Master of Science in Facility Management

Aims and Characteristics

Programme Aims

Facility management has developed rapidly over the past few decades, initially in North America and the UK and more recently in Europe, Australia and Asia. The development of facility management education and training has been driven primarily by demand at the postgraduate level, and it has drawn from a broad base of existing professional disciplines ranging from those involved with engineering-based building services to those related to property management and space planning. Facility management as a discipline is grounded in the field of management, requiring a clear understanding of the nature and demands of an organisation's core business requirements.

The role of the facility manager is increasingly recognised as critical in supporting the realisation of business plans through the careful alignment of an organisation's physical assets with the appropriate sourcing of facility support services. To be effective, a facility manager must have broad knowledge of all of the elements that affect the efficient performance of buildings, appropriate policies, management processes and the people who work in them.

Characteristics

This programme is structured to achieve a balance between theory and practice, with the following emphases:

• To provide facility management professionals with opportunities to critically review and update their knowledge and skills in the management of people, property and technology;

• To integrate facility management practice with the efficient and effective management of business resources;

• To apply innovative methods and procedures in the practice of facility management; and

• To bring into focus and develop appropriate action plans for facility managers and operators to deal with workplace issues in a dynamic business environment.