7. 3TU Master CME Notitie

Master of Science

Construction Management & Engineering

(CME)



Information dossier in support of the application for

the New Graduate Studies Test







Authors:

W.F. Schaefer TU/e

G. van Lieshout UT

E. Dado TUDelft











Version 23 February 2006


© 2005 Copyright

3TU Graduate School

Eindhoven University of Technology

Department of Architecture, Building and Planning

Department of Technology Management

Universitity of Twente

Faculty of Engineering Technology

Delft University of Technology

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management


1Table of contents

Page

1 Introduction 05

1.1 Need for the M.Sc. program Construction Management & Engineering (CME) 05

1.2 Features of the interdisciplinary domain of CME 06


2 Final Attainment Level (Program Objectives) In The Master Program 07

2.1 Domain specific requirements 07

2.2 General and scientific requirements 08

2.3 Benchmark for the final attainment level 10

2.4 WO orientation 10


3 Master’s Program 11

3.1 Organizational embedding: The M.Sc. program and the 3TU Graduate School 11

3.2 Didactic approach 11

3.3 General structure of the program 12

3.4 Master program cohesion 14

3.5 Relation between the Master’s program and academic research 14

3.6 Relation between final attainment and the Master’s program 17

3.7 Master’s program study load 21

3.8 Academic student support facilities 22

3.9 Admission 23

3.9.1 Unrestricted admission 23

3.9.2 Restricted admission 23

3.10 Duration 24


4 Human Resource Efforts 25

4.1 Teaching staff 25

4.2 Managing staff 28

4.3 WO requirements 28

4.4 Staff quantity 29

4.5 Staff quality 29


5 Facilities 30

5.1 General services 30

5.2 Library facilities and other learning resources 30

5.3 ICT facilities 30

5.4 Academic support and counseling facilities 31


6 Methods of Assesment and System of Quality Control 32

6.1 Methods of assessment 32

6.2 System of quality control 32

6.3 Student involvement 36

6.4 Employee involvement 37

6.5 Alumni involvement 37

6.6 Professional involvement 37


7 Continuity Conditions 38

7.1 Guaranteed completion 38

7.2 Financial analysis 38

7.3 Investments 39

1.1.1Appendices


Appendix A:

(In Dutch) ‘Slagkracht in innovatie: Sectorplan Wetenschap en Technologie’, februari 2004


Appendix B:

“Toekomstperspectief Bouwsector”, Ministeries van Economische Zaken, van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer en van Verkeer en Waterstaat


Appendix C:

‘Bouwen aan Ruimte’, Regieraad Bouw, juli 2004


Appendices D:

Appendix D1: KTB Foundation, Stichting Kennistransfer Bouw

Appendix D2: PSIBouw / Regieraad Bouw

Appendix D3: AWT report


Appendix E:

Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology, ABET Criteria concerning CME


Appendix F:

Academic Criteria for Bachelor and Master Curricula, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, August 2003.


Appendix G:

Audit Reports Scientific Research programs, Eindhoven Delft, Twente


Appendix H:

Ontwikkelingsportfolio’s


Appendix I:

Description of courses


Appendix J:

Elective subjects: M.Sc. CME


Appendix K:

Graduation subjects


Appendix L:

Short CVs of relevant staff members



1. Introduction


1.1 Need for the M.Sc. program Construction Management & Engineering


In 2003, the three universities of technology in the Netherlands - Technische Universiteit Delft, Universiteit Twente and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven - embarked on a cooperation aimed at the harmonization and coordination of their efforts in research and education. As a result, in March 2004 the final version of the resulting strategy document “Sectorplan Wetenschap en Technologie” was presented to the Staatssecretaris van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen (appendix A). Five new M.Sc. programs not yet offered in the Netherlands and considered to be essential for the Dutch knowledge-based economy (‘kenniseconomie’) were proposed in this document. The M.Sc. program CME is one of these five.


The increasingly dynamic complexity of construction and consequently its changing perception of interests and values have initiated the development of a new program in the domain area between ‘construction engineering’ on the one hand and ‘scientific management and economics’ on the other hand. Organizations in the construction and engineering sectors and sectors closely related to it, as well as parties involved in construction management development policy, have all indicated a need for graduate students with knowledge and skills with regard to construction management approaches and the integration of these approaches in complex engineering situations. The origins of this complexity include

1) the increasing complexity of construction as such,

2) the rapidly changing demands of society,

3) controversial and changing interests and values of a wide variety of stakeholders for construction projects, as well as

4) the ever-growing range of technological possibilities.

The complexity lies in the traditional interface area of “market pull” and “technology push”. The traditional, solely technical approach regarding research and education needed to be converted to an approach from the viewpoint of process-development: in which social aspects, organizational matters and management methodologies are integrated with technology. The focus on processes is claiming a growing attention of those in charge with technical management and execution.


This need for a combination of technical and management skills has been recognized both on the national and international levels. As a consequence, research and educational institutes in leading countries have started to offer accredited programs to meet this demand in the form of a Master program in Construction Management and Engineering (CME). In The Netherlands, however, an accredited program covering this domain does not yet exist.

With the CROHO registration of ‘The Master of Science in Construction Management and Engineering’ program, an important step would be made towards re-profiling of and contributing to the scientific development of the construction sector. Support for the further development of expertise in CME can be concluded from the points of view mentioned in joint policy documents of the “Ministeries van Economische Zaken, van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer en van Verkeer en Waterstaat: “Toekomst perspectief Bouwsector” (See Appendices B, ”Toekomstperspectief Bouwsector” and C, ‘Bouwen aan Ruimte’, Regieraad Bouw, juli 2004) and the ‘Stichting Kennistransfer Bouw’ (KTB, Appendix D1) and the PSIBouw (see Appendix D2).





1.2 Features of the interdisciplinary domain of CME


Various think tanks in our society have pointed to the developments that will take place in our urban areas (knowledge developments through ‘market pull’). The National Council for Design and Construction Technology Policy (ARTB, see also appendix D3, letter AWT) forecasted some years ago in its policy reports that over the next twenty years, lack of space in urban centers will make double use of land inevitable. The challenges for (re)development of complex urban areas - complex in terms of qualities, functions, development processes and technical achievements - can be found throughout Western Europe. Metropolitan developments, complex urban site developments (tunneling, high-rises, wet city sites, mass transport facilities, application of new and dedicated construction materials) are forcing the experts in the domain of construction to carry out their assignments in an interdisciplinary setting and through technical and social acceptable processes.

In the domain of CME, knowledge development through ‘technology push’ is taking place parallel to the challenges mentioned earlier in terms of complex urban sites. Newly available materials, products, production technologies and ICT will lead to innovation in the interdisciplinary domain of engineering and management.

These developments are intertwined with safety, ease of construction and engineering, reduction of throughput time, durability and risks and reliability of the construction processes. Companies that provide services in construction management and engineering have experienced that the implementation of innovations in society requires taking into account the users and their perception of the added values brought along by the innovation. To evaluate different options in a technological and social context and to test practical feasibility, a process-oriented approach of development is needed. The major feature of the presented MSc. program is therefore, that it is process oriented: central focus in this program will be on the design of processes for construction and the control of these processes.



2. Final attainment level (program objectives) in the Master program


In this section we will describe the skills and knowledge of a graduate in Construction Management & Engineering and provide an indication of his or her general academic level.


2.1 Domain-specific requirements

The domain-specific requirements as specified below are based upon:

a. The needs of the construction industry as well as on the needs emerging from the development of society and innovations as outlined in the “Introduction” to this document. Also concerning this domain, an important characteristic of the development and application of newly acquired knowledge is the fact that it has to be introduced in existing managing and engineering practices. In other words, students also have to become familiar with the management of transition processes in the construction industry.

b. the domain-specific and internationally accepted qualifications as defined by the ABET organization (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) (see Appendix E).


The domain-specific requirements have been translated into final qualifications in which the academic level of the program is indicated as well. The Master of Science ‘Construction Management and Engineering’:

1. has acquired the necessary engineering skills in the context of civil engineering, building engineering and complex site engineering (is able to work methodically, is able to invent his own tools, adapt scientific theories and techniques, is able to work in a multidisciplinary environment, is application-oriented).

2. is able to develop management processes based upon management theory and technical knowledge

This ability covers the knowledge and application of technical process management and innovation regarding construction and engineering processes in the content-related subjects mentioned above. The graduate can find his way in the development and execution of unfamiliar process configurations.

3. is able to manage complex assignments in a multidisciplinary team.

