Graduate Certificate in Facility Management^{1, 2}

UTS course code: C11007
Testamur title: Graduate Certificate in Facility Management
Abbreviation: GradCertFM
Course fee: $300 per cp (local); $7,800 per semester (international)
Total credit points: 24

Graduate Diploma in Facility Management^{1, 2, 3}

UTS course code: C06007
Testamur title: Graduate Diploma in Facility Management
Abbreviation: GradDipFM
Course fee: $300 per cp (local); $7,800 per semester (international)
Total credit points: 48

Master of Facility Management^{1, 2}

UTS course code: C04009
Testamur title: Master of Facility Management
Abbreviation: MFM
Course fee: $300 per cp (local); $7,800 per semester (international)
Total credit points: 72

Master of Business Administration (Facility Management major)^{1, 4}

UTS course code: C04014
Testamur title: Master of Business Administration
Abbreviation: MBA
Course fee: $333.33 per cp (local); $8,800 per semester (international)
Total credit points: 96

Footnotes:
1. Internet delivery mode only.
2. These courses are subject to change in 2004.
3. This course is an exit point for students who do not wish to complete the Master's degree. Direct entry to this course is not available.
4. Offered in conjunction with the Faculty of Business.

Course aims
Admission requirements
Course duration
Course structure
Course program
Articulation and progression

Facility Management (FM) is the fastest growing discipline in the construction and property industries. FM relates to the stewardship of existing facilities to enable effective operation, better business performance and higher levels of worker satisfaction and productivity. It demands a high level of technical knowledge, professional judgment and management skill. FM is recognised throughout the world as making an important contribution to the effective and sustainable operation of built assets and the organisational activities that function within them.

In one sense, FM is a fusion of development, design, construction and asset management functions and demands a breadth of education and training. It has become apparent in recent years that, to be effective, facility managers must deal with an increasing range of issues and challenges. Computer-aided facility management, strategic planning and environmental assessment are just a few of the new driving forces within the discipline.

Techniques like life-cost studies, value management and risk analysis have become critical tools in the search for more efficient built solutions. Once designed and constructed, an ongoing evaluation and optimisation process begins that must deal with new technological improvements, changes in standards and ordinances, more stringent environmental legislation, tighter budgetary constraints and a greater selection of business choices.

With the expansion of existing infrastructure and the demands for development to be sustainable, FM will be the construction-related profession of the new millennium.

Course aims

The aims of the Facility Management program are to develop practitioners who can:

• understand and apply facility management principles and techniques in practice
• lead a group of specialist professionals engaged in the overall management, planning and control of projects across a wide range of industries, technologies and cultural settings
• appreciate the roles, manage and utilise the services of specialist consultants and contractors employed in the project delivery process
• effectively lead and motivate individuals and project teams to realise stated organisational goals
• make balanced decisions, implement policies and find solutions on the basis of either complete or incomplete information
• identify options and utilise the benefits of circumstance or unexpected opportunity to deliver value
• establish clear guidelines for complex tasks/situations and facilitate completion no matter what problems arise
• satisfy economic, social, financial, legal, environmental and ethical requirements in all activities
• work within corporate, production, organisational and/or technological constraints, and
• evaluate completed projects and/or existing facilities and ensure information about lessons learnt is available for improvement of future projects/processes.

Admission requirements

To qualify for entry to the Graduate Certificate in Facility Management an applicant needs at least 10 years' professional work experience or a recognised professional qualification. An applicant wishing to progress to the Master's level must pass all requirements or otherwise satisfy competencies before being allowed to do so.

To qualify for entry to the Master of Facility Management, an applicant shall hold a Bachelor's degree, or complete the Graduate Certificate/Master's Qualifying program, or have both 10 years' relevant professional work experience and a recognised professional qualification. All applicants must have at least six months' work experience. Applicants with a cognate four-year degree may be given up to 24 credit points advanced standing.

Course duration

The Graduate Certificate is offered on a one-semester, full-time, or two-semester, part-time basis.

The Master's is offered on a three-semester, full-time, or six-semester, part-time basis. The Faculty offers a Graduate Diploma in Facility Management as an exit point for students who do not wish to complete the Master's degree but who otherwise finish with 48 credit points. Direct entry to this course is not available.

The Master of Business Administration (Facility Management major) is offered on a four-semester, full-time, or eight-semester, part-time basis.

Course structure

Postgraduate courses in facility management are predominantly delivered in an electronic distance learning mode. Rather than conventional face-to-face discussions, content is conveyed through various technology formats including CD-ROM, software simulations, electronic slideshow presentations, online documents, email and video conferencing. The learning style is contemporary and engaging, highly portable and flexible. While some initial adjustment may be required, students soon enjoy learning via these media. Online photographs and private messages also help overcome the absence of conventional social interaction.

UTS uses UTSOnline to link students together from around the world. An exclusive intranet is created for each course that enables public or private discussion and interaction among students and staff. Each course has online instructions relating to subject overview, resources, assessment and feedback. Although online help is available, it is rarely needed as the software is both intuitive and user-friendly.

Electronic delivery is well suited to postgraduate education where the participants are mature-age learners, self-motivated and with complex family and work commitments. What may be lost through distance is more than gained through cultural interchange and exposure to the global industry scene.

