Prerequisite Courses

Before matriculation into the program, a student must have acquired specific skill sets and introductory-level knowledge bases. The Director will review each applicant’s academic and work history to determine readiness for graduate-level study. Students who are judged deficient in certain content areas will be admitted conditionally, upon completion of designated prerequisite coursework. Examples of prerequisites that may not have been included in a student’s undergraduate curriculum are listed below. Prerequisite courses can be completed by taking classes on-campus or, if available, online during the summer before entering the program.

Required Courses

Elective Courses

Certificate Program

For professionals working in the construction management industry who would like to update their knowledge of new and emerging techniques and concepts, a 12-credit hour graduate certificate program is available. You will ve able to take evening classes on a part-time basis to coordinate with work schedules. A minimum of two years, full-time, professional experience in construction management is required to be admitted to the certificate program.

Masters in Construction Management - Course Descriptions

Required Construction Management Core Courses

MCM-601 Advanced Construction Project Management        3-0-3*

Prerequisite: Master’s level standing

Through detailed case studies drawn from contemporary practice, this course provides in-depth study of the principles and methods critical to the management and integration of the design and construction processes. Planning, scheduling, bidding, professional/client relationship, contractor selection and LEED accreditation are analyzed. Theoretical and practical aspects of project planning are charted, incorporating such essential steps as feasibility studies, estimating project costs, cash flows and cost control through critical path methodologies, risk analysis methods and current techniques for value engineering.

MCM-602 Advanced Construction Techniques and Documentation        1-4-3

Prerequisite: Master’s level standing

Technological advances within the construction industry demand that today’s managers possess proficiency in building methodologies and literacy in current computer software. This course concentrates upon advanced construction methods and materials to produce cost-effective designs and sustainable projects with emphasis upon resource efficiency, environmental protection and waste minimization. Students study techniques and practices applied to industrial and high-rise structures and determine ways to integrate site safety and accident prevention, work progress, and quality control into daily building operations. Innovative methods of documentation and digital techniques, principally Integrated Practice and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are given comprehensive coverage, relative to the application of the latest computer software to the actualization of the built form.

MCM-603 Construction Law: Roles and Responsibilities        3-0-3

Prerequisites: MCM-601 & MCM-602

Current legal problems associated with the construction industry are investigated from management’s perspective through consideration of the roles assigned to the various project participants. The entire building process from pre-design to owner use is scrutinized, highlighting case law and statutory information, contractual relationships, licensing issues, design through build, bidding and procurement rules, mechanics liens, insurance and surety bonds, and liability awareness. Available methods of dispute resolution are evaluated, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation with emphasis upon claim avoidance.

MCM-604 Project Finance and Cost Control        3-0-3

Prerequisites: MCM-601 & MCM-602

Utilizing pertinent case studies, this course probes the economics of construction and analyzes project control systems used to effectively manage cost and time. Principles drawn from cognate business fields, specifically accounting, finance, and taxation, are given real-life application relative to construction projects of multiple types and scales. Key budgetary issues are examined in-depth, including financial statements and balance sheets, variance analysis and optimum cash flow methods, as well as efficient cost reporting systems. Additional topics include internal controls, financial analysis and presentation, contractor surety and lending, and fraud, with particular emphasis upon cost-effective methods to procure and deliver construction projects including lump sum, unit price, cost-plus, and design-build.

MCM-791 Construction Management Internship        0-0-1

Prerequisite: MCM602, MCM603, MCM604

To ensure competency in the field before graduation, each student must complete 400 hours of professional construction management experience with a firm in the building industry. This requirement may be waived for entering students with equal or greater professional experience.

MCM-901 Masters Project        0-0-3

Prerequisite: MCM-601, MCM-602, MCM-603, MCM-604, MBA-625, SDN-601, SDN-603

Construction managers today are part of a team-oriented enterprise, working in collaboration with architects, clients, developers and sub-contractors in the conceptualization and realization of the built environment. This independent study serves as the culminating experience in the program and requires the student to translate the design intentions of the architect and the expectations of the client into sustainable built form. Working in consultation with a committee of academic and professional advisors drawn from both architecture and construction, the student must choose a specific project and produce a comprehensive manual that addresses design concerns, sustainable systems and materials, construction methodologies as well as financial, legal, and safety standards operative in each phase of the construction process. An oral defense, supported by visual documentation realized via relevant digital technologies, will be presented for review and critique by a jury of committee members, faculty and students (using the current Philadelphia University Guide for the Preparation of Doctoral Dissertation and Masters’ Theses document).

