The University of Alabama, Birmingham
Eastern Kentucky University
Drexel University
Louisiana State University
An online master’s in construction management (MCM) is well suited for ambitious individuals working on large-scale projects, leading large diverse teams, and sharpening their leadership skills in the construction industry. Construction Management professionals plan, coordinate, budget, and supervise end-to-end construction projects in a fast-growing industry.
A master’s in construction management online is bound to take you to the next orbit of a stellar career in the growing Construction Industry. The average pay in 2019, as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), was $95,260, and the number of jobs in the Construction Industry grew by 8%. It makes a strong case to enroll in a construction management degree right away.
With all the buzz around careers in Construction Management, the plethora of colleges offering online MCM programs can be mind-numbing. To make it easy for students, we have used objective and research-backed criteria to develop a list of the best Construction Management schools offering Masters in construction management online programs. You can pick and choose from the Ranking Table below the one that suits you the best.
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College Name & Address | Tuition | Graduation Rate |
---|---|---|
#1 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609 | $28,188 | 89% |
#2 University of Southern California University Park, Los Angeles, California 90089 | $46,272 | 92% |
#3 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 601 E John Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820 | $14,997 | 85% |
#4 Clemson University 201 Sikes Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 | $10,600 | 84% |
#5 University of Washington 1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle, Washington 98195 | $18,198 | 84% |
#6 Purdue University Hovde Hall of Administration, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 | $9,208 | 82% |
#7 Stevens Institute of Technology Castle Point On Hudson, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 | $36,680 | 85% |
#8 Iowa State University 1750 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011 | $9,758 | 74% |
#9 East Carolina University East 5th Street, Greenville, North Carolina 27858 | $4,749 | 66% |
#10 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College 156 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 | $9,132 | 68% |
#11 University of Alabama, Birmingham Administration Bldg Suite 1070, Birmingham, Alabama 35294 | $8,100 | 63% |
#12 Florida International University 11200 S. W. 8 Street, Miami, Florida 33199 | $8,912 | 63% |
#13 Western california University Highway 107, Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 | $4,435 | 62% |
#14 University of Wisconsin, Stout 712 S Broadway St, Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 | $7,155 | 60% |
#15 North Dakota State University 1301 12th Avenue North, Fargo, North Dakota 58108 | $6,743 | 60% |
#16 Norwich University 158 Harmon Drive, Northfield, Vermont 05663 | $17,904 | 61% |
#17 Lawrence Technological University 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, Michigan 48075 | $21,366 | 60% |
#18 University of New Mexico 1700 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 | $5,156 | 54% |
#19 The University of Texas, Arlington 701 S. Nedderman Dr., Arlington, Texas 76013 | $8,474 | 51% |
#20 New England Institute of Technology One New England Tech Boulevard, East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818 | $13,320 | 51% |
#21 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 | $8,450 | 48% |
#22 Eastern Kentucky University 521 Lancaster Ave, Richmond, Kentucky 40475 | $9,900 | 45% |
#23 The University of Texas, El Paso 500 W. University Ave, El Paso, Texas 79968 | $5,497 | 37% |
#24 Lamar University 4400 MLK Blvd, Beaumont, Texas 77705 | $6,324 | 34% |
#25 Arizona State University 1475 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257 | $6,384 | 4% |
Source – Integrated Post Secondary Education Data System & University Data
*Tuition rates are for in-state and per year. Program specific rates may apply.
