CKQ Examines College Majors: Construction Management

Each newsletter will provide readers with insight into a specific major that might pique your interest. This segment is all about introducing students to majors (and possibly careers) they may have never considered before. This time around, we will provide information on the Construction Management major.

Considered by bestcollegereview.com to be the fifth best college major for future employment, Construction Management is a degree offered at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degree level. We will focus this article exclusively on the first option. According to the Collegeboard, fewer than 60 colleges/universities nationwide offer this degree. The most notable schools include: Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Clemson University, Drexel University, LSU, Purdue University, University of Denver, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, University of Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Washington State University.

So, what is construction management? It’s the art of orchestrating all of the components necessary to complete a building project within budget and on time. The major combines several disciples: business management, technology, and liberal arts to provide the practical knowledge and critical thinking skills that a leadership role in construction requires.

With building across the nation on the rise the past few years, these jobs have been growing in demand.

Is this career/degree for you? You will likely enjoy this major is you also like: the outdoors; running a group project; working in and with teams; working with your hands; achieving goals and results; watching construction sites/projects. The major will likely be a fit if you are good at: attention to detail; leadership; multi-tasking; organizing; persuading/influencing others, quantitative analysis; teamwork, or have excellent verbal skills.

Typical courses within this major at the undergraduate level include: Principles of Management; Principles of Accounting; Labor Relations; Business Law & Ethics; Project Scheduling; Construction Estimating; Blueprint Reading; Specifications; Construction Materials; Structural Methods; Mechanical and Electrical Systems; Environmental Compliance; Project Budgeting and Cost Management; Construction Law, Codes and Regulations; Site Logistics; Safety Management.

At the end of the day, the job is two-faceted – part an on-the-jobsite position and part a sitting-behind-a-desk position. A successful manager will demonstrate expertise in construction, management and people skills. A student who enjoys only one part of the mix will not likely be successful in this field, so this pursuit should be well thought out and getting a little hands-on training first is a big plus, both in terms of fit and for college admission.

Some important questions to ask prospective colleges include: Is the program accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE)?; Do professors incorporate their field experience into their classroom instruction?; and What kinds of hands-on experiences are provided and/or are their internship programs as part of the degree program?

Career options for this major include: Construction manager; general contractor; site inspector; cost estimator; specifications writer; and contract administrator.

This field is not only interesting and interdisciplinary, but well compensated as well. According to Payscale.com, by the mid-career point, a gainfully employed practitioner of this program will earn about $75,000 per year.

For more information on this field, please visit the following websites:

http://www.acce-hq.org/

http://www.cmaanet.org