EDUCATION IN UNDERGRADUATE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT DEGREES – IS IT “CONSTRUCTION” OR “MANAGEMENT” THAT IS IN BOLD TYPE?

The proposition of this study is that the content of education in construction management degree programs has changed over time. Content has moved away from construction technology and has moved more towards generic areas of management. Here, issues arise such as prescriptive versus principle-base teaching and the degree to which experiential learning can be provided. This study explores quantifiable data to test the above proposition over an extended period of time and for a number of Universities in Australia. The study looks at course “handbook” data for construction management degrees including the likes of assigned subject credit points and contact hours. From the analysis, debate and related sources of supporting information are used to extrapolate themes demonstrating the resultant changes in graduate profile arising from the analysis. Comment is also provided on the impact of such changes including the differentiation of university graduates in the past and present. The Industry perspective is also canvassed in terms of how changes have affected their expectations relating to employment of University qualified graduates.