Hello, I am a prospective college student who is interested in construction management and civil engineering. I know there is a difference between these two but being relatively similar, the schools I have seen only have certificate programs for Construction Management while Civil Engineering is a full on major. In my recent searches I have found a few different options of programs and schools that offer these programs but am a bit naive on what and where the best are. I have been looking into both UC Davis and UCLA and found that they both have mainly certificate programs for CM. Both these schools have extension programs which I am not very familiar with and would appreciate it if someone could shed some more light on them, such as are those programs for anyone or just for people who have completed their undergrad and want a more specialized certification? Also if I was admitted to one of these schools for a different major would it be possible to change and get a spot in the CM and CE field? Thank you!
you should check put cal poly slo as they offer both a civil and cm degrees. cal poly is arguably the most competitive/selective of the csu’s resulting in many students gaining employment upon graduating.
UCLA, UCDavis and CP SLO are GREAT but, really selective so, they may not be realistic targets. There are lots of other options but it is really tough to give an appropriate recommendation without understanding your stats, ecs, budget and other interests.
My husband works for a Heavy Civil Construction company. Anyone interested in Construction Management should consider majoring in Civil/Electrical or Mechanical Engineering first. Certificate programs are usually for workers that already have a degree and to want further their professional career by taking these certifications. My husband’s company loves to hire from the 2 Cal Poly’s SLO and Pomona, since they find their engineers have much more hands on experience, they are ready to start working with minimal training. All Engineers at my husband’s company (located in So Cal) are given an opportunity to take management classes if they are interested in that aspect of the construction industry.
Bottom line: Consider a 4 year degree in an Engineering discipline and depending upon your stats look for solid Match and Safety schools since these programs are highly competitive.