A UK based distance-learning program in construction management attracts construction professionals from across Canada to introductory seminars at BCIT.
Post-secondary Education
A UK-based distance-learning program in construction management attracts construction professionals from across Canada to introductory seminars at BCIT.
The Master of Science in International Construction Management, which is delivered through a partnership with the University of Bath and BCIT, is the only distance-learning program of its kind in North America.
Developed in 1989, the program was designed to provide construction professionals with a way to get a post-graduate degree in construction management, without disrupting their career. The program is accredited by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
A series of introductory seminars or what is known as a residential was held for a group of 21 new students at the downtown campus of BCIT from Nov 25. to Nov. 30. 2007.
“The residential went very well. Feedback from students shows they were happy in general,” said Arezou Pouria, program head of the construction management MSc.
“The students take the program to broaden their knowledge, meet other students and learn from them. Everybody learns from other students, who are experts in the construction industry.”
Igor Kunovsky, who is a project manager with Dominion Construction Company in Calgary said that he enrolled in the program for several reasons.
“I was looking to advance my education up to the MSc. level and this was the only program available that was offered through distance learning,” he said.
“I found the residential was very effective. It is a good way to get to know the other people in the program you will study with and the introduction to the instructors was very helpful.”
Kunovsky received his training as a civil engineer in Israel, where he worked for two years before coming to Canada.
As a new Canadian, he said “it is almost impossible to join a professional association, without having a Canadian education. I hope by taking this course I will satisfy the educational requirements for the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA).”
Kumanan Perinpasivam made a decision to study at BCIT after comparing the program with another option offered at the University of Reading.
“The residential was very good. I was introduced to other students. The program had a very good kick off,” said Perinpasivam.
“I took this program to upgrade my qualifications and get promoted to senior level in the contracts department.”
Perinpasivam, a quantity surveyor with Suncor Energy in Calgary, has more than 25 years experience in Sri Lanka, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He received his training as a quantity surveyor from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka and completed a distance learning course that is recognized by the RICS, while working in the UAE.
During the next two years, Kunovsky, Perinpasivam and the other students in the program will need to complete six compulsory modules.
The modules include; Management in Construction, Economics in Construction, Construction Law, Managing Human Resources, Pre-Contract Management, Strategy in Construction.
They are also required to take two modules from the following options; Design Management or Design and Information Management, Project Management Techniques, Property Development Appraisal, Environmental Management in Construction. Assignments and case studies encourage students to think about the real-life situations that they encounter daily on the job.
Once all eight modules are completed, students can move on to the final dissertation stage or elect to finish their studies and receive a postgraduate diploma.
Only two students have completed a dissertation since the program began at BCIT in 2000.
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