Construction Engineering
The construction industry is one of the largest industries in the United States. It accounts for nearly 8 percent of the nation's gross national product and employs millions of people. The industry is divided into four sectors: residential building construction, industrial construction, commercial building construction, and heavy civil construction. The Department of Construction Management and Engineering provides quality educational programs that prepare nationally competitive undergraduate and graduate students for successful careers in the construction engineering and management professions.
The Program
Construction Engineering involves the planning, design, and management of construction facilities, such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and reservoirs. The construction of such projects requires knowledge of engineering, management, economics, and business. Construction Engineering is differentiated from Construction Management from the standpoint of the use of math, science, and engineering to design projects and processes and analyze problems. Construction Engineering is involved in a variety of construction disciplines, including commercial, residential, transportation, and infrastructure systems. Construction Engineers are also involved in the engineering design of temporary structures, cost estimating, planning and scheduling, material procurement, selection of equipment, and cost control. Due to their diverse skills, there is a very high demand for Construction Engineers.
The Department of Construction Management and Engineering offers a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering degree which offers a blend of engineering and construction courses. The program is designed for those who want to work in the construction industry and enjoy the status of a professional engineer. A thorough knowledge of the physical sciences, math, and engineering is developed during the first two years followed by construction management and engineering courses. The technical side of the program is balanced with requirements in writing, humanities, social science, and communications. The program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.
Program Educational Objectives (PEO)
Program educational objectives (PEO’s) are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation. Program educational objectives are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies. Graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering program are expected to be productive construction engineers who, within the first few years after graduation:
1. Begin to serve in a middle-level project leadership role in their construction engineering career.
2. Acquire and use new knowledge and skills in the construction engineering field.
3. Be respected construction engineers who are valued by their peers, customers, and the general public for their technical expertise and ethical conduct.
Student Outcomes (SO)
The Program Educational Objectives are further connected to seven Student Outcomes (SO), developed by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org., which describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These outcomes relate to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire in their matriculation through the program. The Student Outcomes are listed below:
1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Faculty and Staff
The Department of Construction Management and Engineering has a group of faculty and staff members dedicated to teaching, advising and career consultation. All faculty members have doctoral degrees. Many of them have professional licenses such as the Professional Engineer (PE) and/or the Certified Professional Constructor (CPC). In addition, many faculty members have construction related working experiences both in the United States and overseas.
Facilities
The Department of Construction Management and Engineering has well-equipped classrooms, computer labs and teaching and research labs for its students. Classrooms used by the department are equipped with a computer, a Blackboard course management system, Internet access, a projector, a document camera, and an Apple TV. In addition, the department maintains a computer lab, a virtual reality lab, a concrete lab and a soils lab and shares laboratory space with the Department of Civil Engineering for the geotechnical and surveying labs.
Career Opportunities
Construction engineering graduates are in high demand after graduation by contractors in all types of construction, from design-construction firms to large owners who have continuing construction projects. Positions available include field engineer, office engineer, project engineer, project controls engineer, superintendent and project manager. Starting salary has been between $47,000 and $73,000 in recent years. Summer employment in the construction industry is also available to construction engineering students. The members of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of North Dakota, as well as other construction firms, provide summer jobs for our students every year.
Student Organizations
There are three student organizations in the Department of Construction Management and Engineering: Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and Sigma Lambda Chi (SLC). AGC Student Chapter competes each year at the Associated Schools of Construction Competition. NAHB Student Chapter competes each year at the Residential Construction Management Competition. SLC is an international construction honor society.
Scholarship Opportunities
The AGC of North Dakota, the Home Builders Care Foundation (a charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead), and the NAHB offer annual scholarships to outstanding freshmen and upper-class students. In addition, many other scholarships, such as Helgason Engineering Scholarships are available to freshmen and transfer students. Students can contact the Office of Admission for more information or check the department website at www.ndsu.edu/construction/current_students/scholarships
Construction Engineering Plan of Study
Please note this is a sample plan of study and not an official curriculum. Actual student schedules for each semester will vary depending on start year, education goals, applicable transfer credit, and course availability. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor on a regular basis to review degree progress and customize an individual plan of study.
