Construction Management

Types of Degrees Construction Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many construction management graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	2,279
Master’s Degree	425
Associate’s Degree	352
Basic Certificate	132
Graduate Certificate	112
Undergraduate Certificate	69
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Construction Management Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to construction management and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Construction Management Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Construction Management Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to construction management:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Construction Management Majors

A major in construction management will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Construction Management Major?

People with a construction management degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Construction Managers	11.1%	$93,370

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 2,279 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in construction management in 2018, making it rank #123 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 90% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of construction management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	44
Black or African American	127
Hispanic or Latino	154
White	1,749
International Students	74
Other Races/Ethnicities	131

Geographic Diversity

Construction Management appeals to people across the globe. About 3.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• India
• China
• Canada
• Mexico

How Much Do Construction Management Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in construction management have a median salary of $61,200 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $57,450 (25th percentile) and $65,000 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to construction management.

Salaries According to BLS

Construction Management majors often go into careers with median salaries of $103,110. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Construction Management

Some degrees associated with construction management may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for construction management careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.0%
Some College Courses	12.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	76.0%
Master’s Degree	4.0%

Online Construction Management Programs

In 2017-2018, 151 schools offered a construction management program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	29	1
Certificate (1-2 years)	23	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	65	2
Bachelor’s Degree	11	3
Post-Baccalaureate	29	1
Master’s Degree	29	10
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Construction Management Worth It?

The median salary for a construction management grad is $103,110 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 158% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,264,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Construction Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to construction management.

Major	Number of Grads
Business Administration & Management	399,810
Accounting	107,851
General Business/Commerce	58,413
Finance & Financial Management	56,960
Marketing	49,179
Human Resource Management	26,853
Hospitality Management	20,194
Business Support & Assistant Services	19,248
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods	18,282
Management Information Systems	14,578
International Business	10,536
Entrepreneurial Studies	8,522
Business/Managerial Economics	6,727
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing	6,711
Other Business, Management & Marketing	5,750
General Sales & Marketing	5,673
Real Estate	5,183
Insurance	2,316
Taxation	1,888
Business/Corporate Communications	1,088
Telecommunications Management	48

References

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By RudolfSimon under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.