This ability covers the knowledge and application of the management of social interactions. The underlying objective of this ability is to find a balance between possible solutions of complex requirements, technical possibilities, genuine interests of the parties involved and justified value creation on the scientific and operational levels.

4. is able to translate technological concepts and developments into appropriate process innovations

This ability covers the understanding of technical developments and of the implications for process characteristics such as risks, costs, time, quality, stakeholders participation, value creation, legislation

5. is able to evaluate processes with respect to above mentioned process characteristics.

This ability means that the graduate can evaluate CME designs against the background of a balance composed of possible solutions involving complex requirements, technical possibilities, interests of parties involved and justified value creation on the scientific and operational levels.

6.Is skilled in domain-specific documentation and presentation of results of research and design projects.





2.2General and scientific requirements


The Master of Construction Management and Engineering has a scientific, an engineering as well as a management orientation, all on the academic level. The contributing faculty from the 3TU Graduation School has elaborated the Dublin Descriptors, resulting in an extensive set of academic criteria for master curricula. The general and scientific requirements below are based on these criteria. Regarding academic competences the graduate has the following qualifications:

a. Has a thorough scientific attitude (having the ability to work independently, to reflect, to critically analyze, to evaluate, to generate novel ideas etc.). In his scientific attitude he does not restrict himself to the specific boundaries of the Construction Management and Engineering domain and is able to cross these boundaries, where and when necessary.

b. Has the ability to reflect on the complete scope of matters and issues in the domain: is able to form an opinion and contribute to discussions.

c. As an academic, the graduate understands the potential benefits of research and is able to understand and incorporate the results of research into his own design of solutions. He has the potential to contribute to or perform research himself.

d. Understands the importance of oral and written communication skills, in particular in English, and can make effective use of these. He also adheres to existing academic traditions, such as providing proper credits and references.

e. Has the habit to reflect upon his own work and continuously uses relevant information to improve his competences.

f. Is able to operate in the context of a team and to act as a project leader.


As a graduate he has the following capabilities in addition to the ones listed above:

g. The graduate knows that compromises are unavoidable and can deal with these effectively.

h. The graduate makes decisions based on these compromises and risk evaluations.

i. The graduate knows that models only approximate reality, but he is able to develop and use them adequately whenever this is beneficial.

j. The graduate is aware of the disadvantages of certain design decisions and is able to communicate these to the relevant parties (stakeholders). He is able to take the purpose of a particular design and its context into consideration.

k. The graduate has the attitude and is able to implement the concept of life-long-learning both in and outside the field of expertise covered by the M.Sc. program.


A quick reference matrix is given in Table 1, showing the relation between the Dublin Descriptors and the related content of domain-specific and general and scientific requirements of the CME program.













Table 1: ‘Dublin Descriptors and program requirements


Dublin descriptor

for Master programs

Domain-specific, general and scientific requirements for the M.Sc. Construction Management & Engineering program

Knowledge and understanding

Have demonstrated knowledge and understanding that is founded upon and extends and/or enhances that typically associated with Bachelor’s level, and that provides a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context

* has a thorough scientific attitude (having the ability to work independently, to reflect, to critically analyze, to evaluate, to generate novel ideas, etc.). In his scientific attitude he does not restrict himself to the specific boundaries of the Construction Management and Engineering domain and is capable to cross these, where and when necessary.

* has the ability to reflect on the complete scope of matters and issues in the domain: is able to form an opinion and contribute to discussions

* has acquired the necessary engineering skills in the context of civil engineering, building engineering and complex site engineering (is able to work methodically, is able to invent his own tools, adapt scientific theories and techniques, is able to work in a multidisciplinary environment, is application-oriented).


Applying knowledge and understanding


Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity

* is able to develop management processes based upon management theory and technical knowledge

* is able to manage complex assignments in a multidisciplinary team.

* is able to translate technological concepts and developments into appropriate process innovations for construction

* The graduates make decisions based on compromises and risk evaluations.

* He has the potential to contribute to or perform research himself.


Making judgments

Can formulate judgments with incomplete or limited information, that rather include reflection on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments

* is able to evaluate processes with respect to process characteristics such as risks, costs, time, quality, stakeholders participation, value creation, legislation.

* the graduate knows that models only approximate reality, but he can develop and use them adequately, whenever this is beneficial.

* The graduate knows that compromises are unavoidable and can deal with these effectively.



Communication

Can communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously

* Is skilled in domain-specific documentation and presentation of results of research and design projects.

* Understands the importance of oral and written communication skills, in particular in English, and can make effective use of these. He also adheres to existing academic traditions, like giving proper credits and references

* Is able to operate in the context of a team and to act as a project leader

* The graduate is aware of the disadvantages of certain design decisions and can communicate these to the relevant parties (stakeholders).

Learning skills

Have the learning skills to allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self directed or autonomous

* Has the habit to reflect upon his own work and continuously uses relevant information to improve his competences.

* The graduate has the attitude and is able to implement the concept of life-long-learning both in and outside the field of expertise buildup in the M.Sc. program.




2.3Benchmark for the final attainment level


An accreditated study program for CME on the M.Sc. level does not yet exist in The Netherlands. In order to provide a benchmark for the proposed final attainement level of CME, a number of institutions in the UK, USA and Germany have been examined. A benchmark study among four leading universities – Lougborough (UK), Reading (UK), Stuttgart (Germany), Purdue (USA) – shows that these universities have developed their programs along either the traditional approach of management or operational execution of technological aspects in construction management. None of these programs provide for a strong integration of the two approaches. In addition, some of these universities offer a separate program covering general management aspects such as value management, finance & accounting, industrial facilities, multi-storey buildings. These programs have a strong interest in ‘dedicated tools’.

The conclusion of this benchmark study is that existing programs offer either a technical or a management perspective and that combinations of these perspectives, within the context of relevant social and technical developments, are not on offer. More specifically: there is no program that addresses the interface between Architecture, Building and Planning on the one hand and Technology Management and Innovation on the other, covering the socio-technical management skills necessary to manage present-day complex construction assignments. The integration of the aspects mentioned earlier gives the proposed program not only in the Netherlands for the domain of building and construction, but also in a larger geographical European context a unique focus and position among the existing ones. It offers a broad and challenging platform for students interested in a versatile career.



2.4 WO orientation


The Construction Management and Engineering graduate has mastered scientific, engineering and management competences at the academic level (WO-level:‘Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs’, higher education). The integration of the aspects of science, engineering and management is realized by combining both design-driven and research-based courses in the program. See for a further elaboration of science-descriptors in relation to ‘design-competences’ also appendix F ‘Criteria for Academic Bachelor’s and Master’s Curricula’.

There are strong links between the courses in the program and research activities in the relevant domains of science. The specialization blocks and thesis projects are conducted at the departments that are best equipped for the specific domains or research topics, according to the research groups, expertise and research facilities. The recent research assessments carried out by the VSNU confirm that at the major part of the research carried out by the involved faculties and departments is of ‘good quality’ or ‘very good quality’. See appendix G.


3. Master’s program


3.1Organizational embedding: The M.Sc. program and the 3TU Graduate School


The combination of engineering and management topics related to construction in a single program can only be implemented successfully by supporting the program from both the construction science domain of architecture and civil engineering and management science domain of technology management. For this reason the following departments of the three universities of technology guarantee a competent input:

Department of Architecture, Building and Planning (TU/e)

Department of Technology Management (TU/e)

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (TUDelft)

Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TUDelft)

Faculty of Engineering Technology, Dep. Construction Management & Eng. (UTwente)


In the following paragraphs it is explained how a wide variety of courses is offered from which students compose their individual program which, of course, must meet certain conditions and regulations.

These tailor-made refined programs will be mandated by the Examination Board. For the CME program at the 3TU Graduate School there will be one mandated Examination Board (EB), as well as one Program Committee and one Management Team (MT).



3.2Didactic approach


Business and construction industry these days ask more and more for employees that know how to deal with the growing stock of knowledge and information. They expect their staff to be independent, self-directing and able and willing to learn during their whole lifetime. The key competence for a modern student is to be able to navigate in a vast sea of information. This requires not only a shift in emphasis from teacher-guided knowledge transfer to student-controlled knowledge acquisition but calls for new capabilities and attitudes as well. The universities have been familiar with traditional methods of instruction such as lectures, laboratories, etc. These forms are all more or less teacher-oriented. However, learning processes which should result into the competences as described, call for a more student-oriented type of education and is characterized by learning methods such as papers, literature reviews, computer simulations, problem-oriented education and design and research assignments. All three universities have gained ample experience in these new didactic approaches.


