Construction Management

The Bachelor of Science with Honours in Construction Management (BSc(Hons) (CM)) is a 1 year full-time degree.

Overview

The BSc (Hons) in Construction Management is a one year full time degree. The course will result in a professional qualification as a Construction Manager. Construction managers plan, organise, and control all aspects of large and complex construction projects. They have highly developed managerial skills and advanced technical knowledge of construction processes. Graduates will satisfy the criteria for accreditation in terms of the requirements of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP), the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP).

Career Opportunities

After completing the honours programme, graduates will be able to apply relevant project management concepts with reference to construction projects. Enrolled students can apply for registration as a candidate Construction Manager, candidate Project Manager and eventually as a professional Construction Manager. Construction Managers specialize in broadly in project management, development management and property management.

Employment opportunities:

  • Private sector in construction industry
  • Project Management
  • Building and Construction sector
  • Government departments
  • Banks
  • Real Estate sector

Curriculum

A candidate shall comply with all curriculum requirements and complete the courses with a total of 142 credits.

BUQS4026A – Construction Law: 17 Credits, NQF 8

The course aims to enable students to develop a detailed understanding of the legal and organizational framework within which construction contracts take place. This entails the legal and commercial processes of structuring, negotiating, recording and enforcing contracts and business deals in construction. 

BUQS4027A – Construction Project Management: 17 Credits, NQF 8

This course enables learners to gain knowledge of the practical application of the relevant project management concepts with specific reference to construction projects.

BUQS4028A - Simulated Project: 17 Credits, NQF 8

This course aims to integrate the learning within the programme as well as prepare and develop learners to be construction project managers. Learners must demonstrate the ability to provide construction project management​ services using the profession’s rules under supervision based on a simulated real-life project.

BUQS4029A - Advanced Construction Project Management: 17 Credits, NQF 8

The course covers advanced techniques in construction management that are applied in the built environment.  The students are acclimatized to the use of IT or software that integrates stakeholders in construction projects.

BUQS4030 – Advanced Building Science (CM): 17 Credits, NQF 8

The course introduces students to the nature of innovation, and innovative approaches to solutions, which are human-centred, in the various aspects of the built environment. It explores innovation in various aspects including sustainability, practice, technologies, management, design and processes. The main context used is the building environment, building services and engineering, but it extends to other contexts such as design, construction and facility management. It exposes students to the concepts and principles applied in areas such as lighting systems selection and design; IT and automation in buildings, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital twins, services coordination and installation; energy management, and advanced building performance simulation and analysis. 

BUQS4031A– Research Report: 39 Credits, NQF 8

The purpose of Research report is to enable students to be competent in research methodology and undertaking research across a broad spectrum of topics related to the built environment and management and policies. To collect, analyse and interpret data and report research findings clearly.

CIVN4016A - Advanced Civil Engineering Theory (CM): 18 Credits, NQF 8

This course introduces students to geotechnical engineering and construction materials. Geotechnical engineering: Effective stresses, shear strength, compaction, seepage, lateral pressures, bearing capacity, and introduction to foundations. Construction materials: fundamentals of material behaviour: performance criteria; elastic stress-strain functions; creep, shrinkage and relaxation and fatigue; intermediate concrete technology: hydration chemistry; binder types and concrete durability.

A student shall also complete the following course to the satisfaction of the Senate:

BUQS1990A – Practical Training

This course requires students to source experiential training in a quantity surveying firm or Construction Company for at least two consecutive weeks during or before the winter vacation period. They observe the activities in the company that relates to the theories that they have learned in the classroom and may be given specific assignments by the company. The students must submit a journal and a report on their experience within two weeks of completion of practical training. The journal must be signed by the work mentor.

Entry Requirements

  • BSc Construction Management degree at 60% weighted average for final year courses; or
  • BTech or Advanced Diploma or equivalent Construction Management degree at 65% weighted average for final year courses.

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.