Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in
Infrastructure Asset Management
Distance Education
 Application for Program Admission

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) has sponsored the development of the Graduate Certificate & Graduate Diploma in Infrastructure Asset Management to be awarded by the University of Tasmania through the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology.

These courses has been developed to broaden the skills and knowledge gained in engineering and science undergraduate courses or other approved undergraduate courses, and provide specialist skills relevant to infrastructure asset management.

The Certificate and Diploma will be awarded by the University of Tasmania through the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology incorporating core units developed by the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia (IPWEA) based on the IIMM manual.

IPWEA www.ipwea.org.au and www.nams.au.com , University of Tasmania www.utas.edu.au , CPEE www.pavementeducation.edu.au

Commonwealth supported places 

 To be eligible for a commonwealth supported place you must be an Australian citizen or a New Zealand citizen; or the holder of a permanent visa; and you must be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit
The following information is referenced from the www.goingtouni.gov.au website 

    A Commonwealth supported place is a higher education place for which the Australian Government provides funding to your higher education provider (UTas) towards the cost of your education 

    Commonwealth supported students are generally required to contribute to the cost of their higher education through a student contribution. The Australian Government also contributes to part of the cost. 
    
    The five main advantages of being a Commonwealth supported student are:

• the Australian Government contributes to the cost of your education
• the Australian Government limits the amount your provider can charge as a student contribution
• you may be eligible for HECS-HELP assistance to pay your student contribution
• you may be eligible for a Commonwealth Scholarship (CS)
• you may be eligible for OS-HELP assistance.

Study Mode
This Certificate in Infrastructure Asset Management program is conducted exclusively through distance education using specially designed, user friendly study materials. The program allows a choice of a “management” elective from the Chifley Business School MBA as well as the specialist technical units offered by CPEE.

Study Guides are sent following enrolment and these contain a suggested study schedule linked to the submission of assignments and the final examination. The Study Guides also include a comprehensive set of technical notes, readings, references, activities, case studies, assignments and sample examination papers. Some units require the purchase of a textbook but some texts are suitable for a number of units. Candidates are not required to attend lectures, tutorials or seminars, but are encouraged to form enterprise-based, neighborhood-based or email study groups.

The program is fully portable and can be studied anywhere in the world. Given the flexible nature of the program, minimal time away from the workplace is required.

Duration of Study
By studying two units concurrently the Graduate Certificate course can be completed in one year with the Graduate Diploma in two . Most candidates elect to undertake one or two units each study period. As a guideline, each unit requires a minimum of six to eight hours study per week over the 20 week study period. Units are generally offered in two study periods each year but some may be available in a third study period.

Assessment
All CPEE units require a formal three-hour examination, which contributes 60–70% to the overall assessment. Examination venues are arranged so that candidates in remote locations anywhere in the world can sit. Sample examination papers are provided to assist with preparation for the final examinations. Assignments are undertaken during the study period, and these enable students to monitor their progress and take remedial action if required. The assignments represent 30–40% of the overall assessment for each CPEE unit. Examinations are conducted during business hours in June, and November.

Entry Requirements
Applicants must hold a Bachelors degree in Engineering or Science (in an appropriate discipline) or an equivalent qualification. An applicant holding a three year Bachelor degree will be required to have had at least three years relevant work experience.
Special entry arrangements are available to applicants without pre-requisite undergraduate qualifications that meet certain criteria. Special Entry Policy


Applicants with Overseas Qualifications
Applicants with qualifications from overseas institutions should provide a translated copy of their qualification with their application form. Before being considered for enrolment applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency. This can be satisfied by providing documentary evidence of one of the following:- 

 First language in English and secondary and/or undergraduate studies were conducted in English. Certified documentation is required. A score of 580 or better in the American test of English as a foreign Language (TOEFL) plus Test of Writing English (TWE) score of 5. An overall band score of 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test conducted by a British Council/DP Office, provided that no individual band score is less than 6.

Advanced Standing
Credits may be available for previous, relevant study. In order to graduate from the program candidates must complete at least 50% of the course. A credit application form must accompany any credit submissions. Please contact CPEE to obtain a credit application form and relevant information.

Student Support
To keep candidates in touch with each other and with program staff, this GradCertIAM webpage is available and provides information on new developments in each of the study units. Each unit is assigned a consultant lecturer who is available to provide advice, usually by telephone or email, as required during the study period. Additional support is available from CPEE Head Office who provide advice on matters relating to course operation.

What to Expect
Postgraduate courses are characterised by learning outcomes, defined in the Australian Qualifications Framework, which include “the mastery or overview of the relevant field of study or area of professional practice and the emphasis may range from the acquisition or enhancement of specific professional or vocational skills and knowledge”.

Unit Descriptions

Core Units

Asset Management Fundamentals
Overview:
The unit presents the principles and procedures involved in the introduction of an asset management system. It discusses the establishment of an asset management framework, the assessment of resources required, the preparation of asset management plans, the implementation of those plans, the links with other elements of the organisation and the monitoring of plans once implemented. The focus is on corporate direction, team or whole of organisation approach, the basic asset management plan template, preparation steps, continuous improvement and implementation. Other issues dealt with in this unit include levels of service, condition assessment and risk management. 

