Parents may have misgivings about their children earning a degree in construction management in today’s economy. They shouldn’t.
“Almost all the students in our last two graduating classes [May and August, 2012] were able to secure jobs before they graduated,” said Khalid Siddiqi, chairman of the construction management department at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta.
People often have misconceptions about this field. First, they equate construction with the housing market only and forget what else is happening in the industry.
“They don’t take into account Department of Transportation-funded projects, infrastructure projects of bridges, ports and energy facilities, or commercial projects, all of which continue to hire project managers,” Siddiqi said. “It’s rare that one of our students would go to work for a homebuilder, because those projects are relatively small and short term. The builder often serves as manager.”
People also hear construction management and think manual labor, but construction managers plan, budget, coordinate and supervise projects.
“They need estimating, scheduling, management, business, construction science, communication and people skills,” Siddiqi said. “We have had quite a few women graduates who are doing exceptionally well in their careers.”
Southern Polytechnic has offered a bachelor’s degree in construction management for more than 20 years and a master’s degree for about a decade. The school also offers four one-semester certificates.
The curriculum has changed to keep pace with the market, thanks to an advisory board of industry companies who lend their expertise about the skills needed and also come to campus to interview and hire new graduates.
“One of the most recent changes we have made [in the curriculum] is to require all students to learn sustainable building information modeling skills,” Siddiqi said. “This electronic model allows everyone — architects, engineers, landscape designers, etc. — to make and share changes to the blueprint drawing, which cuts down on site conflicts and coordination issues. It’s also useful for facilities managers to know exactly how a building was constructed.”
Because of the growing emphasis on sustainability, every course includes green building techniques and there are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) courses in the curriculum.
Southern Polytechnic accepts construction management students during any semester. The cost of the program is about $4,000 per semester (15 credit hours) for tuition and fees.
Students may choose to concentrate in four areas: general contracting, specialty contracting (electrical and mechanical systems), facilities management or land development. They take courses in computer applications for construction, construction techniques, estimating, surveying, scheduling, management business strategies and construction law.
“They learn theory in class, but then apply it through hands-on projects. Many of our students also work in the construction field while going to school,” Siddiqi said.
Southern Polytechnic construction management graduates start out earning from $45,000 to $60,000 a year, Siddiqi said. The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics expects demand to grow by 17 percent through 2020 and reports an average salary of $83,860 for construction managers.
For information, call 678-915-7221 or go to www.spsu.edu/constmgmt.
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