To help fill the demand for construction projects managers in the booming North Texas area, the University of Texas at Arlington is adding a new master of construction management degree. The new interdisciplinary degree program, which includes an option to take courses online, will be offered in fall 2014. The new program would be the only one of its kind in North Texas, according to UT Arlington officials. The program will require 30 credit hours, including elective courses in architecture, accounting, business and management. The program is designed primarily for applicants with an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, science and mathematics, architecture, engineering technology, construction management and business. Other undergraduate disciplines may enroll by taking appropriate courses.
“The UT Arlington College of Engineering is expanding rapidly, and our faculty and students are rising to meet the needs of our region’s dynamic economy,” said Khosrow Behbehani, dean of the College of Engineering. The program will focus on management of construction projects in three main categories: heavy, which includes highways, pipelines and infrastructure; residential and commercial construction; and general construction. Final approval for the program by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is expected by August and must be received before students may apply and be admitted.
The program will offer courses either in an on-campus, all-evening classroom environment or through a distance-learning platform, an option ideal for working professionals who want to pursue an advanced degree on a flexible class schedule. Ali Abolmaali, chair of the Civil Engineering Department, predicts this degree plan could add at least 400 new students within the next five years. In addition to traditional residential and commercial construction, students could learn about managing large capital projects. Abolmaali said study of projects such as the multi-billion Integrated Pipeline that the Tarrant Regional Water District is starting also would be part of the curriculum for the new degree.
Betty Dillard bdillard@bizpress.net