Master of Science - Construction Management
The construction management curriculum offers an excellent opportunity for the construction professional and the engineering manager to direct construction firms and projects in an effective, efficient, and professional manner while dealing with the delicate environmental issues of today's complex marketplace. The program consists of five core and five elective courses of a practical nature, including those dealing with financial, legal, safety, and administrative aspects relevant to the construction industry. Theory is integrated into realistic problems that arise within today's competitive construction arena. The program has been designed with flexibility so that the student's interest in a special area can be satisfied. An undergraduate degree in engineering or related disciplines from a recognized school is a prerequisite for graduate study in construction management.

Core Courses

CM 509 Construction Cost Analysis & Estimating Close Construction Cost Analysis & Estimating This course provides the construction-orientated professional with the analysis tools and methodology to organize and prepare an accurate construction estimate. Topics include development of productivity data, analysis, and applications of historical data, break-even and cost-to-complete analysis and the study and analysis of job cost reporting systems as they relate to the construction estimate. Estimating methods and systems will be discussed, along with field trips and practical case studies.

CM 541/CE 541 Project Management for Construction Close Project Management for Construction This course deals with the problems of managing a project. A project is defined as a temporary organization of human and nonhuman resources, within a permanent organization, for the purpose of achieving a specific objective. Both operational and conceptual issues will be considered. Operational issues include definition, planning, implementation, control and evaluation of the project; conceptual issues include project management vs. hierarchical management, matrix organization, project authority, motivation and morale. Cases will include construction management, chemical plant construction and other examples.

CM 550 Construction Contract Law I Close Construction Contract Law I This course introduces the principle areas of construction law and contracts. Areas of discussion include contract formulation, scope of work, changes, delays, no damage for delays, insurance and sureties, completion, termination, and claims and dispute resolutions. Case studies are presented with class presentations and discussions.

CM 571 Practicum in Construction Management I Close Practicum in Construction Management I This will be a capstone course taken at the end of a student’s program of studies. The students will be organized into construction management groups.

CM 580/CM 561 Construction Management I Close Construction Management I This course provides a survey and study of the management process for domestic and international contracting business enterprises. Topics of discussion include the roles of the construction manager, bonds and insurance elements of the estimating process, finance and cost control, labor relations, and work culture.

Graduate Certificates
Construction/Quality Management*

CM 541/CE 541 Project Management for Construction Close Project Management for Construction This course deals with the problems of managing a project. A project is defined as a temporary organization of human and nonhuman resources, within a permanent organization, for the purpose of achieving a specific objective. Both operational and conceptual issues will be considered. Operational issues include definition, planning, implementation, control and evaluation of the project; conceptual issues include project management vs. hierarchical management, matrix organization, project authority, motivation and morale. Cases will include construction management, chemical plant construction and other examples.

CM 542 Quality Management & Construction Performance Close Quality Management & Construction Performance This course presents the principles and techniques of total quality management (TQM), with emphasis on its application to construction projects and firms. Students will form teams to apply TQM concepts and techniques to construction projects/firms.

CM 580/CM 561 Construction Management I Close Construction Management I This course provides a survey and study of the management process for domestic and international contracting business enterprises. Topics of discussion include the roles of the construction manager, bonds and insurance elements of the estimating process, finance and cost control, labor relations, and work culture.

CM 590 Construction Management II Close Construction Management II This course discusses the principles of construction marketing and strategic planning. Marketing engineering and construction company services and products are discussed with an eye towards the most economical and competitive sales techniques. Case studies and practical applications are presented for class analysis and discussion.

Construction Engineering*

CM 501 Construction Engineering I Close Construction Engineering I This course is a study of construction industry customs, practices and methods from project conception to close-out. Equipment usage, construction estimating, scheduling, and management techniques are woven into the fabric of this course.

CM 502 Construction Engineering II Close Construction Engineering II This course provides the student in the construction field with a practical analysis and study of the completed construction facility. Case studies are discussed along with the performance of the constructed facility and elements of possible failure within the completed facility. Alternate solutions are discussed along with their economic feasibilty.

CM 531 Construction Materials Close Construction Materials This lecture course covers civil engineering materials, their properties, and their construction use. Specifics to be discussed include physical and mechanical properties of steel, concrete, asphalt, wood, plastic, timber, and soil. Coverage of ASTM standard tests covering these properties is also presented.

CM 581 Temporary Structures in Heavy Construction Close Temporary Structures in Heavy Construction This course is a study of the elements and concepts of temporary supportive structures involved with heavy construction process. Topics of discussion will include codes, construction, cofferdams, temporary sheeting and bracing, falsework and shoring, and concrete form design.

