The University of Melbourne, Australia is an Associate Member of CIB, and on joining we invited them to write a brief article on what it means to be part of CIB and what they hope to contribute and achieve. Here is their contribution.
University of Melbourne
The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (ABP), incorporating the Melbourne School of Design (MSD), is a creative and people-oriented built environment faculty in Australia’s leading research-intensive university, the University of Melbourne.
The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning hosts the Bachelor of Design, a comprehensive range of built environment graduate programs, and a network of research hubs, labs and centres that bring together experts who are internationally recognised leaders in their fields.
The Master of Construction Management (MCM) is a professional degree within the ABP, imparting cutting-edge education, research and engagement for kick-starting participating students’ careers or enhancing their existing expertise to advance a solid career in the construction industry. The theoretical knowledge, as well as the practical skills encompassing social, technological, financial and environmental, underpin the capacity and competence among the MCM students to face emerging challenges in the modern construction industry today. At the University of Melbourne, cultural diversity is one of the key strengths where students and staff have come to Melbourne from over 50 countries. The University is proud to have a strong alumni body who hold leadership roles across Australia and the world.
Currently, the MCM course provides students with the possibility to organise their studies in three different areas of specialisation:
Building
The major in building is conceived for those students who aspire to become construction/project managers and work within medium-large general construction contracting companies. It has a strong technical and management component concerned with construction planning, contract administration, and all aspects of site operations.
Cost management
The specialisation in cost management prepares students for a professional career in quantity surveying, cost engineering and cost estimating in the Australian and the International market. Its main technical component is concerned with all aspects of contractual and financial management in construction projects.
Project management
The specialisation in project management is conceived for students who have an interest in coordinating all aspects of the building procurement process on behalf of clients – either within a private project management company or within a client organisation. This specialisation is well suited to students with previous work experience in a built environment discipline. The educational focus is placed on the integration of technical dimensions and the ability to understand, foresee, evaluate and control industry contributions to a project.
Why Joining CIB Matters for the University of Melbourne
Having become an Associate Member with CIB, the faculty and the University are looking at leveraging access and participation in most CIB-related international conferences including the CIB-encouraged international journals, books, CIB Commission activities at discounted prices.
With over 150 research-active academics and a large cohort of research higher degree students across ABP, the opportunity for wider participation in CIB Commissions and CIB Student Chapters is considered to be a significant benefit for the University of Melbourne with direct access to the world’s state-of-the-art knowledge and information for incorporation in educational programmes. The opportunities for networking with academic peers and thereby extending academic and research collaboration with leading institutions from all over the world are considered highly valuable for being visible and credible in scholarly discourses at both faculty and university levels.
Over time, the academic staff from the University of Melbourne would seek to serve in senior leadership positions on CIB Boards, host working commissions and task groups, represent Australian research and academic communities and lead strategic research partnerships on a global stage. This should highlight further opportunities for the University of Melbourne to showcase the leadership among the leading organisations such as national building research institutes and agencies, directors of building and construction departments in prestigious national research organizations, leaders of internationally renowned universities and R&D directors in worldwide leading architectural engineering and construction companies. Collaboration through CIB is expected to open up significant new possibilities for enriching student exchanges and cooperation, maximising the global mobility experiences among students across the university. The University of Melbourne looks forward to working closely with CIB to develop shared capacity in tackling some of the emerging global challenges in the built-environment context.
Author: Hemanta Doloi
Hemanta is co-coordinator of CIB W107 – Construction in Developing Countries
The full list of CIB members is available here.
