Construction Management, M.S.

To gain admission to this program, you must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited undergraduate institution. You should also have a minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.00, although this requirement can be waived if you have sufficient professional experience in construction management. Related undergraduate backgrounds include engineering, mathematics, science, business, management, and the liberal arts. All candidates are expected to have sufficient background in college-level mathematics to allow for successful completion of the program. This requirement will be evaluated by a Construction Management Program Director. Students whose academic and professional backgrounds are deemed to be deficient may be required to complete additional undergraduate courses as a pre- or co-requisite to admission.

Find out more about Admission Requirements.

If you have taken courses as part of the Exec 21 Advanced Certificate Program in Executive Construction Management or the Advanced Graduate Certificate Program in Construction Management, you may apply them toward the MS in Construction Management degree.

You must take a minimum of 21 credits at the School of Engineering for the Master of Science degree. You may request to transfer up to 9 credits of acceptable coursework, as determined by a Construction Management Program Director toward the Master of Science in Construction Management. You need to have taken the courses at an accredited institution and to have earned a grade of B or better in each. Pass/fail courses will not be considered for transfer unless accompanied by a detailed written evaluation by the course instructor.

All transfer credit requests must be accompanied by an official transcript from the transferring institution. Applications for transfer credits must be submitted for consideration before the end of the first semester of matriculation. Validation credits by examination cannot be used toward fulfillment of the requirements.

You must complete 30 credits of coursework to complete the Master of Science in Construction Management program. You must also maintain a minimum B average for all graduate courses you take at the School of Engineering.

Select a minimum of 15 credits (5 courses) from the following courses:

3 Credits Selected Topics in Construction I CE-GY 7963

This course covers topics of special interest in current areas of construction management. Topics are announced before each semester's offering.

3 Credits Selected Topics in Construction II CE-GY 7973

This course covers topics of special interest in current areas of construction management. Topics are announced before each semester's offering.

3 Credits Construction Modeling Techniques CE-GY 8243

This course deals with various construction-modeling techniques, including the development of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) design documents. Students are introduced to the development of building information models (BIM) and their associated databases, using state-of-the-art design and management systems.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Project Management for Construction CE-GY 8253

The course covers topics specific to developing and coordinating large projects, including organizational structures, management functions, pricing and estimating project costs, bidding and contracting, risk allocation, scheduling, time and cost control, labor relations, quality management and project life-cycle activities.

3 Credits Construction Cost Estimating CE-GY 8263

This course covers estimating and cost control from the viewpoint of contractors and construction engineers; details of estimating with emphasis on labor, materials, equipment and overhead.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Contracts and Specifications CE-GY 8273

This course covers principles of contract law as applied to the construction industry and legal problems in preparing and administering construction contracts.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Risk Analysis CE-GY 8283

In this course, students investigate the ever-rising importance of risk analysis in project management. Topics include: analysis of qualitative and quantitative risk; techniques in probability analysis, sensitivity analysis, simulation of risk and utility theory; and computational methods for calculating risk. Students are exposed to real-world problems through case investigations.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Construction Operations Analysis CE-GY 8293

This course examines the evaluation and model development of productivity, safety, quality and materials handling in construction operations. Topics include the principal methods for analysis and pre-planning work activities, including the use of three-dimensional (3D) building information models (BIM), four-dimensional (4D) and fully integrated and automated project processes (FIAPP), logistics animation, Monte Carlo scheduling, stochastic simulation and queuing theory. Students are introduced to the use of financial models for task, activity, project and program analyses.
Prerequisite: CE-GY 8243 or Construction Management Program Director's approval.

