Construction engineering and management

The interdisciplinary master of science/master of engineering in construction engineering and management at the University of Colorado Denver prepares the next generation of construction engineers with the requisite set of skills to be effective leaders and managers within this ever-evolving industry.

Graduates of the program are prepared to engage in responsibilities of construction engineers and construction managers, including building and site design, as well as engineering, planning and leading construction schedules, construction quality assurance and control, construction cost estimating and project management.

The program's core focuses on construction planning and controls, cost estimating and materials and methods. Elective courses include sustainable construction, project management, BIM and others. Additional advanced engineering courses are available in transportation, structures, soils, sustainability and more.

Faculty in the Business School provide expertise in leadership, managing for sustainability, entrepreneurship, legal and ethical business issues, data analysis, decision analysis, financial management and quality and process improvement. Faculty in the College of Architecture and Planning add expertise in design, green building technology, sustainable systems, construction documents and managing quality and risks.​

Students must successfully complete four required core courses for the CEM master of science and master of engineering:

• CEMT 5231 - Construction Materials and Methods
• CEMT 5232 - Construction Planning and Control
• CEMT 5233 - Construction Cost Estimating
• CEMT 5960 - Master’s Report, Master’s Thesis or Academic Internship (requires advisor approval)

Students must take three additional program courses from those listed below, plus three courses selected—with the help of an advisor—from a diverse set of course options related to business, engineering, entrepreneurialism, global interests, architecture and/or urban planning.

A wide range of focus study areas are available through support from graduate programs in engineering, architecture and urban planning and business. Focus study areas may include, but are not limited to, sustainability in construction engineering, construction business management or a variety of applicable engineering specialties such as transportation, structural design, geographic information systems (GIS), etc.​

CEM Electives (3 courses required)

• CEMT 5087 - Engineering Contracts
• CEMT 5234 - Sustainable Construction
• CEMT 5235/6235 - Advanced Construction Engineering
• CEMT 5236 - Project Management Systems
• CEMT 5237/6237 - Advanced Project Management
• CEMT 5238/6238 - Integrated Construction Leadership
• CEMT 5240 - Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• CEMT 5242 - Construction Safety
• CEMT 5246/IWKS 4930 - Construction, Business and Innovation

CEM Master's Program

CEMT 5231 Construction Materials and Methods This course presents information regarding the primary materials and methods used to design and construct the majority of buildings in the United States including concrete, wood and steel. Students explore processes related to the specification, ordering and installation of various construction materials, as well as analyze various materials’ performance characteristics.

CEMT 5232 Construction Planning and Controls This course presents knowledge and techniques used in planning and controlling of construction projects, including basics of construction planning, bar chart, network scheduling, uncertainty in scheduling, limited resources scheduling, resource leveling, line of balance, time-cost trade-off analysis, cash flow analysis, integrated time-cost control and value engineering. Students will work on a project throughout the semester to apply the skills they learn in class.

CEMT 5233 Construction Cost Estimating This course presents the application of scientific principles to rough and detailed cost estimating; bid document preparation; quantity take off; concepts and statistical measurements of the factors involved in direct costs, overhead costs, cost markups and profits; and computerized estimating. Course participants will gain knowledge about quantity take offs and construction cost estimating through lectures, exercises and group activities. Guest speakers will share firsthand experience regarding current approaches to cost estimating in real-world, professional practice. Students will complete a cost estimate of an actual project.

CEMT 5234 Sustainable Construction This course serves as an introduction to major components and technologies used in sustainable design and construction to create healthy, environmentally sensitive built environments. Content focuses on construction processes, renewable energy systems, healthy buildings, natural and cultural resources and traditional as well as cutting-edge building strategies.

CEMT 5235/6235 Advanced Construction Engineering This course includes a high-level overview of Construction Engineering Management including organizations involved, current approaches and industry challenges. The course investigates construction contracts, estimating and managing earthwork, temporary construction and others. This course serves as part of the Integrated Construction, Management and Leadership (ICML) Certificate. NOTE: This course is offered in a condensed 8-week format with an online component.

CEMT 5236 Project Management Systems This course explores the fundamentals of the International Standard supported by the Project Management institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge. Using a range of case studies and project work, the course prepares students for PMI’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification tests.

CEMT 5237/6237 Advanced Topics in Project Management This course builds on the International Standard in Project Management from PMI’s PMBOK and uses project experience and case studies to build experience and introduce advanced concepts in completing projects. Emphasis is put on sustainability in global projects to create healthy, environmentally sensitive communities. Partnerships with local and global partners add value to the students and the partners.

CEMT 5238/6238 Integrated Construction Leadership This course is an integrated architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) business course bringing together executives, principals, and managers to current industry topics and provide students an opportunity to apply management and leadership principles from the various fields to case study projects. This course serves as part of the Integrated Construction, Management and Leadership (ICML) Certificate. NOTE: This course is offered in a condensed 8-week format with an online component; the course begins in mid March.