Asset Management Practices
Overview:
The unit provides information on the tools and techniques used in asset management. Relevant theories are explained and the unit provides useful case studies presenting the application to practical asset management problems. The content of this unit is an extension of the material presented in unit 681 and introduces specific enabling process for asset management.

Infrastructure Financial Management
Overview:
Infrastructure Financial Management deals with the principles of financial planning and reporting. It covers the processes for lifecycle costing, valuation, financial forecasting and reporting.
The unit provides an overview of issues and methodologies associated with infrastructure valuation and financial forecasting standards, guidelines and legislation.

Electives
Pavement Management
Overview:
The unit provides an outline of the requirements and application of a formalised system for the total management of a road network, from the current situation through to defining the actions required to most effectively manage the network, based on the available financial resources. The unit gives a detailed description of a road network database with present condition, construction and maintenance history and traffic loading. It also contains coverage of topics such as future use prediction, future maintenance requirements, predicted treatment costs, formal management systems and asset management fundamentals.

Pavement Evaluation & Rehabilitation
Overview:
Pavement Evaluation and Rehabilitation examines the different ways in which pavements and wearing surfaces show distress, both structural and non structural. Defects such as deformation, cracking and many others are described together with problems relating to safety and damage caused by external factors. Evaluation techniques are presented which can be used to assess the condition of a pavement with respect to rideability or road user comfort, structural capacity and safety. The unit then considers pavement rehabilitation options with details of restoration using a variety of materials and techniques. The design and use of structural overlays are described along with details of stress absorbing membrane layers and other relatively recent materials and treatments. The unit concludes with a consideration of economic evaluation of alternative rehabilitation strategies.

Road Maintenance
Overview:
Road Maintenance examines the different ways in which both flexible and rigid pavements show distress, both structural and non structural. Defects such as deformation, cracking and many others are described together with problems relating to safety and damage caused by external factors. Shoulder and drainage maintenance treatments and other road maintenance activities are discussed and the unit concludes with coverage of maintenance management issues and finally a discussion on pavement management systems.

Project Evaluation
Overview:
This unit presents a basic understanding of the economic principles in which cost benefit analysis is founded and the relative merits of cost benefit analysis as a project evaluation tool.
It provides understanding of how a cost benefit analysis of a capital project such as a road upgrade is scoped including cases to be analysed, relationships between those cases and the degree of analytical effort required in a cost benefit analysis.
An understanding of the concept of discounting, the time value of money and the concept of net present value are covered, with differences between real and nominal values and discount rates explained. The determining of discount rates for the purpose of project evaluation, and the sensitivity of project evaluation outcome to changes in the discount rate are also covered.
What is included in benefits and costs and how benefits and costs are calculated follows.
The decision making process is introduced and covers the concept of economic project selection, how cost benefit analysis can be complemented by other forms of analysis and how regional and national impacts are considered in project evaluation.
Models and processes are for carrying out cost benefit analyses. Pavement lifecycle costing and maintenance optimisation are discussed with important concepts in maintenance evaluation provided 

Financial Management (Chifley Business School)
Overview:
This unit is concerned with the management of the financial functions of an organisation and is directed towards making you competent in financial decision making and the control of financial operations. It will also enable you to understand the professional advice and help that accountants and other finance professionals can give you towards that endeavour.

Engineering Risk Management (Chifley Business School)
Overview:
This unit is intended to provide you with an overview of engineering risk management techniques. It introduces the concept of the two-dimensional nature of risk and emphasises the need for assessment of both dimensions (severity and likelihood) for ascribing priorities in directing the risk dollar. Systematic and structured hazard identification techniques are introduced with a number of illustrative examples. The focus is on low likelihood–high consequence risk events, as these cannot be assessed by using epidemiological studies or actuarial techniques.

Managing Information Systems (Chifley Business School)
Overview:
This unit deals with the planning and management of effective information systems. It discusses the design, structure and evaluation of information systems to meet specific needs, and the human factors in their operation and management. The unit starts with a high-level view of information systems, their impact on organisations and their strategic uses. It discusses how to analyse and plan for an organisation's information systems needs, as well as a wide range of other IS management issues

Contract Construction Law
Overview:
Construction Contract Law provides the principles of contract law as it applies to engineering and construction contracts. This unit addresses basic legal principles common to all construction contracts and identifies the legal issues which arise in the administration of engineering contracts in order to enable the efficient administration of contracts and prevent costly unproductive disputes.
The unit considers the terms of a number of “standard” construction contracts (for example AS 2124 and AS 4000). Provisions in “standard” contracts may change from time to time. Basic legal principles of contract do not. So the emphasis is on why the terms are there and the legal principle behind the terms. At the completion of this unit participants will have a good legal understanding of each of the terms in construction contracts.

Water Management in Transport Corridors
Overview:
Water Management in Transport Corridors addresses the way in which stormwater is managed and introduces concepts and principles associated with this resource.
Movement of people and goods is the ‘raison d’être’ for transport corridors. For cost reasons local soils are extensively used and the engineering strength of many of these are greatly affected by changes in moisture content. Pore water is a big drainage issue as the application of the moving loads associated with wheeled and pedestrian traffic causes strains that result in deformation and ‘failure’ (unable to perform its intended purpose) of such materials. All land-based transport is built on creative solutions to this problem.

For more information on this course please contact CPEE