What can you do with a construction management degree?

If you’re not already considering a career in the construction industry, perhaps you should. There’s a huge variety of work available, growing demand for jobs, and higher than average salaries available — it all sounds quite tempting.

But what exactly is construction management? If you don’t already know, it’s the process of planning, coordinating and overseeing construction projects, to ensure that everything runs smoothly at each stage of development. 

And you can work in the area that excites you most. Passionate about creating social housing estates? Fancy getting involved with essential civil engineering works? Or maybe you’d like to get stuck in with a regeneration project? All of this is possible with a construction management degree. 

Why should you get a construction management degree?

While it’s not absolutely necessary to have a degree in order to manage construction sites, the skills and academic credibility you’ve earned will unlock higher salaries, more senior positions, a stronger network and even future job opportunities.

Then, the world is your oyster, and you’ll open the door to work opportunities beyond just construction management, but in related fields like real estate, sustainability, architecture and project management.

Top 10 careers with a construction management degree 

Let’s discuss ten of the most popular careers you could get into with a construction management degree, including their average salaries. Keep in mind that a lot of these salaries have the potential to be higher, depending on your level of experience and location. 

1. Construction Manager

Average salary in the UK: £57,917

Probably the most obvious career option out of the bunch, you’ll be perfectly placed to become a construction manager after getting your degree. Construction managers are running the show on a construction site, coordinating builders, providing adequate resources, managing budgets and overseeing health and safety on-site.

2. Site Engineer

Average salary in the UK: £37,161

If you’ve already got an engineering degree, you could go on to get a construction management master’s and use it to land a role as a site engineer. They’re responsible for making sure everything is executed smoothly on a building site, helping with supervision on complex structures, providing technical support, adhering to safety regulations and generally making sure any building processes meet quality standards.

3. Cost Estimator

Average salary in the UK: £40,872

Typically working at a construction firm alongside engineers, contractors and project managers, cost estimators look at the full scope of work on a construction project to work out the total cost. They do this by analysing elements like workforce, materials, equipment and the amount of time needed to complete a project. So if you’re methodical, analytical and enjoy working on large-scale projects, this could be a great option.

4. Construction Project Manager

Average salary in the UK: £51,647

Somewhat similar to a construction manager, a construction project manager oversees the entire building project, looking at time, budget and any other constraints. The main difference is that these professionals will use specialised project management techniques to carry out their tasks, and may come from more of a business background rather than a background in on-site management.

5. Real Estate Developer

Average salary in the UK: £44,707

Maybe you’re ambitious about your ideas for potential property developments? If so, you might be well suited to real estate development, where you’ll find and acquire land or property with investment potential, secure funding for projects, oversee design, planning and building works, and then eventually target potential buyers and start selling. As you can see, there’s a lot of responsibility, but a lot of reward involved in this role.

6. Land Planner

Average salary in the UK: £34,299

If you’re interested in land regulation and preservation in the context of construction projects, land planning could be an interesting field to work in. Land planners regulate land for use in private or public sectors, managing potential conflicts and safeguarding wildlife and natural resources.They also look at development proposals, land permits and logistics.

7. Facilities Manager

Average salary in the UK: £41,706

Rather than managing an entire construction site or project, facilities managers are responsible for the security, maintenance and general running of specific work facilities. This includes looking at things like parking, catering, cleaning, general amenities and security features, all with the aim of helping everyone to do their jobs on a construction project without friction.

8. Sustainability Consultant

Average salary in the UK: £36,338

If you’re passionate about maintaining sustainability efforts in the construction industry in the hope of protecting the environment and natural resources, you’d be a great fit for a sustainability consultant. Their job is all about advising construction companies on how to develop and implement green building strategies, taking into account things like sustainable materials, environmental compliance and waste reduction.

9. Quantity Surveyor

Average salary in the UK: £44,456

Somewhat similarly to a cost estimator, a quantity surveyor works with construction managers to estimate materials, costs, labour and time needed for a project. The main difference is that quantity surveyors have more responsibility — they’re involved at every stage of construction projects, from taking initial measurements and writing specifications for a project, all the way to checking legal and quality standards upon completion.

10. Superintendent

Average salary in the UK: £31,466

If you enjoy managing day-to-day operations more than large scale projects, you could be the right fit for a superintendent position. They’re in charge of daily activities, including scheduling, team management, budget monitoring, and project reporting. The superintendent is also the main point of contact on a building site, ready to answer any questions about the project.

How to get a construction management degree

Now you’re interested in completing a degree and maybe even have a potential career goal in mind, where do you go next? Normally, you apply for an undergraduate construction management degree through UCAS in the UK, submitting an online application and writing a personal statement.

However, it’s perhaps more common to choose a postgraduate qualification in construction management, and you’ll most likely do this by applying through your chosen institution. To get onto a postgraduate course, you usually need a 2:1 in a relevant bachelor’s degree subject, such as built environment, engineering, science or management.

How to get an online construction management degree

It’s even easier to get your construction management degree with FutureLearn. We have several flexible online postgraduate degrees, meaning you can maximise your chances at getting senior construction management roles without quitting your day job or having to commute to campus.

Take a look at our online construction management degrees below, and get ready to study anywhere, anytime. Both of these master’s degrees are just 1-2 years long, and you’ll be studying with the highly respected Coventry University.

• MSc Construction Management with BIM (Building Information Modelling) by Coventry University
• MSc Construction Project and Cost Management by Coventry University

Career progression with a construction management degree

As with any potential career path, you’ll want to know what your career progression opportunities look like in the construction industry. Well, you’re in luck. 

First of all, demand is high, with this year’s industry forecast from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) stating that the construction industry needs to hire 250,000 more workers to meet rising demands.

Secondly, a postgraduate degree in construction management should offer you the skills to secure senior positions in the industry, at least if you have the practical work experience to go with it. 

This means that nothing stands between you and the very best, highest paid positions in the construction industry, as long as you’re hard-working, ambitious and dedicated to your work.

Final thoughts

No matter what area of construction you’re interested in, a degree can help you gain the management expertise, safety knowledge and engineering skills to succeed. 

Plus, many construction management degrees offer you the chance to gain valuable work experience on a construction site, whether that’s alongside your degree as you study part-time, or as part of your program. 
Explore our construction management degrees today, and make sure to check out our short construction courses too, in case you need a taster.