<p>My son is a 3rd year undergrad civil engineer at a top tier engineering school. He is currently working his first coop term with one of the largest design/engineer companies. He decided to coop to confirm his choice of civil over other engineering fields. After a month he has determined that he likes civil but would like a position that takes him into the field sometimes. Most of the civils in his department (civil site engineering) in the office don't seem to ever go out into the field. Of course, this could be because their current assignment, FEMA flood plain mapping, doesn't require them to go into the field. I do want to mention that his coop was supposed to be in the infrastructure department working on large/high profile projects, but with the slowing economy most of the work has been put on hold so he was transferred his very first day to civil site engineering.</p>
<p>S seems to be interested in large scale projects and was wondering what area of civil should he concentrate. He was considering a masters in structural, but the guys in the office said that he would most certainly be stuck in the office all day. Should he look into a masters in construction management? Who gets to manage the big highrise projects and what kind of educational background is required or most common?</p>
<p>Also, S has a 3.1 gpa. I know that sounds low to many of you, but his school is known for grade deflation and a 3.0 qualifies for the Deans List. He hopes to raise his gpa, but he knows it's going to be a struggle. Can he get into a masters program at a good engineering school with a 3.1? He is going to meet up with his advisor and find out if his school accepts their own undergrads into their masters program with his gpa.</p>
<p>Thank you for whatever advice you can provide.</p>
He was considering a masters in structural, but the guys in the office said that he would most certainly be stuck in the office all day.
[/quote]
Doesn't necessarily mean that.</p>
<p>In my current assignment I'm working for the wastewater conveyance group. We design sewers from secondary 8" all the way to outfall/interceptor 20-ft sewers, and see it built. </p>
<p>We have structures and geotech people come out to the field during construction. Most of these major outfall/interceptor sewers are located 20- 50ft underground, and construction would usually require a tunnel boring machine, shoring for the pits, silent piles, etc, etc, etc... hence, the structures and geotech people out on the field.</p>
<p>Bottom line, go with structures if that what he likes. It doesn't necessarily mean he will end up in a cube all the time.</p>
<p>
[quote]
He was considering a masters in structural, but the guys in the office said that he would most certainly be stuck in the office all day.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Definitely doesn't mean that. It <em>can</em> mean that, but it doesn't have to. If he expresses and interest at a good company to do lots of field work, he'll be able to. At more traditional firms, he can do a lot of construction administration work, and if he went the structural diagnostics route, he'd be crawling all over sick buildings and bridges pretty much every <em>day</em> to try to figure out what's wrong with them... lots of field work there. Tell him he should look into diagnostics or forensics.</p>
<p>Re: the GPA thing, it's hard to say, without knowing what school he's attending. There are a lot of difficult schools where people still get 3.5 GPAs... Having your son talk to his advisor is probably the best thing to do, since his advisor likely knows better than we do about the success rate of applicants with your son's stats.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight into your profession. He'll be happy to have the information. </p>
<p>He was originally supposed to coop with a large high rise construction company but they pulled the coop opportunity because of the slowing economy. The coop he has was supposed to be in infrastructure, but they moved him into civil site engineering doing FEMA flood plain mapping because all the infrastructure projects are being held up with the slow economy. He is hoping when he returns for the summer term coop he gets assigned to a different department.</p>
<p>I think somehow he will have to get his gpa up in order to get into a masters program.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Definitely doesn't mean that. It <em>can</em> mean that, but it doesn't have to.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That applies to construction management as well. When you think of CM, you think mainly of the operations people (superintendents, field project managers), but there's also a lot of people working behind the scenes in the home office. You might end up in estimating, logistics, scheduling, or something else! Two companies that I know of has rotational programs, where you're in each division for 6 months, and the entire program lasts your first 3 years with the company. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Who gets to manage the big highrise projects and what kind of educational background is required or most common?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you're interested in managing and not designing, then look into construction management. Most people have a bachelors, though some do have a masters, or are working towards a masters.</p>
<p>Ken285, do you mind if I ask your background? Do you have an undergrad in civil engineering and a masters in construction management? </p>
<p>Would it be wise to get a masters in construction management? Or, can you get a masters in structural engineering and still get into the construction management end?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ken285, do you mind if I ask your background? Do you have an undergrad in civil engineering and a masters in construction management?
[/quote]
Right on the money. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Would it be wise to get a masters in construction management? Or, can you get a masters in structural engineering and still get into the construction management end?
[/quote]
You don't really need a masters in construction management to get into this field, unlike you "need" a MS in structural engineering for that field. </p>
<p>Is it a wise decision? It really varies from person to person. If you've got a lot of debt from undergrad, I wouldn't recommend doing it right away. Start working and have your employer pay for it. Overall, I was satisfied with what I got out of my masters though. It provided good background information for what I encounter in industry.</p>
<p>Is it possible to get into CM with a structural engineering degree? Probably, but I haven't seen anybody do that yet. It would be beneficial, especially if you're working on the structural end of CM.</p>