Best Online Construction Management Degrees 2021

Purdue University's Polytechnic Institute offers comprehensive education in construction management technology through studies on- and off-campus. On campus, the Center for Career Opportunities connects students with about 150 companies per year for internship opportunities during the summer, co-ops during the semester and recruitment upon graduation. Potential companies students could work for include Pepper Construction, Kiewit, Turner Construction and Hensel Phelps. Students must complete 800 hours of internship-related experience before graduation and are required to maintain a 2.0 GPA. The degree program is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education, and students can focus on general construction or specialize in a particular area like residential construction management, mechanical and electrical construction management, healthcare construction management or demolition and restoration management. A host of scholarships are available for upperclassmen through Purdue Polytechnic. Prospective students can see current and past projects by searching for #BoilerBuilt on Instragram.

University of Oklahoma's Norman campus offers a Construction Science program through its College of Architecture. Students attend architecture and business courses to gain a broad background, giving them communication and technical skills that will benefit them in management positions. Taking the Associate Constructor Exam senior year is a graduation requirement as well as maintaining a 2.5 GPA. Only 50 students are admitted into the upper-level courses per year after completion of prerequisites, making the degree especially competitive. Those majoring in construction science may get involved on campus through a number of field-related organizations or competitions, which the school earns multiple awards for each year. Scholarships are available to construction science students, and those who attend the biannual Construction Science Career Fair can be connected with industry employers looking for interns and permanent employees. Accredited by the American Council for Construction Education, the school boasts a 90 percent job placement rate for its grads.

Arizona State University's Tempe campus offers a bachelor's degree in construction management, one of only two of its kind in the state, through the School of Engineering. Applicants must meet a variety of strict criteria, including a 3.0 GPA and/or specific SAT or ACT scores. Transfer and international students may apply to the program, but must meet rigorous requirements. To make the transfer process simpler, Arizona State partners with colleges and universities within the state as well as California, Illinois and Washington. The bachelor's program focuses on the field's business aspects and has several specializations from which to choose, such as commercial, heavy, residential and specialty construction, and facility management. Depending on the emphasis, students can work in fields such as public works, real estate, commercial construction, special building projects and green construction as well as at the subcontractor level and for mechanical and electrical systems. The accelerated degree program works by giving high-achieving students the opportunity to take advanced undergrad courses that will shorten the length of time to earn a master's in construction management.

Western Carolina University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs for those interested in construction management. As an example, the bachelor's degree option prepares graduates for positions like project manager, engineer, scheduler and estimator inspector. Students are required to complete one internship in either the summer, fall or spring semester before graduation. This work experience counts as 400 hours in the construction industry and is designed to give students an opportunity to apply what they've learned in the classroom to a real world setting. At the graduate level, the school has an online master's program, which is designed to help professionals currently in the field advance their careers. This program consists of 30 semester hours and students have the flexibility to work at their own pace.

At East Carolina University, students can pursue a construction management bachelor's degree that meets the National Housing Endowment's Gold Standard Residential Curriculum. The program, offered through the College of Engineering and Technology, is one of the largest of its kind in the Southeastern United States and was the first to be accredited in North Carolina through the American Council for Construction Education. The college has state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, including the Caterpillar High-Bay Laboratory where students learn to use an overhead gantry crane to put together steel structures and framing units. The degree program teaches commercial, residential and infrastructure construction through in-person classes. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete an internship with 500 hours of construction work with a state-licensed company before graduating. A laptop is required for the program, and the student store sells Apple and Dell computers at educational pricing with additional savings through the store. East Carolina also offers a master's degree in construction management for those looking to advance their career.