Prepare for Industry Challenges with a Construction Management Degree
How an MS in Construction Management Prepares You for Industry Challenges
The construction industry is in the midst of an exciting period of growth. Spurred by unprecedented demand in the housing market, the industry has the power to address some of the greatest concerns of our time, like the need for affordable housing, along with the desire to alleviate rental market pressures. Meanwhile, all signs point to a boom in construction for manufacturing and other industrial applications.
Unfortunately, these opportunities are accompanied by numerous construction project challenges, ranging from labor shortages to zoning concerns and, increasingly, sustainability issues. Construction management can drive powerful solutions, but there is one main challenge that stands in the way: a shortage of skilled construction managers.
This is a great time to enter the field and take advantage of rising wages and exciting job opportunities. Depending on your previous experience and education, you may need to develop additional skills, especially competencies such as resource allocation or budget management.
The solution? Earning your Master of Science in Construction Management. Keep reading to learn what this program involves and how it can prepare you for a bright future in the construction industry.
Online Master’s Degree in Construction Management: What You’ll Learn
The MS in Construction Management is a career-driven, graduate-level program that provides a thorough overview of critical business concepts. This is especially true as they relate to unique concerns within the modern construction industry. Coursework is available fully online, with synchronous formats driving immediate feedback and strong relationships with instructors and fellow students alike.
This degree’s 36-credit curriculum will be most appealing to those who have already obtained their Bachelor of Science in relevant fields such as engineering or architecture. At that point, those individuals may now want to use their unique knowledge and experience to help guide others.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas Developed in a Construction Management Degree Program
While a graduate-level construction management education covers a wide array of concepts and experiential learning opportunities, a few key knowledge areas stand out:
Project Management Expertise
Project management plays a crucial role in the construction industry. This ensures that resources are properly allocated and that a complex series of deadlines are consistently met. However, professionals who aspire to work in construction management have a strong understanding of the industry’s technical elements but struggle to grasp the nuances of project management.
Hence, the value of an MS in Construction Management for technically trained students who lack project management expertise. Through targeted coursework, these highly motivated students can take a deep dive into construction practices as they relate to project management. Advanced courses delve into scheduling techniques, risk analysis, and other concepts relevant to effective construction project management.
Leadership and Communication
The most effective construction management professionals possess exceptional communication skills. After all, these leaders need to interact with a variety of stakeholders, ranging from executives to vendors, subcontractors, and even clients. Nuanced communication will ensure that construction managers appropriately convey complex information while inspiring action.
Also essential is a thorough understanding of leadership theories and styles, as different situations may call for different strategies. With the MS in Construction Management, this understanding is achieved by taking a deep dive into organizational theory and lean project delivery.
Sustainable Construction Practices
Sustainability is increasingly a priority within the construction industry, with the recognition that sustainable practices in site and material selection can make a world of difference. Green construction is driven by a concern for the environment and the direct and indirect savings throughout a facility’s life cycle.
Certifications like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) serve as a benchmark for green building practices and are the result of a rigorous LEAN training methodology and exam. Graduate courses explore cutting-edge sustainability initiatives and opportunities, highlighting how these can integrate with lean management and advanced construction systems.
Technology and Innovation
Cutting-edge solutions promise to bring a wealth of insights to the construction industry. They work to reveal opportunities for streamlined workflows, improved compliance, greater structural integrity, or greener building practices.
Graduate-level programs expose future construction managers to the industry’s most exciting developments. They showcase how these can improve project outcomes and demonstrate how associated challenges can be addressed and overcome.
MS in Construction Management students gain extensive exposure to the industry’s most powerful platforms and technological systems. This includes an overview of visualization mechanisms and information strategy planning.
Tackling Real-World Construction Project Challenges
The MS in Construction Management provides thorough exposure to real-world challenges, often through case studies and engaging projects that encourage aspiring construction managers to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These experiential learning opportunities drive the most powerful lessons that graduates will easily recall as they face new challenges in the construction workforce.
Cost Overruns and Budget Management
Accurate estimates are important, but even the most fiscally responsible construction managers will eventually experience cost overruns. This may emerge because of unanticipated challenges such as groundwater issues, soil instability, or even scope changes.
Aspiring construction managers must be prepared to not only identify these concerns, but also to determine why they occur and how they can be resolved. This calls for effective budget management. These are complex skills that can be developed through graduate courses on cost estimations, construction contracts, and lean methodologies.
Meeting Tight Deadlines
Time management represents one of the most enduring challenges in construction management. As unprecedented demand enters the picture, leaders can expect even tighter deadlines and faster turnaround times.
Contractual deadlines matter, but construction managers may also need to set or meet numerous milestones along the way to keep the entire project on track. These may relate to site preparation, system installation, permitting, or shop drawing submission.
Graduate students learn to tackle these issues via scheduling applications and techniques. Rigorous coursework also provides powerful opportunities to practice time management skills.
Navigating Changing Regulations
From accessibility standards to environmental regulations, an ever-changing array of laws (at the federal, state, and municipal levels) add new complications to construction projects. At a minimum, construction managers need to be familiar with existing regulations, including zoning laws, building codes, and emerging environmental initiatives. These concepts are covered in courses that explore operations, ethics, and risk management.
Managing Complex Stakeholder Relationships
From executives to clients, a variety of stakeholders influence construction processes, and often, construction managers hold the tough job of acting as liaisons. These complex relationships are explored in detail through graduate-level courses. The classes typically cover construction operations and project management, providing valuable insight into how various stakeholders might respond to different communication strategies.
Implementing Sustainable Solutions
Sustainability is a hot topic in the construction industry. That said, even highly skilled managers often struggle to implement sustainable solutions while maintaining project scope and abiding by strict scheduling or budgetary limitations.
A construction management degree can highlight the practical concerns of implementing these solutions, including the chance to thoroughly explore state-of-the-art systems and techniques.
Beyond the Classroom: Practical Experience and Networking
The strength of the MS in Construction Management stems from its wealth of experiential learning opportunities. After all, while it is important to cover fundamental business concepts, it can be difficult to truly understand their application within the construction industry until exposed to relevant, real-world settings and situations.
Internships and Applied Projects
Applied learning takes many forms, with case studies and advanced technologies providing new ways to engage with complex materials and understand critical concepts. Internship opportunities also abound, and with paid internships, it is possible to apply recently developed skills while gaining a definite resume boost and a stronger professional network. Some internships even lead directly to job opportunities.
Professional Network
In addition to providing a wealth of real-world learning opportunities, the MS in Construction Management also drives learning and long-term professional opportunities through networking. This is a must for success in the construction industry. While credentials certainly matter, a memorable cliché will no doubt ring true when seeking high-level positions — it’s not always what you know, but who you know.
Within the right graduate program, each class can function as a networking environment, simply by helping students develop meaningful relationships with one another. This is true even when studying online, as synchronous classes provide immediate feedback and engaging conversations. Following graduation, a rich alumni network encourages additional connections while making it easy to stay in touch.
Discover the Power of a Construction Management Degree
Do you have big plans for your career in construction management? Look to Texas A&M University to provide the resources and guidance you need.
Accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), TAMU’s online Master of Science in Construction Management provides a powerful curriculum. This is your chance to apply key concepts in real-world environments or to develop powerful connections with the field’s best and brightest. Reach out today to learn more about this exciting opportunity to advance your career in construction management.
