North Carolina State University

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Construction Engineering and Management

Graduates of the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) degree program design and manage construction processes that create living and working environments and the constructed infrastructure serving public needs. The BS degree in Construction Engineering and Management, offered by the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, is available in two concentrations—general and mechanical.

General Construction Concentration

The General Construction Concentration is best suited for those interested in the general construction aspects of buildings, roadways, bridges, airports, industrial facilities, housing, utilities, and dams related to civil and architectural projects.

Construction Engineering and Management students in the General Construction Concentration benefit from the excellent laboratory facilities available. These include laboratories for computing, estimating, planning, materials, surveying, construction automation and robotics, hydraulics, structures, and foundations. Program laboratories are located in Mann Hall and in the new Constructed Facilities Laboratory (CFL) building on Centennial Campus.

Mechanical Construction Concentration

The Mechanical Construction Concentration is best suited for those interested in construction and design of mechanical systems for buildings, residences, power plants, and industrial facilities and the management of these activities.

Mechanical systems are a large part of the cost of new constructed facilities. Operating systems affect living and working environments as well as production facilities. The maintenance, renovation, and replacement of these systems are important parts of the mechanical construction industry activities. The degree is designed to combine engineering knowledge with integrated management skills such as computerized planning, process design, cost engineering, and scheduling. Graduates of this degree program enjoy a wide range of opportunities in design, planning, or management positions working in an office environment, direct field operations or some combination of the above.

Program Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. With an accredited engineering degree program, graduates are on track to pursue their Professional Engineering license, a necessity not only for professional practice, but also for many positions in local, state, and federal government. Obtaining a contractor’s license is also a goal that many graduates pursue early in their careers. Since construction is done everywhere people live, graduates can often match their family and geographical location needs with an employer.

Program Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the Construction Engineering and Management program at North Carolina State University are to prepare its graduates to:

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) degree program design and manage construction processes that create living and working environments such as office buildings, industrial buildings, airports, housing, roads, bridges, utilities, and dams. When you ask top managers in construction and engineering firms why they chose this career, you can hear the excitement of the construction industry in their responses. Some say they like to conceive an idea and then engineer and manage it through to reality. Others say that they like the combination of computerized planning, process design, cost engineering, and scheduling with the gratification of seeing a job well done. Graduates of this degree program enjoy a wide range of opportunities to apply their technical knowledge with tremendous variety in the day-to-day work. Some choose design, planning, or financial management positions working in an office environment, while others prefer to direct field operations or some combination of the above.

Since no two projects are exactly alike, the professional construction engineer/manager is always confronted with new and challenging opportunities. The education offered by the program has broad appeal since it combines engineering with management fundamentals. The depth of technical knowledge and breadth of expertise, coupled with people management skills, can often lead to rapid promotion and advancement within an organization. Many employers have trouble finding enough qualified men and women to fill the positions available.

With an accredited engineering degree program, graduates are on track in their pursuit of a professional engineering license, a necessity not only for professional practice, but also for many positions in local, state, and federal government. Obtaining a contractors license is also a goal which many graduates pursue early in their careers. Since construction is done everywhere people live, graduates can often match their family and geographical location needs with an employer. Some companies operate only in a local area, some operate in many states, and, for those seeking adventure, some operate in many countries.

Gaining Experience Prior to Graduation

Summer and Cooperative Education jobs are two experiences that can give students a better understanding of their career direction and a resume of experience attractive to employers upon graduation. It is often possible to find summer jobs in the home community. Many contractors and construction-related organizations seek students for summer employment through the Construction Engineering and Management Program and the University Career Planning and Placement Center. The University Co-op Program structures the plan of study over one additional year to allow semesters/summers of full-time study to be alternated with semesters/summers of full time work. Students are matched with employers in their field.



College of Engineering