Situational Background
The U.S. Census Bureau puts the total annual value of construction in the United States at approximately $900 billion (8% of the U.S. gross national product), making the construction industry one of the most important sectors of the nation’s economy.
The University of Miami’s MS in Construction Management program is a practice-oriented advanced graduate degree that offers a blend of construction and business management courses. This degree program is designed to develop leaders and managers for complex building projects, with mastery in best practices related to resiliency, sustainability, building information modeling, project delivery and decision-making. The University is uniquely situated in a booming metropolis where commercial and residential construction is a large and important industry.
The Construction Management Program
- Offers an interdisciplinary approach with the participation of other graduate programs at the University of Miami.
- Prepares graduates for a variety of employment opportunities. Potential employers include general contractors, real estate developers, sub-contractors, construction management firms and architectural engineering firms.
Objective
The MS in Construction Management provides a foundation for those who want to effectively lead a construction project or business.
Who Is the MS Program For?
The program is open to both entry-level graduate students who want to pursue a career in construction management and professionals who have responsibilities in engineering, architecture, business and law fields, and want to further their knowledge and skills.
Industry Advisory Board
One of the differentiators of the MS program is that it is informed by an industrial advisory board with significant experience in construction management. The advisory board currently consists of:
- Henry E. Adams, Kiewit Corporation
- Rodney Barreto, Floridian Partners, LLC; Chairman - Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida
- Scott Desharnais, Moss Construction
- Kobi Karp, Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design
- Thomas Koulouris, AECOM / Jackson Health Systems
- Ana Veiga Milton, President of Jose Milton Foundation
- John L. Murphy, DLA Piper LLP (US)
- Ari Pearl, South Florida Developer
- Jaime S. Saavedra, Turner Construction
- Victor Sanchez, Goldman Properties
Description
Graduates of the program obtain the technical proficiency, financial knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, and business acumen needed for success in this continuously evolving industry.
Graduates of the program will learn how to integrate multiple professional requirements for bringing construction projects to successful completion, including estimating, cost control, risk, new technologies, project planning, scheduling, negotiation and labor relations. Coursework also examines how to manage the various types of contractual relationships governing the owner, the contractor, subcontractors, consultants and architects, as well as the essential skills of bidding, negotiating, handling disputes and claims, devising and implementing strategic business plans, and leadership.
Through consultations with industry leaders, advisory board members, faculty members, and colleagues in the construction industry, the curriculum for the University of Miami’s MS-CM is continually evaluated against current best practices and the highest standards. Participants have immediate access to knowledge and skills that address current issues and developments in the industry.
The current director of this program is Dr. Esber Andiroglu.
Admission Requirements
All students applying to the graduate program are required to submit GRE scores and three letters of recommendation. All students applying for admission, but most especially International students should consult the College of Engineering Admissions webpages for Prospective MS Students or PhD Students.
Students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than civil, architectural, and environmental engineering may be admitted to the graduate program upon completion of appropriate deficiency courses, in addition to the regular requirements for the graduate degree.
Deficiency courses are as follows:
- Calculus, 10 semester credits
- Advanced Mathematics, 6 semester credits
- General Chemistry, 4 semester credits
- Physics (with Calculus), 8 semester credits
- Engineering Mechanics (Statics), 3 semester credits
- Engineering Science related to area of study, 3 semester credits
- Engineering Design related to area of study, 6 semester credits
In general, items 1 through 7 apply to students without an undergraduate degree in engineering, and items 6 and 7 apply to students with an undergraduate degree in engineering. The student’s graduate committee will select courses for items 6 and 7 on an individual basis.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CAE 660 | Sustainable Construction 1 | 3 |
| or ARC 630 | Building Technology I: Materials and Methods | |
| CAE 661 | Computer Aided Architecture Engineering Design | 3 |
| CAE 762/IEN 763 | Construction Project Management | 3 |
| or RED 670 | Construction and Project Management | |
| CAE 769 Construction Management Capstone Project | 3 | |
| CAE 765 Construction Accounting & Finance | 3 | |
Or IEN 761 Engineering Cost Management | ||
| CAE 669 Construction Management Seminar | 1 | |
| LAW 257 | CONSTRUCTION LAW | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Sustainable and Resilient Construction Electives: | 9 | |
| Energy-Efficient Building Design | ||
| Risk Management and Resilience | ||
CAE 665 Facility Management | ||
| Construction Documents | ||
| Introduction to Real Estate Development and Urbanism | ||
IEN 612 | ||
IEN 672 | ||
| Historic Preservation | ||
| Environmental Building Systems I | ||
| Environmental Building Systems II | ||
| Building Technology II: The Form of Forces | ||
| Urban Redevelopment | ||
| Spatial Representation + Architectural Media 2 | ||
| Construction Leadership Elective | 2 | |
| Leading Across Cultures | ||
| High Performance Leadership | ||
| Negotiation Strategies | ||
| International Management | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
For Architecture & Engineering Students
Suggested Plan of Study
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| CAE 762 or IEN 763 | Construction Project Management or | 3 |
| CAE 660 or ARC 685 | Sustainable Construction 1 or Special Problems | 3 |
Or ARC 630 2 | ||
| CAE 661 | Computer Aided Architecture Engineering Design | 3 |
| Track 1 Electives | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| RED 670 | Construction and Project Management | 3 |
| CAE 765 Construction Case Studies | 3 | |
| LAW 257 | CONSTRUCTION LAW | 3 |
| BUS 630 | Fundamentals of Economics, Accounting, and Finance | 4 |
Track 1 Elective 2 | ||
| Global Awareness Elective | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Offering Schedules | ||
| Track 1: Sustainable and Resilient Construction (Fall Semester Courses) | ||
| IEN 612 | 3 | |
| IEN 672 | 3 | |
| ARC 628 | Historic Preservation | 3 |
| ARC 662 | Environmental Building Systems I | 3 |
| ARC 663 | Environmental Building Systems II | 3 |
| RED 601 | Introduction to Real Estate Development and Urbanism | 3 |
| Track 1: Sustainable and Resilient Construction (Spring Semester Courses) | ||
| IEN 761 | 3 | |
| ARC 613 | Spatial Representation + Architectural Media 2 | 3 |
| ARC 617 | Construction Documents | 3 |
| ARC 631 | Building Technology II: The Form of Forces | 3 |
| CAE 681 | Energy-Efficient Building Design | 3 |
| RED 660 | Urban Redevelopment | 3 |
| Electives with a Focus on Global Awareness (Fall Semester Courses) | ||
| MGT 691 | International Management | 2 |
| Electives with a Focus on Global Awareness (Spring Semester Courses) | ||
| MGT 617 | Leading Across Cultures | 2 |
| MGT 621 | High Performance Leadership | 2 |
| MGT 624 | Negotiation Strategies | 2-3 |
- 1
For Students who have not taken CAE 762 or IEN 763 during Fall Semester
- 2
Not required if enrolled in RED 670 during Spring Semester
Mission
The vision of the MS CM program is to provide an interdisciplinary, flexible and state-of-the-art curriculum that provides students with knowledge and marketable skills to become future leaders of construction related organizations worldwide, by utilizing existing infrastructure resources at University of Miami, with program-generated additional resources as necessary.
Goals
Graduates of the program obtain the technical proficiency, financial knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, and business acumen needed for success in this continuously evolving industry.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will develop technical professional proficiency
- Students will acquire financial knowledge
- Students will develop entrepreneurial skills
