Students can complete an online bachelor’s degree in construction management in as little as four years of full-time attendance. Since online education works well with employed persons, business owners, and people with other obligations, part-time attendance allows students to proceed at their preferred pace. Most schools set an overall time limit to complete a degree but it may be as long as six to eight years.

The costs of a construction management degree consist of two major sections; there is a cost for tuition-related expenses and a cost for living expenses. For many students, the costs of room and board can be almost as great as that of the investment needed for school tuition. Online education can be more effective for many students for the reason that online education requires the student to take on fewer living expenses, especially if they are living at home while completing their degree. It can also allow the student to maintain a work schedule so that they can continue to earn a living.

For the 2017-2018 school year, the Department of Education reports that the tuition costs at a four-year private school averaged $34,740 per year. Tuition at public schools for in-state students averaged $9,970 per year, and tuition at public schools for out-of-state students averaged $25,620.

The average costs of living for public university students is about $10,800 per year, and the estimate for private school students is about $12,500 per year. The total costs for private students are around $48,000 per year. The public in-state total is $21,000 per year, and the public out-of-state total is $37,000 per year.

The required subjects in a bachelor’s degree in construction management must cover the technical and business side of overseeing a project from the ground up. Technical and science coursework includes CAD design, math and physics, construction methods, and construction materials. Construction managers must know how to read blueprints and design specifications. They must know about building codes and safety regulations. The business side includes finance, law, ethics, management, and planning.

When selecting a minor course of study, many construction management students choose complimentary fields like business administration, entrepreneurship, and finance. They may also benefit from concentrations in computer science or communications.

When selecting a school, students must be sure that the curriculum offers the coursework needed to accomplish their goals. One of the student’s basic questions should be whether the school offers the fields of study that are of highest interest to them. The major field of study is a vital part of a college education; for most students, their choice of major reflects their educational and career goals. Often students do not have an exact idea of their career fields when selecting a college or school. To the extent that they have goals, students should align their choice of school with those that are both immediate and long-term.

The school should have the field of interest as a major and also some minor fields and concentrations that will fill the student’s needs. In the field of construction management, a student may wish to complement that major with a strong minor in business administration. They can select a school with the best combination of strengths, faculty, and resources to accomplish that.

The average on-time graduation rate in the US among private colleges and universities is 53%. The six-year rate is 65%. The trend is similar in public four-year schools. The public school on-time graduation rate is 35%, and the six-year rate is 58.6%. Much of the information on student experiences is not a prediction but rather ideas that should help focus attention on things that concern students. However, the graduation rate is often predictive; if most students typically do not graduate in four years, then that pattern will likely affect every student. You must have an effective plan to achieve on-time graduation.

The Department of Education offers the College Scorecard tool that provides detailed information about costs, living expenses, and student debt. The scoreboard also covers the graduation rates for each school. Further, most schools publish the same information and include results from student satisfaction surveys. The question of on-time graduation is more than a factor of convenience. With the rising costs of education, students must consider the number of years when determining the costs of education. When completing a four-year degree takes five or six years, then the costs of that degree increase by 25-50%.

Accreditation is an essential part of making the right selection of a program for construction management. It is important that students understand accreditation and the role it plays in the education system. In essence, accreditation is a review of a college or university to make sure that it meets quality standards for good education. The review includes the faculty, facilities, and student resources like libraries and research programs.

For schools that pass the review, accreditation is a guarantee of a high-quality education. The Department of Education requires accreditation for schools and colleges that participate in federal student loan programs. Many scholarships in the public and private sectors require attendance at accredited institutions.

Institutional and program accreditation affects the value of a degree because employers, educators, and other reviewers rely upon it.

Job assistance is an advantage that some schools offer to their students and alumni. It can be simple arrangements like job boards or elaborate recruitment systems that connect students with good paying job opportunities. A school is more than buildings, faculty, and students. A school consists of a network of alumni, business sponsors, and affiliated national, regional, or community organizations. Students fare far better in job searches when schools focus their resources on developing job opportunities. Both students and employers can benefit. Schools that provide placement assistance, career counseling, and referrals put students in excellent positions to succeed after graduation.

There are two types of accreditation, and the difference is essential for students. The main types of accreditation are national accreditation and regional accreditation. Regional accreditation is the more demanding of the two, and it carries greater influence and acceptance than national accreditation. Program accreditation also is influential, and accredited construction management programs from regionally accredited schools would have the best level of acceptance.

• Faith-based accreditation is the standard for religious institutions, and the procedure compares them with similar schools across the US.
• Career-related Accreditation includes online colleges, for-profit and non-degree schools.

• Institutional accreditation reviews the entire college or university and certifies all the parts. The standard for institutional accreditation is the level of educational excellence in the defined geographic region.
• Program accreditation is similar to institutional accreditation in that it uses a standard based on other school programs in the same region. Program accreditation focuses on a particular program such as an MBA program or a master’s degree in Construction Management.

National accreditation works well for most purposes. This type of accreditation has a wide acceptance, particularly when applied to faith-based schools and technical or career schools. Students that plan to get further education such as graduate degrees should look for schools with regional and program accreditation. Some regionally accredited schools do not accept credits from nationally accredited schools.