School of Architecture and Interior Design • Miami, FL • Campus • $118.22/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Miami Dade College offers 2 construction management pathways:
- Building Construction Specialist Certificate
- A.S. in Building Construction Technology
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | $2.1K in-state / $7.2K out-of-state | 1 year (2 semesters) | 18 |
| A.S. | $7.1K in-state / $24.2K out-of-state | 2 years (4 semesters) | 60 |
Tuition estimates use Miami Dade College’s current per-credit tuition plus mandatory fees for associate and certificate programs.
- Why choose it: The A.S. requires both Building Construction Law and Building Construction Financing, alongside two-part estimating and codes. The 18-credit certificate adds a required employer-graded co-op, and 16 of its credits are required A.S. courses.
- Trade-off: The A.S. has no internship, no named software beyond a CAD course, and no named bachelor’s transfer agreement. MDC does not say which campus hosts the A.S.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | Building Construction Specialist College Credit Certificate; A.S. in Building Construction Technology |
| Format | Campus (MDC also describes an online competency-based certificate option) |
| Campus Location | Certificate: North and Kendall campuses. A.S.: not clearly stated |
| Credit Hours | 18 (certificate); 60 (A.S.) |
| Internship | Certificate: required 3-credit co-op. A.S.: none listed |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None stated |
| Software Taught | Not named; A.S. includes Computer Aided Drafting 1 |
| Industry Certifications | None embedded |
| Transfer Pathway | No named A.S.-to-bachelor’s agreement |
| Math Requirement | A.S.: College Algebra plus Trigonometry |
| Tuition | $118.22/credit in-state; $402.51/credit out-of-state |
Building Construction Specialist Certificate
The estimated tuition for the Building Construction Specialist Certificate at Miami Dade College is approximately $2,127.96 (18 credits at $118.22/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (2 semesters).
Official program: Building Construction Specialist College Credit Certificate (program code 66025).
Certificate Curriculum
All six courses are construction or drawing courses. There is no general education.
- Drawing: ARC 1126C Architectural Drawing 1 (4 credits; 32 lecture and 64 lab hours)
- Plans reading: BCN 1272 Building Construction Plans Interpretation 1; BCN 1275 Building Construction Plans Interpretation 2 (multi-story residential and commercial sets)
- Estimating: BCT 1770 Building Construction Estimating Fundamentals (a simple residential estimate); BCT 1771 Building Construction Advanced Estimating (direct, indirect, and overhead costs, plus commercial bid proposals)
- Field experience: ARC 1949 Co-op Work Experience 1
The certificate is narrow by design: plans reading, estimating, and one drafting course. It points toward estimating assistant and project office roles, not field supervision. There is no scheduling, safety, codes, or law course.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- ⚠️ MDC publishes 18 credits, but the catalog’s course credits add to 19 (4 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3). The second semester lists 9 credits against a stated 8. Confirm the total with an advisor; 19 credits would cost $2,246.18 in-state.
- Five of the six courses, 16 credits, are required courses in MDC’s A.S. in Building Construction Technology. The co-op is the only course outside the A.S. core. Because it carries an ARC prefix, it may fill the A.S.’s ARC/BCN/BCT elective; confirm with an advisor.
- MDC’s program page says the certificate is also offered fully online as a self-paced competency-based program (MDC Accelerate). The catalog record lists the modality as in-person only. Pricing and start dates for the online version are not clearly stated.
- MDC lists construction laborer and trade helper roles as career outcomes. Those are entry-level field jobs, broader than the office focus of the coursework.
Certificate Internship and Field Experience
- Required: ARC 1949 Co-op Work Experience 1 (3 credits)
- Hours: 48, per the course record
- Grading: based on documented learning and goal achievement, reported by both the student and the employer
- Entry: departmental approval; MDC recommends a 2.0 GPA and 6 credits in the major or approved work experience
- Paid status, placement support, and employer partners: not clearly stated
The co-op puts an employer evaluation on the transcript within one year. At 48 hours, it is a short placement, so treat it as an introduction to a contractor’s office rather than full job training. Students already working in construction may be able to use their current employer.
Certificate Admissions
Admission is open, but the co-op needs department approval.
- MDC is open-access for high school graduates or equivalent
- No program-specific prerequisites are listed for the first semester
- BCT 1770 requires BCN 1272; BCT 1771 requires BCN 1275 and BCT 1770
A.S. in Building Construction Technology
The estimated tuition for the A.S. in Building Construction Technology at Miami Dade College is approximately $7,093.20 (60 credits at $118.22/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (4 semesters).
Official program: Building Construction Technology Associate in Science (program code 26033). Duration is derived from 60 credits at 15 credits per semester; MDC’s program page leaves length blank.
A.S. Curriculum
The 60 credits split into 15 credits of general education, 42 required major credits, and a 3-credit major elective.