CEMT 5242 Construction Safety This course is a study of safety practices in the construction industry and the specific safety procedures used in safety management of a construction project. Topics include safety risks inherent in construction projects, the roles of government, the judicial system, the insurance industry, designers and project owners in safety management and the economic impact of injures. Advanced topics include accident causation theory, economic modeling, safety risk quantification and analysis, design for safety and emerging technologies.

CVEN 5240 Building Information Modeling (BIM) Building information modeling (BIM) software packages are increasingly used in the construction industry by architects, engineers, and clients to collaborate on the design of buildings and planning of construction projects. In this course, students will be introduced to the basics of current best-practices in BIM-enabled processes. Student will learn techniques and capabilities of specific modeling programs such as Revit and Navisworks; as well as gain first-hand knowledge and experience of the power of innovative, integrated BIM-based methods. Students will work on a project throughout the semester to apply the skills that they learn in class.

CEMT 5246/IWKS 4930 Construction, Business and Innovation This course will provide an introduction to opportunities related to innovation, business and entrepreneurialism in professional building and construction engineering practice. Course participants will gain knowledge about effective creative skills and practices related to design and construction through active learning using state-of-the-art technologies (BIM, 3D printing, extreme engineering etc.).

The Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) program is a professional master’s degree program created in partnership with Denver’s construction and engineering community. The CEM Advisory Board includes industry leader that have strong knowledge of industry work force needs and have reinforced the pressing need for a strong pipeline of engineers from CU Denver to become the industry’s future leaders.

CEM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS 

Tom Alford, Project Executive, Saunders Construction, Inc. 

Ryan Balakas, Vice President of Operations, Saunders Construction, Inc. 

Joe Bedford, Tactical Solutions Team Manager, Adolfson & Peterson Construction

Scott Bustos, Business Development Manager, Turner Construction

Steve Eikanger, Vice President/Area Manager, Flintco

Cheri Gerou, Owner, Gerou & Associates Civic Architecture

Greg Gidez, Director of Design Services, Hensel Phelps

Kate Lavicky, HR Business Partner, GH Phipps Construction Companies 

Chris Loomis, Sr. Project Manager, Heggem-Lundquist

Kevin Mahoney, Manager of Special Projects, GH Phipps Construction Companies

Ty McConnell, Construction Manager, Swinerton

Maroun Moussallem, Senior Vice President, Terracon Consultants, Inc. 

Bob Roth, Business Development Executive

Charles Rountree, Sr. Quality Assurance/Process Improvement Specialist, Jacobs Engineering

Danielle Smith, Central Region Director, TRIUNITY, INC.

Jared Thompson, President, DH Glabe & Associates

Del Walker, Chief Technical Officer on I-70 Project, Kiewit Development Company

YOUNG ALUM, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Lauren Martinez, VDC Specialist III, Haselden Construction

FOUNDING CEM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Dave Bennetts**, Senior Project Engineering, Urban Drainage and Flood Control

Jeffrey Clevenger, Design-Build Client Manager, Michael Baker International

Dave Conover**, retired

Carlos A. deMoraes, retired

Taryn Edward, Sr. Vice President, Saunders Construction, Inc

David Frazier, retired

Richard Hepworth, retired

Jim Johnson, President, GE Johnson Construction Company

Jeffrey Kullman**, Senior Vice President and Regional Director Mountain Region, Michael Baker International

Gary Meggison**, Commercial Construction Advisory

Keith Platte, retired

**Current/Active Advisory Board Member

The construction engineering and management program has an active Associated General Contractors student chapter sponsored by the AGC of Colorado chapter. The student chapter has regular meetings, guest speakers from industry, tours construction sites, volunteers with Habitat with Humanity and participates in other activities.

This organization is open to any University of Colorado Denver students interested in construction.

Mission & Goals

The mission of AGC is to provide members a competitive edge through excellence in advocacy, collaboration, leadership, networking, workforce development, and services.

The goal of the student chapter is to support the development of future construction managers by building leadership, ethics, construction knowledge, and industry connections within the student population.

• For more information, contact assistant professor Heidi Brothers​.​​​​

The construction engineering and management program has an active Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) student chapter sponsored by the regional CMAA chapter. The student chapter has regular meetings, hosts guest speakers from industry, tours construction sites, volunteers with Habitat with Humanity and participates in other activities.

This organization is open to any University of Colorado Denver students interested in the construction process.

Mission, Vision & Goals

The mission of CMAA is to promote the profession of construction management and the use of qualified construction managers on capital projects and programs. 

The vision of CMAA is that all owners will realize capital project and program success by using professionally qualified construction managers.

The goal of the student chapter is to support the development of future construction managers by building leadership, ethics, construction knowledge, and industry connections within the student population. 

For more information, contact assistant professor Heidi Brothers​.