BSc (Hons) Construction Management with Foundation Year

Our BSc (Hons) Construction Management degree is delivered by the team behind our award-winning Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT), which reflects the transformative potential of timber and more eco-compatible materials to meet the challenges and opportunities for a sustainable built environment.

• Benefit from our sustainably built Skylon Campus in the heart of Hereford’s Enterprise Zone. This future-focused campus includes the most advanced and sustainable design and construction methods available.

• Understand the practical and conceptual reasons that lead to unsustainable practices in the built environment, and develop the knowledge and skills needed to make change happen across the construction lifecycle, from culture to demolition and disposal.

• Be equipped to be a change agent in the mainstream built construction sector and contribute meaningfully to sustainability-focused organisations. You’ll possess a deep understanding of biogenic and sustainable materials, enabling you to effectively apply this knowledge across a broad spectrum of both traditional and innovative building practices.

• Enjoy challenge-led learning – hands-on with real-world problems that offer the opportunity to contrast and evaluate different materials choices and construction practices.

• Practically learn to navigate and add value to contemporary building practice.

• Gain extensive knowledge through consistent industrial and community engagement with an industry placement. You'll learn from and with professionals in practice.

• Receive support, whenever needed - you'll benefit from high contact time with our academic team, as well as 1:1 support through your allocated Personal Tutor, access to the Academic Skills and Knowhow Centre, and Student Services.

• Our Foundation Year is available to applicants who do not meet the entry requirements of this degree. On successful completion, students will be able to progress directly into year one of the degree.

Foundation Year

• Creativity and Fundamental Engineering Skills - Explore the range of technical and non-technical skills required within engineering and technology including laws of physics, principles mathematics, and communication, collaboration and digital skills.

• Engineered Structures and Mechanisms - Investigate different types of engineered objects and how they work. You'll carry out tests, and work with models of real structures and moving artefacts such as buildings and transport.

• Engineering and Technology as Problem-solving - Develop your understanding of how engineering and technology fit within a wider societal context, through the solving of a systems-based problem that would pose real-world repercussions. Along the way, you'll further develop your skills in maths, modelling, producing graphs and using digital tools.

• Engineering and Technology Project - Apply your learning across the year to an individual project, finding out about various engineering and technology disciplines and the roles they play in different industries and business sectors, and considering your own future career options.

Level 4

• Sustainability and Construction - You'll explore sustainability and the impact of construction and delve into sustainable development policies, waste management, and recycling in the built environment. You'll learn how optimising internal environments enhances a building’s carbon footprint and study economic principles, fair trade, and corporate social responsibility, preparing you to influence the construction industry and promote societal inclusivity.

• Materials for the Built Environment – Examine the essential elements of construction materials, focusing on structural properties, thermal dynamics, and acoustics in building design. You'll cover critical materials like metals, ceramics, polymeric, and natural materials, emphasising biogenic and low-carbon alternatives. You'll study production processes, mechanical properties, environmental considerations, durability, maintenance, and sustainability, ensuring your comprehension of practical and environmental impacts.

• Introduction to Construction Systems and Processes - Explore the evolution of construction, spanning ancient techniques to contemporary methods like off-site manufacturing. You'll come to understand the legal frameworks, contracts, and regulatory controls critical to construction activities. Throughout, you'll discover the roles of key stakeholders and the responsibilities of construction managers across various projects, focusing on efficiency, safety protocols, environmental impact, and effective use of tools and machinery.

• Digital Technologies and Building Performance - Investigate computer-based technologies, such as CAD, CAM, and BIM, focusing on decision-making, model interpretation, and clash analysis. You'll delve into software-driven health and safety management, secure project data handling, and intellectual property rights and explore building systems, human comfort needs, HVAC strategies, lighting principles, and the interaction between MEP and structural systems from design to execution.

Level 5

• Built Environment Lifecycle and Circular Economy - You'll explore the shift from a linear to a circular economy within the built environment whilst focusing on policy frameworks, sustainable building practices, low-energy design, and material recovery. Learn to analyse market trends, responsible sourcing, and financial aspects, and evaluate sustainability impacts using Life Cycle Assessment and other methodologies.

• Construction process and people management – Dive into comprehensive construction site assessments, navigating project phases and sequencing with various scheduling techniques, and examining procurement methods from prefabrication to traditional approaches. You'll learn about building elements across structural systems and sophisticated services design, and explore human resources management and health and safety regulations for a secure construction environment.

• Industrial Placement - This is your opportunity to apply and deepen your knowledge and experience in a professional context. You'll work alongside built environment professionals and gain first-hand experience working in a construction environment with the associated requirements for health, safety, and well-being, ethical practice, and professionalism.

Level 6

• Regulatory Framework and Professional Practice in Construction - Delve into building regulations and safety and explore the roles of key regulators and the hierarchy of legislation. You'll come to understand HRM policies, whistleblowing, inclusivity, and tackle bribery, fraud, and corruption. You'll engage with CSR and ESG frameworks, grasp health and safety legislation, and learn to assess the global market's impact, identifying future opportunities and challenges for sustainable construction development.

• Advanced Leadership and Project Management in Construction – You'll explore various leadership styles relevant to projects, organisations, and international contexts, with a focus on adaptability and personal preferences. Gain crucial skills in feedback exchange, learn to manage organisational change through practical examples, and develop strategies to address resistance. Advanced topics include Project Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT), risk analysis, BIM integration, and sustainable practices.

• Digital Technologies for Retrofitting and Building Management - Dive into the world of building management by exploring advanced IoT solutions, BIM applications, and sustainability assessments. You'll develop expertise in data management, including ethics, analytics, and visualization techniques essential for informed decision-making. Delve into building retrofit complexities, focusing on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and integrating new technologies, all while addressing health and safety concerns.

• Bachelor Construction Management Project - You'll identify an area of interest and undertake a sustained independent project. You'll undertake research into a contemporary issue that links construction and the built environment to sustainability and along the way you'll demonstrate your ability to select and apply suitable ethical frameworks and research methodologies.

https://nmite.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/construction-management-degree-bsc-hons

We believe that your assessment should be as reflective of a real workplace as possible and that means no traditional exams. Instead, our assessments take the form of in-studio quizzes, presentations and debates, display of artefacts you’ve developed and built, industrial reports, development of specifications, test reports and project plans, creative media presentation and general question and answer sessions where your participation and knowledge can be assessed.