framework agreements within local government.
The use of private finance in the National Health Service (NHS): long term partners or destined
for separation?
Do standard forms of contract
influence the effectiveness
of incorporating change in construction contracts?
Pre-contract tender pricing considerations of supply chains in the UK construction industry.
Who should attend?
The programme is intended for those who wish to commence or
progress in a construction cost management or quantity surveying
career with a developer, professional firm or construction
organisation The programme is designed for graduates of any
discipline who seek to prepare themselves for a career in this area.
Programme themes
The aim of the programme is to provide a coherent framework for
the discipline and practice of project
management. Each module comprises sessions delivered by leading practi
-tioners. The programme is continually informed not only by the latest devel
-opments in industry, but also by on-going international research. A recurring theme throughout the pro
-gramme concerns the dynamic nature of construction projects. Not only is it necessary to set clear objectives for finance and expenditure at the begin
-ning of a project, it is also important to update them continually as the project unfolds. Construction projects take
place over extended periods of time,
often in volatile economic situations.
International construction projects are
doubly complex because of the vagaries of exchange rates and currency fluctua
-tions.
A further theme is provided by the need for construction cost managers to provide leadership in financial manage
-ment and control. This requires a high
level of interpersonal and technical
skills to ensure that the large sums of money involved in construction projects are spent effectively, according to plan.
Professor John Connaughton Professor of Sustainable Construction Professor Roger Flanagan
Professor of Construction Management Professor Stuart Green
Professor of Construction Management Professor Will Hughes
Professor of Construction Management and Economics
Professor Jennifer Whyte Professor of Innovation and Design
Dr Tabarak Ballal
Lecturer in Building Technology Dr Katherine Hyde
Lecturer in Environmental Sustainability
Further details of staff can be found here
www.reading.ac.uk/cme-staff.aspx
Our staff
The course is led by internationally renowned and research-active
academic staff. Specialist expertise is provided by a number of visiting
experts who contribute to the course as external lecturers, advisers
and research collaborators.
Dr Florence Phua
Director of MSc Construction Cost Management
Funding
There are several possibilities for accessing funding to participate
in our courses.
International students seeking funding should contact their local British Council office. Further information is available from their website
www.britishcouncil.org/learning-funding-your-studies.htm
The University of Reading offers a limited number of scholarships and bursaries to UK and EU students. Please note that there is considerable competition for all these sources of funds.
Please see the link below.
Core modules
Dissertation
The aim is equip students with the necessary understanding, knowledge
and skills to formulate research
prob-lems, develop and apply appropriate investigative approaches, interpret data and present findings. The knowl
-edge and skills developed will provide
broad-based support for students to
engage in reflexive scholarship in all of their taught modules. This module has a specific emphasis on preparing students for the dissertation.
Construction Cost
Management Principles
and Practice
This integrating module involves a series of exercises and case studies. Students will explore and integrate the
application of the core modules to
real-istic examples relating to construction cost management.
The aim is to explore the changing nature of knowledge and practice in the cost management of construc -tion projects and the environments
in which they are undertaken. These changes bring new opportunities and new challenges for construction cost managers.
Construction cost
engineering
Built facilities incur cost in construc -tion, maintenance, refurbishment and
demolition. The financial manage -ment techniques required for this
are specific to construction. Financial managers in construction require cost engineering expertise, which is central to the aims and content of this module.
Introduction to project
management
The construction industry is undoubt
-edly a project-based industry. Effective project management is central not only to project performance, but also to performance on the industry level. The last decades have seen significant changes in the way that construction projects are managed. Traditionally, fragmented approaches have given way to the provision of an integrated project management approach that
delivers construction projects to required standards of time, cost
and quality.
Construction contract law
The procurement of construction
work takes place within a legislative framework. Contracts result from agree
-ments between business for all forms of consultancy and construction work, whether they are formally written or not. New developments in statutes,
court cases and standard form
contract-ing have a significant impact on the
kind of deals that take place in the
con-struction industry. This module seeks to explain the statutory and contractual
context of contracts in construction, in
order that they will be able to recognise
and confront the kinds of problem that
can get in the way of successful contract management.
Construction economics
Construction economics concerns a range of issues encountered in the con
-struction process, at three broad levels: macro, dealing with the role of the construction industry in the national economy and the impact of
macro-economic policies and developments
on the property and construction sectors; meso, focusing specifically on
the size, structure and performance of
the construction industry, and how it
compares to other sectors; and micro,
covering the economic performance and behaviour of construction firms
and the economics of construction
projects, in their respective markets.
The aim is to provide an
understand-ing of how the conceptual framework of economic analysis can help address a wide range of practical problems and
questions encountered in the modern
construction industry.
Elective modules
In addition, modules from other MSc Programmes within this School may be selected, subject to timetabling constraints:
For more information, please contact:
Programme Administrator
University of Reading Whiteknights
The statements made and information provided are a general guide and there may be changes following publication which affect the contents. Programmes or modules may be altered or withdrawn without notice and assessment arrangements may be changed. For details of any changes made since publication, please refer to the website address at the bottom of this page.
This document is © University of Reading 2014. It was designed and printed in 03/2014.
