Head of BIM Implementation at the Cabinet Office, David Philp, has officially launched Middlesex University’s MSc in BIM (Building Information Modelling) Management to industry leaders in central London.
David, who helped develop the course with Middlesex in collaboration with the property and construction sector, said: “Her Majesty’s Government is delighted to see Middlesex University leading the way in recognising and up-skilling the UK workforce in the area of BIM.”
In his keynote speech at the event to launch the UK’s first project based, distance learning MSc in BIM Management, he spoke of the opportunities the Middlesex course brought to shape BIM post 2016 for the new 2025 industrial strategy. He discussed how the industry could transform and use BIM as a catalyst for growth, and how the focus on the management of BIM could also bring greater collaboration across the sector.
At the event Middlesex presented the course which provides the opportunity for a qualification in BIM Management leading to a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or MSc award, reflecting recognition at technical, operational and strategic levels.
The course, which begins in October 2013, is aimed at existing practitioners who can introduce workplace projects and apply critical thinking and originality through their learning. It is comprised of weekly online seminars from leading international academics and business experts from different international practices including the UK, USA and Australia. For those studying for the MSc, there is a week long Summer School providing lectures, business simulations, workshops and tutorials. This provides an opportunity to scope a thesis where students can bring their own perspective to BIM post 2016 and influence strategic direction.
Dr Noha Saleeb, Middlesex BIMM Course Leader, said: “Our main focus was the alignment of the course outcomes and academic content with the needs of industry, from apprehension to management of BIM processes within the technical, operational and strategic contexts.
"This was achieved by collaborating with professionals from different disciplines within the construction and infrastructure sector, through structured workshops and focus groups, to devise the optimum practical knowledge and skills required to be delivered by the course. This is in addition to formal validation by academic construction professors and industry experts to satisfy both academic rigour and industrial rigour as dictated by professional bodies’ requirements for MSc qualifications.
“With current applicants from Australia, Singapore, the UAE, India and Brazil, as well as the UK, cohorts will have a truly international perspective and global input."
