Construction and building engineering department grants the MSC to the student Majid Hameed for his dissertation "Cost optimization During Design Stage in school Buildings Projects Using Value Engineering" 

The researcher found that the optimal cost for the school projects using the technique of value engineering by highlighting the role of design and standards and determining the weights of those standards according to the Iraqi construction environment. To achieve the goal of the research, data were collected on the subject of value engineering and design process and impact on the cost of school projects and the most important design criteria for performance requirements, construction ability and sustainability criteria.

The results of the questionnaire showed that the highest priority was given to the performance criterion which obtained 21.75% and the lowest priority for the standards of water use efficiency and sustainable sites, which achieved 6.38%

The discussion committee was chaired by Assc.Prof.Dr.Raad Salem and Assc.Prof.Dr.Esam Handawi as a member and Lect.Dr.Tariq Abdul-Majeed as a members and lec.Dr.Afrah Mohameed as a supervisor.