Student-controlled knowledge acquisition also calls for specific abilities. Therefore it is necessary to create didactic formats in which students learn how to learn. The educational program is more and more aimed at competences. This notion has been elaborated by integrating the development of students’ portfolios in the regular course activities of the CME program. By means of these portfolios students are trained to plan, observe, evaluate and present the development of their competences. Competence learning is thus interwoven in all parts of the curriculum and more specifically emphasized in the ‘integration’ course of the general block. In order to provide flexibility, consecutive learning lines have been avoided in the structure of the curriculum. A guideline for the development of the student’s portfolio’s is laid down in publication ‘Ontwikkelingsportfolio’, see appendix H.


In this M.Sc. program a balance has been sought between lectures on the one side and problem-oriented education and research assignments on the other. Core lectures will include real-world case evaluations to develop the empirical or modeling abilities of the students. Part of the lectures will be based on reviews of research papers to be made and presented by the students themselves. In the lectures teachers will be able to place their subject and the related research in a broader context in order to motivate the students, to transfer basic knowledge that can serve as building blocks for the students’ personal construction of knowledge and to give guidelines for the construction process.

Parallel to the core lectures there will be a number of projects with an integrative nature. These projects are problem-oriented. The key to this approach is working on realistic problems (case studies) in project groups. These case studies stimulate a whole range of joint and individual study activities. Students are mastering academic skills including essential skills to design complex solutions based upon design and research methodologies. In project groups, students analyze problems, formulate sub-tasks and report their findings from literature studies and other educational tools. The educational approach calls for a substantial degree of individual initiative.

The last element of the CME curriculum is the final thesis project. In this project, students will gain more individual hands-on experience in the research and analysis of complex construction developments and in the exploration of models for integrated solutions. As is the case with the preceding projects, this project is problem-oriented, but has the form of an in-depth research and design assignment.

The links between each part of the program and the goals of the program, including the competences to be developed, will be presented in paragraph 3.3 below.



3.3The general structure of the program


This MSc. program, realized at the three locations of the 3TU Graduate School, is subdivided in two blocks: a general block and a specialization block. At each of the three locations the 3TU Graduate School MSc. CME program is organized as one coherent program. However, per student, the program can be tailor-made, which means, that students can refine their program with elective courses offered at the three locations. Moreover, after the first year, a student may switch to another location in order to specialize in other topics than those offered at his original location. A short description of the two blocks is given below. In table 2 the structures of the CME MSc. programs are given for respectively Eindhoven, Delft and Twente.


(i) a general block, covering topics which provide a solid basis for further specialization in this domain of science and profession and offering a exploration of specializations offered at the different locations (37,5 EC)

On all three locations the general block consists of the same 5 course elements. The courses in this first block also deal with the homologation of knowledge of students with different backgrounds and provide an introduction into the four ‘corner stones’ for this domain of science: process management, project management, collaborative design & engineering, legal & governance aspects. In order to complete the knowledge acquired in the ‘corner stones’ courses of each student, all students at the three locations of this MSc. program are brought together in a joint course focused on integration of the acquired knowledge in the general block as well as on orientation for the ‘specialization block’. This is the fifth course element.






Table 2. ‘Structure of the MSc. CME program, at three locations



TU/e

UT

TUDelft

1.1

Legal & Governance Aspects

Project Management

Legal & Governance Aspects (B/I 2)

Project Management

(CEM 2)

Legal & Governance Aspects

Project Management

1.2

Process Management

Electives (7,5 EC)

Process Management

(B/I 3)

Real estate Development

(B/I 4)

Process Management

Electives (7.5 EC)

Market, Organization & Innovation

(B/I 8)

2.1

Collaborative Design

& Engineering

Project Underground Structures

Collaborative Design

& Engineering

(B/I 6)

Constr. Eng & Logistics

(B/I 9)

Collaborative Design

& Engineering

Plan and Project evaluation (4 EC)


Operations Research (2EC)


Cross cultural management (6EC)


Philosophy, Technology, Assessment and Ethics (3 EC)

2.2

Integration & Orientation

Project Tall Buildings

Integration & Orientation

Industrialization in Construction

(B/I 10)

Integration & Orientation

Public Private Governance

(B/I 13)

Switch possible to other location

3.1

Electives (5EC)




Preparing Thesis

(10 EC)


Project Business Plan development




Electives (5EC)





Preparing Thesis

(10 EC)

Electives (7,5 EC)

Electives (5 EC)





Preparing Thesis

(10 EC)

Dynamic Control of Projects (4 EC)


Risk Management I (3 EC)

System Dynamics (4 EC)


Financial Engineering (4EC)


3.2

Project Construction & Urban Site Development

Real estate Development

(B/I 4)

Market, Organization & Innovation

(B/I 8)

4.1

Final Thesis (30EC)

Final Thesis (30 EC)

Final Thesis (30 EC)

4.2






Legenda:

For every course the name is given, followed by the course-code as used at that location.

Specialization

à 7,5 EC

(at TUD variable)

Choice out of more

Basic topics à 7,5 EC

.

Integration & Orientation

Students of the three locations together 7,5 EC

specialization topics


During this general block of courses, the student will find opportunities to be informed about the choices for specialization and during the final joint course the student will explicitly be facilitated to orientate on and choose for specialization. The intention is to develop joint and central examens for these 5 course elements. This will also emphasize the common nature of this program.


(ii) a specialization block in which specific topics are studied into depth (70 EC) including the master thesis (40 EC). For each of the three locations the specialization program differs, according to specialization topics. These topics include:

- For ‘Eindhoven’: Complex construction assignments in relation to urban site development

- For ‘Twente’: Market Dynamics, Planning & Development and Design Processes & Engineering

- For ‘Delft’: Living Building Concept

The complete package of the specialization courses with the five general courses (see appendix I) combined with elective courses (see appendix J) will lead the student to the preparation and accomplishment of the thesis project (see appendix K). This process will be watched over by the responsible chair holder and will be checked by the Examination Board.


(iii)For in-depth specialization within this MSc. program and thus preparing the thesis project elective courses (12,5 EC) are offered. Beside the listed electives in appendix J, a student working on a specialization at, for example Eindhoven, can also decide to choose as an elective a relevant course, from the specialization programs at Delft or Twente.



3.4 Master Program Cohesion


The cohesion between the individual parts of the M.Sc. program is accomplished through ‘mechanisms’.

a. On the one hand, cohesion is realized by the general block of courses, covering topics which provide a solid basis for further specialization in this domain of science (see table 2, dark grey blocks). These four courses and the integration course (black block) are compulsory for all students. Thus cohesion with regard to ‘content’ is achieved, not only in the first block of the program, but also as a basis for further elaboration in the remainder of the program.

b. On the other hand, complementary to the general content block, cohesion between the contents of projects and courses for each student is accomplished through the individual student portfolio. The basis for this individual approach is worked out during the course ‘Integration and Orientation’, See programs in par. 3.3, (i). Appendix H mentions detailed requirements for the contents of student portfolios. The student will arrange his portfolio in cooperation with his mentor. This mechanism for cohesion is applicable for the specialization block.



3.5 Relation between the Master’s program and academic research


The interdisciplinary field of CME is both design-oriented and research-driven. Within the CME curriculum, design-oriented activities can mainly be found within the projects and in the master thesis project, in which problem solving for real-world cases takes place.

At all three locations’ research activities for CME are organized in research programs that have a high level and assure embedding in national and international developments in this domain of science. The following research centers accommodate the research activities for the CME master program:


- the ‘Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies’ (ECIS)

- the center for ‘Design Decision Support Systems’ (DDSS, TU/e)

- UTwente: Department of Construction Management & Engineering,

- UTwente: Institute for Governance Studies

- TUDelft. ‘Research School Structural Engineering’, ‘Knowledge Centre for Building Process Innovation’


These four research centers have a qualified academic research level as is reflected by the results of the VSNU research audits (see Appendix G). Related to these research activities, faculty from these research centers is engaged in the development and presentation of course modules for the CME master program. The overall integration of these modules into the CME program is controlled by a Curriculum Committee (OpleidingsCommissie). The representatives of major construction companies and policy-making organizations provide a periodical reflection on the CME program and contribute to education activities for the CME program in the form of guest lectures and internships. Also by means of these representative institutions a continuous connection between applied research and industrial partners is arranged.


The interaction between parts of the program and research can be found on three levels:

1. Research is used as a source for examples in the course;

2. Research papers are part of the course materials;

3. Research assignments during the courses and the final thesis are derived from or are part of the ongoing research activities of the departments, whereby the level of supervision decreases steadily in the course of the program.


The relationships between the different parts of the M.Sc. program and research are listed below in Table 3 for the general block and in Table 3-A, 3-B, 3-C for the specialization blocks.


Table 3: Relation between course parts and research: the general Block

General Block

Research as example

Research papers as course material

Research-assignments

x = under supervision

0 = autonomous

Legal & Governance aspects

x

x


Project management

x

x


Process management

x

x


Collaborative design & engineering

x

x


Integration & Orientation

x

x



Table 3-A: Relation between course parts and research: the Specialization Block in Eindhoven


Specialization Block


Eindhoven

Research as example

Research papers as course material

Design-driven/

Research-based academic tasks

x = under supervision

0 = autonomous

project, Undergr. Structures

x

x

x

project, Tall buildings

x

x

x

project, Complex urban sites

x

x

x

project, Business Plan Development

x

x

x

Electives

x

occasionally


Thesis project: Integrated process design for complex assignments

x

x

0


Table 3-B: Relation between course parts and research: the Specialization Block in

Delft


Specialization Block


Delft

Research as example

Research papers as course material

Design-driven/

Research-based academic tasks

x = under supervision

0 = autonomous

Operations Research

x

x


Philosophy, Technology Assessment and Ethics

x



Cross cultural management

x



Plan and Project evaluation

x



System Dynamics

(x)

(x)


Financial Engineering

x

x

x

Dynamic Control of Projects

x

x

x

Risk Management I

x



Electives




Thesis project

x

x

0


Table 3-C: Relation between course parts and research: the Specialization Block in Twente


Specialization Block


Twente

Research as example

Research papers as course material

Design-driven/

Research-based academic tasks

x = under supervision

0 = autonomous

B/I 4 Real Estate development



x

B/I 8 Market, Organization & Innovation

x

x

x

B/I 9: Construction Engineering & Logistics


x

x

B/I 10 Industrialization in Construction

x

x

x

B/I 11 Sustainable building

x

x


B/I 13 Public Private Governance

x

x

x

CEM 4 Asset Management & Maintainance




Master Thesis (30 EC)

x

x

0


In the course descriptions in Appendices I information can be found on the topical scientific theories that will be discussed, the research projects on which examples and cases will be based and the scientific skills that will be dealt with.



3.6 Relation between final attainment level and the Master’s program


Table 4 (4-A, -B, -C) give an overview of the relation between the ‘final attainment level’ (program objectives) with regard to ‘domain-specific requirements’ and the different parts of the program. The first part of this table shows the relations between program objectives and the ‘general block’. The second part of the table consists of three blocks, representing the specializations at the three locations. Table 5 (5–A, -B, -C give an overview of the relation between the ‘final attainment level’ (program objectives) with regard to the ‘general and scientific requirements’ and parts of the program. The column titles in tables 4 and 5 refer to the program objectives listed in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2, respectively.


Table 4: Relation between course parts and “domain specific requirements” for the “General Block”


General Block


Course name











Engineering skills

Development of man. Proc. based upon man. theory & tech.knowl

Manage complex assignments in teams

Translate techn. Concepts into process innovations

Evaluate process development for constr. Man. & eng.

Skilled in domain specific documenting & presentation

Legal & Governance aspects





x


Process management


x



x


Project management

x

x



x


Collaborative design & Eng.

x

x

x

x

x

x

Integration & Orientation

x

x

x

x

x

x


Table 4-A: Relation between course parts and “domain specific requirements” for the “Specialization Block” in Eindhoven


Specialization Block

Eindhoven


Course name











Engineering skills

Development of man. Proc. based upon man. theory & tech.knowl

Manage complex assignments in team

Translate techn. Concepts into process innovations

Evaluate process development for constr. Man. & eng.

Skilled in domain specific documenting & presentation

Underground construction

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tall buildings

x

x

x

x

x

x

Complex urban sites

x

x

x

x

x

x

Business plan development

x


x

x


x

Elective courses

x

x





Graduation project “Process Management for Complex constructions assignments and urban sites development”

x

x

x

x

x

x


Table 4-B: Relation between course parts and “domain specific requirements” for the “Specialization Block” in Delft.


Specialization Block

Delft


Course name











Engineering skills

Development of man. Proc. based upon man. theory & tech.knowl

Manage complex assignments in team

Translate techn. Concepts into process innovations

Evaluate process development for constr. Man. & eng.

Skilled in domain specific documenting & presentation

Operations Research

x

x



x

x

Philosophy, Technology Assessment and Ethics



x




Cross cultural management



x



x

Plan en Project evaluation

x




x

x

System Dynamics


x


x

x

x

Financial Engineering





x

x

Dynamic Control of Projects

x


x

x


x

Risk Management I

x


x


x


Elective courses

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

Graduation project

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)



Table 4-C: Relation between course parts and “domain specific requirements” for the “Specialization Block” in Twente.


Specialization Block

Twente


Course name











Engineering skills

Development of man. Proc. based upon man. theory & tech.knowl

Manage complex assignments in team

Translate techn. Concepts into process innovations

Evaluate process development for constr. Man. & eng.

Skilled in domain specific documenting & presentation

Real Estate Ddevelopment


x

x



x

Market, Organization & Innovation


(x)



x

x

Constr. Engin. & Logistics

x

x


x

x

X

Industrialization in Construction


x

x

x

x

x

Public Private Governance


(x)

x



x

Elective courses

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

Graduation project

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)



Table 5: Relation between course parts and “general and scientific requirements” for the “General Block”


Relation between course parts and final attainment level:

General and scientific requirements

General Block


Course name








Scientific attitude crosses boundaries of CME domain

Reflects on complete scope

Potential to contribute to research

Oral and written communication

Habit to reflect

Operates in a team

Knows compromises are unavoidable

Makes decisions based on calculated risks

Uses models adequately and knows their limitation

Takes into consideration disadvantages of design decisions

Able to implement life-long learning

Legal & Governance aspects



x






x



Process management



x






x



Project management



x





x

x



Collaborative design & Eng

x


x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x


Integration & Orientation

x

x


x

x

x

x

x


x

x




Table 5-A: Relation between course parts and “general and scientific requirements” for the “Specialization Block” in Eindhoven


Relation between course parts and final attainment level:

General and scientific requirements

Specialization Block

Eindhoven


Course name








Scientific attitude crosses boundaries of CME domain

Reflects on complete scope

Potential to contribute to research

Oral and written communication

Habit to reflect

Operates in a team

Knows compromises are unavoidable

Makes decisions based on calculated risks

Uses models adequately and knows their limitation

Takes into consideration disadvantages of design decisions

Able to implement life-long learning

Underground construction



x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Tall buildings



x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Complex urban sites

x

x

x

x

x

x

x


x

x

x

Business plan development

x

x


x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Elective courses

x


x








x

Graduation project “Process Management for Complex constructions assignments and urban sites development”

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x


Table 5-B: Relation between course parts and “general and scientific requirements” for the “Specialization” in Delft


Relation between course parts and final attainment level:

General and scientific requirements

Specialization Block

Delft


Course name








Scientific attitude crosses boundaries of CME domain

Reflects on complete scope

Potential to contribute to research

Oral and written communication

Habit to reflect

Operates in a team

Knows compromises are unavoidable

Makes decisions based on calculated risks

Uses models adequately and knows their limitation

Takes into consideration disadvantages of design decisions

Able to implement life-long learning

Operations Research

x

x

x

x

x


x

x

x

x

x

Philosophy, Technology Assessment and Ethics

x



x

x


x




x

Cross cultural management




x


x

x




x

Plan en Project evaluation





x


x

x

x

x

x

System Dynamics

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Financial Engineering



x

x




x

x

x

x

Dynamic Control of Projects


x


x


x

x

x

x

x

x

Risk Management I



x

x



x

x


x

x

Elective courses

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

Graduation project

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)






Table 5-C: Relation between course parts and “general and scientific requirements” for the “Specialization Block” in Twente


Relation between course parts and final attainment level:

General and scientific requirements

Specialization Block

Twente


Course name








Scientific attitude crosses boundaries of CME domain

Reflects on complete scope

Potential to contribute to research

Oral and written communication

Habit to reflect

Operates in a team

Knows compromises are unavoidable

Makes decisions based on calculated risks

Uses models adequately and knows their limitation

Takes into consideration disadvantages of design decisions

Able to implement life-long learning

Real Estate Ddevelopment

x



x

x

x


x



x

Market, Organization & Innovation


x

x

x

x

x



x


x

Constr. Engin. & Logistics

x


x

x

x

x


x

x

x

x

Industrialization in Construction

x


x

x

x

x



x

x

x

Public Private Governance

x

x

x

x

x

x


x

x


x

Elective courses

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

Graduation project

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)

(x)




3.7 Master’s program study load


The study load of the Master’s program is 120 EC (European Credit Transfer System), divided equally over the four semester terms. Most of the compulsory courses are finished using regular exams that can be taken twice a year. In many courses, one or more assignments will be completed. Grading of these assignments will be included in the final mark. The working load of the students is being monitored by the Education Board on a regular basis. In the master’s thesis project supervisors will make use of a strict monitoring system to detect whether students are able to finish their Master’s project in time. This enables faculty to intervene in a timely and appropriate fashion.