3 Credits Engineering for Construction I: Methods and Technologies CE-GY 8313

This course covers planning, design and equipment for new construction and for infrastructure rehabilitation; engineering fundamentals of earth moving; soil stabilization and compaction; methods for tunneling through rock and earth and rock blasting; foundation grouting; piles and pile driving equipment; dewatering systems and pumping equipment; factors affecting the selection of construction equipment; review of conventional construction equipment; and trends in robotics.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Marketing for Construction Management and Engineering Services CE-GY 8333

This course focuses on the process of procurement of construction management and engineering services. It incorporates a hands-on approach to current industry practices. The materials address the following: identifying leads; researching and evaluating competition through various sources; reviewing and critiquing requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP) and responses; developing a marketing resume; developing project profiles; evaluating presentations; and selecting successful candidates. Students will prepare their own proposals and presentations.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Construction Site Safety CE-GY 8343

This course is for individuals who are interested in construction safety and the realities of a construction project and for those seeking certification as a Site Safety Manager from the New York City (NYC) Department of Buildings (DOB). Students learn about the comprehensive Subchapter 19 of the New York City Building Code and the City's Rules and Regulations on construction site safety projects. The course curriculum includes the content approved by the NYC DOB to prepare students for the Site Safety Manager examination.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Construction Scheduling CE-GY 8353

Students will be instructed in advanced Critical Path Method (CPM) construction scheduling techniques including the use of Primavera Project Planner v. 7.0. The course will cover Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM), project resources and resource leveling, schedule updating, schedule impacts of date constraints, project time and cost trade-offs, activity duration estimating, work breakdown structures, differing scheduling requirements on different types of construction projects and an overview of construction contract scheduling specifications. An introduction to other scheduling methodologies and the use of schedules in construction claims will also be addressed.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Construction Accounting and Finance CE-GY 8373

This course introduces students to the uses of accounting and financial analysis in decision making in a construction and development environment. The course will demonstrate to students how the principles of accounting and financial management can be adapted for, and used in the management of construction companies and project management. Students will review accounting concepts, rules, regulations and reporting requirements as they apply to construction and development, and they will use and create accounting and financial models.

3 Credits Building Information Modeling (bim) and Its Applications in Aec/fm CE-GY 8383

The intent of this course is to strengthen the knowledge of students on the concepts associated with information modeling and analysis. The students will learn the building information modeling applications in the Architecture/ Engineering/ Construction and Facility Management (AEC/FM) industry, fundamentals of object-oriented modeling and techniques to develop information models. At the same time, the students will be exposed to and will have hands-on experiences with some of the existing software systems in the AEC/FM industry that leverage such information models for decision support in construction management tasks.
Prerequisites: CE-GY 8243 and Graduate Standing

Note: The above list is subject to change as courses are added to, or deleted from the program.

The following Exec21 Core Courses may be applied to the above Major Requirement by a student who is enrolled in or has completed the Exec21 Program, or by any other student with consent of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Managing and Leading in the 21st Century CE-GY 8703

Today's mega projects require the formation of large multidisciplinary teams including engineers, constructors and financial, legal and business experts. Success in this challenging environment requires up-to-date and proven leadership and management skills. This course covers the basic components of management planning, organizing, directing, controlling and decision-making. It defines the engineering and construction team and discusses leadership styles. This course also addresses the management of change, external factors that shape decisions, the development of personal leadership abilities and, ultimately, 21st century leadership requirements.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Construction and the Law CE-GY 8713

Construction industry executives need not be legal experts, but they must be aware of the legal issues affecting their industry and their bottom line. This course uses the case study method to lead students through the concepts of design and construction law. The course focuses on the interface of legal, business and technical issues and their resolution. It includes the design and organization of construction documents; the legal aspects of bidding, subcontracting, bonds, insurance, mechanic's liens, etc; and the implication of delays, changes and charged conditions. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods are introduced.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Infrastructure Financing: Structuring of A Deal CE-GY 8733

This course examines what it takes to structure a deal from a credit perspective, legally and financially, for domestic and international projects. In the domestic sector, the course focuses on transportation projects, examining the peculiarities and the uniqueness of the capital market. Examples are studied and recent changes are discussed in areas such as financing transportation projects and the dramatically changing nature of financing these projects. In the international sector, the course covers innovative financing techniques.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Capital Program Management / Program Development CE-GY 8763

The course examines the process of capital program management and development. Depending upon the instructor and project used for illustration, the course analyses how either the public or private sector views a project and develops it and the internal workings of an organization in determining how a project is selected, funded and managed. The course examines various contracting strategies, as well as the concepts of risk allocation, funding and project finance.
Prerequisite: Admission to Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Dispute Avoidance and Resolution CE-GY 8773