**NA – data not available
Higher education in the US has become increasingly expensive, and Construction Management is no exception. Hence, it is prudent for individuals aspiring for an online construction management program to consider affordability and the return on the investment. We have researched dozens of programs to help you judiciously choose the most affordable online construction management degree. Here are the most affordable online Masters in construction management programs:
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College Name & Address | Tuition | Graduation Rate |
---|---|---|
#1 Western Carolina University Highway 107, Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 | $4,435 | 62% |
#2 East Carolina University East 5th Street, Greenville, North Carolina 27858 | $4,749 | 66% |
#3 University of New Mexico 1700 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 | $5,156 | 54% |
#4 The University of Texas at El Paso 500 W. University Ave, El Paso, Texas 79968 | $5,497 | 37% |
#5 Lamar University 4400 MLK Blvd, Beaumont, Texas 77705 | $6,324 | 34% |
#6 North Dakota State University 1301 12th Avenue North, Fargo, North Dakota 58108 | $6,743 | 60% |
#7 University of Wisconsin- Stout 712 S Broadway St, Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 | $7,155 | 60% |
#8 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 501 E Saint Joseph St, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701 | $7,920 | 49% |
#9 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 | $8,450 | 48% |
#10 The University of Texas at Arlington 701 S. Nedderman Dr., Arlington, Texas 76013 | $8,474 | 51% |
#11 Florida International University 11200 S. W. 8 Street, Miami, Florida 33199 | $8,912 | 63% |
#12 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College 156 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 | $9,132 | 68% |
#13 Purdue University Hovde Hall of Administration, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 | $9,208 | 82% |
#14 Iowa State University 1750 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011 | $9,758 | 74% |
#15 Eastern Kentucky University 521 Lancaster Ave, Richmond, Kentucky 40475 | $9,900 | 45% |
#16 Clemson University 201 Sikes Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 | $10,600 | 84% |
#17 University of Florida Tigert Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611 | $10,770 | 88% |
#18 Arizona State University University Drive and Mill Avenue, Tempe, Arizona 85287 | $11,720 | 63% |
#19 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 601 E John Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820 | $14,997 | 85% |
#20 Norwich University 158 Harmon Drive, Northfield, Vermont 05663 | $17,904 | 61% |
#21 University of Washington 1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle, Washington 98195 | $18,198 | 84% |
#22 Southern New Hampshire University 2500 North River Road, Manchester, New Hampshire 03106 | $18,810 | 44% |
#23 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609 | $28,188 | 89% |
#24 Newschool of Architecture and Design 1249 F St, San Diego, California 92101 | $29,658 | 43% |
#25 Drexel University 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 | $35,181 | 69% |
Source – Integrated Post Secondary Education Data System & University Data
*Tuition rates are for in-state and per year. Program specific rates may apply.
**NA – data not available
Any professional course has its moorings in the real world, and the application of technology and other aspects of economics, finance, and operations make it into a robust program. A Master’s in Construction Management covers various aspects of real estate, building systems, construction costs, materials and labor, and various financial and accounting aspects. While there are various specializations available offering deeper expertise in each of these aspects, a Construction Management degree itself can be a specialization of choice.
If you are thinking of a career in Construction Management, there is a program available depending on what you have studied so far and what you plan to do in the future. Our research of all online Master’s in construction management shows that there are courses available covering almost all Construction Industry aspects, including Engineering, Energy, Surveying, Project Management, and all Construction viz types. Commercial, Residential and Infrastructure facilities.
Management skills are important in any business sector, even more in the Construction Industry with large scale projects involving hundreds of millions of dollars. MBA in Construction Management allows students to bring together technical, project management, and people skills in an influential way and put together a great viable construction business plan.
The Master’s degree demonstrates one’s authority in the professional field of construction. The graduate’s advanced knowledge should allow them to analyze concepts in their field with a more theoretical and critical perspective.
MS Construction is an advanced graduate degree that focuses on construction more thoroughly. It includes the physical construction and renovations of sites such as buildings, roadways, waterways, and power supply sites. A master’s degree in construction may also involve logistical considerations such as resource distribution, project management, and communication.
Suppose you are a Civil Engineer, a Construction Consultant, a Construction Project Manager, or a Building Foreman/Supervisor and need a leg up in your career. In that case, you should go for a Master’s in Construction Management or MCM. In a Master’s in Construction Management, you will be learning the management principles and innovative technologies to effectively lead, organize, and manage the construction projects of commercial, residential and infrastructure facilities. Construction Management, buildings, and infrastructure facilities can be constructed in a controlled, systematic manner to maximize construction efficiency and assure the highest quality.
