Find top-ranked programs, see what you’ll learn, and discover how an online master’s in construction management can upgrade your career through a study plan that fits your busy schedule.
Author: Kathleen Curtis
Expertise: Graduate EducationCareer DevelopmentFinancial AidEditor: Kristin Marino
Reviewer: Thomas Long, MS
Expertise: Construction ManagementGraduate EducationOnline Learning- Which Student Are You?
Which Type of Construction Management Program Do You Need?
Read more - Popular Programs
Inside Reputable Online Master's Programs in Construction Management
Read more - Degree Advantages
Advantages of Earning an Online Master's in Construction Management
Read more - What You'll Learn
What You'll Learn in Construction Management Master's Degree Online Programs
Read more - Accreditation
Accreditation for Master's in Construction Management Online Programs
Read more - Salary/Pay
Salary Potential with a Master's in Construction Management
Read more - Top Schools
Top Online Master's Degrees in Construction Management
Read more
Which Type of Construction Management Program Do You Need?
Construction management master’s programs split between ones built for people already in the field aiming for project executive roles and ones for career-changers needing more foundational coursework, with some tied to a path toward PE licensure. Pick the wrong track and you’ll pay for classes that don’t move your career forward. Check the tool below.
What Kind of Construction Management Student Are You?
The Career Starter
You’ve recently finished a construction management or engineering degree and want advanced technical and project skills before entering the workforce as a project engineer.
A full-time, in-person program gives you concentrated time with construction scheduling, estimating, and project controls coursework that goes beyond what an undergraduate degree covers. A capstone project applying that coursework to a realistic project also gives you something concrete to point to in early-career interviews.
The Career Changer
You’re coming from the trades, the military, or an unrelated industry and want a construction management credential to move into a project management career without a construction degree.
Programs that don’t require an undergraduate construction or engineering degree, and that build in foundational coursework on construction methods and project controls, are designed for exactly this transition. A fully online format also lets you complete the degree while still earning income in your current role or trade.
The Promotion Seeker
You’re a field superintendent or project engineer who wants a credential to move into a project manager or executive-level role.
A curriculum aligned with Project Management Professional (PMP) competencies builds the formal project controls, risk, and contract management knowledge that separates a project manager from a field superintendent. Part-time, hybrid formats let you keep working — and keep building the on-site experience employers also want — while you study.
The Working Balancer
You’re working full-time in construction, often traveling between job sites, and need a program you can complete without a fixed class schedule.
A fully online, asynchronous format means you can complete coursework from a job site or hotel room instead of showing up to a classroom at a set time. Part-time pacing also keeps the workload manageable around the long hours construction work often demands.
The PE Technical Track
You have an engineering background and want a construction management degree that supports Professional Engineer (PE) licensure and technical, design-adjacent project roles.
Coursework aligned with the technical knowledge tested on the PE exam supports licensure goals that a purely management-focused construction degree wouldn’t address. A capstone project also lets you apply technical and management skills together, which matters for engineering-heavy construction roles like structural or design-build project management.
The Owner’s Rep Track
You want to move beyond contractor-side project management into real estate development or owner’s representative work, where construction knowledge meets business and finance.
Coursework in real estate development and construction finance builds the business-side knowledge — pro formas, financing, land use — that owner’s rep and developer roles require and that a traditional contractor-focused curriculum doesn’t cover. These programs are frequently offered fully online, since the target student is often already working in the industry.
Details of Online Master’s Programs in Construction Management
The three schools highlighted below provide flexible online curricula and multidisciplinary approaches to construction management. These programs leverage experts in construction along with seasoned academics in fields spanning engineering to law. Read the details to see if schools like these are what you’re looking for in a master’s program.
University of Washington
The University of Washington offers a 42-credit degree, considered one of the best online master’s in construction management, that full-time students can complete in one year. Through its focus on the heavy construction industry, this program synthesizes the management techniques and technical know-how required for a career in construction management.
Online coursework includes energy infrastructure and the environment, construction operations and productivity, and heavy construction estimating. UW’s program uses the Canvas learning management system, and classes are taught asynchronously through prerecorded lectures, course materials, and discussion forums.
A bachelor’s in a construction-related degree from a regionally accredited institution is required, and applicants need a minimum 3.0 GPA for their last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Submit official transcripts, a resume, a statement of purpose, and two letters of recommendation. GRE scores are also required for admission.
