Master of Construction Management (Professional)

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Construction Management (Professional)
Deakin course code	S792
Faculty	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
Campus	Offered at Waterfront (Geelong)
Online	Yes
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025 Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	079321G Waterfront (Geelong)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Are you ready to advance your career in construction management? Dive deeper into the world of construction with Deakin’s Master of Construction Management (Professional). If you hold a degree in a civil engineering or built environment discipline, this course will help you further your interests and take the next step in your career. In a supportive environment, get ready to challenge your thinking and nurture your drive to be a lifelong learner in a dynamic industry.

This course is also for those with undergraduate qualifications in non-related disciplines who have proven professional experience in construction, whether through public or private enterprises. It is your chance to formalise your entry into the construction management industry and take your career to the next level. Elevate your understanding of construction management through developing specialised skills in the theoretical, evaluative, and research frameworks that underpin the profession.

Ready to take your career in construction to new heights?

Immerse yourself in a multi-disciplinary context exploring the latest topics shaping the built environment industry. From procurement through to project economics, cost management, quantity surveying, business and construction management, professional practice, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and sustainability, you will explore it all. Benefit from industry-connected academics who will equip you with the skills needed to tackle real-world challenges in the construction sector with confidence.

Develop your leadership and teamwork abilities through collaboration, helping you improve project outcomes in the workplace. Enhance your communication skills to effectively inform, negotiate, and motivate a team. You will also learn to mediate and resolve issues in construction projects by understanding legal, economic, and environmental impacts.

In today’s job market, employers are not just looking for proficiency – they want graduates who are ready to hit the ground running. As a graduate of the Master of Construction Management (Professional), you will be well prepared for a variety of roles in research or industry, from quantity surveying to project management and construction management, and beyond. Explore exciting opportunities with leading construction companies, business organisations with property portfolios, and consulting agencies.

Indicative student workload

You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, site visits and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

The course is professionally accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), and the Australian Institute of Building (AIB).

Career opportunities

This course gives you the technical skills to secure roles as a:

construction manager
contract administrator
estimator
project manager
quantity surveyor.

As a graduate of this course, you will find career opportunities with a wide range of employers. From construction companies to consultancies and client organisations, you will find yourself at home in a variety of settings. Beyond that, you will be equipped for roles in the property development arms of government departments, and in commercial entities like banks, retailers, and manufacturers.

Construction management professionals are generally highly mobile, and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accreditation offers you an immediate passport to global recognition. Whether your ambitions lie in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, or North America, your qualification will open doors to exciting possibilities across the globe.

If you are an experienced mid-career construction professional in search of your next challenge, this course is your gateway to future leadership roles within the industry.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Alternative exits

Graduate Certificate of Construction Management (S591)
Graduate Diploma of Construction Management (S691)
Master of Construction Management (S791)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Integrate broad and specialist knowledge of construction management practices in the industry and advocate sustainable management of social built environments in urban, regional and rural communities through professional practice. Apply an integrated specialised and evidence-based scholarly knowledge of ever-changing construction industry practices in order to improve construction economics and construction life cycle management. Develop and demonstrate a complex body of knowledge of construction management and practices, cost planning and control, legal and risk management in order to manage construction companies and projects.
Communication	Communicate clearly, professionally and responsibly with specialist and non-specialist audiences in a variety of contexts using oral, written, graphical and interpersonal skills to inform, negotiate, lead and motivate a project team. Engage with a variety of participants and contributing influences including legal, economic and environmental impacts in construction projects to mediate, negotiate and collaboratively resolve issues and conflicts.
Digital literacy	Apply knowledge of relevant technical tools and methodologies to locate, collect, analyse and synthesise complex information from a variety of sources to prepare cost benefit plans and legal, risk and environment implication analyses for construction projects. Apply knowledge of digital technologies for modelling and scenario building, including information systems to evaluate and assess various scenarios for disseminating relevant analysis to clients.
Critical thinking	Use expert reasoning and analysis skills, drawing on knowledge and information from a range of professional or scholarly sources to reflect on, analyse and synthesise complex legal, economic and environmental influences and impacts for collaboratively and independently planning and making decisions in construction.
Problem solving	Apply specialized technical skills and judgment to identify potential legal, environmental and economic risks and problems and recommend appropriate solutions for effective risk management in construction. Demonstrate professionalism, autonomy and well-developed judgement to independently and collaborative generate strategies and solutions to manage construction projects at various stages including planning, implementing, construction and evaluation of the built environment.
Self-management	Apply critical reflection and use frameworks of self and peer evaluation to develop independent judgment, adaptability and responsibility for expert professional practice and / or scholarship.
Teamwork	Apply interpersonal skills to interact, contribute, collaborate and develop leadership skills through teamwork activities, and enhance project potential through shared individual and collective knowledge and creative capacity to optimise complex problem resolution.
Global citizenship	Engage ethically and professionally when working in a variety of construction management situations through concern for legal, economic, environmental and social risks both nationally and globally.