A Master’s in Construction Management can take you on to different career pathways of engineering, construction, and project management. You can go about choosing your specialization depending on your interest and the career prospects of that field. Here are a few that our research says as the best:
Master’s degree in construction project management | Construction Project Management introduces you to Project Initiation and Planning, the Project Development Cycle’s fundamentals, Lean Project Delivery method, and Lean Design Behaviors. Technological advances, such as Building Information Modeling, will be introduced with real-world examples of BIM uses during the Lifecycle of the Project. The course also takes you through the importance of project planning and scheduling and an opportunity to develop a Work Breakdown Structure. |
Master’s in construction design | This program aims to give students an advanced understanding of construction management by providing necessary tools, methods, and theories relevant to the discipline and the practitioners and their application across the various phases of a project. The program is designed to cover the entire construction process, such as early stages, design, construction products, and facilities management. |
Master’s in construction finance | Construction Finance includes an in-depth understanding of economics and the mathematics of money, an integral component of every construction project. Other important areas include the time value of money, the definition and calculation of the types of interest rates, and the importance of Cash Flow Diagrams. |
Master’s in building and construction | This specialization includes planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as roads, tunnels, bridges, airports, railroads, facilities, buildings, dams, utilities, and other projects. It will provide students the knowledge and an extensive focus on modern construction materials, techniques, and effective construction management practices. |
A master’s in construction management is a highly practical program. The curriculum has been designed to impart you with concepts and skills that find application in the real world for solving problems of the Construction Industry. A Master’s program enables you with mastery and authority in your industry, and therefore the focus is more so on skills such as:
A few subjects or electives taught to students of Master’s in construction management to facilitate these skills are summarized below for your ready reference.
Project management in construction | Describe basic project management (PM) concepts and toolsKnow different PM knowledge areas, paradigms, and traditionsIdentify PM issues in specific casesUnderstand specific characteristics of construction projects |
Financial management and accounting | Financial and management accounting in decisions concerning resource allocation and performance evaluation product costing and cost control.Management controlInvestments and investment calculationsFinancingAn income statement, balance sheet, and cash flowFinancial targets and ratiosCost allocationPreparation of budgetsEarned Value Analysis |
Construction contract relationships | Organization of the construction industry: types of firms and roles.The nature of contracts.Principles of construction law, standard contracts, and their roles.Regulation and quasi-regulation.Transactional and relational contracting.Procurement principles, including award criteria, risk allocation in contracts, public procurement, directives, sustainability.Partnerships, partnering, and collaboration: types, systems, second-order contracts, trust, and communication. |
Building Information Modeling | A model-based process to help you effectively plan, design, construct and manage buildings and infrastructureUsage of most popular 3D software including Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and moreConceptual design to file management techniques |
Accreditation is a formal, independent verification that a program or institution meets established quality standards and is competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks. Conformity assessment tasks can include testing, inspection, or certification. Accreditation nudges institutions to pursue excellence in their academic processes, meet their high standards, and consistently maintain them, increasing trust and confidence among the public. By boosting accountability, it helps potential students and their families place a certain level of trust in the institution’s institution and the course basis of the Accreditation received. Read more about Accreditation on our Accreditation guide.
It would have become evident by now that Accreditation is an important factor to consider when choosing the right program or an institution for a master’s degree in construction management. An accredited Construction degree online will lend worthiness and acceptance by the Construction Industry – whether Commercial, Residential, or Infrastructure – when you choose to build a career on completing the program.
We take a quick look at some of the International Accreditation Agencies for Construction Education, which have set hallmarks for imparting high standards for educational institutions in the domain. A few internationally recognized Accreditations are being referenced here for your understanding.
As a student, you need to know that while ABET reviews Construction Engineering and Technology programs, ACCE reviews Construction Management Programs.
Time taken to complete your Construction Management degree would be an important factor in your plan before taking up the course. Generally speaking, earning your online Master’s degree will take you approximately 15-24 months to complete. If you choose to, many schools will allow three to four years to complete your Master’s program, including your thesis project.
It will normally take two years to graduate from an online master’s in construction management. However, a few factors like the choice of subjects and accompanying credits, if you are going for an internship, whether you are going full-time or part-time, determine your time to completion.
A master’s in construction management online program comes with its requirements for admission and eligibility criteria that you have to meet to get to the best of the Colleges offering your choice programs. The demand for such courses has surged over time, and naturally, some are competitive to get into. Here we present the broad-range criteria that colleges apply for students’ admission into their online Master’s in construction management programs.
A good score by your side can always help you to get into the best of college programs. For preparing well for the qualifying exams, you can refer to the detailed information provided by our GRE guide and GMAT guide.
While most Universities and Colleges ask for some GRE or GMAT programs, a few don’t lay so much emphasis on them as the gating criteria. These institutions do not impose the criteria of GRE or GMAT scores as they understand that these courses are designed for working students who would rather gain hands-on experience on the job than have to spend time studying for the GRE or GMAT.
