7 September 2004 Flying Start to Postgraduate Property Studies

It was a ‘property deal’ sealed at 30,000 feet above the central North Island ... well, in a sense! Lincoln University Senior Lecturer in Property Studies John McDonagh and then Opus consultant Justin Donnelly of Wellington found themselves seated together on a flight to the annual Property Development Conference in Tauranga in 2000.

John got yarning about his job at Lincoln and the property courses the University teaches and Justin, who had recently graduated with a Business Studies degree from a North Island university, pricked up his ears at the mention of a postgraduate programme leading to a Master of Property Studies qualification.

"I had majored in Valuation and Property Management for my bachelor's degree and had started a postgraduate qualification but to be honest I was a bit frustrated with it," says Justin. "I was really wanting a more structured property course in terms of advancing my academic skills. What John told me about the Lincoln Professional Masters programme with its papers in property market analysis, property asset management, property development, project management and associated areas seemed perfect."

Lincoln University's Professional Masters programme is aimed at the professional development of managers in the workplace. It's for those for whom either fulltime enrolment or on-campus study is not practical because of employment or other commitments. Students pursue a personal study programme and the subjects are delivered in the major centres in New Zealand.

There are five areas of specialisation and Justin chose the Property Studies option, enrolling in 2001 while still with Opus.

Although his enrolment at Lincoln University arose from a random meeting on a domestic airline flight, Justin's career steps in the property sector have been carefully considered. As is often the case with ‘mature students’ who come to tertiary study after a break from school, they know what they want and they go get it.

Wellington born and bred, Justin left St Patrick's College at the end of 7th form and went labouring for three years. He worked for a roofing contractor on central Wellington sites including apartment developments and it was during that time that he discovered a passion for the world of property.

After putting in three years on the unskilled side he could see that he needed to back his new found passion with formal theory and qualifications so, at the age of 21, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Business Studies (Valuation & Property Management) at Massey University.

After graduation in 1999 it was on to a position briefly with Porirua City Council then employment with Opus as a property consultant. In 2002 he was offered a position with the property investment and development company Titan 1 Ltd.

"Titan 1 were looking for someone young in Wellington to manage operations and get things rolling in the Capital after just setting up an office there,'' says Justin.

"We're a small company but we've grown and we now have offices in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington, with plans to move into the South Island soon.

"When I got the Titan 1 offer I was into the second year of my Professional Masters study at Lincoln University and I think it was my academic skills, fine-tuned at the postgraduate level, that the company found attractive.

"Once in the Titan 1 job I found that the Lincoln papers I was doing were instantly applicable to my work. In fact that's been the pattern right through. The papers have proved to be very relevant to the work and every day I use the things I have learnt."

Justin has now completed the six papers required for the degree and is at the dissertation stage. This means he undertakes a research project and writes it up for formal presentation. It's a requirement in all five professional masters degrees and is equivalent to the value of two papers.

As with any study programme self-discipline is important, particularly as the study is being done in parallel with job commitments and professional responsibilities.

For Justin, a former top national sprinter throughout his school years and into his early 20s, self-discipline to achieve goals is part of his approach to life.

"Good time management is absolutely essential if you want to succeed with advanced study such as in the Professional Masters programme," he says.

"I spend the best part of one day studying at the weekends and devote a couple of hours to it at least three or four nights during the working week.

"My employers are very supportive of the fact that I am doing postgraduate study, and of course the role of your company is complementary because there are many aspects of a job that you can't learn out of a book and that rely heavily on the dynamics of the workplace, for example acquiring the skills of negotiation relies heavily on simply doing it.

"All in all, my Lincoln University course has been invaluable to me in terms of personal growth and professional development."

For information on all Lincoln University courses see www.lincoln.ac.nz

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand