Overview
Built for success
Are you an experienced professional ready to fast-track your career to senior management in the global construction and real estate sectors? This accredited and industry-recognised MBA is designed for ambitious leaders who want to equip themselves with strategic leadership, management, and decision-making skills essential for excelling in senior roles.
This MBA blends management principles with real-world application, empowering you to:
- Lead and manage diverse teams in complex, international projects
- Drive strategic growth and navigate market challenges
- Master financial, marketing, and operational decision-making
- Plan and deliver sustainable development and property ventures
- Expand your professional network with peers and experts worldwide
Supported by expert tutors and a global community, you’ll gain the advanced skills and confidence to become a visionary leader, entrepreneur, or senior executive in this ever-changing, competitive environment. Delivered 100% online, it empowers you to advance your career without disruption.

About this degree
Combining expert-led theory and real-world application, this programme attracts an international network cohort of students. Through virtual networking, you’ll exchange insights and experiences with a diverse group of peers and gain fresh perspectives across a range of built environment industries.
Students who successfully complete the programme will be eligible for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 qualification in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.
*CABE accreditation is available only when the following modules are chosen: Project Management in the Built Environment (PMA7PRM) and Procurement and Tendering (QSP7PRO).
**Survey conducted on our MBA students and alumni in 2024
Structure
Modules you will study
Autumn
Whether you choose to focus on a specialty or extend beyond your sector, choosing the right modules is key. This MBA is designed for you to study 6 core modules (including the postgraduate project) and choose 2 electives from a range of options, selected to provide you with technical knowledge across the industry.
This module seeks to develop an understanding of the role that managers at different levels within the organisation have in relation to the leadership and management of the organisation’s employees. It explores the distinction between leadership and management and examines how different global organisations may require different management and leadership styles. It also encourages participants to interrogate both their own management and leadership styles and those of other managers with a view to ensuring the future sustainability of their organisation.
Strategic Management of Change
This module provides an integrated approach to corporate strategy and the management of change and innovation in a complex and uncertain business environment in the built environment.
Initially, consideration is given for frameworks to manage the long-term strategic direction of organisations within the built environment. Then essential marketing principles and models and the relevance of marketing strategies are explored. The remaining focus is then on enhancing understanding of, and response to organisational change through strategic concepts and associated factors. The determination of appropriate policies and strategies are explored within different cultural contexts to meet stakeholder interests.
This module explores a number of innovation and enterprise models and importantly asks students to consider how they can help them and their organisation become more innovative in how they think, create, and implement fresh innovative approaches in the workplace.
The principles of enterprise and innovation are analysed in the context of different forms of organisation across the globe, in various commercial, public-sector and not- for-profit sectors, emphasising the importance and challenges of ‘social’ and ‘sustainability-led’ innovation.
Marketing supports innovation, and enterprise driving business growth and competitive advantage by exploring trends and customer needs in the external environment.
This module provides a blend of theory and current practice in knowledge management (KM) in a range of built environment organisations. Over the course of the module the importance of knowledge for organisational learning, as well as knowledge creation and organisational unlearning will be appreciated. Socio-cultural issues related to managing and sharing knowledge will be discussed in the second part of the module. Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be discussed in the context of the aspect of knowledge management in a particular week. For example, the place and role of AI in knowledge creation and sharing.
A global perspective on knowledge management will be incorporated into selected weekly topics, and in summative assessments these KM principles will be applied to the circumstances and business management issues in the student’s own organisations, thereby enabling the organisation to fulfil its mission and strategic goals through effective knowledge management practices and processes.
Specific examples of sustainability will be considered, using appropriate elements from the UN sustainable development goals (SDG).
This module explores how quantitative concepts, methods, and skills can aid managers in the built environment sector in their planning and decision-making process. It assists students in modelling solutions to financial and business planning problems, thereby enhancing their ability to make more effective decisions that align with corporate objectives.
The first part of the module introduces the role and content of financial processes, both internal and external, to enhance understanding of this crucial aspect in decision-making. The second part focuses on how analytical concepts and risk analysis techniques can assist decision-makers and stakeholders in the construction and real estate industry. This section also emphasises the importance of complying with legal and ethical standards such as generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and international financial reporting standards (IFRS). This section also aims to address sustainable finance to fund projects with global impact. Sustainable finance for the built environment includes various sources that support green and energy-efficient projects.
