Construction Management Associate Degree Program Outline

A broad overview of the business world for both business and non-business majors. An introduction to the business environment, business ownership, management, marketing, technology and information, and finance.

Designed to assure a basic level of computer applications literacy. Includes word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, and the Internet. Also covers various types of computer hardware and networking methods. (This course has been designed so that access to a computer is helpful, but not required.)

Basic principles of communication that are particularly applicable in business and industry, providing a foundation for more effective communication skills. Focuses on the proper use of English grammar in business settings.

Processes, players, and practices in the construction industry. The history of construction; owners, the design team, and the contracting team; the sequence of a project; and communications and documentation in construction.

A comprehensive review of mathematical skills and concepts commonly used in academic and vocational applications. Covers whole numbers, fractions, decimal notation, ratios and proportions, percents, statistics and measurement, geometry, real numbers, and algebra.

Introduction to the materials and methods used in constructing commercial buildings. Covers foundations, using wood in construction, exterior and interior finishes, brick masonry, stone and concrete masonry, masonry load bearing wall construction, steel frame construction, sitecast and precast concrete framing systems, roofing, glass, windows and doors, cladding systems, interior walls and partitions, ceilings, and floors.

The basics of written communication in business. Explores differences in approach and format for various business documents. Also covers techniques for planning, researching, organizing, and writing reports.

An introduction to reading construction blueprints. Lines of construction, scales, types of surveys, off-site and site improvements, foundations and below-grade construction, the structure above grade, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, commercial blueprints, construction offices, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses.

Surveys the field of psychology, including the development of behavior, physiological mechanisms of behavior, perception, motivation and emotion, consciousness, learning, memory, personality, and mental health.

Introduction to the role of safety in the construction industry. Covers the cost of accidents, causes of accidents, ethics and safety, workers' compensation, OSHA compliance, detailed coverage of subparts A through Z of OSHA's Construction Standard, safety and health programs and policies, job safety and hazard analysis, accident reporting and record keeping, emergency response plans, total safety management, workplace violence, bloodborne pathogens, workplace stress, environmental safety, ISO 14000, and promoting safety.

Basic principles of business law as applied to contracts, personal property, sales, negotiable instruments, agency and employment, business organization, insurance and bankruptcy, and real property.

An introduction to the principles and practices of management, with emphasis on the management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Topics covered also include effective leadership and motivational techniques, communication, social responsibility and ethics, managing change and conflict, and control.

Overview of the structure and operations of the federal government, including constitutional principles, rights and liberties, the political process, and the relationships among the three branches of the federal government.

Introduction to the use of surveys in commercial, residential, and road construction. Includes the fundamentals of surveying, distance measurement, leveling, angles and theodolites, total stations, traverse surveys and computations, geomatics, global positioning systems, control surveys, highway curves, highway construction surveys, municipal street surveys, pipeline and tunnel surveys, culvert and bridge surveys, building construction surveys, and quantity and final surveys.

A study of the theory, research, and practice related to human behavior in organizational settings. Attention is focused on the theories and realities of leadership, power, motivation, work satisfaction, group dynamics, decision making, and organizational change. The course also aims to broaden perceptions of the causes and effects of interpersonal and group behavior, its dynamics and influences, and organizational behavior relating to organizational climates, conflict, and structural design.

Introduction to the process of estimating the full cost of construction projects. Covers contracts, bonds, insurance, specifications, overhead and contingencies, labor, equipment, excavation, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and profit.

The fundamentals of double-entry bookkeeping and the debit/credit method of recording transactions. The bookkeeping cycle, from recording transactions to preparing financial statements, is included. Emphasis is placed on service concerns operating as sole proprietorships.

Introduction to planning and scheduling a construction project. Gantt charts, basic networks, the critical path method, precedence networks, resource allocation and leveling, schedule updating and project control, schedule compression, reports and presentations, and construction delay claims.

Explores current ethical issues in the business world, including social and professional responsibilities, organizational relationships, employee rights and obligations, workplace discrimination, organizational culture, and ethics in a global economy.

A capstone course in managing a construction project that provides in-depth coverage of project delivery systems, responsibility and authority, resident project representative's office responsibilities, records and reports, electronic project administration, specifications and drawings, construction law and labor relations, construction safety, meetings and negotiations, risk allocation and liability sharing, preconstruction operations, planning for construction, scheduling, construction operations, value engineering, measurement and payment, materials and workmanship, change orders and extra work, claims and disputes, and project closeout.