CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

The purpose of the construction science and management program is to prepare the student to be a profesional constructor: a manager of personal resources, materials and machines. The curriculum consists of an engineering-based management program designed to produce a technically competent manager of construction. The student should have a background in mathematics and physics.

Graduates may enter fields of general, heavy and highway, utility, residential, mechanical or electrical construction. Their education provides fundamental engineering and management skills necessary for success in any of the above areas.

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE, ROLES AND SETTINGS

Many students begin construction education with a rather vague idea of what a manager of construction is and does.  Understanding more fully the range of roles and settings available to constructors may provide a better basis for making academic decisions.  Constructors work in many settings, including:

• private contracting firms (general, mechanical, electrical, speciality, etc.)
• governmetn agencies
• education
• government or private research groups
• journalism
• manufacturing
• material distribution
• sales

Within these settings, constructors fulfill a number of roles involving different activities, which may be characterized as:

• construction administration and/or management
• analysis
• scheduling
• estimating
• project supervision
• design documentation, description and communication
• evaluation/testing
• research
• project development
• project inspection

Many settings require participation in a number of activities during a relatively short period of time, while in other settings, an individual may be expected to begin with certain activities and move from one to another as their professional career advances.

As a principal in a small construction firm, a constructor may engage in many of the activities listed above, whereas a constructor in a large firm may concentrate exclusively on only one of the activities.

Understanding the range of opportunities availabe to construction science and management majors may help an individual narrow the area of potential interest.  It is advisable for the student to visit with professionals in the construction fields, and with many firms or organizations to explore the type of work which constructors undertake.  Through such visitations, the student will have a considerably better understanding of the career activities which may consume the next forty or so years of professional construction.

Most states require that constructors meet minimum criteria or licensing. National certification is now available. Through construction education, however, the student will attain a level of construction knowledge which would otherwise require decades of practical experience to develop. With this level of knowledge, graduates typically move rapidly into upper management positions in construction organizations.

Most students in the program intend to enter building, highway or utility construction fields. Other roles, such as construction education, will normally require an advanced degree and/or professional experience.

Students in the program will take courses in mathematics, engineering science, construction materials, construction methods, business and management. The program prepares the graduate to execute the designs created by engineers and architects.

ACCREDITATION

The architectural engineering program is accredited by the Americal Council of Construction Education (ACCE).

CURRICULUM

Students entering as of the Spring 2003 semester are required to successfully complete 130 credit hours of required courses in the curriculum.

CURRICULUM FLOWCHART

Many courses require successful completion of prerequisite courses.  Flowcharts are available in the main office (240 Seaton) to assist students in quickly evaluating their eligibility to take advanced courses requiring such prerequisites. Care should be taken to verify course requirements which may require new prerequisite courses.
 

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Kansas State University
January 7, 2003