Graduate Student Council of CM News

Mission Statement

The graduate program in Construction Management provides an environment that supports graduate students in their development of knowledge necessary to enhance professional practice and apply research to management decisions that impact organizations in an emerging global economy.

M.S. in Construction Management
Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Studies

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Master of Science in Construction Management

The Department of Construction Management offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree. The focus of the department is on professional programs that successfully combine theory and application with a strong emphasis in applied management. The master’s program is an advanced curriculum designed to allow students to tailor a portion of the specialization requirements to meet individual interests and goals.

Graduate students may concentrate their study in one or more of the following emphasis areas:

• Construction Management & Information Systems
  
• Sustainable Building
• Historic Preservation

Each program can be individually tailored to meet the needs and interests of the student.

Both Plan A (research thesis) and Plan B (professional research paper) are offered. Plan A is normally selected by those envisioning a career in applied research, wanting to pursue answers to a specific research topic, or as an intermediate step toward the Ph. D. degree. Alternatively, students who want to develop technical proficiency in a particular area or emphasis may choose Plan B.

Summary of the requirements for the M.S. degree:

• A minimum of 30 upper-division credits are required for Plan A students.
• A minimum of 33 upper-division credits are required for Plan B students.
• The following restrictions apply:

  At least 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State, 21 of which must be earned after admission to the Graduate School. These totals may include courses taken through the Distance Degree program.

  At least 16 of the credits earned at Colorado State must be in the courses numbered 500 or above. Of the 16, at least 12 must be in regular (lecture/laboratory) courses.

  No more than three credits for thesis research may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements described above.

• Submission of an acceptable thesis (Plan A) or professional research paper (Plan B).

The goal of the program is to provide graduate students with skills related to advance constructionmanagement problem solving. The thesis process also provides students interested in pursuing advanced degrees with important experience in research methodologies and processes. To attain this goal, the CM department encourages students to perform applied research that is industry, institutional, or “client” based.

Are you interested in a Ph.D. in Construction Management?

The School of Education offers a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies where you can specialize in Construction Management. Most of our students working on a Ph.D. have an interest in teaching, so the coursework in the School of Education will assist in your career development if this is your goal. Most of our students have a co-chair for their committee, one Chair from the School of Education and a co-chair from the Department of Construction Management. The topic of study for the dissertation can be an issue relating to construction management. For further information regarding a Ph.D. in Construction Management, please visit the School of Education's Interdisciplinary Program website.