The Internet-delivered courses create a simulated classroom environment that enables students to communicate easily with their academic instructors and their classmates, submit work electronically and receive prompt feedback. An electronic discussion list enables students to converse with others in the group at a time and from a location suitable to them.

Students 'mix' electronically with their classmates, some of whom are local and others from a number of different countries throughout the world. Students complete some parts of their course individually and some parts in groups.

Virtual study groups are established to enable review, discussion and critique processes. All student work is circulated to the group and collectively forms a substantial knowledge base for the courses.

The business core units employ a varied combination of assessment. The emphasis is on demonstration of competence in each of the eight component subjects. Classes for part-time students are organised in evenings, although flexible study options are increasingly being developed. The core units are available offshore in some cases.

Extensive notes are provided on CD-ROM covering all of the Internet-based subjects. Content is communicated in a variety of interesting ways that support online searching, bookmarking and text-selection techniques. Over A$20,000 of proprietary software is contained on the CD-ROM and provided free for educational purposes. Essential textbooks (one per subject) are included in the tuition fees and posted to students along with other course resources.

UTS has state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities that enable tutorials and workshops to be conducted remotely. Students can participate actively through ISDN links or passively through Internet broadcasts. More conventional tools like teleconferencing and facsimile can also be used as appropriate.

The UTS Library has a range of electronic resources available for offshore students. These include online databases for literature searches and downloadable documents that can be accessed and printed on demand. Despite the increasing wealth of electronic resources, access to a university-standard library in-country is still important.

Course program

Graduate Certificate in Facility Management (24cp)

The Graduate Certificate course is delivered in Internet (off-campus) mode with optional face-to-face workshops, and acts as a postgraduate qualifying program and industry Short Course program. The content may be taken as a separate award or form part of the study towards a Master's degree. It comprises the following subjects.

15321 Workplace Ecology 6cp
15322 Engineering Services and Systems 6cp
15323 Development Management 6cp
15324 Facility Obsolescence 6cp

Notes:
1. Content acts as a Master's qualifying program, but does not form the basis for advanced standing in the Master of Facility Management unless students already hold a Bachelor's degree.

2. Exemptions of up to 12 credit points may be given for subjects taken as a Short Course.

3. Evidence of competence in any units or subjects not taken is required as a prerequisite to receive formal subject exemptions.

4. Students may substitute up to 12 credit points of the Graduate Certificate in Facility Management from the Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

Master of Facility Management (72cp)¹

The Master of Facility Management is delivered worldwide in an electronic (off-campus) mode with optional videoconference workshops, and requires completion of 72 credit points from the following subjects.

15321 Workplace Ecology 6cp
15322 Engineering Services and Systems 6cp
15323 Development Management 6cp
15324 Facility Obsolescence 6cp
15341 Sustainable Development² 12cp
15342 Environmental Design² 12cp
15343 Strategic Facility Planning² 12cp
15344 Facility Performance² 12cp
15451 Graduate Project 24cp

Footnotes:
1. Exemptions up to 24 credit points may be given for equivalent prior learning (excluding Master's qualifying). Successful applicants without a Bachelor's degree have to do the Master's qualifying program (24cp).
2. These subjects are the discipline core and are compulsory for all students.

Graduate Diploma in Facility Management (48cp)

The Graduate Diploma in Facility Management is an exit point for students who do not go on to complete the Master's degree but who otherwise finish with 48 credit points. Direct entry into this course is not available.

15321 Workplace Ecology 6cp
15322 Engineering Services and Systems 6cp
15323 Development Management 6cp
15324 Facility Obsolescence 6cp
15341 Sustainable Development 12cp
15342 Environmental Design 12cp
15343 Strategic Facility Planning 12cp
15344 Facility Performance 12cp

Notes:
1. Students will be permitted to enrol in equivalent subjects at other institutions, up to a maximum of 24 credit points, and receive corresponding exemptions in this course.

2. Practitioners who successfully complete Short Course units offered by UTS or partner institutions will be given appropriate credit in corresponding subjects of the Master's degree.

3. Other program variations are permitted with approval of the Director of Program.

Master of Business Administration (Facility Management major)

This course comprises 96 credit points of postgraduate education delivered in a combination of on-campus (face-to-face) and off-campus (Internet) modes. Entry points are March and August each year. Attendance at UTS is required for the business core units, but these may be exempted where previous postgraduate qualifications in business administration are held.

Footnotes:
1. International students may undertake 21775 Comparative International Employment Relations as an alternative to this subject.

Footnotes:
1. May be substituted with other subjects from the Master of Facility Management degree.

Notes:
1. Students articulating from the Master of Facility Management to the MBA majoring in Facility Management will receive exemptions for all the discipline-specific subjects, and therefore only need to complete the business core units (48cp).

2. Students articulating between postgraduate awards, and wishing to receive both, must await formal graduation in the first before enrolment is permitted in the second. Otherwise, students may transfer and commence Master's level study immediately.

3. Students may opt to take a Facility Management sub-major by doing 24 credit points of Graduate Certificate subjects. Refer to the handbook for the Faculty of Business for more details.

Articulation and progression

Articulation from the Graduate Certificate to the Master of Facility Management is permitted with the approval of the Director of Program provided students already hold a Bachelor's degree.