Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2012–13 - Graduate Programs

Master of Science in Construction Management

Program Rationale:
The mission of the master's program in construction management is to provide a program of advanced study designed to serve the technological and managerial needs of individuals pursuing a construction management career. The aim of graduate education is to provide students with the environment to develop knowledge and skills to make contributions to their disciplines and to the rapidly changing world. It is the program's objective to help develop Connecticut's construction work force at all levels.

Changes in the construction management profession are causing more construction professionals to consider the master's degree, rather than the bachelor's, as the terminal degree. Furthermore, an increasing number of professional organizations across the nation are beginning to view the master's degree as an entry-level professional degree for practicing managers. This is currently the prevalent situation for construction managers. Several construction management professional organizations, including the Construction Management Association of America, the Construction Financial Management Association, and the American Institute of Constructors, are espousing licensure programs that have advanced education requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes:
Students in the program will be expected to:

• analyze a financial balance sheet for a construction company, understanding how each component impacts financial decisions made by the company;
• analyze an annual income statement for a construction company and use it as a tool for projecting company trends;
• perform a construction project risk assessment;
• evaluate bond and insurance proposals for both construction companies and projects;
• analyze a basic construction contract and be able to assess it against other contracts;
• comprehend the various options available for dispute resolution in the construction industry;
• understand the impacts of different project delivery systems on the construction process; and
• conduct research on technology-based issues and prepare technical papers in support of that research.
   

Course and Capstone Requirements:
The Construction Management Masters program is a 33-credit program consisting of 15 credits of common core (CM 505, CM 515, CM 545, CM 575, and TM 594), 15-18 credits of electives selected jointly by the student and advisor, and a three-credit Plan C (Applied Research) capstone (TM 595) or a zero-credit Plan B (Comprehensive Exam) capstone. Students without a formal construction management education will be required to take CM 500 (Fundamentals of Construction Management) as a prerequisite to admission into the program.

Elective courses are subject to the following constraints:

• not more than 9 credits of non-construction management courses;
• not more than 6 credits of courses at the 400 level unless specifically approved in writing by the departmental graduate studies committee; and
• submission of an individual plan of study requiring faculty approval.