Construction Engineering and Management vs Construction Management Technology @Purdue

Colleges and Universities A-Z Purdue University
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Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) @ College of Engineering is ABET-accredited

Construction Management Technology @ Polytechnic Institute is AACE(American Council for Construction Education) accredited.

What’re the long-term impacts of these two degrees? Let’s say, if the goal is to become a general contractor in the future?

Thanks first,

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I can’t answer your question but you should be able to find useful information from Purdue directly.

I would look at the 4 year plan of study for each of these majors. Look at the course work and see if one appeals to you more than the other. Here’s the link for CEM: Program: Construction Engineering and Management, BSCNE - Purdue University - Acalog ACMS™

Purdue also has plenty of first destination surveys for each major that will show you where those grads to to work and starting salaries. Look up the Center for Career Opportunities website.

My understanding is the CEM is internship required so it’s automatically more hands-on than some of the other engineering majors at Purdue.

It’s much more competitive to get into CoE than Polytechnic at Purdue. If you did CEM, you’d be starting in the first year engineering program and a then would transition to your major after freshman year.

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Google “Engineering vs. Engineering Technology”. There are many good articles on the topic - more than anyone will reply with here.

Both are very good majors and career paths, beneficial for students will different desires.

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If you are interested in being a general contractor, the robust technical skills along with an ABET-accredited CEM degree will indeed serve you well; however, there is an AACE-accredited Construction Management Technology, leaning to management and budgeting. As a cost estimating expert, I would say CEM for technical challenges and Technology to master project oversight.