The three universities of technology offering the CME Master program have come to the conclusion that it is vital for the program’s success that the total study load of the program should not be limited to 60 EC. Therefore we are not only applying for a new “WO” Master program, but for a 120 EC study load as well. This conclusion is based on the following considerations.

1. As has been emphasized in section 1.1 and elaborated on in section 1.2 of this application dossier, the field of Construction Management & Engineering is strongly interdisciplinary by nature. Social aspects, organizational considerations and management methodologies all need to be integrated with technology as such, resulting in a comprehensive approach focusing on process development. Expertise in a wide range of subjects is a precondition in order to be able to work in this particular field at the level of professionalism a (“WO”) MSc degree should warrant.

This interdisciplinarity can not be accomodated within the constraints imposed by a 60 EC total workload. A “WO” MSc degree presupposes a substantial thesis project, which is incompatible with sufficient in-depth study of the wide range of subjects required for a sound basis in CME.

The three universities of technology are not prepared to compromise on either the scientific (research) basis for the MSc program in CME or the level of professionalism of CME graduates.


2. Foreign Master-level programs in CME with a total study load of 60 EC do exist, especially in the UK (complying with the local degree structures in different parts of the UK). However, in many cases these programs require significant amounts of work experience for admission (e.g. Loughborough University requires a minimum of 5 years appropriate experience in the construction industry for its MSc program in Construction Project Management), whereas the proposed Dutch MSc program in CME is a pre-experience program and should not be compared to post-experience programs. Shorter course durations for post-experience programs are the rule in general (e.g. compare the study load of (Executive) MBA programs to the study load of pre-experience Business programs). Moreover, some of the shorter foreign CME programs do not cover the extensive range of subjects in the current proposal to the same extent as the proposed program does.


3. The three Dutch universities of technology do not offer any Bachelor-level programs in CME. The implication of this fact is that the vast majority of the student intake will hold a Bachelor degree in either Civil Engineering or Architecture, Building and Planning or Industrial Engineering / Technology Management. None of these categories, let alone applicants in other fields of engineering, will thus have a significant knowledge base in the entire range of subjects that are relevant for the field of CME. As a result, a rather large part of the total study load has to be devoted to the completion of the student’s knowledge base across the relevant disciplines. This takes time – more time than would be available within the constraints of a 60 EC total study load (without compromising the final attainment level of the program)


4. The construction industry demands from CME graduates a combination of a solid knowledge base in a broad range of subjects on the one hand and a wide variety of technical and management skills on the other. Both knowledge and skills from a number of academic disciplines have to be mastered in a coherent way. To try and do so within a one-year program would result in a level of mastery that would not have sufficient added value for the relevant industry. To have a full-fledged two-year program is vital to be able to meet de needs of the field. (See also appendices D1 and D2)



3.8 Academic student support facilities


A study progress registration system (SVR) will register the number of credits obtained by students in every semester. Twice a year all students will receive a review of their study progress and in addition all students will be able to access their study progress data at any time using ’intra-net’ facilities. If, for one reason or the other, information is not available electronically, students can receive this type of information from the information desk of the Educational Administration Office. The aggregated output of the SVR will be published once a year in support of policymaking and remedial actions.

In all phases of the programs, a student counselor coaches students with regard to planning and will assist in solving study-related problems. The student counselor operates within a university-wide network of counselors and can also refer students to the student psychologists at the university’s Student Service Center. In addition, the student counselor will convey important course and program information to the students.

Students who lag behind or are in danger of lagging behind will be asked to consult the student counselor, who will then, together with the student concerned, evaluate the situation and advise on possible measures. At the end of the first year, a written individual study advice will be given to each student. Of course students are also welcome to visit the student counselor on their own initiative, e.g. to discuss their study progress and planning.



3.9 Admission


3.9.1 Unrestricted Admission

Being an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental master program, admission to the program will be unrestricted (Doorstroom-master) for the students that have obtained the B.Sc. Degree from:

- the TU/e programs in ‘Architecture, Building & Planning’, ‘Industrial Engineering and Management Science’ and ‘Technological Innovation Sciences’.

- the UT programs in ‘Civil Engineering Technology’ and ‘Technology Management’

- the TUDelft programs in ‘Civil Engineering’, in ‘Architecture’ “Civil Engineering”, “Architecture”, “Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management”.


3.9.2 Restricted Admission

All other candidates will be subjected to an admission procedure. There are three target groups of ‘other candidates’ for the program:

a. Bachelor students from technical science departments of Dutch universities;

b. Bachelor students from polytechnic colleges for higher education (in particular in fields related to Construction and Technical Management)

c. Bachelor students from foreign universities, who have completed BSc. programs comparable to the mentioned programs by those for ‘unrestricted admissions’, par. 3.8.1


Admission for these groups is based on the following criteria:

Ad a. Graduates with a university BSc degree in a different discipline are eligible for admission if they fulfill additional requirements in terms of a specific pre-master program, decided by the admission committee based on the contents of the B.Sc. program, followed by the student.

Ad b. Bachelor students from polytechnic colleges for higher education in areas comparable to those mentioned in par. 3.8.1 may be admitted to the program after successfully completing a standard pre-master program. After completing part of the pre-master program students will be allowed to start participating in some M.Sc. courses on a provisional basis to bring the total study time as close to two years as possible.

Ad c. Applicants with a bachelor diploma from foreign universities will have to submit their credentials to the admission office of the 3 TU Graduate School. The office will check the level of education, the ability to follow the program in the English language and some requirements with regard to the ability of the student to acquire a visa etc. The admission office will give a general indication of the education level to the Admission Committee of the master program. The committee will decide on the candidate’s admission, including the contents of a pre-master program where applicable.


3.10 Duration


The Master’s of Science in Construction Management & Engineering program consists of 120 EC and requires a full-time student two years to finish.


4.Human resources efforts


4.1 Teaching staff

Teaching staff from different departments contributes to the MSc. CME program, organized in two blocks. According to the distinguished program specializations in table 2 and according to the contributions from faculty to the to the ‘general block’ of the program, the allocated faculty at each of the three locations is shown in tables 7-A, 7-B, and 7-C.


Table 7-A: TU/e staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. program CME


Name


Job title


Course

Alloc. capacity (hrs/yr) based on 30 stud.


Department

Prof.dr.ir. W.F. Schaefer

Full Professor

Underground Construction,

Tall Buildings,

Complex Urban Sites

Thesis project

800

Arch. Building & Planning

Prof. ir. G.J. Maas

Full Professor

Underground Construction,

Thesis Proeject

100

Arch. Building & Planning

Prof.dr.ir. B. de Vries

Full Professor

Underground Construction,

Tall Buildings,

Complex Urban Sites

Thesis Project

250

Arch. Building & Planning

Prof. Ir. F. Scheublin

Full Professor

Tall Buildings

150

Arch., Building & Planning

ir. B. van Eekelen

Visiting Professor

Thesis project

250

Arch. Building & Planning

Dr.Ir. J. Van Leeuwen

Assoc. Professor

Collaborative Eng. & Design

Thesis Project

150

Arch. Building & Planning

Dr. A. Kastelein

Assoc. Professor

Process Management

Thesis Porject

100

Technologie Management

Mr. drs. W. Wenselaar

Assist. Professor

Legal & Governance aspects


70

Technologie Management

Mr. drs. B. Mol

Assist. Professor

Legal & Governance aspects


200

Technologie Management

Prof. ir. L. Verhoef

Full Professor

Business Plan Development

Thesis Project

200

Technologie Management

Ir. F. van Gassel

Assist. Professor

Collaborative Eng. & Design

Underground Construction,

Tall Buildings,

Complex Urban Sites

300

Arch. Building & Planning

Dr. Ing. A. den Otter

Assist. Professor

Process Management

Thesis Project

200

Arch. Building & Planning




Table 7-B: TUDelft staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. program CME



Name


Job title


Course

Alloc. capacity ( hrs/yr) based on 30 stud.