FIND PROGRAMS NEAR YOU:
Arizona State University
Designed for students with academic or professional experience in the construction industry, Arizona State University’s online master’s in construction management comprises 30 credits and takes 18 months to complete. ASU students choose between specializations in construction management and technology or facility management.
Coursework includes facilities operations and maintenance, construction project management, and construction company financial control. As a degree-culminating experience, you can complete a researched thesis or tackle a project allowing you to practically apply coursework. Prerequisite experience for the construction management track includes contracts, physics, scheduling, and strength of materials.
Applicants need a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of coursework. They must also submit official transcripts, a current resume, and a personal statement detailing academic and professional goals.
University of Southern California
One of California’s premier private institutions, the University of Southern California offers an online master’s in construction management requiring four semesters of full-time study. Interdisciplinary in structure, the 32-credit online curriculum combines studies from engineering, architecture, business, law, and planning and development. Courses expose students to the technical and non-technical elements within construction management.
The core curriculum includes construction practices, construction accounting and finance, planning and preconstruction, and project controls. At least four elective courses fill out the curriculum, allowing students to shape coursework based on their career ambitions and academic interests.
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in an engineering-related discipline such as civil engineering, architecture, or engineering management. They must also submit official transcripts, a resume, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation. Applicants are also required to submit GRE or GMAT scores.
Advantages of an Online Master’s in Construction Management
For construction professionals seeking more responsibility and increased pay, an online master’s degree in construction management is a great option. In addition to the flexibility inherent to online coursework, these degrees expose you to the business and technical ideas that fuel effective construction management. Below are three advantages of an online master’s in construction management.
1. Flexibility
Online learning allows professionals to continue working while simultaneously tackling graduate-level coursework. As many online programs are asynchronous, online students can complete work at their own pace, anywhere, and at any time. This is especially advantageous for construction professionals already working in the field.
2. Earning Potential
Management positions come with more responsibility and more pay. An online master’s in construction management prepares you to take on management through both technical course content as well as management-focused classes that delve into the financial and personnel aspects of the field.
3. Multidisciplinary Knowledge
The curriculum for an online master’s in construction management pulls from technical areas such as engineering and architecture as well as from business and law. As a result, you cover a variety of topics that are essential and easily applicable to myriad construction management roles. This well-rounded management training boosts career options.
Curriculum
Online master’s in construction management curricula focuses on both technical coursework like engineering and architecture and leadership classes like business and management. These programs also provide exposure to important topics within law personnel management and civil engineering to produce a well-rounded education.
In addition to traditional online coursework, many programs require a degree-culminating project. Students often choose between a project that practically applies knowledge learned in classes or a heavily researched thesis project.
As applied projects often involve working with professionals in the field, these capstones potentially lead to professional contacts and future career opportunities. Check out some common courses below.
Common Courses
Environmental Regulations
This course exposes students to the regulations pertaining to construction-site stormwater runoff. Regulatory history and current legal requirements are examined, and students gain practical training in site analysis and avoiding or reducing water pollutants. This online class also examines regulatory issues regarding air pollution, wetlands, and endangered species.
Construction Accounting and Finance
Critical to effective construction management, this course tackles accounting and financial concerns within the construction business. From payroll to cost control, construction accounting is essential to project and construction management. This course also delves into evaluating job costs, contractor’s financial statements, and economics of the construction industry.
Construction Practices
This course examines major construction projects and the systems and processes impacting the planning, implementation, engineering, and delivery of the final product. Students also review the professional responsibilities of construction management leaders and analyze common problems that arise.
Statistical Fundamentals for Construction and Materials Applications
Offering an overview of the statistical measures employed in construction decision-making processes, this course covers data distributions, hypothesis tests, regression analysis, and quality control and assurance. This online course uses practical, construction-based data to simulate real-world construction situations.
Design and Construction Law
Focusing on the legal problems common in design and construction services, this course emphasizes risk management and liability awareness. It explores topics like basic legal doctrines, client relationships, and contractor selection. Legal issues within the construction process and professional practice are also examined.
Specialization and Concentration Options
The construction world is expansive, and many online master’s in construction management allow students to select concentrations that mirror their academic and career interests. Specialization allows personalized training resulting in career prospects that best fit students’ interests. Five common concentrations are examined below.