You can go through the top online Master’s in construction management. No GRE programs that we have mentioned below for you:
The University of Alabama, Birmingham
Eastern Kentucky University
Drexel University
Louisiana State University
Compared to an undergraduate program, a Master’s program is an advanced one in its approach and design. Most of the students vying for a Master’s degree are raring to go for a job after completing the degree. A Master’s program is more focused and offers highly specialized education to make the student’s industry-ready. This keenness to get started with a great job brings in another aspect of return on investment of money and time. While we take you through the fee aspect in another section, we would like to emphasize the importance of time or duration of the program that some students like to consider while choosing the right Online Master’s degree in Construction Management.
Some universities offer accelerated programs to enable students to compress their learning in a very short time and earn their degree by completing an industry project. These programs can be a bit more academically rigorous and challenging, and at the same time, are accredited by the recognized agencies. A few of these programs take about 16-18 months. In contrast, a few others offer highly accelerated online construction management degrees, enabling students to complete the degree in as quickly as nine months.
We have curated below a list of Universities offering some of the fastest online construction management degrees accredited.
Student loan debt has been hitting the news headlines for all the wrong reasons for several years now. The student loan debt statistics for 2020 show how serious the student loan debt crisis has become for borrowers across all demographics and age groups. There are 45 million borrowers who collectively owe nearly $1.6 trillion in student loan debt in the US. Student loan debt is now the second-highest consumer debt category – behind only mortgage debt – and higher than both credit cards and auto loans. As per data of the Institute for College Access and Success, the average student loan debt for members of the Class of 2018 is $29,200, a 2% increase from the prior year. Hence, the Master’s in Construction Management degree online cost becomes a really important consideration for the student.
The online Master’s degrees offer an affordable way to learn the same academically rigorous curriculum and earn similarly accredited degrees.
There are different ways that a student can pay for the online Masters in construction management.
which are need or merit-based and do not have to be paid back
which are need-based and do not have to be paid back
which have to be paid back with interest; federal loans are preferred over private
Employer reimbursed tuition is another way of paying for your online Master’s degree. Suppose you are working somewhere and have negotiated a sabbatical that your employer will pay for or a prospective employer who will absorb you in their organization and pick up the fee tab. In that case, this option works for you.
You can go for FAFSA or The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a form that determines your financial aid from the government and most colleges. The form collects personal and financial information from students and parents and applies a formula to determine your Expected Family Contribution or EFC.
You can get more information on how to pay for the Best Financial Guide
While there are quite different ways to pay for the Master’s in construction management as outlined in the previous section, aspiring students can also seek financial support from certain scholarships to fund their tuition fees. Scholarships for Master’s in construction management programs offer fully funded or partial support, and you can find a list of Construction Management scholarships for students in this section.
Despite all the information you have, it’s never too easy to make up your mind when taking a crucial decision like the one with a master’s degree in construction management. Be rest assured; you are not alone. If there are a few doubts and questions which you still might have, like others, we clarify those here:
Construction Management offers varied and promising career pathways to large-scale projects, lead big, diverse teams, and sharpen your project management skills. Construction Management professionals plan, coordinate, budget, and supervise end-to-end construction projects in a fast-growing industry.
Online programs in Master’s Construction Management programs are bound to take you to the next orbit of a stellar career in the fast-growing Construction Industry. The average pay in 2019, as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), was $95,260, and the number of jobs in the Construction Industry grew by 8%. The online Master’s in construction management salary tilts the scales in its favor, and needless to say, it makes a strong case to enroll for an MCM program right away.
Technically, you don’t need any certifications. However, it’s still a good idea to have an educational background in construction management. Just like field experience is a “nice to have” and not mandatory for construction managers, a construction certification is helpful but not 100% necessary for all job seekers. An online graduate Certificate in Construction Management or an Advanced Certificate in Construction Productivity is a few among many that can give you an edge over others for a flourishing career in Construction Management.
It’s often said that your network is your net worth. An online master’s course in Construction Management is not just for building a strong academic foundation in Construction fundamentals but also a great point to start networking with professionals for your career ahead. There are various professional organizations and groups that you can be associated with as a Member and stand to gain a lot in networking and career opportunities that come along with them. There are more than five great professional organizations for construction management professionals, but finding just a few is a great place to start.
As per Forbes, Construction Management has been named one of America’s best jobs, but these professionals need a support group just like any other professional. Through membership with an association that caters to their field, these individuals can find learning and networking opportunities to help them grow in their careers. We list down the five most important below:
Let’s help you find the right online master’s degree. You can browse through thousands of schools and their online programs. Start exploring the top 20 best online master’s programs now.