Approved by Faculty Board 27 June 2019

Course rules

To complete the Master of Construction Management (Professional), students must pass 16 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
SRA710 Safety Induction Program (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
STP710 Career Tools for Employability (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
14 credit points of core units
2 credit points which may comprise of:
- 2 credit points of level 7 open elective units
- 2 credit points of Deakin stackable short courses (4 x 0.5cp microcredentials)

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Course structure

Core

Year 1 - Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)

SRA710

Safety Induction Program (0 credit points)

STP710

Career Tools for Employability (0 credit points)

SRM776

Introduction to Construction Management ~

SRQ780

Strategic Construction Procurement *

SRQ774

Construction Measurement and Estimating *

SRM751

Principles of Building Information Modelling **

Year 1 - Trimester 2

SRT757

Building Systems and Environment

SRQ762

Cost Planning

SRQ764

Building Project Evaluation

Plus 1 level 7 open elective (one credit point)

Year 2 - Trimester 1

SRQ763

Project Risk Management

SRM777

Construction Management Practice ***

SRR720

Construction Research Frontiers **

Plus 1 level 7 open elective (one credit point)

Year 2 - Trimester 2

SRQ745

Construction Company Management **

SRV799

Integrated Project Management **

SRR721

Construction Research Project (2cp)**#

*Unit offered in Trimester 1 and Trimester 3

**Unit offered in Trimester 1 and Trimester 2

***Unit offered in Trimester 1, Trimester 2 and as a placement offering only in Trimester 3

^# Students intending to apply for entry into Higher Degree by Research may be required to complete SRR711 Thesis instead of SRR721 Construction Research Project

~ Completion of STP710 Career Tools for Employability (0-credit point compulsory unit) as a co-requisite

Electives

Select from a range of open elective units offered across many courses. In some cases you may even be able to choose elective units from a completely different discipline area (subject to meeting unit requirements).

Stackable short courses

Mix and match Deakin stackable short courses (0.5 cp microcredentials) to earn up to 2 credit point(s) of open electives, subject to eligibility. Any stacking must add up to a whole number to be used for credit. See more information on Deakin stackable short course options.

Work experience

You can apply to undertake a discipline specific industry placement as part of your course.

Visit deakin.edu.au/sebe/wil

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Research and research-related study

The suite of core units exposes students to advanced knowledge within the discipline and to research methodologies.

In SRR720 Construction Research Frontiers students are provided with an introduction to research methodology that is specifically suited to research for current issues in the construction industry. By the end of the unit students will have a critical understanding of appropriate research methodology and have developed a research proposal for progression to SRR721 Construction Research Project.

In SRR721 Construction Research Project (2cp core unit) students undertake a masters level thesis or research project related to current issues in the construction industry. By the end of the unit students will have developed the knowledge and skills to become independent researchers.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.