Faculty

Prof. dr. Ir. H.A.J. de Ridder

Full Professor

Collaborative Design and Engineering, Process Management, Financial Engineering and Dynamic Control of Projects

600 (1)

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Dr. ir. R. Verhaeghe

Assoc. Professor

Plan and Project Evaluation

200

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Dr. Ir. E. Dado

Assist. Professor

Collaborative Design and Engineering, Process Management

300

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Dr. Ir. S. van Nederveen

Assist. Professor

System Dynamics

200

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Ir. K. B. Braat

Senior Lecturer

Collaborative Design and Engineering

150

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Dr. Ir. P.P. J. van Loon

Assoc. Professor

Operations Research

150

Architecture

Prof. mr. dr. E.F. ten Heuvelhof

Full Professor

Process Management

100

Technology, Policy and Management

Dr. ir. J.F.M. Koppenjan

Assoc.Professor

Process Management

100

Technology, Policy and Management

Prof. dr. ir. A. Verbraeck

Assoc. Professor

Project Management

150

Technology, Policy and Management

Dr. ir. W.M. de Jong

Associate Professor

Cross Cultural Management

150

Technology, Policy and Management

Mr. Dr. H. Stout

Fellow

Cross Cultural Management

150


Dr. ir. J.A.A.M. Stoop

Associate Professor

Risk Management I

150

Technology, Policy and Management

Prof. Dr. ir. P. A. Kroes

Full Professor

Philosophy, Technology and Ethics

75

Technology, Policy and Management

Dr. ir. L. M. Kamp

Assist. Professor

Philosophy, Technology and Ethics

75

Technology, Policy and Management

Dr. ir. W. W. Veeneman

Assist. Professor

Project Management

200

Technology, Policy and Management

Mr. dr. F. A. M. Hobma

Assist. Professor

Legal & Governance aspects

400

Technology, Policy and Management

(1) provisonally: most tasks will be fulfilled by other experts

















Table 7-C: UTwente staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. program CME



Name


Job title


Course

Allocated capacity (in hrs/yr) based on 30 students


Faculty/Department

Dr. S.H.S.Al Jibouri

Associate professor

Project Management

(CEM 2)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Drs.Ing. J. Boes


Assistent professor

Legal & Governance Aspects

(B/I 2)

50

Construction Management & Engineering

Dr. Ir. H.J.H. Brouwers

Associate professor

Sustainable Building (B/I 11)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Dr. W.D. Bult-Spiering

Assistent professor

Real Estate Development (B/I 4)

350

Construction Management & Engineering

Public Private Governance (B/I 13)

Prof. Dr. G.P.M.R. Dewulf

Full professor

Process Management

(B/I 3)

300

Construction Management & Engineering

Public Private Governance (B/I 13)

Prof. Dr. Ir. A.G. Dorée

Full professor

Market, org & innov (B/I 8)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Ir. R.S. de Graaf

Assistent professor

Process Management

(B/I 3)

100

Construction Management & Engineering

Prof. Dr.. Ir. J.I.M. Halman

Full professor

Industrialization in Construction (B/I 10)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Drs. M. Harmsen

Assistant professor

Legal & Governance Aspects

(B/I 2)

100

Business, Public Administration & Technology

Mr. Dr. M.A. Heldeweg

Associate professor

Legal & Governance Aspects

(B/I 2)

100

Business, Public Administration & Technology

Prof.Ir. D.G. Mans

Full professor

Asset Management & Maintenance (CEM 4)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Ir. K.Th. Veenvliet

Assistant professor

Collaborative design & Eng

(B/I 6)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Dr. J.T. Voordijk

Associate professor

Constr.Engin. & Logistics (B/I 9)

250

Construction Management & Engineering

Spread among staff mentioned

Thesis supervision

à 40 hr/student

1200




Right from the beginning, experts from outside the university will be involved in the course program. The organization of contributions by external field experts is realized in close cooperation with the ‘KTB Foundation’ and ‘Knowledge Centre for Building Process Innovation’. Involvement of these real world field experts will be focused on the M.Sc. research graduation projects and the integration course.

Thus, qualified and experienced lecturers will supervise the groups and experts from industry and institutions will provide the disciplinary expertise. All faculty members involved have more than sufficient expertise and authority to warrant proper supervision of the program and to develop and implement processes for the evaluation, assessment and continuing improvement of the program, its educational objectives and outcomes. Although many of the courses are designed specifically for this program, they fit completely into the current educational and research activities of the lecturers concerned. Most of the program’s faculty holds a professorate at one of the departments of the 3 TU Graduate School. Many faculty members hold a PhD degree.



4.2 Managing staff


The management for this 3-TU Graduate MSc. program is arranged and facilitated as follows:

a.There are three joint directors of education, representing the three locations, supervising this program. At each location there is also a program coordinator.

b.The directors are supervised by a board of three representatives of the three locations. These persons will represent the boards of the contributing departments of the 3-TU Graduate School

c.There are a number of external representatives from construction industry, providing reflection, validation and advice concerning this MSc. program

d.On each of the three locations there are professionals for

i.coordination,

ii.administration,

iii.students councelling

iv.education quality

v.secretary


Table 9: Managing staff for the CME M.Sc. program


Name

Task description

Estimated long run average in hrs/yr

University / Department

Prof.dr ir. W.F. Schaefer

Education Director

100

Eindhoven

Dr. Ir. E. Dado

Education Director

100

Delft

drs. G. van Lieshout

Education Director

100

Twente

Prof. ir. J. Westra

Board of supervisors

Dean

30

Architecture, Building & Planning TU/e

Prof. ir. L. De Quelerij

Board of supervisors

Dean

30

TUDelft

CiTG

Vacancy

Board of supervisors

Dean

30

UTwente

Fac. Engineering Technology

Prof.dr.ir. G.P.M.R. Dewulf

Program Coordinator

100

UTwente

Department CM&E

Dr. ir. E. Dado

Program Coordinator

100

CiTG

Dr. ing. A. Den Otter

Program Coordinator

100

Architecture, Building & Planning, TU/e

Ir. H. Ramler

Program advices & external validation

30

BAM

Ir. J. Holleman

Program advices & external validation

30

Chairman

KTB Foundation

Vacancy

Program advices & external validation

30


4.3 WO requirements


The teaching staff has been recruited from a body of experienced scientific researchers in the field of construction development and management, available at the different departments (see Appendix L). Most of the participating faculty members have a professorate and are active in research activities. For the other faculty members responsible for a disciplinary course, either a PhD degree or comparable research and development skills acquired in industry or institutions is required. The full and associate professors and several of the assistant professors involved in the program are leading in their fields. The faculty has 40% of their time available for research and personal development. This guarantees a continuous refreshment and enhancement of knowledge and skills.


4.4 Staff quantity


Staff quantity can be derived from Tables 8 and 9 in the preceding paragraph. The input of the supporting faculty members will have to increase with growing students numbers, but because of the joint accommodation of the CME program in various departments at the three locations, such expansion will always be possible in the most flexible way.

In all departments sufficient qualified researchers are available to supervise M.Sc. research projects in their own disciplinary areas. In the integration course, in various projects and in the graduation thesis project, the approaches of the different disciplines will come together.


4.5 Staff quality


The staff requirements have already been indicated in paragraph 4.1. There is an extensive quality assurance mechanism in place as is explained in Chapter 6.

5 Facilities


The three technical universities provide everything necessary to accommodate the M.Sc. program Construction Management & Engineering. Recent reports of educational audits by QANU indicate that facilities for lecturing in every aspect are fully adequate at all three universities.


For the first year of the program use can be made of the available lecture rooms, rooms for project groups, laboratory courses, libraries etc. which are available for the existent study programs. In the specialization block and the thesis project the students will have their domicile in one of the participating departments which is responsible for the specific specialization block under the guidance of a full professor. Here, the student will have access to all necessary facilities related to the specific specialization, and an office with all the available facilities, like desk with telephone and internet access.



5.1 General services


At the TU/e the master program will be accommodated by the department of Architecture, Building and Planning and the department Technology Management.

At the UT the accommodation will be provided by the department Construction Management & Engineering of the faculty of Engineering Technology.

At TUDelft the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management are responsible for the Master’s program.

All facilities of these departments will be made available for the CME program. Maintenance of facilities, updating of collections and planning of lecture rooms and project work facilities for the program are all part of the regular maintenance and planning activities of the departments and faculties.



