BIM Implementation

We tell you the keys to the best BIM Management Master’s degrees on the market

If you’re reading this article, it’s likely because you’re researching the best BIM management master’s program on the market. We know that choosing which school to study at is an important decision, requiring thorough prior research on the specifics of each program. Therefore, in the following article, we’ll explain what aspects you should consider when choosing a master’s program in this discipline and offer a comparison of the main providers offering BIM management training.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a collaborative work methodology that has undoubtedly transformed the Engineering & Construction (E&C) sector. This is evident, for example, in the growing number of international public tenders that require delivery requirements using this approach.

Aware of the need for those responsible for coordinating and managing these BIM projects (and the new market niche this represents), more and more schools are offering BIM Management training.

The essentials of a good BIM Management master’s degree

What’s the best Master’s in BIM Management? Which one has the best reputation? These are probably the questions you’re thinking about right now.

Well, below we outline the main aspects you should take into account when choosing which program to take:

1. Modality    

You, better than anyone, know which format is ideal for you: in-person or online. However, if you’re a working professional, online is likely the format that best suits your needs , allowing you to adapt the training to your personal and work life.

If you choose the online option, we recommend making sure the program offers live classes, not just recordings. These live sessions have a clear added value : they allow you to immediately ask questions or ask the instructors, as well as connect with your classmates and faculty.

2. Qualifications, certifications and accreditations    

One of the first things you should consider is what degrees, certifications, and accreditations the BIM master’s programs you’re considering offer.

  • University degree: A degree from a prestigious university not only guarantees the quality of the training provided and the teaching staff, but can also contribute to greater professional recognition internationally. It can also help you gain points for future public examinations or competitive examinations .
  • Certifications: Official certifications from software companies like Autodesk or Bentley will help you reliably prove your knowledge of these programs, improving your credibility as a professional.
  • Accreditations: Accreditations such as ACP , BuildingSMART, breAcademy , or CanBIM  also guarantee the quality of the content and instructors, and will support your professional knowledge and skills at an international level.

3. Methodology    

BIM technology requires a strong methodological approach. Therefore, we recommend that you consider the following points of each BIM master’s degree’s methodology:

  • Multidisciplinary approach: Projects are developed from different disciplines within the sector, which eventually converge at a single point. Therefore, programs must respond to this variety of profiles and have a multidisciplinary approach that considers the dynamics of integrated collaborative work and the levels of information utilized in each phase of the project or client requirements.
  • Different routes/itineraries: It’s key that the BIM master’s degree you choose allows you to focus on a specialty based on your professional profile or needs.

Developing your skills according to the BIM requirements required by a given type of project (civil engineering/construction) or technical specialty (design/engineering/management) will allow you to take full advantage of the applicability of this methodology. 

On the other hand, gaining knowledge about a discipline other than your own can allow you to put yourself in the shoes of other actors and understand how your decisions affect them at a cross-disciplinary level.

  • Collaborative and global work: Being able to work collaboratively during the master’s degree will serve as a prelude to real-life scenarios. If this collaborative environment is also multicultural , you’ll be able to gain a global view of the industry beyond your country, expand your network , and generate new international work synergies . 
  • Project-based learning: Look for master’s programs where you have regular assignment submissions (for example, after each module). This way, you’ll receive regular feedback from your mentors, enabling you to learn in a practical and progressive way and culminate this learning in your Master’s Final Project.
  • Complete lifecycle overview: Investigate whether the program in question offers a complete overview of all phases of the project status: design, execution, maintenance, and rehabilitation/decommissioning. 

Having this 360° view will allow you to anticipate possible scenarios related to asset lifecycles, allowing you to have greater control and insight for forecasting and decision-making. In this context, BIM has great potential for incorporating data related to this management through the Digital Twin . 4.     SoftwareConstruction is a diverse and multidisciplinary sector. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely that your scope of work will be limited to a single specific tool.Look for schools that allow you to train in various BIM modeling software from the leading companies on the market. This will make you a much more versatile professional, capable of collaborating on various types of projects and with different stakeholders.In addition to understanding the operation of a BIM model and information flow, a BIM Manager must also master management and planning tools (Trello, Plannerly, Slack, etc.). These project management tools are key to developing projects collaboratively with the various stakeholders involved and within a Common Data Environment.

Conclusions

Although the table is already sufficiently revealing, and considering that each person has specific needs and preferences, we believe it is appropriate to evaluate some of the advantages of the different programs to conclude which we consider to be the best BIM Master’s degree on the market.

We would highlight the high degree of customization of the Editeca master’s program, allowing you to choose from multiple courses to customize the master’s program based on your chosen program.

EspacioBIM , for its part, presents itself as an interesting option. With a fresh, youthful look and a purely online approach, we’d highlight the gamification of its content and the recent addition of Virtual Reality.

Regarding the in-person approach offered by the Polytechnic University of Madrid , we would highlight its dual approach: one more technological, and the other purely managerial. It also includes collaborative work, which is essential for preparing for real-life scenarios.

The Polytechnic University of Catalonia , for its part, allows for specialization through elective courses and has a team of renowned professors in the field. However, its more “traditional” teaching system can work against it.

If we had to choose one of the best BIM master’s programs on the market, it would definitely be Zigurat Global Institute of Technology . This school is a pioneer in BIM training (it has been offering it since 2014) and has an enviable international ecosystem—and its resulting prestige. Its online format with live classes and its clear commitment to collaborative work are key factors in BIM training. It also boasts a faculty of renowned industry professionals.