This course analyzes the basic causes for construction disputes and introduces methods for dispute avoidance by proper risk allocation, management and control, as well as other techniques, including partnering. It uses the case study method to address litigation and provides an understanding of the process of arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods such as negotiation, mediation, mini trials and dispute review boards.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Construction Management and Planning CE-GY 8783

Strategic planning is indispensable to achieving superior management. This course in business planning provides practical advice for organizing the planning system, acquiring and using information and translating strategic plans into decisive action. This knowledge is an invaluable resource for top and middle-level executives.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

3 Credits Infrastructure Planning for Public Works CE-GY 8803

This course deals with the process whereby infrastructure projects are conceived, studied, and implemented. The focus will be on the management and leadership roles of the key players in public works agencies. Lectures, reading assignments, and classroom discussions will deal with both routine procedures and controversial issues. Students will research and report on important public works projects and on special topics in infrastructure planning.
Prerequisite: Admission to the Exec 21 Program or permission of a Construction Management Program Director.

The following courses may be applied to the above Major Requirement in excess of the initial five courses, as Minor Concentration Courses or Elective Courses:

3 Credits Project Planning and Control (project Management) IE-GY 6203

This course discusses the knowledge and process required to manage a project through its life cycle, from concept to completion. Topics include engineering analysis, screening and selection, configuration and total quality management, scheduling using Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM), budgeting and resource management, computer support and software. Case studies are used to illustrate the process.

3 Credits Organizational Behavior MG-GY 6013

Introduction to theory, research and practice to better understand human behavior in organizations. Topics include motivation and job satisfaction; decision making; group dynamics; work teams; leadership; communication; power, politics and conflict; organization culture, structure and design; impact of technology; management of work stress; organizational change and development; and career management. Analysis of organizational behavior problems by self assessments, case studies and simulations.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

3 Credits Project Management MG-GY 8203

This course focuses on managing technology- based projects, ranging from individual research and development to large-scale and complex technological systems. It covers topics such as feasibility and risk analyses, project selection and portfolio optimization, functional and administrative structures, coordination and scheduling of activities, personnel planning, negotiations and contracts, cost estimation, capital budgeting, cost controls and effective matrix management.
Prerequisite: Adviser's approval and Graduate Standing

All students must complete an approved Capstone Course:

3 Credits Leadership, Ethics and Project Execution CE-GY 8393

This is the capstone course for students earning the MS in Construction Management. The syllabus integrates the application of leadership and ethics to principles introduced in fundamental courses to develop a more advanced understanding of construction management decision making throughout the entire construction project delivery process.
Prerequisites: Completion of eighteen (18) credits, or be in the final semester of enrollment in the program, whichever is sooner.

3 Credits MS Project in Civil & Urban Engineering Department CE-GY 9963

This project involves analytical, design or experimental studies in civil engineering guided by a faculty adviser and following departmental guidelines. A written report is required.
Prerequisites: degree status and project adviser's approval.

Another three-credit capstone course approved by the Construction Management Program Director.

You shall not enroll in any Capstone Course until after having completed 18 credits or in the final semester of enrollment in the program, whichever is sooner.

You must complete a minor concentration of study approved by a Construction Management Program Director and consisting of a minimum of 6 credits (2 courses) from courses in any single graduate academic program at NYU (i.e. courses bearing the same prefix), or any other concentrated area of study approved by a Construction Management Program Director.

Any remaining courses needed to fulfill the 30-credit requirement are at your discretion, except at least seven courses (21 credits) must be completed in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering. Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit may be applied as Elective Course credit.

Note that some electives involve prerequisites that you may not have completed. You cannot register for a course for which you have not satisfied the stated prerequisites unless you have the written permission of both the course instructor and a Construction Management Program Director.

Advising forms will help you ensure you are staying on track within your program. You will need to make sure you are updating your advising forms and communicating with your academic advisor regularly so that your advisor can verify the information on this form for graduation.

MS in Construction Management Advisement Worksheet