Project Management: Post Graduate Teaching on Undergraduate Programmes – Issues and Lessons Learnt.

The School of the Built Environment at the University of Ulster recently embraced four to six year ‘integrated masters’ programmes. Essentially these are undergraduate programmes that allow the better performing students to progress and, if successful, graduate with a masters level qualification – MSci or MEng. Many of the course teams involved in the design of these new programmes wish to incorporate a Level 7 module on Project Management.The University of Ulster has over twenty years experience of teaching Project Management at postgraduate level that has been tailored specifically for construction courses. However, as a result of remodelling the MSc in Construction & Project Management, other disciplines (e.g.- planning, building services, property, transport etc) and programmes (including integrated masters programmes) can now utilise the Project Management module. We examine how we teach and assess undergraduates with limited or no industrial / professional experience what is essentially a postgraduate module requiring practical experience for effective learning outcomes to be achieved. The paper explores the key challenges, discusses the method of teaching and outlines the design of assessment. Reflective findings from a pilot study currently underway will be shared and issues for the future discussed.