Sustainability and Green Construction
With environmental concerns in construction becoming more common, a concentration in sustainability and green construction meets the demands of a growing need for green construction. Through a curriculum focused on the LEED green building scale, students build knowledge of the most current regulatory standards and practices within environmentally responsible construction.
Construction Management and Technology
The construction management and technology concentration prepares students for positions in upper-level management. Focused on boosting student competency in project, program, and organizational management, this concentration emphasizes a range of topics including construction estimates, scheduling, contracts, and technical competencies.
Facility Management
Facility management concentrations cover topics such as civic regulations, project management, and safety standards. Through these courses, students examine management of the complex web of infrastructure and operations within existing buildings. In addition to technical responsibilities, plan to learn about payroll, personnel issues, and leadership skills.
Project Management
Students delving into the construction project management concentration learn to navigate the tangle of scheduling, hiring, billing, and regulatory demands of large-scale construction projects. They also learn to maximize efficiency and boost worker performance while dealing with economic and personnel demands.
Real Estate
This concentration challenges students with the technical elements of real estate construction, project management, and the economic and entrepreneurial dilemmas involved with real estate development. Coursework in this concentration covers real estate construction, management, and economics.
Accreditation
Academic accreditation provides an official seal of approval that ensures the education you receive is worth your hard-earned money. In short, accreditation means that a school upholds the academic standards set by accrediting agencies. Only consider online master’s programs in construction management that are regionally accredited and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition to regional and national accreditation, the most reputable construction management programs are also recognized by construction management-specific accrediting groups such as the American Council for Construction Education, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the National Architecture Accrediting Board, and the Association for Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering.
Salary Potential with a Master’s in Construction Management
A master’s in construction management prepares you to lead large-scale building projects across commercial, residential, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. Graduates work as construction managers, project directors, owners’ representatives, and program managers — overseeing budgets, timelines, contractors, and compliance across complex build environments. The credential is particularly valued by general contractors, developers, and government agencies managing major capital projects.
Experienced construction managers in senior roles command strong compensation, especially on large commercial and infrastructure projects where the financial stakes are high. Earnings tend to grow with the scale of projects you’re responsible for.
Browse the salary table below to see how manager-level compensation varies by state, and use it as a benchmark for construction leadership careers in your market.
Managers, All Other
| Area | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | $141,900 | $186,300 | $238,270 |
| Alabama | $135,890 | $164,390 | $203,530 |
| Alaska | $127,950 | $154,900 | $193,580 |
| Arizona | $129,870 | $165,000 | $206,320 |
| Arkansas | $87,520 | $129,460 | $171,910 |
| California | $174,560 | $221,560 | $303,680 |
| Colorado | $171,140 | $215,440 | $280,950 |
| Connecticut | $162,690 | $201,600 | $273,100 |
| Delaware | $168,060 | $209,180 | $297,690 |
| District of Columbia | $175,720 | $195,190 | $221,750 |
| Florida | $108,890 | $162,070 | $207,510 |
| Georgia | $125,000 | $166,290 | $212,160 |
| Hawaii | $130,000 | $158,020 | $204,730 |
| Idaho | $131,550 | $174,170 | $210,340 |
| Illinois | $140,240 | $180,860 | $235,260 |
| Indiana | $79,900 | $129,880 | $173,890 |
| Iowa | $128,080 | $165,840 | $218,790 |
| Kansas | $131,710 | $171,100 | $215,340 |
| Kentucky | $122,930 | $158,000 | $198,950 |
| Louisiana | $103,140 | $136,380 | $175,650 |
| Maine | $115,920 | $145,350 | $184,000 |
| Maryland | $159,040 | $185,220 | $211,910 |
| Massachusetts | $182,950 | $227,670 | $309,290 |
| Michigan | $134,260 | $169,280 | $210,970 |
| Minnesota | $152,600 | $191,610 | $225,250 |
| Mississippi | $101,570 | $144,730 | $190,420 |
| Missouri | $125,760 | $161,300 | $207,380 |
| Montana | $110,470 | $138,270 | $174,190 |
| Nebraska | $116,430 | $153,570 | $188,490 |
| Nevada | $112,040 | $167,750 | $272,540 |
| New Hampshire | $145,630 | $179,200 | $216,320 |
| New Jersey | $161,510 | $203,960 | $273,400 |
| New Mexico | $123,550 | $159,430 | $204,330 |
| New York | $167,200 | $221,680 | $305,970 |
| North Carolina | $141,160 | $182,390 | $244,820 |
| North Dakota | $126,440 | $161,730 | $190,420 |
| Ohio | $129,940 | $168,600 | $211,540 |
| Oklahoma | $131,870 | $163,110 | $200,270 |
| Oregon | $125,580 | $170,870 | $216,750 |
| Pennsylvania | $131,600 | $171,340 | $217,320 |
| Rhode Island | $165,900 | $205,840 | $311,260 |
| South Carolina | $129,960 | $166,000 | $204,910 |
| South Dakota | $119,470 | $150,700 | $172,930 |
| Tennessee | $99,430 | $135,510 | $181,270 |
| Texas | $134,390 | $173,480 | $220,370 |
| Utah | $134,890 | $171,990 | $225,620 |
| Vermont | $125,440 | $151,750 | $181,190 |
| Virginia | $166,230 | $195,190 | $224,040 |
| Washington | $164,160 | $207,160 | $272,470 |
| West Virginia | $124,940 | $163,030 | $200,160 |
| Wisconsin | $107,050 | $152,980 | $193,630 |
| Wyoming | $113,420 | $143,570 | $173,830 |
Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes119199.htm
Data does not reflect school-specific information.
