Q: There is a widespread perception that construction is a blue-collar job that does not require a college degree. How will a bachelor’s degree in construction science and management benefit my career?
A: My experience was the same. When I was thinking about college, the prominent fields were engineering, accounting, law, and other medical fields. I haven’t heard much about the construction industry. There’s definitely a misconception that you don’t need a college degree to work in construction, but guess what? Construction requires a lot. This is a unique field because we not only construct the buildings, infrastructure, and other facilities that support human survival, but we are also responsible for maintaining them throughout their lifecycles. This is important because we are constantly growing and evolving. San Antonio, in particular, is growing faster than any other city in the United States.
As construction managers, we perform a variety of tasks. Consider a typical building. Architects design buildings such as rooms and spaces. Next, a civil engineer will perform a structural design to ensure the building is stable, strong, and sound. But who will do the actual construction? Construction scientists and managers. We take all those designs and estimate the cost of all the resources, including the materials, needed to bring the building to life. You need to make sure these materials are properly sourced, which can be difficult if there are issues in the supply chain. Schedule when to purchase items and avoid cost overruns. We schedule and supervise workers to ensure each job is performed safely and to the required quality standards, ensuring your building will stand the test of time.
Construction managers can pitch tents in different aspects of construction. Even if you decide you want to work in another field after 10 years in the construction specialty, your knowledge of construction management will still be useful.
Q: Looking through the CSM course catalog here at UTSA, some classes are obvious to the general public, such as Construction Materials, Structures, and Surveying. However, you will also find a list of classes such as Construction Law and Sustainable Building Practices. How important is it to develop graduates who are well-versed in both the practical and practical aspects of construction, as well as the more specialized and strategic aspects?
A: When I talk to students, I tell them that building communication and interpersonal skills is important. If you’re just starting out, you’ll be interacting not only with field workers, but also with other stakeholders such as architects and designers. Architects can design a home shaped like an airplane if the owner desires, but construction managers are always thinking about ease of construction and work with architects and designers to adjust their goals. and must ensure that everything that is built is suitable. Delivery possible. There are many things involved, including contract law.
We also include business law in our curriculum, as we need to ensure that we understand how the construction industry trades. What is unique about our program is that it is designed to allow students to minor in a business field. Many successful construction managers run their own companies, and it takes business acumen to make that happen. That’s why we ask our students to study finance and accounting. This combination makes our students well-rounded and prepared to work with different types of professionals in their careers. they can speak their language.
A construction company wants to hire construction science and management students. They look at our curriculum and find it very comprehensive. Of course, we also ask employers about student performance, and they are always very impressed.
