<p>I am a senior in HS and currently plan on majoring in construction management at MSU. I ultimately want to become a construction manager, but I am not sure about the best educational path to take. Many people seem to recommend studying civil engineering because it is a more well-rounded education than a degree in construction management, which I agree with. While a degree CE would open up more job opportunities than CM, I am only interested in becoming a construction manager and would not pursue a job in design, though it would be nice to have it as an option. In addition, MSU is not a very strong school for civil engineering, which is also why I hesitate to take that route. However, I don't know how their construction management program ranks. Another point to consider is that construction managers work very closely with architects and such, so a CE background would help to communicate and collaborate with them due to the designing education. Any truth to that or am I just putting too much thought into this? lol but anyway sorry about this long paragraph of ranting, to my questions----></p>
<p>How do you think employers would regard a CE from MSU compared to CM, given that all other factors are similar?
Also, would it be feasible to double major? Or would that just be a waste of time with no advantage?
Is my best option to major in CE and take as many CM courses as possible?</p>
<p>P.S. I realize work experience is far more important than your educational background and that 10 years down the line your degree becomes less relevant, but I want to get off on the right foot.</p>
<p>Do not double major in these two fields. It is definitely not worth it from a job hunting perspective (I can’t speak for your personal interests and desires of course).</p>
<p>A CE major would not be help you better collaborate with architects due to the design education.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ll probably steer clear of the double major because either way I want to get into the construction industry so it wouldn’t increase my opportunities in that perspective, but I’m still torn between which to major in. I know with construction management you can practically learn everything on the job so it’s not necessary to have prior knowledge about CM, but I want to make sure I have the necessary skills in order to succeed. Do you have any insight about how many construction managers come from a CE background compared to CM? Any advice about which you think I should major in at MSU?</p>
<p>Since it seems you will be attending MSU, you might see the common courses and try to decide once you are taking classes, talking to profs/other students/others on campus. What you think might be employment options and what it takes. Also see about the kind of summer work experiences you can get into, or if a co-op opportunity will be helpful.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>BTW, my D will be attending UA in the fall for civil eng (we live in AL). She does like design, and is contemplating areas to maybe minor in. She attended UA’s SITE program last summer which helped her determine her eng field. She is hoping for an internship (this summer or next) with a civil eng firm OOS with a family connection.</p>
<p>From personal experience, I know significantly more engineering majors than CM majors in construction management. However, there more schools in my area that offer engineering than CM, so it’s hard to say how much of a factor it is.</p>
<p>Can you specialize in construction management within the CE program? You could also look for internships or summer jobs in construction management to develop more skills in the area. An engineering degree will give you so many more options for jobs, and will probably give you an advantage over someone with a construction management or construction technology degree even in those kinds of jobs. Go for the engineering - it will allow you to do what you think you want to do now, and it will give you many more options if your interests change.</p>