Executive Construction Management, AC | NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Executive Construction Management, AC

On Campus

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After several years in the construction management field, you may find that you want to add even more value to your career — from figuring out how to improve financing to knowing which high-tech products best fit your construction projects to learning how to communicate with diverse client, worker, and public groups. The School of Engineering's Advanced Certificate program in Executive Construction Management (Exec 21) enables you to combine your longtime professional experience with structured coursework to elevate your career.

Even more, it allows you to earn formal certification in your field without having to commit full-time to an advanced degree program. We also welcome students who have already earned bachelor’s or master’s degrees but who wish to specialize in construction management.

Our students join esteemed faculty and industry professionals in studying effective leadership skills, as well as other topics critical to construction management. Classes are small, specialized, and widely respected throughout the industry — the program received an Academic Achievement Award from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), an honor shared by students and faculty alike.

You need to have a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and should have a minimum of 3 to 5 years of related professional experience. Undergraduate backgrounds in engineering, mathematics, science, management, and/or the liberal arts are appropriate with the requisite work experience for admission.


You must complete 15 credits of coursework to obtain the Advanced Certificate in Executive Construction Management at the School of Engineering. You must also maintain a B (3.0) cumulative average in all graduate courses you take at the School of Engineering.

Select a minimum of 9 credits from the Exec 21 Core Courses listed below. Up to 6 of the remaining credits may be selected from those that satisfy the major requirement for the Master of Science in Construction Management program and are approved by a Construction Management Program Director.

Core Courses

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 How to Succeed in Construction CE-GY 8723
This course leads students through the how-to's of running a successful, large, complex construction company. It analyzes how the industry actually works, including contractual relationships with clients in all types of projects from design/build to privatization. It covers the business fundamentals of running a construction company, including issues such as surety and insurance: various types of construction organizations, domestic and international; and company culture - inner-workings of a business that can mean the differences between success and failure.
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.

Employer Focused Residency CE-GY 875X
In this course, students define a proposal for a project, the subject of which may be related to their employment. Students work one-on-one with an adviser throughout the semester. There is no formal classroom work; however, students must update their adviser weekly. The project runs no longer than one semester. Students formally present their projects? findings to invited guests at the end of the semester.
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.