Required Sustainable Design Courses

SDN-601 Sustainable Design Methodologies        3-0-3

Sustainability is a cultural phenomenon that is reshaping the way architects, engineers, designers and planners conceive of the built environment. This lecture/seminar course will explore changes in culture over the years that have led to the formation and adoption of contemporary sustainable design practices, technologies and processes. Current aspects of sustainability will be explored including the impact of the LEED rating system, legislation, environmental law, corporate culture evolution, integrated design process, energy modeling and economic impacts of land development. Students will complete a final paper on future directions in sustainable design at the end of the course.

SDN-603 Sustainable Systems        3-0-3

Prerequisite: SDN-601

Effective sustainable design requires a thorough understanding of ecological site systems and high performance building systems in order to optimize their performance for energy efficiency/conservation in order to integrate them into a project and understand how they interact with each other. The course will cover technologies such as porous paving, rain gardens, cistern water collection, photovoltaic panels, living machines, green roofs, geo-thermal heating/ cooling, day lighting and more. Guest lectures will occur on regular intervals during the semester to insure that students receive the latest and most relevant information possible. Issues of indoor air quality and occupant comfort will also be discussed. Students will complete a series of case studies and a final project.

Required Business Administration Course

MBA-625 Management Communications and Negotiations        3-0-3

Prerequisite: all MBF courses or equivalents

This course covers the concepts and art of effective management communications and negotiations in the business environment. The total communications process verbal, nonverbal, presentation, written and electronic is reviewed in the context of today’s work environment. The perspectives and needs of top management, interactive teams, individual contributors, and clients are examined and translated into professional practices. Experiential exercises and class discussions will build participants’ understanding of styles and skills in negotiating. Coursework will focus on the uses of power, influence, and negotiating styles, methods of conflict resolution and means of influencing others.

Elective Courses

MBA-626 Global Managing in the 21st Century        3-0-3

Prerequisite: all MBF courses or equivalents

This course will examine the many evolving topics that will affect the practice of management in the 21st century. Managers will need to understand the human behavior and motivational implications of the varied aspirations and attitudes of a culturally diverse work force. In addition to focusing on the issues of managing diversity and change, this course will also cover the legal aspects of management, technological change, participative management empowerment, total quality management and managing in a dynamic global environment. The managerial issues surrounding “green marketing” and other environmental concerns will be investigated. This course will utilize current readings and cases to illustrate the new and ever-changing forces impacting the manager’s decision-making process and the profitability of the corporation.

MBA-628 Accounting for Management Decisions        3-0-3

Prerequisite: all MBF courses or equivalents

This course provides students previously exposed to financial and managerial accounting principles an opportunity to study the structure and use of accounting systems designed to aid management in controlling costs and profits. The course stresses the following: financial statement interpretation as a basis for decision making, cash flow analysis, cash budgeting, cost volume profit analysis, costing and interpretation of manufacturing systems and the impact of international competition, responsibility accounting and the impact of inflation.

MBA-629 Financial Policy and Planning        3-0-3

Prerequisite: all MBF courses or equivalents

This course focuses on the investment and financing decisions of firms. Topics include capital budgeting, cash management and cash flow analysis, capital structure, dividends and international operations. Financial policy making is considered within the context of contemporary valuation and risk management theories. Various financial planning models are analyzed in the course.

MRE-601 Principles of Real Estate        3-0-3

Prerequisite: Master’s level standing

This advanced survey is intended to familiarize students with the theories, practices and principles of real estate development. Topics include urban economics, real estate law, brokerage, real estate valuation, financial institutions and analysis, tax issues, investment analysis and development.

SDN-604 Design of Green Materials        1-4-3

Prerequisite: SDN-601

A key requirement to completing a successful sustainable design project is a careful consideration of the environmental and energy performance impacts of construction materials. Students will begin the course by learning how to complete a life cycle analysis for materials as preparation for the design and creation of their own material/construction system. During the project, students will continue to discuss the pros and cons of different materials/construction systems in the context of trying to better understand the tenants of sustainable design. Students will complete a final “construction” as part of the requirements for the course.

SDN-701 Green Design Build        1-4-3

Prerequisite: SDN-601

This course will focus on actual design and implementation of sustainable materials and technologies on a small scale construction project in Philadelphia. Students may plug into a real project under construction or design and create their own structures for a particular site or client. This course will take place over a 12 week period during the summer. Experts from around the country will be brought in as guests to assist with the process.

*Key: 3-0-3
3(a)-0(b)-3(c)
a= number of lecture hours
b= number of lab/studio hours
c=number of credits