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Construction Engineering and Management MSE

Civil Engineering concrete lab

Contact Civil Engineering Admissions

Matt Blank

Student Services Manager

Vineet Kamat
Vineet Kamat

Faculty Advisor

Construction Engineering & Management at Michigan Statistics

Framing from a commercial building

No. 5

in Civil Engineering - US News & World Report

5:1

student-to faculty ratio

~100%

of department graduates are employed directly out of school or pursue a higher education

185+

years as a department

$12.5M+

spent on research in 2022

39%

female (CEE average, 2015-2019)

Why Construction Engineering & Management at Michigan?

The Master of Science in Engineering in Construction Engineering and Management is designed for dual-intent students who may want to pursue a professional career in the construction industry or want to continue doing research and pursue a Ph.D.

The program combines theoretical knowledge and professional practice, and most students finish the entire degree program in 3 semesters (16 months). If you’re good at planning, organization, and coordination, this degree could be perfect for a leader like you. Take a look at the overview of the design and construction process and determine how to schedule work crews, how construction will take place, what materials are needed and where they will come from, and how to protect our workers’ safety.

Construction workers work on the GG Brown Addition on North Campus on April 22, 2013.
Calking Robot

What can you do with an MSE in Construction Engineering and Management?

Construction engineers and managers are involved in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of constructed facilities and civil infrastructure.

They use modern analysis and design tools, construction methods, materials, and equipment. The U.S. construction industry annually performs about $1.2 trillion of work, employs more than 7.7 million people, and accounts for about 10% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making construction one of the largest industries in the nation.

Man in construction worksite
man on worksite reads a readout on a device

Courses Offered

Individualized plans of study will be developed by students in consultation with an advisor. The Bulletin will provide you with course descriptions.

Construction helmet review
Construction of the robotics building

Sequential Undergraduate/ Graduate Studies Program (SUGS)

Current University of Michigan engineering students can complete both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in only five years with SUGS by taking some graduate-level classes during your undergraduate years, so you can save yourself one semester and complete a master’s with only two additional semesters.

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Practice Your Purpose

There is a rich variety of experiential learning opportunities to help you find your niche, connect with people who share your passion, and gain hands-on experience that’ll set your resumé apart from the stack.

Student Groups

Graduate Student Advisory Council
Graduate Student Advisory Council

Graduate Student Advisory Council

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Professional Development

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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

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Graduate Society of Women Engineers group photo
Network for Women in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Network for Women in Civil and Environmental Engineering

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Graduate Society of Women Engineers logo
Grad SWE

Grad SWE

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Sustainability, Civil, and Environmental Engineering Minorities

Sustainability, Civil, and Environmental Engineering Minorities

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Some Examples of Current Research

Vineet Kamat, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, U-M
Vineet Kamat

Vineet Kamat

LIVE Robotics Group

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Sanghyun Lee, Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering
SangHyun Lee

SangHyun Lee

Dynamic Project Management Group

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Carol Menassa, Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering
Carol Menassa

Carol Menassa

Sustainable and Intelligent Civil Infrastructure Group

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Construction workers work on the GG Brown Addition on North Campus on April 22, 2013.
New CEE research grants

New CEE research grants

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Research Videos

Alumni Bios

Each of these alumni were once in your shoes, deciding on a master’s degree. Explore their educational path and how it set their life in motion.

Image of Paul C. Ajegba

Paul C. Ajegba

MSE Construction Engineering & Management, 1994

Michigan Department of Transportation

Director

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Caitlin Monahan

MArch, 2019; MSE Construction Engineering & Management, 2019

Turner Construction

Engineering Assistant

Image of Vishal Shah

Vishal Shah

MSE Construction Engineering and Management, 2016

Skanska USA Building Inc.