- Law and finance: BCT 1743 Building Construction Law; BCT 1750 Building Construction Financing
- Estimating: BCT 1770 Estimating Fundamentals; BCT 1771 Advanced Estimating
- Plans and codes: BCN 1272 and BCN 1275 Plans Interpretation 1 and 2; BCT 2760 Building Code Regulations
- Drafting and design: ARC 1126C Architectural Drawing 1; ARC 2171 Computer Aided Drafting 1
- Materials and systems: ARC 2461 Architectural Materials and Construction 1; ARC 2681 Environmental Technology
- Math and surveying: MAC 1105 College Algebra (general education); MAC 1114 Trigonometry and SUR 1001C Construction Survey (major)
- Elective (3 credits): any ARC, BCN, or BCT course, CGS 1060C, or ETM 1700 Air Conditioning Fundamentals
Seven of the 13 required major courses are management-side: law, financing, codes, estimating, and plans reading. Four are drafting, materials, or environmental courses taught through the architecture side, which reflects the program’s home in the School of Architecture and Interior Design. The math runs through trigonometry, with surveying as its applied use.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- College Algebra requires MAT 1033 first. Students who place below College Algebra add a course before the math sequence starts.
- No scheduling, project management, or safety course is required, though MDC lists job coordinator and project manager as career paths.
- MDC’s program sheet is dated Fall 2024. The program page lists no tuition, credits, or campus.
A.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Internship: none listed in the degree requirements
- Credits, hours, and paid status: not applicable
- Placement support and employer partners: not clearly stated
Students who complete the certificate first carry its co-op on their transcript. Students who enter the A.S. directly finish without supervised field experience and should plan to find construction office or site work on their own.
A.S. Admissions
Admission is open, with math placement as the main variable.
- MDC is open-access for high school graduates or equivalent
- Computer competency is met by test or by CGS 1060C
- Florida’s statewide articulation agreements award 3 credits toward a Building Construction Technology A.S. for a current LEED Professional or NCCER Construction Technology credential. MDC’s A.S. carries a different CIP variant than the one listed, so confirm eligibility with MDC.
Tuition
Miami Dade College charges $82.78 per credit in tuition plus $35.44 in fees for Florida residents, a total of $118.22. Non-residents pay $331.11 in tuition plus $71.40 in fees, a total of $402.51. The same rate applies to associate degrees and college credit certificates.
| Item | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $82.78 | $331.11 |
| Student services fee | $8.28 | $8.28 |
| Financial aid fee | $4.14 | $16.56 |
| Capital improvement fee | $15.88 | $27.00 |
| Technology fee | $4.14 | $16.56 |
| Parking fee | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Total per credit | $118.22 | $402.51 |
| Certificate (18 credits) | $2,127.96 | $7,245.18 |
| A.S. (60 credits) | $7,093.20 | $24,150.60 |
MDC’s own certificate estimate, $2,127.96, matches 18 credits at the resident rate. Full rates are on MDC’s tuition and fees page.
Be aware that:
- Certificate course user fees add $65: $25 for ARC 1126C and $10 each for BCN 1272, BCN 1275, BCT 1770, and BCT 1771. Fees for the other A.S. courses are not clearly stated.
- The $3 parking fee is waived for MDC Online and MDC Live courses. MDC mentions separate online fees and a nonresident online rate without listing them.
- If the certificate’s course credits (19) are correct, the in-state total rises to $2,246.18.
- An older MDC gainful-employment disclosure lists $3,783 in-state and $12,880 out-of-state for the certificate, plus $750 in books. It is undated and does not match current rates.
- Rates are set annually by the Florida Legislature and MDC’s trustees.
A Florida resident should budget about $2,200 for the certificate and about $7,200 for the A.S. before books and math prerequisites. Starting with the certificate adds at most 3 credits (about $355) to the A.S. total, and none if MDC counts the co-op as the A.S. elective.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for Miami-Dade students headed for a contractor’s office, where contracts, draw schedules, and bids matter more than field supervision.
What the A.S. gains: Law, financing, two-part estimating, and codes give graduates the business side of a project. Trigonometry and surveying add a technical layer that most office roles will not use daily but that helps with site layout and takeoffs.
What it gives up: There is no scheduling, safety, or project management course, and no internship in the A.S. itself. Students can close that gap by finishing the certificate first; its co-op sits outside the A.S. core but may count as the major elective.
What it does not solve: MDC names no A.S.-to-bachelor’s agreement. UF’s Rinker School transfer sheet for MDC students requires an A.A. degree, not this A.S., so transfer-bound students should compare the A.A. route before enrolling.
Accreditation and Credentials
Miami Dade College is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). That accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer between regionally accredited schools.
MDC does not state programmatic accreditation for either construction pathway. Most two-year construction programs are not ACCE-accredited, so this is not unusual at the certificate or associate level.
MDC does not name embedded industry certifications or contractor-license credit for either program. Florida’s statewide articulation agreements run the other direction: a current LEED Professional or NCCER Construction Technology credential can earn 3 credits toward a Building Construction Technology A.S. or the Building Construction Specialist certificate, subject to MDC’s confirmation.