Steve Sanghi College of Engineering • Flagstaff, AZ • Campus • $479/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Northern Arizona University offers one construction management pathway: the Construction Management, Bachelor of Science.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $57.5K in-state / $75.0K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use NAU’s published 2026-27 Flagstaff tuition, mandatory fees, and college fees, with the fall 2027 nonresident rate for out-of-state students.
- Why choose it: NAU’s ACCE-accredited B.S. builds the business side into the degree, with a required 15-unit accounting, economics, and management block (or a full 24-unit Business minor), plus three integrated labs that carry one building project through the program.
- Trade-off: The internship is an elective, not a requirement, and every course is taught in person in Flagstaff, with many CM courses offered only once a year.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Construction Management |
| Format | Campus (all CM courses in person; no online degree) |
| Campus Location | Flagstaff only |
| Credit Hours | 120 minimum |
| Internship | Elective CM 408 (3 credits, 192 hours minimum); student-found |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE (baccalaureate) |
| Software Taught | AutoCAD and SolidWorks in engineering CADD lab; construction software not named |
| Industry Certifications | None embedded |
| Transfer Pathway | CCC2NAU joint admission (Coconino Community College) |
| Tuition | $14,377/yr in-state; $18,757/yr nonresident from fall 2027 |
| Math Requirement | MAT 125 or MAT 136, plus two physics courses |
Construction Management (B.S.)
The estimated tuition for the Construction Management B.S. at Northern Arizona University is approximately $57,508 in-state (120 credits at about $479/credit, derived from four years at $14,377).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
B.S. Curriculum
The major runs 98 to 109 units: 20-21 preprofessional, 63-64 CM, and 15-24 business. Every major course needs a C or better.
- Math and science: MAT 125 or MAT 136 (catalog lists MAT 125 as the highest math required), plus two physics courses with labs (PHY 111/112 or PHY 161/262).
- Technical core (11 courses, 33-34 units): Construction Methods I-II, Construction Graphics, Introduction to Structural Design, Concrete and Masonry Systems, Structural Steel System, Mechanical Systems, Soils and Construction Equipment, Infrastructure Methods, CM 426 or CM 460, and surveying (CM 253 or CENE 286).
- Management core (6 courses, 18 units): Estimating and Bidding, Construction Scheduling, Safety and Risk Management, Construction Operations, Construction Administration, and Writing for Project Managers.
- Business block (5 courses, 15 units): ACC 205, ACC 255, ACC 256, ECO 280, and MGT 303. Students may instead complete the 24-unit Business minor.
- Integrated labs: CM 200L, 300L, and 400L (1 unit each), the Construct for Practice (C4P) sequence.
- Foundation and capstone: CM 120, CM 130 Computing in Construction, CST 111, and CM 490C Construction Integration/Capstone.
- Electives: 6 units from a list that includes CM 408 (internship) and CM 405 (competition).
Counted by course, the degree is balanced: 11 technical courses (33-34 units) against 11 management and business courses (33 units). The structural content is substantial for a CM degree, with dedicated steel, concrete and masonry, and structural design courses, at a precalculus-level math ceiling. The business block is what sets the mix apart. Three accounting courses give graduates the cost-control base that estimating and project-controls roles lean on.
The C4P labs matter for a different reason. NAU says the sequence, in place since 2012, has student teams design and manage all facets of one building project, so estimating, scheduling, and systems courses feed a shared deliverable rather than standing alone.
You Should Know
- NAU’s advising page says many CM courses are moving to a once-a-year rotation. Its chart lists the capstone (CM 490C) in spring only and estimating, scheduling, and construction administration in fall only. A failed or missed course can delay graduation by a year.
- That advising page says 2021-22 and later students take CM 426 plus three electives. The 2026-27 catalog lists CM 426 or CM 460 plus 6 elective units (two courses). Confirm with an advisor; the catalog governs.
- The rotation chart is partly stale (CM 331 is marked “2017”) and omits CM 260 and CM 426.
- The catalog’s purpose statement names business law and construction law, but no required law course appears in the major list. Coverage is not clearly stated.
- The Business minor adds 9 units over the elective block. Whether it fits within 120 units depends on general electives; check a degree plan before committing.
More curriculum details are available here.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Status: Elective. The catalog lists fieldwork as “Recommended”; CM 408 fills one elective slot and cannot replace a required course.
- Credits and hours: 3 credits; minimum 6 weeks and 192 hours of direct work.
- Placement: Student-found. The employer must sign an NAU affiliation agreement (valid 5 years).
- Paid status: Paid or unpaid; NAU’s agreement covers both.
- Requirements: Weekly reports signed by a supervisor, a written paper, an exit interview, and a video presentation. Summer applications are due April 15.
- Employer access: NAU says more than 50 employers attend a CM-only career fair each semester. Sponsor firms are not named in text on the source pages.
