This is an archive of the 2018-2019 University Catalog.
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Program: B.S., Construction Management

Program Description

The construction industry is the single largest industry in America, accounting for 14 percent of our nation’s Gross National Product (GNP). Students interested in becoming a construction manager need a solid background in building science, business and construction management. They need to understand contracts, plans and specifications, and they have to be knowledgeable about construction methods, materials and laws and regulations. Familiarity with computers and software programs for job costing, scheduling and estimating also is important.

Program Requirements

Requirements for Admission to the Construction Management (CM) Program

  1. 60 to 70 units of transferable courses.
  2. Completion of a minimum of one year of lower division math courses, including college algebra, trigonometry and analytic geometry. A minimum grade of “C” must be attained in each course.
  3. Complete General Education Breadth Requirements in written and oral communication.
  4. Completion of at least one lower division-transferable course in each of the following areas: (a) physics with lab, (b) science elective with lab and (c) accounting, business law or microeconomics. A minimum grade of “C” must be attained in each course.
  5. Required advisement session.

Special Grade Requirements for the Construction Management Major

  1. Students who have completed 56 units and have met the lower division writing requirement are required to take the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Examination (UDWPE) as early as possible and no later than the semester in which 75 units are completed. Students who have not attempted the UDWPE by the completion of 75 units will have a hold placed on their subsequent class registration and may have their graduation delayed.
  2. A grade of “C-” or better is required in all courses in the major.
  3. Senior-level (400-plus) courses cannot be taken unless the student has previously completed or is concurrently completing all freshman-, sophomore- and junior-level core requirements.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management (CM)

1. Lower Division Required Courses (44-45 units)

Freshman Year

COMP 100 Computers: Their Impact and Use (3)

CM 110/L Construction Drawings and Lab (1/1)

GEOL 101/102 Geology of Planet Earth and Lab (3/1)
or BIOL 106/L Biological Principles I and Lab (3/1)
or CHEM 110/L Chemistry in Action and Lab (3/1)

ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)

PHYS 100A/AL General Physics I and Lab (3/1)

PHYS 100B/BL General Physics II and Lab (3/1)

Sophomore Year

2. Upper Division Required Courses (59 units)

Junior Year

CM 309 Computer Applications in Construction Management (2)
CM 310/L Construction Estimating and Lab (2/1)
CM 312/L Project Cost Control, Planning and Scheduling and Lab (2/1)
CM 321 Introduction to Mechanical and Electrical Installation (2)
CM 326/L Soil Mechanics for Technology and Lab (2/1)
CM 334/L Construction Equipment and Methods (2/1)
CM 336/L Fundamentals of Green Buildings and Lab (2/1)
CM 340 Statics and Strength of Materials (3)
ENGL 306 Report Writing (3)
MGT 360 Management and Organizational Behavior (3)
MSE 300 Construction Technology Economy (3)

Senior Year

BLAW 481 Real Estate Law (3)
CM 401 Construction Contract Administration (3)
CM 415/L Fundamentals of Construction Management and Lab (2/1)
CM 434 Site Planning and Logistics (3)
CM 440/L Structural Design and Lab (2/1)
CM 441/L Highway Design and Lab (2/1)
CM 449 Dispute Prevention (1)
CM 480 Construction Law (3)
CM 488A Construction Senior Design I (2)
CM 488B Construction Senior Design II (2)
CM 494 Cooperative Educational Experience (2)

3. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog.

Construction Management majors follow a modified General Education program depending upon the year and enrollment status as a college student. Returning and transfer students should consult an advisor before planning their General Education programs. The requirements for students entering in Fall 2006 or later under the new Plan R are described here. Continuing students and some first-time transfer students may elect to continue with the former GE Plan C. Students should refer to prior Catalog editions and consult with an academic advisor in selecting their required GE courses.

Construction Management students are required to take courses in the following GE sections: Analytical Reading and Expository Writing (3 units), Oral Communication (3 units), Arts and Humanities (6 units), Comparative Cultural Studies (6 units) and U.S. History and Local Government (6 units). All other GE requirements are met through completion of courses in the major.

Nine of the General Education Plan R units must be at the upper division level, and two courses must meet the Information Competency requirement.

Total Units in the Major: 103

General Education Units: 24

Total Units Required for the B.S. Degree: 127

Contact

Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management
Chair: Nazaret Dermendjian
Jacaranda Hall (JD) 4507
(818) 677-2166

Student Learning Outcomes

Educational Objectives

The Bachelor of Science in Construction Management at CSUN will prepare graduates for lifelong careers in the construction industry that will allow them to make productive contributions to society and to gain personal job satisfaction. To accomplish these overall objectives, graduates of this program will have the following qualities:

  1. Technical skills necessary to enter careers in construction operation and/or maintenance of the built environment and supporting infrastructure.
  2. The ability to thoroughly comprehend, manage and utilize basic construction documents used in construction.
  3. The ability to specify and optimize utilization of project methods and materials.
  4. The ability to perform reliable cost estimates and analyses.
  5. The ability to effectively manage construction projects using state-of-the-art planning scheduling and monitoring tools.
  6. Working knowledge of the management tools that are widely used for cost and schedule management in the construction industry.
  7. The ability to communicate well both orally and in writing, and the ability to work as a productive member of a construction team.
  8. A sense of exploration and the ability to maintain lifelong learning in the areas of emerging construction methods and management.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Undergraduate Program

  1. Utilize modern instruments, methods and techniques to implement construction contracts, documents and codes.
  2. Evaluate materials and methods for construction projects.
  3. Utilize modern surveying methods for construction layout.
  4. Determine forces and stresses in elementary structural systems.
  5. Employ productivity software to solve technical problems.
  6. Estimate material quantities and costs.
  7. Produce and utilize design construction and operational documents.
  8. Perform economic analyses and cost estimates related to design construction and maintenance of systems in the construction technical specialties.
  9. Select appropriate construction material and practices.
  10. Apply principles of construction law and ethics.
  11. Apply basic technical concepts to the solution of construction problems involving hydraulics, hydrology, geotechnics, structures, construction scheduling and management, and construction safety.
  12. Perform standard analysis and design in at least one recognized technical specialty within construction engineering technology that is appropriate to the goals of the program.