Construction Engineering and Management

Civil engineers need to be adequately prepared to meet the unique challenges faced with during their careers. In response to the diverse challenges that are developing in the twenty-first century the Civil Engineering Program at Ohio University now includes a focus area in Construction Engineering and Management (CEM). The CEM focus area provides a well-balanced education that helps to meet the challenges of the future by providing courses that expand on the technical background of civil engineers and that emphasize the additional aspects of professional practice in areas such as project management, construction management, global engineering and construction, construction law, productivity improvement, construction equipment and methods, project development and financing, computer applications, teamwork, communication skills, and leadership.

The CEM program at Ohio University teaches students to be managers of projects and people and to be effective leaders. The new CEM focus area was designed to meet the needs of twenty-first century students and to provide an educational environment where all students are treated with respect and dignity while they are pursuing their educational goals.

The construction process requires that resources such as labor, equipment, and materials be properly managed in order to convert contracts, designs, drawings, and specifications into constructed facilities. Construction projects are managed by people with diverse interests, skills, and backgrounds. Owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors, materials suppliers, bankers, insurance and bonding company agents, lawyers, and public agency officials are all important members of project teams whose interconnected roles have to be coordinated to ensure the successful completion of projects.

In addition to the complexities involved in coordinating people with different backgrounds the management of construction processes involves an understanding of construction operations such as: construction project development, planning and control, quantity take-off and estimating, equipment selection and utilization, scheduling, safety, quality control, and material flow. Inadequate preparation in any of these areas could lead to accidents, cost overruns, reduced productivity, or delays during the execution of projects.

"The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) recently approved new specifications for the Civil Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. The specifications include new content areas focused on construction engineering. The Civil PE exam is a breadth and depth examination. All examinees work the same breadth portion in the morning and then choose one depth module to work in the afternoon. The topic areas of the current depth modules are environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources. Beginning with the spring 2008 exam administration, the exam will include a construction engineering depth module." (NCEESS, 2006)

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a focus area in CEM, students are eligible to take the Professional Engineers licensing examination. If a student earns a degree from a non-engineering based Construction management program, they are not eligible to take the PE examination.

The CEM focus area at Ohio University provides courses that address all of the technical and managerial aspects of construction from project inception to completion and it also provides students with insight into the inner workings of the engineering and construction industry.

For descriptions and photos of the different areas within Construction Engineering and management see Employment.