<p>I am a junior majoring in Civil Engineering and need advise on how to obtain the best background for a career in construction management. I have taken an elective class in construction management as well as a building seminar class from when I used to be an architecture major and really seemed to like the construction management field. I decided to switch to civil engineering with the idea that it would provide a better foundation for construction management. For the most part, my school does not offer any more construction management related classes. I would like to get a masters once I graduate, but do not know what path to take. Purdue, NYU, Virginia Tech, and Columbia all have masters degrees in construction engineering/management that I am kind of interested in. Does anyone know any specifics about these degrees? Also my school offers a co terminal program where I can obtain a masters in civil engineering in only 1 extra semester remaining as an undergrad. This would save me a lot of money but I don't know if it would be valued as much as a course of study in construction management. Also I heard that a lot of construction managers are engineers who obtain most of their construction management skills on the job. Perhaps I could learn better and quicker by just beginning working for a company?? I think I have a lot of options, and was wondering if anyone had any advise on the best way to become a construction manager. Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>There's really no "best background" for construction management in practice. There are people from all sorts of backgrounds, with the most popular being construction management, civil engineering, architecture, mechanical engineering, and architectural engineering. You can argue that the construction management major is best, but it isn't a significant advantage. Of my former classmates that went into construction management, I know 9 who didn't take anything more than 1 course (if that) and 6 who did a concentration of some sort in construction management.</p>
<p>I got my MS in civil engineering with a concentration in CM at Columbia. What I liked about that program is that a lot of the things you learn here you wouldn't learn in more traditional CM programs. There's a focus on the less technical or quantitative subjects, such as project delivery systems, dispute resolution, construction law, management, etc. If you're looking for in-depth courses on scheduling and estimating, look elsewhere. Actually, there's a construction administration MS program in the Continuing Education school, which focuses on the more traditional aspects of CM. Both programs are flexible enough to allow for part-time students to take courses without interfering with their work schedules too much. Most courses are offered during evenings.</p>
<p>I haven't heard firsthand anything about NYU's program though. What I do know however is that it's in their continuing education school. Based on what I see on their website, I suspect it strongly caters towards the client / developer side and not so much the contractor side. </p>
<p>Also take a look at Polytechnic University, which is actually now part of NYU. </p>
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Also my school offers a co terminal program where I can obtain a masters in civil engineering in only 1 extra semester remaining as an undergrad. This would save me a lot of money but I don't know if it would be valued as much as a course of study in construction management.
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<p>That's really up to you to decide. You don't need anything more than a bachelor's degree. If money is a concern, you can get a job first, and go to school part-time in the evenings. Some companies will reimburse you for related coursework.</p>
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Also I heard that a lot of construction managers are engineers who obtain most of their construction management skills on the job. Perhaps I could learn better and quicker by just beginning working for a company?
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Nothing replaces firsthand experience, not even if you take every single construction course in the country. Apply for internships in construction this coming summer.</p>