Construction Project Management BSc

Construction project managers play a crucial role in the industry, ensuring projects are delivered safely, on time and within budget. 

There is an increasing demand for construction project managers as the industry continues to grow, with more than two million people currently employed in the sector across the UK. Our construction project management course is designed to fill this demand, combining technical skills and commercial knowledge, with a focus on practical training.   

As you’ll be learning and living in the middle of Britain’s second city, you’ll also gain invaluable, real-life experience of the challenges and opportunities faced by the people and organisations responsible for constructing our built environment. 
 
Our Construction Management course prepares you to be able to manage a project from inception and design through to occupation, working to minimise costs and enhance value for money, delivering projects to the required quality.  

What you’ll learn

During the course of the programme you will gain the necessary skills to develop a challenging and fulfilling career in the construction industry. You will gain technical knowledge around materials and building processes as well as specialist modules including health, safety and environmental management. 
 
After your first year, your studies will centre on the construction process as well as learning about management, economics, logistics, finance and decision-making, all of which are required by professional construction and project managers. 

Our Construction Project Management programme, part of the civil engineering and infrastructure cluster here at Aston, examines the societal, economic and operational issues related to the construction industry. The particular focus is on developing the skills and experience you need to deliver high quality construction projects safely, on time and on budget. 
 
These skills are in high demand and you’ll be able to effectively and confidently contribute to the future development of our built environment. 

Modules

Year 1

•    Introductory Accounting for Business 
•    Study and Research Skills 
•    Building Professional Relationships
•    Construction Materials and Surveying 
•    BIM for Construction 
•    Construction Contract Management and Administration 1
•    Introduction to Business Management 

Year 2

In the second year, the business, financial management, legal and planning aspects introduced in the first year are further developed, alongside the more technical construction subjects.

Modules 

•    Construction Quantification and Costing
•    Building Information and Digital Construction 
•    Health, Safety and Risk Management
•    Construction Contract Management and Administration 2 
•    Building Design and Construction Technology 2
•    Construction Project Management and Planning

Year 3 - Optional placement year 

Find out more about the Aston placement year.

You will take one of the following modules:

•    EPS Study Placement Year 
•    EPS Industrial Placement Year 
•    EPS Study/Work Placement Year 

Final Year 

The final year - besides further enhancing and consolidating your management and technical capabilities - provides you with the opportunity to explore in depth a construction-related topic of your choice.

Modules

•    Final Year Research Project 
•    Construction Technology 3 
•    Leadership and Human Resource Management 
•    International Purchasing Principles  
•    Construction Design, Costing and Scheduling Project

Accreditation

Our construction project management course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) with the opportunity to enter the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Assessment of Professional Competence training scheme. 

International students

Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students on many of our undergraduate programmes. Students from over 120 countries choose to study with us every year and Aston is not only a great place to study, based in the centre of Birmingham, it’s also a great place to live. 

Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career. One of the great things about Aston is our focus on employability and our close links with businesses, industries and professions make this possible.  

Choosing to start your Aston journey with one of our foundation programmes will help you develop specialist knowledge to ensure that you are fully prepared to study your chosen undergraduate course. During your foundation year, you’ll have excellent support from academics and group projects will give you the chance to meet new people, make new friends and build a network of peers who will share your university journey.

We also have a Learning Development Centre that can provide additional support and offer pre-sessional English language programmes. 

For International Students intending to do a foundation year, visit ONCAMPUS.

Typical offers:

A Levels

ANY SUBJECTS: BBC. 
Standard offer: BCC. If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B
BCC: Contextual offer*. 

OR; INCLUDING A SCIENCE OR TECHNICAL SUBJECT: BCC.
Standard offer CCC: If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B CCC: Contextual offer*. 

Science or technical subjects include: Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Biology Further Maths, Design Technology, Engineering Science and Electronics, Geography and Geology.

*For details on our Aston Ready contextual offer scheme, please see here.

IB

• 29 points and above with 5, 5, 4 in higher level subjects if no science or technical subject studied
   
• 28 overall points with 5, 4, 4 in higher level subjects including a science or technical subject. 

BTEC, Access & other

BTEC 

Construction and the Built Environment or Building Services Engineering preferred but not essential.

• Extended Diploma and National Extended Diploma: DDM
• Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering with an overall grade of Distinction
• National Diploma and Diploma: DM plus 1 A-level at minimum Grade B
• Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering with an overall grade of Distinction 
• Foundation or 90 credits Diploma: DM plus 2 A-level at minimum grade B National
• Extended Certificate or Subsidiary Diploma: M plus 2 A-level minimum Grade B
• Certificate/ National Certificate Level 3: Not accepted

Access to Higher Education

Access (science or technical subject preferred but not essential) with at least 30 Distinctions and 15 Merits at level 3.

Non-standard qualifications

Degree: 

• Year 1 entry: We may consider applicants for year 1 entry who are undertaking a 1st year degree elsewhere. You must meet the GCSEs and A level (or equivalent) requirements as listed. In order to be considered you will need to submit a UCAS application as we do not accept direct applications and this must include an academic reference.
   