AND
Elective 1 – Autumn options – one of:
Project Management in the Built Environment
Explore the strategic and organisational challenges of project management, focusing on the management of construction projects. Develop the variance of skillsets and professional disciplines required to manage, plan, and control the safe and compliant delivery of built assets, in the context of key project drivers.
OR
Contract Administration and Practice
Examine Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT), New Engineering Contract (NEC) and International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Standard Forms of construction contracts to enable you to interpret and analyse the key provisions for effective control and management of a contract.
OR
Gain an introduction to planning law and the planning process relevant to property development. The property development process, including site selection, financial appraisal of the development sites and development funding, are also considered.
OR
Explore the practice of estate agency, with a focus on the commercial property market in the UK. Examine the client-agent relationship during the contract for property agency, and learn how sales and property markets function. Gain an understanding of assessing prospective tenants and the dynamics of property markets as key functions of business planning. Reflect on UK arrangements and global comparators.
Build your research skills within the context of the built environment with the opportunity to conduct a self-directed research project that reflects the culmination of your studies. The topics selected are expected to reflect the current and critical issues that concern the built environment.
Elective 2 – Spring options – one of:
Project Management in the Built Environment
Explore the strategic and organisational challenges of project management, focusing on the management of construction projects. Develop the variance of skillsets and professional disciplines required to manage, plan, and control the safe and compliant delivery of built assets, in the context of key project drivers.
OR
Gain an appreciation of the global construction arena and enhance your ability to recognise, analyse and develop many aspects of international construction, from health and safety and culture to business, resource management and constructing in tropical climates.
OR
This module examines the principles and applications of project procurement. It also develops your understanding of the effects of risk allocation on procurement choice and the impact this has on subsequent phases of the project cycle.
OR
Develop your understanding of the principles of law and practice appropriate to the effective and efficient management of commercial property, both in the UK and globally. In business planning terms, this module examines key issues, such as strategic use of property, property performance evaluation, and life cycle planning.
OR
Investment Appraisal and Portfolio Management
Understand the key principles underpinning commercial property investment in international markets and explore the different styles and techniques of portfolio management and portfolio restructuring.
Structure details
Students starting in the spring and taking two modules per semester must choose both electives from the spring elective pool, as not all electives are offered every semester.
For further information about programme content, or to see how modules are structured for those starting in spring, you can view the full programme specification which sets out aims, intended learning outcomes and assessment methods.
For further information on modules view our module descriptors. Please note that modules are subject to change.
Revalidation
To make sure our programmes are always high quality and relevant for our students we review and update our programmes on a regular cycle. This is known as “periodic review and revalidation”. This programme was re-validated in March 2025, details of the previous MBA can be found in the 2024-25 programme brochure.
How does this course align?
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the United Nation’s economic, social and environmental plan to achieve sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are central to this ambition, and must therefore be a critical part of built environment curriculums.
We are currently undergoing an evaluation of how SDGs relate to modules. This will be updated shortly.
Online learning
The future of study
Flexible study
Balance your study, work and home commitments, all while working towards your career goals
e-Library access
Full access to a comprehensive and valuable e-library with a wealth of resources to support your studies
Interactive
Study using a diverse range of interactive, modern and dynamic learning resources
Expert-led
Learning activities that have been designed by University of the Built Environment lecturers and subject matter experts
Stay connected
Learn alongside a diverse community of students from all over the world
Time commitment and study breakdown
Studying two modules per semester requires an expected time commitment of 15-20 hours per week. If you study only one module per semester, the weekly time commitment will be less, depending on the module’s credit size. Most modules are typically 20 credits.
Directed study time (%)
Self-directed study time (%)
Assessment study time (%)
Assessments
Assessments in this programme may include coursework such as essays, reports, portfolios, reflections, problem-solving tasks, or video presentations, along with computer-based and computer-marked assessments. Assessments will vary between modules and you can check the module descriptors for more details.
Applications
Ready to apply?
Apply by 11 August 2025 to start on 29 September 2025
Apply by 09 February 2026 to start on 30 March 2026