5.2 Library facilities and other learning resources


The three universities have very advanced library facilities with documentation centers open for all students. The catalogues of these libraries are connected to each other and it is possible for the students to search for material at another location. Several bibliographic files are available for searching for scientific literature. The library facilities of the three universities are very advanced in this respect.

All kinds of other learning resources will be made available by the existing Electronic Learning Environments. This provides additional support and information sources to the regular teaching and learning facilities (as course settings, project working groups and thesis work). The regular shops will be used for selling course and study materials.



5.3 ICT facilities


The three universities have a very powerful network infrastructure connected to the Worldwide Internet. Network connections are widely available in the university buildings. Since most students have a notebook computer (In Eindhoven all B.Sc. and M.Sc.students are provided with a laptop, in UT all B.Sc. students are provided with a laptop) the provision of workstations and PCs has become less relevant. Software and software updates can be accessed through the departmental computer network. However, for special tasks, more powerful or dedicated hardware and software are still required. So, in addition to the distributed notebook computer power, the CME students can make use of a variety of dedicated, up-to-date facilities in the labs of the various departments.


The existing ICT facilities at all locations provide optimal communication possibilities between students and lecturers using the Internet. This is important especially for the courses in which students from different institutions are participating in the same course and project.

At each of the locations an ICT Service Desk is available to support both students and staff in the use of hardware and software. People can submit their questions regarding the technical aspects of hardware and software by telephone or E-mail or directly at the counter. The Service Desk also offers digital photo and film equipment.



5.4 Academic support and counseling facilities


In addition to one program director for the national M.Sc. program, at every location a master’s program coordinator, a student counselor and supporting staff assigned to support the students is available. In all phases of the program the student counselor will coach students with their planning and assist in solving study-related problems. The student counselor gives personal support to all students who have questions about the program and their individual study environment. The student counselor schedules a number of evaluation interviews with each student. The student counselor will convey important course and program information to the students.

Students who lag behind or are in danger of lagging behind will be invited for a discussion about their lack of progress, in which the counselor will discuss the situation and advise on the study planning. At the end of the first year, a written individual study advice will be given to each student. Besides that, students are encouraged to visit the student counselor on their own initiative in order to discuss, among others, their study progress and planning.

The student counselor operates within a university-wide network of advisors and can also advise students to consult the university psychologists.

For the international students additional arrangements will be made. The program coordinator is also the international relations coordinator and provides the special guidance most international students need.

At the institutional level, each university has an International Office and a Service Centre for students provinding academic and administrative support services to the graduate student. The IO’s are responsible for many support tasks to create conditions to make international exchange for students possible. Issues such as insurance, support and information on exchange programs; funding, admission and visa application, English courses and introduction and so on all belong to the responsibilities of the IO.




6. Methods of assessment and system of quality control

6.1 Methods of assessment

The master program comprises general courses, specialization courses and multidisciplinary projects based on the principle of research and design integration and the final graduation assignment. For the courses the traditional written examination is widely used. Some courses will be concluded with an individual assignment.

The examination for the four courses of the “general block” will be the same at all three locations.


The Integration and Orientation course and other project-based courses have a practical part in which the knowledge acquired during the lectures is applied in practice. These learning environments give important information about the processing of lectures and bottlenecks in the application skills for the group of students as a whole.


For each of the projects within the Integration and Orientation course, the project coordinator defines a number of specific educational goals. This project coordinator in combination with the group’s tutor assesses to what extent the work of the group and the contributions by the individual team members meet the specific objectives. This assessment has two components, namely a group component and an individual component. The group component relates to the group product, which is assessed by the case study coordinator. In this assessment, in addition to aspects pertaining to content, styling aspects also play a role. The individual component concerns the performance of each individual student within the group. The tutor is responsible for the assessment of this aspect. In this assessment, both the aspects relating to content and group aspects will be taken into account.


The final thesis project will focus on problems derived from real-world cases. In this project, the student works independently in close relation with companies or institutions. This work is carried out on the basis of a predefined program of graduation subjects (see Appendix K), contributing to the department’s research activities. In many cases the work is carried out in close connection to PhD. projects. In addition to the regular contacts between student and faculty, periodical group training sessions of master thesis students will be organized. These sessions will be implemented in the form of thematic workshops.

The assessment of the thesis project is carried out by the responsible chair holder in close collaboration with representatives from the professional field. The major grading aspects are

-product: the content of the thesis

-process: the attitude, problem solving capacity and capacity of self deployment of the candidate

-presentation: the capacity of presenting the results of study


6.2 System of quality control

The system of quality assurance is considered to be vital to ensure the quality of the CME program. Essential is that all the relevant stakeholders involved will participate in the process (benchmark partners, external contacts, alumni, staff, students). The methods of assessment, and quality control will be embedded in the regular quality assurance planning and control cycle of the departments contributing to this MSc. program and the institution of the 3TU Graduate School (yearly meeting with the Board of Directors, central student administration etc.). The quality of the program will be ensured by the Central Program Committee and the Central Examination Board as mentioned in par. 3.1 ‘Organizational Embedding’.


The system to be used can be summarized in a few general statements:

-The system of quality control is aimed at the maintaining and improvement of the program

-The system of quality control is aimed at controlling the following elements:

oQualifications of the graduates (objectives and goals of the program)

oStructure and contents of the program

oEfficiency of the program (intake and study progress of the students; quality of the faculty involved)

oOrganization (quality of staff and adequacy of the facilities)

oThe quality system itself

-The quality assurance system is also focused on realizing the requirements of the accreditation legislation

-For quality control of the CME program the quality control systems at place in the department of Architecture, Building and Planning and the department Technology Management (TU/e), the department Construction Management & Engineering of the faculty of Engineering Technology (UT) and the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TUD) will be used.

-The Education Directors are responsible for implementing measures to improve the program.

-The outcomes of the quality assurance system will be systematically discussed in the team of Education Directors that is responsible for the program.

-The qualifications and the structure of the program are evaluated on a 3-yearly basis. In this process, external contacts and benchmark partners will be consulted in any case.

-Every six year an external review is carried out as part of the compulsory accreditation cycle. Well before the external review takes place, an internal review will be carried out, based on NVAO guidelines for external review procedures. External contacts will be invited to participate in the panel that carries out the internal review.


An overview of the Quality Control System is presented in Table 10 on the next page. Some important elements of the system will be explained in further detail below. In order to know to what degree the program objectives relate to the instructional goals and the measurements demonstrate the desired results, all forms of education will be evaluated periodically.

Besides the evaluation of individual curriculum parts, clusters of courses, semesters, years and the whole curriculum will be evaluated as well. Not only the quality of individual courses, but also the validity of assessment will be involved in the evaluation. Additionally, the connection between the curriculum and the research schools and research institutes providing its research base will be evaluated periodically. Graduates and postgraduates will be asked to give their value judgment of their education in order to improve the tie between the university study and the demands of the modern trade and industry.

A distinction will be made between a reactive and pro-active component in the system for internal quality assessment. The reactive component consists of identification, analysis, improvement and feedback. Systematic education assessment is an instrument in pointing out bottlenecks with regard to the feasibility of completing -parts of- the program in the given time and to evaluate teaching quality. Study progress data may serve as a similar identification instrument.



Table 10: Overview of quality control system

Focus areas

Parts

Time

Actions

Methods

Actors

Reports

Follow-up

Focus A

Objectives and goals


check

Mission, objectives and goals of the program

5-yearly





yearly

examine whether the objectives are still valid




fine-tuning the objectives

research and analysis





analysis of performance-indications

QCT / ED /

OC

EVC

Alumni


QCT/

ED

internal reports,

external consultation,

educational yearbook and educational guidebook

annual report for internal and external use

professionalizing and coaching of co-workers





discussion with FB and OCI

Focus B

Content of the education




check

Structure and content of the program


yearly






each trimester

examine whether the science input contributes to the state of the science

examine whether the content of the curriculum is executed properly



evaluate parts of the curriculum


Full Professor and peers


evaluation of the courses, of each trimester, of each year, analysis of the achieved results


mail surveys / interviews / gather information by listening



QCT

OC

EVC

Alumni



QCT

ED

survey of the curriculum / content of the courses in the guidebook and on the worldwide web


reports to OC

discussions with lecturers about improving education, professionalization of co- workers



discussions with lecturers and enter into an agreement about the continuation

Focus C

Educational Process



check

Educational Services

Study-ability

yearly




each trimester

examine whether the educational process is executed properly



evaluate parts of the curriculum

see B




mail surveys / interviews / gather information by listening

QCT /

OC


QCT /

ED

see B




reports to OC

see B and educational professionalization and coaching of co-workers


discussions with lecturers and enter into an agreement

Focus D

Efficiency of the Education



Check

Intake of students

Flow of students

Efficiency

5-yearly





yearly

analysis and control of index numbers





analysis index numbers

survey of the results of examination, facts and figures about inflow and outflow of students