Construction Accounting/Estimating*

CM 509 Construction Cost Analysis & Estimating Close Construction Cost Analysis & Estimating This course provides the construction-orientated professional with the analysis tools and methodology to organize and prepare an accurate construction estimate. Topics include development of productivity data, analysis, and applications of historical data, break-even and cost-to-complete analysis and the study and analysis of job cost reporting systems as they relate to the construction estimate. Estimating methods and systems will be discussed, along with field trips and practical case studies.

CM 511 Construction Accounting Close Construction Accounting This course presents the principles of accounting for construction projects. Topics include elements of cost accounting, project accounting, and financial analysis used by the construction manager.

CM 580/CM 561 Construction Management I Close Construction Management I This course provides a survey and study of the management process for domestic and international contracting business enterprises. Topics of discussion include the roles of the construction manager, bonds and insurance elements of the estimating process, finance and cost control, labor relations, and work culture.

CM 590 Construction Management II Close Construction Management II This course discusses the principles of construction marketing and strategic planning. Marketing engineering and construction company services and products are discussed with an eye towards the most economical and competitive sales techniques. Case studies and practical applications are presented for class analysis and discussion.

Construction Law/Disputes*

CM 522 Labor Relations Close Labor Relations This course provides the student with a basic understanding of the practices involved in construction labor relations. Topics include the discussion of union and open shop contractors, job site agreements, collective bargaining and local union negotiations, double-breasted construction operations and termination of the labor agreement, along with case studies in selected areas.

CM 550 Construction Contract Law I Close Construction Contract Law I This course introduces the principle areas of construction law and contracts. Areas of discussion include contract formulation, scope of work, changes, delays, no damage for delays, insurance and sureties, completion, termination, and claims and dispute resolutions. Case studies are presented with class presentations and discussions.

CM 551 Construction Contract Law II: Claims and Disputes Close Construction Contract Law II: Claims and Disputes This course presents a review and analysis of the methods used in presenting and solving construction contract disputes. Topics of discussion include the origins of the construction dispute, the contract documents, the design deficiency, the construction schedule, construction of the project and resolving the dispute.

CM 587/EN 587 Environmental Law and Management Close Environmental Law and Management This class addresses a survey of legal and regulatory approaches to environmental protection. Topics include: environmental ethics, National Environmental Policy Act, state and federal environmental agencies; Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund, Resource Recovery andConservation Act, Right-to-know, Environmental Cleanup Responsibility Act, and wetlands protection.

Geotechnical Engineering

CE 520/EN 520 Soil Behavior and its Role in Environmental Applications Close Soil Behavior and its Role in Environmental Applications   See EN520 course description.

CE 560 Advanced Soil Testing Close Advanced Soil Testing An advanced treatment of methods and techniques of soil testing.  It entails the execution of tests, data presentation and data interpretation associated with soil mechanics practice and research.  Tests include soil classification, compaction, shear strength, permeability soil-moisture extraction and soil compressibility.  Use of microcomputers in data reduction and presentation.

CE 595 Geotechnical Design Close Geotechnical Design .   A design oriented course in which geotechnical engineering principles are applied to the computer-aided design of shallow and pile foundations, bulkheads and retaining walls.  The course also deals with advanced soil mechanics concepts as applied to the determination of lateral earth pressures needed for the design of retaining walls.

CE 649 Earth Supporting Structures Close Earth Supporting Structures A course of lectures dealing with the design, performance and quality control of earth supporting structures.  It includes an outline of the available methods of evaluating slope stability by field studies, numerical computer analysis and hand calculations.  Finally, the last portion of the course covers the principles involved in the design and construction of earth and rockfill dams including such topics as soil compaction, hydraulic fill dams, design criteria, seepage control, slope stability analyses, seismic design and case history studies.

Hydraulics

CE 525 Engineering Hydrology Close Engineering Hydrology Principles of hydrology and their application to engineering projects, including the hydrologic cycle, measurement and interpretation of hydrologic variables, stochastic hydrology, flood routing and computer simulations in hydrology.

CE 685 Advanced Hydraulics Close Advanced Hydraulics Fundamentals of open channel flows; types of open channels and their properties; velocity distribution in open channels. Specific energy, momentum and specific force principles; critical flows; principles of uniform flow and its computation.  Gradually varied flow; channel transitions and controls. Rapidly varied flow; hydraulic jump and energy dissipaters.  Unsteady flows; waves and wave propagation; flood routing.  Applications of numerical methods in hydraulic engineering.