Construction Scheduler

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Xi Wang

MSE Construction Engineering and Management, 2018

University of Michigan

Graduate Research Assistant

Image of Paul C. Ajegba

Paul C. Ajegba

Prairie View A&M University, BSCE- Civil/Structural Engineering, 1986

University of Michigan, MSE Construction Engineering & Management, 1994

Michigan Department of Transportation

Director

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Career Summary

Upon graduation, I worked for a consultant for three years, working nearly 24/7. I became burned out and decided to go to grad school. With one class to go, I interviewed with MDOT and was hired in their Engineer Development Program in 1990. This program was designed to provide one year of cross-department training to new employees. I served in various capacities within MDOT from Utilities and Permits Engineer, Region Traffic & Safety/Operations Engineer, Region Operations/Tecumseh Delivery Engineer, Oakland TSC Manager, Metro Deputy Region Engineer, University Region Engineer, and Metro Region Engineer before being appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on January 1, 2019, to serve as the Director of MDOT. Some notable projects that have aided in my rise with the department include: the US-23 Flex Route (first in Michigan), which received both state and national awards/recognition; the US-23/I-96 Interchange Reconstruction, I-94 Rehabilitation Project in Ann; MDOT Project Manager for the Mcity Project – University of Michigan Autonomous Vehicle Research/Development Site.

Advice to Students

Explore your options until you find your niche – something which you are passionate about. Coming to work should not be a chore – it should be a pleasure.

Image of Caitlin Monahan

Caitlin Monahan

Northeastern University, BS Architecture, 2010

University of Michigan, MArch, 2019

University of Michigan, MSE Construction Engineering & Management, 2019

Turner Construction

Engineering Assistant

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Career Summary

I thought I wanted to be an architect because I liked drawing and math. I interned several summers at a local architecture firm during high school and into undergrad. I even worked at that same firm for a year and a half between undergrad and grad school. It was during this time that I figured out what I really liked about architecture was being out on the job site where the building was being built, talking with the contractor, and coordination. I liked understanding and coordinating how the building was built more than the design of the building itself. Therefore, I searched for Masters programs that could offer me both Architecture and Construction Management so that I could either be a much better architect or learn how to be a great Construction Manager who knows how to work with architects. Currently, I’m pursuing the second option, working at Turner, a construction management firm. I landed the job thanks in part to the Engineering Career Fair at University of Michigan. When I worked as an architect, the projects I was working on all came down to communication. So now I’m hyper-aware of being diligent about good and valuable communication. At my current project at Turner, I’m learning how to process all the documents associated with running a project. It’s early still, I only just started in March, but I think my current tasks will help me understand the overall process of coordination to a fuller extent. We’ll see where this path leads.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The easy answer to this question is that I pursued a master’s degree at all. Most of the other new-hires at my job came in with bachelor’s degrees. So that’s one differentiation. But the other differentiation is that I have a second Master’s degree in architecture that also helps me stand out in the construction management world, where the majority of employees have engineering or construction management – specific degrees.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I liked the relatively small class sizes I had in the Masters of Construction Engineering and Management classes. I also appreciated how helpful the professors were in their office hours if I was struggling in their classes (which happened more often than not since I had a bit more of a learning curve coming in with an architecture background). My favorite classes were actually some of the ones I had to make-up since I wasn’t coming in with a Civil Engineering degree. One class was Geotechnical Engineering and the other was a class on Materials which focused mainly on concrete properties. On the Construction Management side of my classes though, I enjoyed how hard the professors worked to incorporate professional practice into their classes, inviting business professionals to come speak or work on real problems out in the current industry. My advice is to not be intimidated to go see your professor for help, and specifically make time for it even if you think you can figure it out on your own or with your classmates. The professors are there to help you learn, so you should utilize that to the fullest extent. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to Alumni if you’re interested in what they do. Reach out and ask questions, I know I’d be excited to help someone out on their career path if I can.

Image of Vishal Shah

Vishal Shah

VIT University, Vellore, India, B.Tech Civil Engineering, 2015

University of Michigan, MSE Construction Engineering and Management, 2016

Skanska USA Building Inc.

