If you successfully complete all elements of the course, you will be awarded the MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management from the Open University and will be entitled to use the designatory letters MBAConstRealEst, or simply MBA. After successful completion of the MBA, an application can be made to the College for the award of the RICS Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management.

The College of Estate Manangement is approved by the Open University as an appropriate organisation to offer higher education programmes leading to Open University Validated Awards.

You should:

• As a minimum, have a UK undergraduate degree or international equivalent and/or relevant professional qualifications and at least three years’ relevant work experience, or

• Have relevant work experience for Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning (AP(E)L) entry to the MBA programme. It is recommended that applicants for AP(E)L have appropriate work experience in a position which has a responsibility for managing people; and an academic qualification equivalent to that of an HND/C or higher. Each application for AP(E)L entry will be reviewed on its merits by the Course Director. Note that there are a limited number of places for AP(E)L entrance only, so apply early

The suitability of each candidate’s qualifications will be decided at the discretion of the Course Director and the College’s Admissions Committee.

Part 1

December Semester

principles of marketing; buyer behaviour; marketing research; service management; product management; promotional mix; pricing; marketing planning; international marketing.

concepts of organisational behaviour; theory and practice of managing people; strategic issues; general management and decision making; defining management; organisational environment; groups and teams; motivation; leadership; performance management; managing marginal performers; reward management; conflict management.

June Semester

introduction to business; introduction to accounts and finance; partnerships and companies; accounting principles and issues; cash flow statements and value added statements; evaluation of accounting information; cost volume profit and short-run tactical decision making; introduction to budgeting; principles of cost accounting; long-term decision making; industrial and commercial finance; summarising data; sampling; probability and probability models; risk analysis in the construction and development industries; decision making using management science tools; risk analysis using simulation; network analysis.

integrating academic and professional knowledge; developing personal and professional practice; reflection, learning and professionalism in the workplace.

Part 2

December Semester

strategic functions of project management; practical issues and management functions associated with development strategies; carbon footprinting; town planning; value and risk management; procurement systems; audit review; facilities management; strategic processes; culture, ethics and management of international construction; dispute resolution; legal aspects; the strategic domain.

role of corporate strategic management within construction and real estate industries; evolution of strategic management ideas; how organisations should grow to suit the economic and political environment; strategy; systems, structure and styles; stakeholders; context; innovation through research, development and business ethics; new organisational paradigms; models; open systems approach; political and legal influences; skills and competencies of the change agent.

Semester B

Module options (choose two)

aspects of accounting directly relevant to project management, including investment decisions; sources of finance; development appraisal; contractor appraisal; project cost control; international project financing; risk management; tax; viability; case studies.

The Market Dimension: the property market and economic analysis; economic models of the property market; Adjustment in the real property market; factor market theory applied to property space; user markets in real property; The Public Policy Dimension: economics of planned intervention; problems of urban areas; regional issues; public finance; The Temporal Dimension: long-term decision-making; the investment market; the development market; cycles in the real property market; The Spatial Dimension: land use and location; urban structure; core articles in real estate economics

defining FM, the scope of FM and co-ordinating FM; the changing workplace; sustainable FM; legislative compliance and interpretation; IT and the office; location; FM resourcing; contracting out; contractor relationship management; operational property portfolio planning; freehold real estate; leasehold real estate; resource decision-making (RDM) framework; strategic overview.

knowledge of country conditions using a PESTLE basis for understanding at least two countries; SWOT details of specific organisations, both real and assumed, and the possible form that organisations may take in differing economies; external financial reports of mainstream companies; internal management accounting techniques and formats; international property investment as a strategic response of the organisation/part of a range of policies designed to achieve specific business objectives; capital investment appraisal techniques; central role of taxation and exchange rates.

property investment appraisal and market valuation; property investment appraisal and stock selection; analysis and treatment of investment risk; project selection using portfolio theory methodology; forecasting (introduction and applications); forecasting property markets.

process of disseminating information to increase profitability and competitive advantage; intellectual capital; innovation; construction projects; three-dimensional project modelling.

real estate portfolios with asset and fund management from viewpoints of investor, developer, constructor and occupier; principles and practice of investment; portfolio theory; construction; adjustment and performance appraisal; investment return; risk; asset pricing and valuing; securitisation.

introduction to the nature of research; research hypothesis, aims and objectives; research strategies; use of literature in research; data collection; analysis and synthesis; research sources; research skills; important issues in research; writing up your research; alternative ways of undertaking research.

Part 3

Options (choose one)

theoretical perspective; investigation, analysis and discussion; drawing research conclusions from data; writing research reports and presentation of report; consultancy and the consultant.

presentation and physical production of the document; marking of the dissertation; research process; undertaking qualitative research; alternative ways of undertaking research.

There are two optional local workshop sessions for each module on the course of study (excluding the dissertation and project). Availability of locations will be based on the number of module registrations received. Overnight accommodation is not provided as part of these optional sessions. Other media formats may also be offered as an addition / alternatve to face-to-face sessions.

Assessment consists of assignments and examinations in each module at Parts 1 and 2 (apart from International Professional Practice, which has two assignments and no exam), and a project or dissertation at Part 3.

Assignments

You will complete and submit two assignments per module for assessment according to the timetable of the course. (Marketing module – one assignment only.)

Exams

Exams are normally held in May and November and are as follows:

• At Part 1: a 1½ hour written paper for Marketing and a 3 hour written paper for each of Leading & Managing Organisations and Management Finance & Science. There is no exam for International Professional Practice.

• At Part 2: two 3-hour written papers per semester at Part 2.

• At Part 3: you will submit either a project assignment and project report of 10,000 - 12,000 words or a dissertation of 12,000–15,000 words. This will take the form of an in-depth investigation and will focus on a practical aspect of a course-related subject.

Please click here to apply.