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Construction Management: UT Tyler’s Explosive New Discipline
The Department of Construction
Management is one of the newest and
fastest growing programs at The
University of Texas at Tyler.
Implemented in the fall of 2007 with only
12 students, the program almost tripled
in size within a year. Thirty-four construction
management majors were enrolled
for the fall of 2008.
Dr. W. Clayton Allen, professor and associate
dean in the College of Business and
Technology, said construction management
was launched to meet an educational
and community need.
“There is a need for construction managers
in the field, particularly in the East
Texas area,” he said. “I’ve been in and
working with the construction business
since 1981. And I know the shortage of
construction managers in the field. We
conceptualized this to be sensitive to students,
to the needs in the area and to serve
the business and community.”
Construction management prepares graduates
for careers where they may manage
multimillion dollar projects in one of
these areas: high production housing,
commercial construction, heavy civil construction
or industrial construction.
 Dr. John Martin, professor of construction
management, said, “Most construction
management program graduates are
hired by commercial construction
companies for civil or industrial projects
such as big box retail, sports facilities,
churches, shopping centers, higher
education facilities, K-12 schools and
health care such as hospitals and clinics.”
He said graduates with a construction
management degree can make an average
starting salary of between $50,000 and
$65,000, depending on what market they
go into.
People who recruit construction managers
are looking for someone who can
manage projects, people and processes.
“It is a vehicle for economic development
around the world,” Dr. Martin said. “It is
fine to design, but without someone to
manage, it doesn’t happen. We are the
facilitators. It’s a great discipline.’’
Attracting Students
Dr. Allen said, “This is only the second
year we’ve implemented the program.
And a number of people majoring in
other tech programs have moved into it,
who were interested in construction
management from the time we started
talking about it.”
Thomas Browning was one of those
students. A senior, he was in the School
of Business Administration when he
learned about the new construction management
program and transferred over.
“I had decided that construction was
what I wanted to do. Nothing else in the
college interested me as much,” said
Browning, who already has held an
internship in the field in Los Angeles,
Calif. In the summer, he will head to
Irvine, Calif., for a second internship.
Jerilyn Davis, a sophomore from Gilmer,
said she was enrolled in another university
when she found out about the new
construction management program at
UT Tyler.
“I transferred over to join the program,”
she said. “I wanted to do something
different, something out of the office. I’m
planning on going into residential construction
management. I think having a
home means a lot for a family. To help
people get in their own home would be rewarding."
Miss Davis is also the only female in the
program. “It was a little different from day
one,” she said. “But they have all been so nice.
They even threw me a surprise birthday party.”
Rewarding Career
Dr. Martin said construction management
can be a rewarding career for men or
women. “Many people think of construction
as being a man’s discipline. But most
of the commercial and residential work is
made by a team that works together. If the
client wants to build a facility that will
ultimately be used by predominantly
women, then a woman on the team is a great
asset. If you can get past the image of a hard
hat and steel-toe boots, you can do well.”
Dr. Allen said, “There is a certain amount
of excitement to this discipline. It takes a
person who likes to be in the action.”
For junior Tim Ballard, construction
management had all the right ingredients.
“I was in a dead-end job away from
my family and decided to go back to
school. And I couldn’t be more pleased
with what I’ve learned here and the
events I’ve been involved in. It has prepared
me to be an autonomous manager
who can tackle anything thrown at me. I
know so much more now than I did
before on all the fundamentals.
Timothy Wilson, a junior from Tyler, said
construction management is the best
degree program for him. He had extensive
contracting experience and liked the idea
of home building as a professional. “I’d
like eventually to work in residential construction.
I like being able to customize
things for customers.”
Dr. Martin predicts the program will continue
to grow with students like these.
“We are working toward the goal of being
accredited by the American Counsel of
Construction Education,” he said.
“We’ve put together curriculum for that
and in the coming years, we will become
a candidate school.’’
There are only about 80 such four-year
programs in the United States that are
credited by ACCE, Dr. Martin said. “It is
a very specialized area, and not many
schools have it. This is a major that can
put UT Tyler on the map internationally.
There are few programs like this around
the world. We’re not only going to be a
local discipline, but we’ll be able to attract
students on a global basis.”
The construction management specialization
is unheard of in other countries, the
professor said, adding that students come
to the U.S. to get the education.
Students in the UT Tyler program not
only learn about the basics of construction,
but also about leadership, philanthropy
and business.
“Once a week the students wear business
attire,” Dr. Martin said. “And they take
finance, management, marketing, economics,
accounting. They almost have
enough hours in business to get a minor
in business. We’re trying to develop professionalism.
It’s not that easy to manage
and facilitate people. But when you are
involved in an actual project, it gets in
your blood. You can feel proud of what
you do.”
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