Construction Scheduler

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Career Summary

I joined Skanska as a scheduling intern after graduating from my Masters. Even though it was a risk starting as an intern after graduation, the reward was spectacular. My studies in CEE500 level courses helped me hit the ground running in this niche job which lead to my internship becoming a full time opportunity within 5 weeks. Ever since, I have been managing the schedule of a massive multi-phase hospital expansion project in Fort Myers, Florida. I also work closely in assisting with other smaller bids coming out of Tampa office (Skanska Florida HQ) and smaller projects operated by Fort Myers Office.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The Construction Industry is primitive when it comes to adopting technology. My master’s education helped me in harnessing this into my work. My thesis was performed on a revolutionary new scheduling software developed by a PM consultancy based out of Ann Arbor. In my 3 years with Skanska, I have implemented this software and my superiors have started using it / asking for it in many scheduling applications.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Aside from enjoying most of my required courses, I had the opportunity to take a real estate development course as a management elective in the Ross School. If you are considering Master’s in Construction – this is a must have elective – I might even call it a required course. I was a part of Tau Beta Pi which helped me meet some great like-minded Wolverines. By serving the community, we grew ourselves professionally and personally. I was an active member of ASCE as an undergrad and also attended most of the workshops and networking events hosted by ASCE at Michigan. This is probably the most efficient way to develop a strong network in the construction industry. For a master’s in construction, the best thing to do is intern at a construction site every summer after your sophomore year. Experience is the gold standard in construction. However, the industry is changing and the requirement for tech savvy (college educated at the least) construction managers is growing rapidly. Having a master’s degree will not only set you apart from candidates your age, it will also help you in a rapid growth at a time when the guard is changing.

Image of Xi Wang

Xi Wang

Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, BS Construction Management, 2017 

University of Michigan, MSE Construction Engineering and Management, 2018

University of Michigan

Graduate Research Assistant

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Career Summary

While pursuing the MSE in Construction Engineering and Management at the University of Michigan, I was involved in projects that work with our industry partners and the School of Nursing to solve their problems. I realized that my knowledge in construction engineering can be integrated with the cutting-edge technologies in various fields to benefit our lives, which led to my decision that I would like to work on research projects and pursue my doctoral degree here. I had the opportunity to visit several construction sites in San Francisco and Chicago with my department and I learned that the health of construction workers is the main concern of the construction industry. Now I am working on construction robotics to reduce construction workers’ workload. I hope the improvement of automation in construction can help protect the workers from musculoskeletal issues.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I think seminars, symposiums, and professional practice courses are great opportunities for you to get the most up-to-date information. You can know the current status and major concerns of industry, and also what the researchers are doing. Take the advantage that the University of Michigan has as one of the best and biggest Engineering schools in the country, where you can learn the state-of-the-art technologies from many different fields and see how these could help you develop your own expertise.

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Industries & Occupations

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  • Asset Management
  • Civil Infrastructure
  • Construction Engineering
  • Construction Management
  • Facility Management
  • Federal Government
  • Infrastructure
  • Offshore Structures
  • Renewable Energy Technology
  • Scientific Research
  • Smart City Technologies
  • Strategy Consulting
  • Sustainability
  • Transportation Engineering
Groundbreaking of the Nuclear Engineering Lab

Companies

Groundbreaking of the Nuclear Engineering Lab
  • AECOM Technology Corporation
  • Arcadis
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Arup
  • Atkins
  • Balfour Beatty
  • Barton Malow
  • Bechtel
  • Consumers Energy
  • HDR, Inc.
  • Jacobs Engineering Group
  • Laing O’Rourke
  • Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
  • Mott McDonald
  • Nike
  • Skanska
  • Stantec
  • Turner
  • Walbridge
  • Walsh
  • Vinci
CEE researchers working with a caulking robot
Researcher points to data on computer screen

Salaries

Discover the value of a masters degree!

On average, U-M graduates with a master’s degree in an engineering field can earn 15-25% more than those with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.  Use the link below to research average salaries based on a U-M engineering master’s degree, experience level, and desired work location.