• Year 2 entry: Please note that second year transfers are not part of the standard admissions process and is up to the discretion of the admissions team and tutor. Applications are only considered if there is space on that year of the programme. Typically, applicants for second year entry must meet the GCSEs and A level (or equivalent) requirements as listed. Alongside this you must have gained (or be expected to gain) 65% overall and 120 credits  on an equivalent programme at another recognised university. The equivalency of the programme is reviewed by the Admissions Tutor and you will be required to provide an official copy of the programme specification of this. In order to be considered you will need to submit a UCAS application as we do not accept direct applications and this must include an academic reference.
   
• Year 3: We will not be able to consider any application for Year 3. 

 

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and the whole application is reviewed which includes previous and predicted qualifications, any experience, references and motivation.

T Levels

The following T levels are accepted qualifications for this course:

Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction Grade D

Digital Production, Design and Development Grade D

Education and Childcare Grade D

Building Services Engineering for Construction Grade D

Onsite Construction Grade D

Digital Business Services Grade D

Digital Support Services Grade D

Health Grade D

Healthcare Science Grade D

Science Grade D

Design and Development for Engineering Manufacturing Grade D

Engineering Manufacturing Processing and Control Grade D

Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering Manufacturing Grade D

GCSEs

Additionally to our Level 3 requirement, you will also need to have achieved:

GCSE Maths Grade B/5 and English Grade C/4 and above. 
 
If the Level 3 qualification completed includes a preferred subject, the GCSE requirement is lowered to Maths Grade C/4 and English Grade C/4.

Our Admissions Policy

View our Admissions Policy

Whilst the grades listed here are our entry requirements, we understand that predicted grades are only an estimate. We will therefore consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below these entry requirements if the application is of a high standard (however, initial offers will not be lower than stated above).

Entry onto our Foundation Year maybe offered as an alternative to the degree course if lower entry grades are achieved.

*For details on our Aston Ready contextual offer scheme, please see here.

The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor.

International students

Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an English language qualification. Find out more about our English language requirements. For more information about qualifications view our Aston in your country webpage.

Teaching won’t just be lectures, you’ll have workshops, guest lectures and visits to relevant sites to make sure your understanding is grounded in industry, ensuring you are ready for the working world when you graduate.

Complete your practical work in our brand new, state of art laboratory facilities in highway engineering, materials and structures, the latest industry-standard engineering software packages, and a well-resourced and staffed library.

We also offer an optional year in industry, giving you the opportunity to put your learning into practical use and enabling you to grow in confidence, maturity and experience. We have excellent links with a wide range of construction companies and your placement will be arranged with support from the placement tutor.

More information

Please note that the international tuition fees stated are for 2023 entry. 2024 tuition fees are presently unavailable and will be published on this website at the earliest opportunity.

* The United Kingdom government has confirmed that European Union (EU), other European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals commencing academic courses in England from August 2021 will no longer be charged the same tuition rates as Home students. Further information can be found here. 

Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) to take account of the University’s increased costs of delivering the Programme. When undertaking a placement year a placement year fee applies.

More information on fees

Scholarships

At Aston University we are committed to supporting the most talented and hardworking students to achieve their potential by providing a range of scholarships to help lower tuition and living costs. Find out more about our scholarships here.

On graduation, you could work for UK or global construction organisations such as building and project management consultancies, facilities or asset management, all concerned with the management and business of developing and constructing buildings and other infrastructure.

The transferable management and technical skills developed during your studies will also be attractive to other professions and there is potential for graduates to go into diverse fields such as finance, logistics and general management.

Here are just some of the roles are recent graduates have gone on to:

• Quality Engineer
• Projects Officer
• Risk Advisory Consultant
• Network Operations
• Building control surveyor

Many of our graduates have secured excellent positions in a huge variety of leading organisations, including:

• Jaguar Land Rover
• Royal Mail
• Ministry of Transport
• Caterpillar

Why study construction project management at Aston? 

Construction managers are in high demand as the construction industry continues to grow and thrive. An accredited course will give you all the skills and experience you need to lead a successful and fulfilling career in construction management. 

What will I be doing on the construction project management course at Aston? 

You will learn the key techniques and skills you need to become a construction manager, including materials, costs, scheduling and health and safety. You’ll gain knowledge and experience based on real life examples and companies, giving you the skills you need to begin your career in this exciting area. 

Why should I take a year out in industry? 

We think that the knowledge you gain through your studies is best applied to real life and the most effective way to do this is by working in a company. As well as the opportunity to apply the technical knowledge you’ve learned, you’ll also gain invaluable communication and team skills. 

We have excellent links with industry and can help to arrange this placement for you. 

Why should international students choose Aston University? 

Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students on many of our undergraduate programmes. Students from over 120 different countries chose to study with us every year and Aston is not only a great place to study, based in the centre of Birmingham it’s also a great place to live. 

Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career.  

Choosing to start your Aston journey with our foundation programme will help you develop specialist knowledge to ensure that you are fully prepared to study your chosen undergraduate course.