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Construction Management

Types of Degrees Construction Management Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Construction Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	94
Associate’s Degree	500
Bachelor’s Degree	2,931
Master’s Degree	716
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Construction Management Majors Need to Know

Programs in Construction Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Construction Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Construction Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Construction Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Construction Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Construction Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Construction Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	✓
Loom	Video creation and editing software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Construction Management graduates include:

• Project Coordinator
• Project Superintendent
• Construction Area Manager
• Construction Services Manager
• Energy Efficient Site Manager
• Construction Director
• Street Supervisor
• Railroad Construction Director
• Utility Division Project Manager
• Job Superintendent
• Commercial Construction Superintendent
• Site Manager
• Multifamily Superintendent
• General Superintendent
• Construction Foreman

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Construction Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.8%
Doctoral degree	13.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	12.3%
Postsecondary certificate	12.3%
Some college courses	8.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.2%
Master’s degree	7.8%
Less than a high school diploma	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Construction Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 84.9% of Construction Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	640	15.1%
Men	3,607	84.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Construction Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,931	69.0%
Asian	89	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	638	15.0%
Black or African American	220	5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	10	0.2%
Two or More Races	104	2.4%
Race Unknown	123	2.9%
International Students	113	2.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Construction Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Construction Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$73,015
4 years	$82,569
5 years	$93,031

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $93,031 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Construction Management Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Construction Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	8	4
Bachelor’s	12	8
Master’s	9	3
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Construction Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Construction Management graduates earn a median of $82,569 four years after completion — roughly 117% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business Management Marketing Sales	52
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	52.99
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES	52.00
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Managerial Economics	52.06
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	52.07
Finance and Financial Management Services	52.08
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	52.18

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.