Freshman | ||||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | |||
CM&E 111 Introduction to Construction Management and Engineering | 1 | CM&E 212 Construction Graphic Communications | 3 | |||
CM&E 200 Construction Documents and Codes | 3 | MATH 166 Calculus II | 4 | |||
MATH 165 Calculus I | 4 | ENGL 120 College Composition II | 3 | |||
ENGL 110 College Composition I | 4 | CHEM 122 General Chemistry II | 3 | |||
CHEM 121 General Chemistry I | 3 | ME 221 Engineering Mechanics I | 3 | |||
CHEM 121L General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 | Economics* | 3 | |||
| 16 |
| 19 | |||
Sophomore | ||||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | |||
CM&E 204 Construction Surveying | 3 | CM&E 240 Financial Cost Concepts for Construction Managers | 3 | |||
Gen Ed Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 | PHYS 252 University Physics II | 4 | |||
MATH 128 Introduction to Linear Algebra | 1 | COMM 110 Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 | |||
MATH 259 Multivariate Calculus | 3 | MATH 266 Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 | |||
ME 222 Engineering Mechanics II | 3 | ME 223 Mechanics of Materials | 3 | |||
| GEOL 105 or 106 Physical Geology or The Earth Through Time | 3 | Gen Ed Wellness | 2 | |||
| 16 |
| 18 | |||
Junior | ||||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | |||
CM&E 305 Pre-Construction Management | 3 | CM&E 301 Construction Technology and Equipment | 3 | |||
CM&E 380 Construction Estimating: Quantities and Costs | 3 | CM&E 315 Specifications and Contracts | 3 | |||
CE 309 Fluid Mechanics | 3 | CE 303 Civil Engineering Materials | 2 | |||
CE 316 Soil Mechanics | 3 | CE 303L Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory | 1 | |||
STAT 330 Introductory Statistics | 3 | CE 343 Structural Engineering and Analysis | 4 | |||
| CM&E 405 Construction Support Operations | 3 | ||||
| 15 |
| 16 | |||
Senior | ||||||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | |||
CM&E 403 Scheduling and Project Control | 3 | CM&E 489 Construction Design Capstone | 3 | |||
4XX Technical Elective** | 3 | 4XX Technical Elective** | 3 | |||
4XX Technical Elective** | 3 | 4XX Technical Elective** | 3 | |||
ENGL 320 or 321 Business and Professional Writing or Writing in the Technical Professions | 3 | Gen Ed Humanities & Fine Arts | 3 | |||
Gen Ed Humanities & Fine Arts/Gen Ed Cultural Diversity | 3 | BUSN 431 Business Law I-Contracts, Property and Torts | 3 | |||
ENGR 402 Engineering Ethics and Social Responsibility | 1 |
| ||||
| 16 |
| 15 | |||
Total Credits: 131 | ||||||
* | To satisfy the Gen Ed Category B requirements, a student can choose between two options: ECON 105 plus an additional course within Category B OR ECON 201 and ECON 202. Both options satisfy the Gen Ed Category G. | |||||
** | Refer to list of Construction Engineering Technical Electives (CE 400 Level Courses) Minimum 12 Credits) | |||||
View NDSU equivalencies of transfer courses at: www.ndsu.edu/transfer/equivalencies
Architecture/Landscape Architecture Building
Room 106
Architecture and Landscape Architecture is located near the center of campus, on east end of Centennial Boulevard (Campus Map)
Contact Information
Construction Management and Engineering
NDSU Dept 2475,
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
DEPT PHONE: (701) 231- 6202
DEPT WEBSITE: www.ndsu.edu/construction
or
Office of Admission
North Dakota State University
Ceres 114
Dept #5230, PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Tel: (701) 231-8643 / Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: www.ndsu.edu/admission/
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