what college courses should I take if I want to become a construction manager in the future?
what courses should I major in? #construction-management #construction
7 answers
Nicholas’s Answer
Arnel’s Answer
Mary’s Answer
Look for an associate's or bachelor's degree in Construction Management. I have an AAS in CM and Design both. But you'll definitely need to work in the field in some capacity, in your desired industry, before becoming a construction manager. Nothing replaces the field experience and knowledge so you know what is supposed to be happening and in what sequence. You cannot learn those things from a book, as each project is different.
If you go the 4 year route, you can intern or co-op at plenty of companies, especially if you're in engineering. Where I work we bring in some every year, who've hired on after graduation.
You might find a summer job in high school with a residential contractor, but most contractors have an age requirement due to their insurance.
Mary recommends the following next steps:
Joe’s Answer
There are construction management majors at many colleges now, but if you are very technical in nature you should look into Civil Engineering or Architecture. In either case a strong business and communications background will be a huge asset in any area that you work in if you don’t go into engineering or construction management.
So basic economics, communication skills, material engineering is a plus, construction management coursework.