NAU says most CM students complete two to three internships and that 90% of graduating seniors have full-time jobs by graduation. Neither figure carries a year or source. The structure still favors students who line up summer work early. A student who skips internships graduates with only the C4P lab as project experience, while ASU requires 640 internship hours.
B.S. Admissions
No separate application to the CM major is stated; admission follows NAU’s standard undergraduate process.
- Freshmen: Standard NAU admission to the Flagstaff campus.
- Transfer credit: The department does not apply transfer credit to 300-level or higher CM-prefix courses. Upper-division CM work must be taken at NAU.
- Work experience: No degree credit for prior work experience. Business, engineering, math, or science substitutions are reviewed case by case.
- Community college: CCC2NAU offers joint admission for Coconino Community College students. Other Arizona colleges are covered by NAU’s general 2NAU program, with no CM-specific map published.
- Residency: At least 30 units through NAU, 18 of them upper-division.
Tuition
NAU charges flat annual tuition for full-time undergraduates in Flagstaff: $12,000 for Arizona residents in 2026-27, plus $1,625 in mandatory fees and $752 in college fees, for $14,377 a year (about $479/credit at 30 credits a year).
| Cost Component (per year) | AZ Resident | Nonresident 2026-27 | Nonresident from Fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $12,000 | $30,000 | $16,000 |
| Mandatory fees | $1,625 | $1,625 | $1,625* |
| College fees | $752 | $1,132 | $1,132* |
| Annual total | $14,377 | $32,757 | $18,757 |
| 4-year B.S. (derived) | $57,508 | n/a | $75,028 |
*2027-28 fees are not yet published; 2026-27 fees are carried forward.
- Arizona residents: $57,508 for four years (4 × $14,377).
- Nonresidents starting fall 2027: $75,028 (4 × $18,757) under the new Flagstaff Advantage Rate (FAR).
- Nonresidents starting fall 2026: about $89,028 (one year at $32,757, then three at $18,757). NAU says all current nonresident undergraduates move to the $16,000 rate in fall 2027.
Be aware that:
- College fees vary by program across three tiers. NAU’s $752/$1,132 figures are published estimates; the tier assigned to Construction Management is not clearly stated.
- NAU’s undergraduate tuition page shows different 2026-27 figures ($1,622 fees, $500 median college fee). This page uses the more detailed 2026-27 tuition-and-fees table.
- WUE students also pay $16,000 from fall 2027, so WUE no longer beats FAR.
- Automatic first-year merit scholarships ($2,500-$6,500/yr for nonresidents; up to $11,000 for residents) are not deducted here. Nonresident awards require first-year campus housing and a meal plan.
- Summer credits (including a for-credit CM 408 taken in summer) are billed separately; summer rates are not clearly stated.
- Tuition is set yearly by the Arizona Board of Regents; totals beyond 2027-28 assume flat rates.
For Arizona residents, NAU’s four-year cost runs about $3,500 below ASU’s Tempe estimate ($61,056). The larger gap is out of state. Under FAR, a nonresident pays about $75,000 at NAU against roughly $159,650 at ASU Tempe and $87,910 for ASU’s online degree. Living costs in Flagstaff and required first-year housing sit on top. See NAU’s 2026-27 tuition and fees and Flagstaff Advantage Rate pages.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for students who want an ACCE bachelor’s with real accounting depth and are willing to move to Flagstaff for an in-person program.
Against ASU. Arizona State University also holds ACCE accreditation and teaches similar structures and MEP content at a comparable math level. ASU requires two 320-hour internships and offers an online version. NAU makes the internship optional, adds a required accounting block, and stays campus-only. For out-of-state students starting in fall 2027, NAU’s estimated total is less than half of ASU Tempe’s.
Against UA and community college routes. The University of Arizona offers construction coursework only as an emphasis inside an ABET civil engineering degree, a different credential with calculus through differential equations. Maricopa’s transfer specialization maps to ASU, not NAU. Coconino students have the clearest NAU route through CCC2NAU.
What it does not solve. Working adults who cannot relocate have no online or evening option here. Students who need a guaranteed internship structure will have to build their own through the career fairs.
Accreditation and Credentials
Northern Arizona University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Institutional accreditation supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The Construction Management B.S. is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) and appears on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13). ACCE accreditation signals that the curriculum meets industry-set standards for estimating, scheduling, safety, law, and project control. Many employers recruit directly from ACCE programs.
No industry certifications (OSHA, LEED, AIC) are embedded in the degree. Students can join chapters of AGC, NAHB, NAWIC, LCI, DBIA, and Sigma Lambda Chi, and compete in the Associated Schools of Construction competition through CM 205 and CM 405. NAU does not state any Arizona contractor-licensing benefit tied to the degree.