College of Engineering and Computer Science • Jonesboro, AR • Online, Campus • $302/Credit (Online, All Students, incl. fees)
Arkansas State University offers 2 construction management pathways:
- B.S. Construction Management (online or campus)
- