Construction Management

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Two students with hard hats and tool belts work at a construction site building homes.

Insight

Construction in the United States is one of the largest industries in the world. The sheer size of the industry as well as the sophistication and cost of modern construction operations requires managers who possess a high level of construction knowledge and skill. The fact that California has more than 300,000 licensed contractors while its universities graduate fewer than 500 students per year with construction management degrees predicts an unlimited demand for university-educated construction managers for the foreseeable future.

California State University, Chico's Construction Management program, established in 1977, became a Bachelor of Science degree fully accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) in 1987.

Today Chico State’s program is one of the largest construction management programs in California and the United States. The construction industry continues to aggressively recruit our graduates and provides financial support to our program.

Statistics indicate that construction management graduates are some of the most heavily recruited graduates from the University. The achievements of our alumni within the industry, the many regional and national awards won by our undergraduates, and the impressive performance of students during their internships are just some of the evidence of this program’s success.

Since its inception, the Department of Construction Management has endeavored to hire faculty with a beneficial blend of academic preparation and industry experience managing construction operations. Feedback from construction companies that employ our graduates confirms our faculty hiring philosophy translates directly into quality graduates that are able to perform at an enhanced level directly out of school.

Experience

Students and alumni often say that being a construction management major feels much like being part of a family. Faculty and students recognize the importance of both hard work in the classroom and time spent together out of the classroom. Students are provided a variety of opportunities for learning experiences outside the classroom: student clubs, student competitions, community service projects, and internships are a few of the examples.

Chico has a very active chapter of Sigma Lambda Chi International Construction Honor Society which provides recognition to outstanding students in construction curricula. Sigma Lambda Chi is the society that offers students the opportunity to be recognized locally and internationally for their academic accomplishments as construction majors.

More than 40 percent of the majors actively participate in student chapters of the country's major construction trade associations including Associated General Contractors (AGC), Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), and Chico State Women in Construction (CSWIC).

Students have the opportunity to participate annually in the Associated Schools of Construction competition, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America national problem statement, the Design-Build Institute of America's national Preconstruction Problem, as well as the Associated General Contractors Outstanding Student Chapter competition.

Community service projects provide hands-on, service learning experience that is also deeply rewarding. Students take community service to new levels by providing projects' planning, designing, and constructing works of improvements for those agencies or individuals in need.

For more information about student activities and achievements, visit the Department of Construction Management website.

Outlook

Chico State construction management graduates historically experience an extraordinarily bright career horizon immediately upon graduation. Virtually all construction management students are aggressively recruited locally and nationally by construction companies of all types and sizes. One-third of the largest 50 construction companies in the nation recruit Chico State graduates for full-time career-track positions and undergraduates for internships. Most students spend an average of two summers on construction internships.

Programs

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