follow procedure registration

progress of study

QCT /

OCI



QCT /

ED

internal reports




survey of facts and figures about relevant matters

take precautions to avoid bottlenecks and pressure points



monitoring on the basis of index numbers

Focus E

Organization of the Education



Check

Effectiveness

Quality plan

Quality staff

Facilities

Provision


5-yearly





yearly

examine and investigate organizational plan including quality plan




readjust plans

mail surveys / interviews / focus groups / analysis of comparisons on the basis of documents


pick up signals

QCT /

ED/

OC



QCT / ED

internal reports en guidebook




report to OC

take precautions to avoid bottlenecks and pressure points



evaluation of the readjustments

Focus F

Alumni

external contacts internationalization



check

Quality of the graduates

Internationalization and external contacts

5-yearly






yearly

survey of the social status of graduates;

external contacts and foreign relations

examine the frictions between the quality of the graduates and the demands of the society and the science


annual report

mail surveys / interviews / group comparisons





mail surveys and interview

QCT / ED / OC





QCT / ED

internal reports






reports to the OC

on the basis of the vested information take action to improve the national and international position of the faculty



ED: Education Director; QCT: Quality Control Team; OC: Education Committee; FB: Faculty Board; EVC: External Validation Commission

The next step consists of further analysis of possible bottlenecks. This will result in specific actions to eliminate or prevent these bottlenecks in order to actually improve the quality of the educational process. Finally, data and actions concerning the feasibility to complete -parts of- the program in the given time and educational quality will be put in the spotlight by presenting them to staff members and students (feedback).


The pro-active component will mainly focus on improving the educational and pedagogic competences of faculty members. As the courses in the program will be taught in English, attention will be paid to faculty's ability to teach in English and to the pedagogic skills required to teach a group of students with different cultural backgrounds. The assessment of the teachers functioning is arranged by the national ‘UFO-system’ (‘universitair functie ordening system’). At all three locations of the CME program, support is available from a Centre for language training (English proficiency) and educational support (didactical training).


In principle new staff members are appointed on a temporary basis as university lecturers. At the same time, a personal development program is drawn up to optimize their professional, organizational and pedagogic skills. The ‘Education Training Plan for new lecturers’ is an integral part of this. Key elements of the 'Education Training Plan for new lecturers are

A general plan, but with concrete contents for each individual lecture;

Personal development and acquiring experience, not qualifications;

Acquiring both broad and in-depth insights in mechanical engineering and pedagogic qualities;

Broadening also includes 'beyond the borders of one's own department';

Self-assessment by the university lecturers towards the decision concerningtenure.

The four components of the Education Training Plan for new university lecturers are

on-the-job learning,

a mentor system (supervision by an experienced colleague),

pedagogic training courses,

the documentation of developments and experiences in a teaching portfolio.


6.3 Student involvement

Student involvement in quality management will be organized through their participation in the Curriculum Committee: OC (Opleidingscommissie). There will be one joint OC for the CM&E program. The program management appoints the members of the OC: from every location one student and one staff member. Education directors, program coordinators and student counselors may attend the meetings in an advisory capacity.

The tasks of the OC include:

To advise the education directors on all issues relevant to the academic program.

To advise the education directors on the contents of the Educational and Exam Regulation: OER (Onderwijs- en ExamenReglement);

To annually evaluate the implementation of the OER;

At the end of the semester there is an official evaluation of all new parts of the curriculum and those that for any reason need specific attention (see also section 6.2). The more general results of these assessments, on the level of program evaluations will be discussed in the OC.

In the first years, student involvement in the quality process will also be arranged through their involvement in an assessment group. Twice every trimester students will be asked to comment in a more informal way on the courses and other parts of the curriculum in the past trimester and to comment at an early stage on the courses and projects started in the actual trimester. The local program coordinator and/or student counselor will take action where necessary.


6.4 Employee involvement

The faculty members are required to spend 10% of their available working hours on management support tasks. This ensures that staff members participate in and contribute to quality improvement and organizational development projects and committees. Specifically, employees contribute as members of the OC (Opleidings Commissie), the Department Council and the University Council, to quality improvement of study programs and administrative processes. The CME program will also benefit from this high level of faculty involvement.

Furthermore external stakeholders will be involved through an external advisory board. This board will be consulted on a regular basis on planned program innovations and changes in program strategy, and will be asked to give input in the program goals and structure based on their experiences with alumni and their view on developments in the domain of practice.



6.5 Alumni involvement


Representatives of all alumni associations and faculty convene the Alumni Platform for CME. The basis for this organization is already existing in terms of the Alumni Information Systems, that are functioning at all of the three locations of the 3TU Graduate School. The goals of this Platform are, on the one hand, to stimulate cooperation between the university and the individual alumni associations and, on the other hand to improve coordination and cooperation between the different alumni organizations.

It is very important to follow the group of alumni closely in the first years after graduation because they are close with the program and can give useful feedback. Because of the independent administration character of the new program CME the alumni of this program can be easily identified and approached to give feedback through the institutional facilities described above.



6.6 Professional Involvement


The faculty members of the 3 universities supporting the CME program have a strong tradition in maintaining close, mutually beneficial links with the professional field of construction and management. Further development of these links in connection with the program of CME will be organized in close cooperation with the major representatives of this professional field.


The representation of the professional field is embedded in the following institutions:

-External Validation Commission

-Knowledge Centre for Building Process Innovation

-KTB (“Stichting Kennis Transfer Bouw”)


7. Continuity conditions


The continuity of institutional commitment and financial resources is guaranteed through the strategic choice for CME as one of focal activities within the 3tu Graduate School cooperation. The commitment and support of the boards of the participating departments demonstrate a strong will to create continuity conditions for the program. Since the costs of the program will be shared by the participating departments (see section 7.2), continuity will not be at risk, even if the first years will show deficits. Sufficient numbers of faculty members with primary commitment to the program are available to warrant continuity and stability. As described in chapter 4, management and mobilization of staff is arranged to ensure availability and continuity in staff.

Furthermore, each university has created financial reserves to allow for long-term investments in educational innovation and to support the implementation of strategic choices.



7.1 Guaranteed completion


In agreement with common procedures in The Netherlands, there will be no provision of guaranteed graduation for individual students as such. However, current policies guarantee that all students starting the program will have ample opportunities for completion. Courses and exams will be offered with sufficient frequency for students to complete the program in a timely manner.



7.2 Financial Analysis


Cost-effectiveness is crucial for the long-term stability of the proposed program. Cost-effectiveness is primarily dependent on the number of students following the program. Table 11 gives a prediction of the students that will participate in the program during the first five years. In addition, cost-effectiveness will be accomplished by sharing resources with other Master of Science programs as offered by the department. It is likely that various courses offered for CME Master’s students are of interest to other students as well. The numbers of students and the totals of estimated numbers for profits and losses are totals for the whole integrated CME master program at the 3 TU Graduate School.


Table 11. Expected student numbers in the CME master program

 Expected student numbers per year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Study starting date

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

Year totals

Number of students per generation

year 1

70

 

 

 

 

70

Number of students per generation

year 2

63

72

 

 

 

135

Number of students per generation

year 3

9

63

76

 

 

148

Number of students per generation

year 4

0

10

65

76

 

151

Number of students per generation

year 5

0

0

10

65

76

151


Table 12, shows that the break-even-point for the CME-program on its own will be reached after the second year. Part of the courses in this program will serve as elective or even compulsory courses in other programs of the participating departments as well. Each of the departments accepts the risk of a lower number of students for their own courses in the first years of the program.


Table 12: Five-year costs and revenues projection

Estimation of five year costs and revenue projections (x 1000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

year 1

year 2

year 3

year 4

year 5

Credits earned compensation CME-students

302

571

609

624

624

Compensation management and overhead

90

90

90

90

90

Total revenues

392

661

699

714

714

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variable costs

200

400

410

420

420

Management & coordination costs

90

90

90

90

90

Course development costs

90

90

90

90

90

PR activities

40

20

20

20

20

Total costs

420

600

610

620

620

 

 

 

 

 

 

Profit/Loss

-28

61

89

94

94


 

 

 

 

 



7.3 Investments


The investments necessary to start and run the program are modest. For this program existing facilities in terms of housing and general logistics concerning students handling activities will be used. There will be some start-up costs with regard to the specific development of course materials.