CE 526 Watershed Modeling Close Watershed Modeling This course is intended to provide graduate students with the tools necessary to simulate the water quality of a complex watershed.  The course will focus on the development of models for examining the water quality and water quantity issues that are associated with watershed management.  Students will learn various modeling technologies from simplistic mass balance models to more complex dynamic models.  The models required for fully understanding the effects of both point and nonpoint sources of pollution on a natural waterway will be examined.  The students will also develop an understanding of how to design a monitoring program to collect the data that are appropriate for simulating a natural system.  Current state and federal guidelines and regulations will be discussed including the development of a wasteload allocation for a point source, a load allocation for a nonpoint source and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for an impaired waterway. This course will not only provide the student with the tools necessary to simulate a watershed but also provide a keen insight into the watershed management process.  The final project will require the students to work in teams to analyze a specific watershed.

CE 741 Hydraulic Structures Close Hydraulic Structures This course will focus on the design of hydraulic structures including small dams, spillways, weirs and culverts. These are complex structures, the design of which must account for the water forces, which act upon them as well as their impacts upstream and downstream. Structural topics will be covered along with backwater curves and downstream effects. Models such as the US Army HEC II and HEC RAS will be used to model the associated hydraulic impacts of these structures. Structural models will also be used were appropriate to assist in the design of the structures. Environmental and economic implications of hydraulic structures will also be addressed.

Structural Engineering

CE 613 Matrix Analysis of Structures Close Matrix Analysis of Structures Formulation of structural theory based on matrix algebra; discussion of force method and displacement method; use of matrix transformation chain in structural analysis; application to indeterminate structures, space frames, vibration and buckling of structures; computer application.   Spring semester.

CE 519 Advanced Structural Analysis Close Advanced Structural Analysis Analysis of structures using methods of work, slope deflection and moment distribution; force acceleration and energy methods; variable moments of inertia; continuous beams, trusses and frames; arch analysis; plasticity and limit design; slab and shell structures.

CE 623 Structural Dynamics Close Structural Dynamics Introduction to theory of structural dynamics with emphasis on civil engineering problems.  One-degree systems; lumped parameter and multi-degree systems; approximate methods; analysis and design applications using computers.

CE 681 Introduction to Finite Element Methods Close Introduction to Finite Element Methods A concise introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate engineering students.  Includes numerical discretization, finite-differences, variational principle, weighted residual method, Galerkin approximations, continuous and piecewise-defined basis functions, finite-element methods, computer coding of one-dimensional problems, triangular elements - coding of two-dimensional problems, time-dependent problems.

Surface Water Hydrology

CE 535 Stormwater Management Close Stormwater Management This course will be of significant importance in urbanplanning and construction management.  The management of stormwater must be addressed for any modern development/construction project.  This course will focus on the development of the runoff hydrograph, the design of storm drains and detention ponds, watershed characteristics for the existing and developed areas and regulations by both state and federal agencies.

CE 526 Watershed Modeling Close Watershed Modeling This course is intended to provide graduate students with the tools necessary to simulate the water quality of a complex watershed.  The course will focus on the development of models for examining the water quality and water quantity issues that are associated with watershed management.  Students will learn various modeling technologies from simplistic mass balance models to more complex dynamic models.  The models required for fully understanding the effects of both point and nonpoint sources of pollution on a natural waterway will be examined.  The students will also develop an understanding of how to design a monitoring program to collect the data that are appropriate for simulating a natural system.  Current state and federal guidelines and regulations will be discussed including the development of a wasteload allocation for a point source, a load allocation for a nonpoint source and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for an impaired waterway. This course will not only provide the student with the tools necessary to simulate a watershed but also provide a keen insight into the watershed management process.  The final project will require the students to work in teams to analyze a specific watershed.

CE 527 Wetland Hydrology Close Wetland Hydrology Over the past two decades, there has been a rise in wetland mitigation projects across the country.  The success of a wetland depends mainly on it hydrology.  Central to the course will be the principle of water budgeting. This course will outline the hydrologic principles involved in freshwater and coastal wetland engineering.  Dynamic and steady state mathematical modeling will be presented as techniques to estimate wetland hydrology.

CE 651 Drainage Design and Modeling Close Drainage Design and Modeling Drainage design includes watershed analysis combined with hydrologic and hydraulic computations.  The basic laws of drainage design will be discussed including the environmental and economic implications. Regulations pertinent to the area will also be addressed.  Concepts of open channel, pressure and gravity flow will be discussed.  Mathematical and computer models will be used to educate the engineer in the techniques available in industry.  These models combined with the mathematical principals presented will aid the engineer in developing the best possible design for a particular region.