Major in Construction Management
As a construction management major at Merrimack, you will learn how to successfully manage deadlines, costs, quality, safety, and successful completion of a project. This includes building a steady foundation through a co-op experience your junior year.Â
What is Construction Management
Construction management is an interdisciplinary field that connects engineering, project management and business.
Construction managers address project sequencing, scheduling and risk management, employing innovations such as the critical path method, project management information systems, other industry tools and novel construction techniques.
Why Study Construction Management
With a degree in construction management, you will have endless opportunities when you enter the job market. You may work alongside owners of new builds or remodeling projects, become a project manager at a local firm, or eventually become director of construction for companies that build high-rise buildings in Boston. Our construction management degree adds value through its:
Strong Faculty Relationships
Expect to be taught by expert faculty in private class settings with hands-on attention from your instructors.
Required Co-Op
Experience the construction industry first-hand with a six-month required co-op, where you will gain professional experience and build a valuable network prior to graduation. Most co-ops are paid work experiences.
Marketable Skills
As a construction manager, you’ll have a wide range of skills that are of interest to future employers, including risk management, leadership, analytical skills, customer service, planning and negotiation skills.
Career Outcomes
The employment of construction managers is projected to grow from 478,500 in 2021 to 514,900 in 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. 41,500 openings for construction managers are projected each year, on average, over the next ten years.
Construction Management Degree: What You’ll Learn
As a construction management major, you will combine on-campus education and real-life experience to prepare you for your career. Merrimack’s faculty will leave you feeling prepared and confident come graduation day in the skills you have gained throughout the program.Â
- You’ll learn how to identify, formulate, and solve broadly defined technical and scientific problems.
- You’ll apply knowledge of mathematics and science with technical topics to areas relevant to the discipline.Â
- You’ll determine the design or formulation of a system, process, procedure or program to meet your client’s desired needs.
- You’ll cultivate an ability to function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, & analyze risk and uncertainty.
- You’ll learn how to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences.
- You’ll recognize ethical & professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and scientific solutions in globally economic, environmental & societal contexts.
- You’ll gain experience with a wide range of software systems, including AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Revit, Microsoft Project & Primavera P6.
Construction Management vs. Civil Engineering
Construction Management | Civil Engineering |
|---|---|
Degree Overview The construction management degree is a great start towards a career that is new every day: solving problems, managing schedules, and leading teams as structural and infrastructural projects take physical shape. | Degree Overview The civil engineering degree will prepare you for the fascinating interdisciplinary projects that civil engineers work on, including buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels, water and wastewater systems, and environmental assessments. |
Courses you may take: Construction Engineering Project Management Business Finance & Law | Courses you may take: Structural Engineering Geotechnical Engineering Environmental Engineering Transportation & Development |
Career Path Construction management professionals will have a higher percentage of fieldwork and more management opportunities earlier in their career. | Career Path Civil engineering professionals will have more opportunities for design and more broad field versus office opportunities in their career. |
Construction Management Jobs
What can you do with a construction management degree? As a quickly growing discipline, construction management allows you to engage in a multitude of career paths following graduation. Many students enter graduate school to pursue a masters in construction management. Others start their construction management careers at construction companies with on-site offices for the projects they are managing.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for construction managers was $112,790.00 per year as of May 2022. It is expected that new construction will total $1,449 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. Potential career paths for construction management majors upon graduation include:
- Field or Site Engineer
- Surveyor
- Construction Estimator
- Construction Superintendent
- Construction Inspector
- Sustainability Consultant
- Construction Manager or Construction Project Manager
- Construction Project Director
- General Contractor
- Facilities Manager
Construction Management Facilities: The Center for Innovation and Research
Merrimack’s Center for Innovation and Research in Engineering and Computational Sciences is fully dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and designed to fuel collaboration, hands-on learning and research.Â
The Center’s innovative space includes:
State-of-the-Art Robots
Innovation Workshop
Classrooms
Specialized Labs
Fabrication Shop
Student Makerspace
Elec. Eng. Workshop
3D Printing Technology
Potential Co-Op Sites
- Hunt Capital Partners
- Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- SPS New England
- Tishman
- PROCON
Courses You’ll Take
Construction Management Major Curriculum
Construction Management Major Requirements
General Education Requirements
In addition to the major requirements below, you will also need to complete Merrimack’s general education requirements. To see more details about the major, please visit catalog.merrimack.edu.Sample Curriculum Guide
More Information
For more information about majors and minors at Merrimack, consult the online course catalog.
