Construction Project Management

Construction project management is the discipline responsible for planning, coordinating and delivering built environment projects on time, within budget and to the required quality. Every building, infrastructure project and development requires people who can manage multiple contractors, tight programmes, complex logistics and competing stakeholder demands, while maintaining safety, regulatory compliance and commercial control. It is a profession that combines technical knowledge of the built environment with the management and commercial skills that complex projects require.

At Heriot-Watt, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to experience construction project management in an international context. Heriot-Watt has a strong reputation in the built environment disciplines, with campuses in Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia that reflect its genuinely international character. You will develop a thorough grounding in the technical aspects of construction, including structures, materials and building systems, alongside the project management disciplines of programming, cost control, risk management, procurement and contract administration.

The degree develops your understanding of how construction projects are financed, tendered, designed and built, and how project managers coordinate the complex web of relationships between clients, designers, contractors and specialist subcontractors. You will also engage with the sustainability and environmental challenges that are reshaping construction practice, including net-zero targets, circular economy principles and the drive for more efficient building methods.

Graduates work as construction project managers, project directors, quantity surveyors, site managers and commercial managers across contractors, consultancies, developers and client organisations. Many graduates pursue professional accreditation with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or the Chartered Institute of Building. Postgraduate study in project management or construction management is a natural option.