Construction Management Undergraduate Degree Curriculum: Preparing Future Leaders

The construction industry is a dynamic and ever-changing field, demanding professionals equipped with a broad range of skills and knowledge. A Bachelor of Science in Construction Management (BSCM) is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students for challenging careers as future leaders in this sector. This article explores the curriculum of a BSCM program, highlighting its key components and the skills graduates acquire.

Introduction to Construction Management

Construction Management explores the management of people, processes, and materials. The BSCM program focuses on the skills and understanding necessary to excel as a construction management professional and to compete in the marketplace. It teaches students the fundamentals of engineering and construction science, as well as business aspects of construction and the application of traditional and emerging construction methods and technologies. A construction management degree teaches you how to plan, budget, schedule, and lead building projects. Youâll learn about construction safety, building materials, contracts, and how to work with architects, engineers, and teams on job sites.

Core Curriculum Components

The BSCM program covers a broad range of subjects in engineering and construction management, such as planning, cost estimating, scheduling, project management, and construction administration. The general requirements of the curriculum accommodate the continually expanding requirements of the profession, advancements in knowledge, and the contributions of related disciplines. Table 1 summarizes the Construction Management curriculum by subject category. The curriculum encompasses both foundational and advanced courses and integrates current standards and technologies essential for high-quality construction management.

Foundational Courses

Engineering Fundamentals: Introduction to analysis of wood, steel, and concrete structures. Basic structural loads, forces, and moments in beams, columns, and trussed systems. Internal reactions and method of sections. Stress, sheer, and deformation in beams and columns.
Construction Materials and Methods: An overview of the basic materials and methods utilized in construction projects.
Surveying: Land and topographic surveying with global position systems and geographic information systems (GIS). Fundamentals of distance, leveling angles, theodolites, transverse surveys, and computations.
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering: An introduction to soil mechanics and foundation engineering. The course teaches the students how to solve certain fundamental problems related to consolidation, shear strength, and design of shallow and deep foundations; and familiarizes students with relevant terms and soil tests so that they can work effectively with geotechnical engineering specialists. The course features soil basics, including their derivation, identification, and classification. The principles of water flow in soils, settlement and heave, and shear strength of soils will be discussed.
Construction Graphics and Documents: Drawing and interpretation of plans, sections, details, symbols, notes, and details in architectural, construction, and shop drawings. Coordination and reference between drawings.
Mechanical and Electrical Systems: The impact of M/E systems on the design and construction process, including energy considerations.
Introduction to Construction Management: An introduction to the fundamentals of construction management, estimating, scheduling, and control. Quantity takeoff estimations for material, time, equipment, and overhead are presented.

Advanced Courses

Advanced Construction Management: An advanced course built on the fundamentals of construction management, estimating, scheduling, and control introduced in CEN 419.
Construction Safety: Integration of safety and productivity into daily field operations through inspection and accountability. Examines accident costs and contributing factors and techniques for risk minimization.
Construction Accounting and Finance: Application of business accounting and financial principles to the construction industry. Construction accounting systems, depreciation, and financial analysis are introduced. Labor, overhead, and profit management are presented.
Project Management Tools and Techniques: An introduction to the detailed processes of construction management and the relevant tools, processes, and techniques that are involved.
Sustainable Construction: An introduction to the basic principles of sustainability as it applies to construction. Sustainability encompasses the 3Es of economics, environment, and equity. Sustainable construction is examined in all stages of a building life-cycle from design to commissioning and beyond.
Legal Aspects of Construction: Course focuses on basic principles and new developments in the legal aspects of architectural, engineering, and construction processes.

General Education Requirements

To receive a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, students must complete a minimum number of units, including University General Education requirements. These courses provide a broad education in preparation for lifelong learning and individual growth. Students are required to take courses in writing and the humanities.

Core Areas

Communication: Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
American History: Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
Language, Philosophy & Culture: Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Mathematics: Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Life & Physical Sciences: Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
Political Science: Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Social & Behavioral Sciences: Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
Creative Arts: Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.

Capstone Project

A team capstone project demonstrates a synthesis of learning accumulated in the construction program. This project often spans multiple semesters and allows students to apply their knowledge to a real-world construction scenario.

Experiential Learning

Beyond the classroom, real-world work experience is available through internships and summer and part-time employment. Students are also encouraged to participate in professional organizations and associated student chapters, including the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), and the New York Building Congress (NYBC). A number of credits for this program will be earned through experiential learning. Youâll also learn through a mix of face-to-face and online formats.

Specialized Tracks

Some programs offer specialized tracks, such as:

Process and Industrial Construction
Commercial Construction

Skills and Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program. The Construction Management program aims to equip graduates with the competencies highly valued and demanded by the construction industry.

Key Skills

Understanding construction materials and methods
Knowledge of structural systems
Understanding of site development with soils
Business principles
Contract management
Planning
Estimating
Scheduling
Assessing project performance
Communication Skills: Students completing the BS degree program in Construction Management will exhibit effective communication skills (written, oral, graphic and interpersonal) appropriate for professionals in this field of study at the bachelorâs level.
Critical Thinking Skills: Students completing the BS degree program in Construction Management will effectively use quantitative and/or qualitative analytical problem-solving skills appropriate for professionals in this field of study at the bachelorâs level.
Research/Creative Engagement: Students completing the BS degree program in Construction Management will demonstrate ability to engage productively in the review and conduct of disciplinary research and creative professional activity appropriate for professionals in this field of study at the bachelorâs level.

Career Opportunities

Position yourself to pursue a career as a construction executive, project manager, field engineer, planning and scheduling engineer, cost engineer, cost estimator, as well as other positions in the field with the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management degree. The construction sector is growing rapidly and individuals with a well-rounded education in written and verbal communication, technical construction fundamentals, math, business, law, and other relevant courses are in high demand. Construction Management graduates enter the industry as estimators, planners, schedulers, project managers, quantity surveyors, contract administrators, or building surveyors. The Bachelor of Science in Construction Management program is designed to meet the growing demand for well-trained practitioners in the construction industry. The program equips graduates with strong technical and analytical skills. Global competitiveness is enhanced by the instruction in management techniques and professional project management. Graduates in this program find employment in manufacturing, electronics, construction companies, government agencies, and large multinational firms. Many students go on to earn their M.S.

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