Justifications

Engineering Management Construction Management Specialization Page |1 Course JustificationsGraduate Programs in Construction Management The total annual value of construction in the United States is approximately $900 billion (8% of the US Gross National Product), making the construction industry one of the most important sectors of the US economy. A Master of Construction Management offers the student a myriad of opportunities and exposure in the construction industry. The degree targets professionals who are working in, or have experience in, the construction industry. It teaches professionals the leadership tools necessary to compete in the everchanging and highly competitive construction management environment. It provides students with advanced skills and understanding in construction project administration and business management. Courses are focused on business development, new and emerging technologies for construction and project delivery systems, and executive administration of construction firms. The degree prepares graduates for upper-management positions in the construction industry. The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) maintains that there are about 19 programs throughout the U.S. that offer the opportunity to earn a master’s in construction management. Since there are so few, if you opt to attend an online school, it will not be considered a disadvantage by employers. The degree can position you for the most expensive projects in both public and private works, helping you rise to the top of the profession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that the profession will grow by 17% in the next decade, that most of this will be concentrated on the senior ranks of construction management, so you will reap many benefits from the degree. When it comes to construction, most of us think hammers, nails and concrete. Who knew that an advanced degree would be in order for this largely blue-collar industry or, in this economy that it would be in demand? Managing a construction project from start to finish is a weighty responsibility, and construction managers make comfortable salaries. In 2012, their average salary was $90,960. The median salary was $82,790, the highest-paid in the profession made $144,520 and those earning bottom-rung salaries still earned about $50,000. Salary Range- 75th Percentile $109,600, Median $82,790, 25th Percentile $63,790 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics At New York University, applications for this spring’s master’s program in construction management were up 33 percent over last year. Numbers were even higher for the graduate certification program, which usually takes a year to complete. James P. Stuckey, a former real estate developer who heads N.Y.U.’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, attributes the rising interest to the federal stimulus program’s emphasis on building highways, railroads and other infrastructure. At the same time, green construction requires a higher level of technological knowledge. I believe people are recognizing that there’s going to be a lot of work in those areas,” Mr. Stuckey says. “If you do go for a master’s in construction management you’re pretty eligible to work for us,” says Peter Davoren, chairman of Turner Construction, a national company with 5,500 employees and over $10 billion in annual billings. Turner typically visits some 100 colleges and universities looking for the 250 recruits it hires every year. While the bulk of them are civil,

Engineering Management Construction Management Specialization Page |2 mechanical and environmental engineers, a full 25 percent have degrees in construction management. Kevin Haney, a project manager at Plaza Construction in New York City, worked at a variety of construction jobs after graduating from Villanova University in 1994 with a degree in civil engineering. He later enrolled in the graduate engineering program at Columbia, with a minor in construction management. “It was definitely worthwhile, in my case,” Mr. Haney says. “I got some experience — overseas and in New York — and then I went back to school. The classes I took, at night, were directly related to the work I was doing during the day.”

List of Good U.S. Schools Construction Management Graduate Programs School Name

Total Student Enrollment

Address

Phone Number

Arizona State University

68,064

Tempe, AZ 85287

480) 965-9011

The University of Texas at Austin

50,995

Austin, TX 78712

512) 471-3434

University of Florida

50,691

355 Tigert Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611

352) 392-3261

Texas A&M University

48,702

College Station, TX 77843

979) 845-3211

Michigan State University

47,071

East Lansing, MI 48824

517) 355-1855

45,943

1400 N.E. Campus Pkwy., Seattle, WA 98195

206) 543-2100

41,654

500 Lincoln Dr., Madison, WI 53706

608) 262-1234

41,052

West Lafayette, IN 47907

765) 494-4600

University of Washington - Seattle

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Purdue University

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University of Maryland - College Park

37,195

College Park, MD 20742

301) 405-1000

University of California - Berkeley

35,830

Berkeley, CA 94720

510) 642-6000

Brigham Young University

34,130

150 E. 1230 North St., Provo, UT 84602

801) 422-4636

Iowa State University

27,945

Ames, IA 50011

515) 294-5836

University of New Mexico

27,241

1700 Lomas Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87106

505) 277-0111

Oregon State University

21,950

Corvallis, OR 97331

541) 737-0123

Georgia Institute of Technology

20,291

225 North Ave., Atlanta, GA 30332

404) 894-2000

Northwestern University

19,853

633 Clark St., Evanston, IL 60208

847) 491-3741

Stanford University

18,498

Stanford, CA 94305

650) 723-2300

Washington University in St Louis

13,575

One Brookings Dr., Saint Louis, MO 63130

314) 935-5000

New Jersey Institute of Technology

8,840

University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102

973) 596-3000

4,514

Six Metrotech Ctr., Brooklyn, NY 11201

718) 260-3100

Polytechnic Institute of New York University

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