Costs and Financial Aid
Securing financial aid for a master’s degree in construction management can often make or break an opportunity for earning an advanced degree. Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a start. The FAFSA may not provide substantial support as a working professional, but it can lead to financial aid from your institution.
In addition to federal or private loans, there are many funding opportunities within a field like construction management. Organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers offer benefits including scholarships and fellowships. Some employers may also assist with tuition costs in exchange for a promise of work for a set amount of time after graduation.
What Your Online Construction Management Master’s Degree Could Cost
| School Name | No. of Credits | Cost/Credit | Total Tuition Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson University | 21-30 | $1,021 | $21,441-30,630 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 33 | $1,690 | $55,770 |
| Arizona State University | 30 | $1,097 | $32,910 |
Q&A with an Online Master’s in Construction Management Graduate
Thomas Long works as the Field Contract Administrator at Arcadis in Brooklyn, New York. He completed an M.S. in Construction Management at New York University in 2011 and applied the skills and knowledge gained from the program at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection before taking on his current role. He has worked in the construction management industry for more than two decades.
Q. How important do you think it is for students to have previous construction or related experience before starting a master’s level degree?
I think it’s very important. I found that I learned from the other students as much as the professor. There are two flavors of a master’s in construction management. One is technical based and has more to do with means and methods. The other is business based and is closer an MBA in construction management. The technical programs dig deeper into the “what” of construction management. The business programs go more into the “why” of construction management.
Q. What advice do you have for making the most out of a program?
Networking is an important aspect of a master’s in construction management.
Take your time if you can. There is no reason to rush through the program. It often gives you time to employ your new knowledge at work. It also gives you time to engage in extracurricular activities which are many times as rewarding as class work.
Also, many programs expect students to spend more time on coursework out of class than during classroom hours. Much of the outside coursework is project based where you have to work as a team. Giving yourself more time allows you to engage in a leadership role in the team and increase your contribution.
Q. What would you tell students on the fence about whether or not they should pursue this degree?
Students should ask themselves several important questions to help identify if a master’s in construction management suits their goals. Some of these questions include:
Do you have enough time and energy to perform well?
Does your current company or your desired company see value in this degree?
Are you willing to take on more management responsibilities in your career?
Q. How did a master’s in construction management support your career goals?
I had my own business, and if opportunities would have allowed me to stay in business for myself it would’ve completely transformed my business. Instead, I took advantage of a different opportunity and that has made all the difference.
If you want to broaden your opportunities, a master’s in construction management often gives you opportunities through networking and it can help you stand apart from other applicants. Look closely at your desired career path. Would it be better served with a PE or AIA credential? If not, a master’s degree might be the best route.
FAQs About Construction Management Master’s Degrees Online
Top Online Master’s Degrees in Construction Management
Capitol Technology University
Best for: advancement-focused students
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Best for: advancement-focused students
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Best for: advancement-focused students
Eastern Michigan University
Best for: working students
Morgan State University
Best for: advancement-focused students
Manhattan University
Best for: working students
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Best for: advancement-focused students
University of Arkansas
Best for: advancement-focused students
The University of Texas at El Paso
Best for: advancement-focused students
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Best for: advancement-focused students
