March 2008

COMMUNITIES: CONSTRUCTION
Construction Engineering Programs Poised for Growth

Construction engineering degree programs in the U.S. are set to almost double in number if all of the programs now in development at colleges and universities gain accreditation as planned. This "sudden surge," as described by David Johnston, P.E., professor at North Carolina State University, reflects a growing industry demand, and industry is helping to lead the push.

Accredited construction engineering programs currently exist at North Carolina State University, Iowa State University, North Dakota State University, Purdue University, the University of New Mexico, American University in Cairo, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Western Michigan University. These programs have graduated about 6,000 construction engineering majors at a current rate of about 250 per year, Johnston says.

Programs not yet accredited are under development at San Diego State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Alabama, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Marquette University, Southern Polytechnic State University, and Texas Tech University. These programs should significantly increase the numbers of construction engineering graduates as they get up to speed, notes Johnston.

"The trend you're seeing is a reflection on the needs of the marketplace," says Mike Gwyn, P.E., vice president and managing director of Benham Constructors and chair of the Industry Advisory Council of ABET, the organization that accredits programs in engineering, applied science, computing, and technology. "Our company and peer companies are constantly in search of graduates that we can bring into our companies and continue to develop."

Edd Gibson, P.E., professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama, which launched its construction engineering degree in fall 2006, sees several different drivers to the boom in construction engineering programs.

He says the need for construction engineering graduates is driven by several factors: the "tremendous amount" of construction spurred by aging infrastructure, a growing population, and increased energy needs; attrition and lack of hiring in the 1990s due to a flagging economy; and retirement of workers. He says he's talked to many companies who have had to turn work down because they don't have enough people for projects.

In Marietta, Georgia, Southern Polytechnic State University started a construction engineering program in 2006 with encouragement and development help from local industry. Tom Currin, P.E., professor of construction engineering, says the industry representatives wanted graduates who could respond in a design-build environment, assessing the feasibility and quality of a design and making needed changes.

Currin explains that there's a well-
defined role for the construction engineer as a liaison. In public-private partnerships, the timeline between design and build is often compressed, he says, thus creating a need for people who understand both the construction industry and design, as well as constructability and the permitting process.

"That's really unique," Currin says. "That's not a civil engineer, a civil engineering consultant, or a construction manager. They have very well-defined roles and are up to their ears in work as it is. This fills that void."

A construction engineering degree offers several advantages over a civil engineering or construction management degree for students going into the construction industry. Because a civil engineering degree must incorporate breadth across areas such as structures, water resources, transportation, geotechnical engineering, and perhaps construction, it's hard to get as much depth as the construction industry wants, explains Johnston.

Construction engineering programs, points out Gibson, are still engineering programs, with calculus, design classes, physics, and everything other engineering degrees have. "We just want our students to be focused on the industry sector," he says.

And construction employers report that the more rigorous engineering degree produces students who are better thinkers and are better able to respond to problems with their engineering analytical skills, Johnston says.

Terry Foster, P.E., professor in the department of construction systems at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which began its program in 2005, explains that a construction engineering degree provides a clear path toward PE licensure. "There are lots of people in construction who, if they have a construction management degree, get stopped in getting a PE license," he says. "They don't have an ABET-accredited engineering degree."

And Johnston says that the new construction engineering component to the Civil PE exam "has given more stature to the construction engineering area, more recognition for it."

Most graduates of construction engineering programs pursue a career with a construction company, Johnston says. Some go to a government agency such as a state Department of Transportation or to a facility owner. Many would like to end up owning their own companies.

Gibson says there's a need for additional construction engineering programs to meet the demand for workers. Industry needs to continue getting involved, he says, since academia can be slow to react. "Our industry," he says, "will have to step up and try to fix the problem."