Construction Management M.S.
Program Rationale:
The mission of the master's program in construction management is to provide a program of advanced study designed to serve the technological and managerial needs of individuals pursuing a construction management career. The aim of graduate education is to provide students with the environment to develop knowledge and skills to make contributions to their disciplines and to the rapidly changing world. It is the program's objective to help develop Connecticut's construction work force at all levels.
Changes in the construction management profession are causing more construction professionals to consider the master's degree, rather than the bachelor's, as the terminal degree. Furthermore, an increasing number of professional organizations across the nation are beginning to view the master's degree as an entry-level professional degree for practicing managers. This is currently the prevalent situation for construction managers. Several construction management professional organizations, including the Construction Management Association of America, the Construction Financial Management Association, and the American Institute of Constructors, are espousing licensure programs that have advanced education requirements.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Students in the program will be expected to:
- analyze a financial balance sheet for a construction company, understanding how each component impacts financial decisions made by the company;
- analyze an annual income statement for a construction company and use it as a tool for projecting company trends;
- perform a construction project risk assessment;
- evaluate bond and insurance proposals for both construction companies and projects;
- analyze a basic construction contract and be able to assess it against other contracts;
- comprehend the various options available for dispute resolution in the construction industry;
- understand the impacts of different project delivery systems on the construction process; and
- conduct research on technology-based issues and prepare technical papers in support of that research.
Admissions Requirements:
The application for admission to graduate study requires:
• Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.70 on a 4.0 scale (where A is 4.0), or its equivalent, and good standing (3.00 GPA) in all post-baccalaureate course work is required. When applicable, evidence of successful completion of a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.00 GPA, on a four point scale (where A is 4.00), will make the student eligible for admission to the School of Graduate Studies and the undergraduate GPA will not be counted.
As part of the application and admission process, the applicant must request that official undergraduate and graduate transcripts be submitted from every institution attended except Central Connecticut State University. The admission application and official transcripts must be submitted to the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Office.
Contact: 860-832-1830
Course and Capstone Requirements:
The Construction Management Masters program is a 33 credit program consisting of 15 credits of common core (CM 505, CM 515, CM 545, CM 575, TM 594), 15-18 credits of electives selected jointly by the student and advisor, and a zero-credit Plan B (Comprehensive Exam) capstone or a 3-credit Plan C (CM 595: Planned Research Project). Students without a construction management background may be required to take CM 500 (Fundamentals of Construction Management) as a condition of admission into the program. If required, CM 500 will not be counted toward completion of the degree.
Elective courses are subject to the following constraints:
- not more than 9 credits of non-construction management courses;
- not more than 6 credits of courses at the 400 level unless specifically approved in writing by the departmental graduate studies committee; and
- submission of an individual plan of study requiring faculty approval.
- A maximum of 9 credits may be selected from: Business Management, Engineering Technology (Civil or Mechanical), Natural Sciences, Technology Management
Selected elective courses
9 credits from the following:
| CM 425 | Applied Structural Systems | 3 |
| CM 435 | Construction Superintendency | 3 |
| CM 455 | Construction Project Management | 3 |
| CM 525 | Construction Equipment Operation & Management | 3 |
| CM 535 | Sustainable Buildings | 3 |
| CM 555 | Construction Project Control | 3 |
| CM 565 | Construction Labor Relations | 3 |
| CM 585 | Advanced Construction Law | 3 |
| CM 596 | Topics in Construction Management | 3 |
CM 596: May be repeated for up to 9 credits for repeated topics.
No more than 9 credits form the following subject areas:
Business Management
Engineering Technology (Civil or Mechanical)
Natural Sciences
Technology Management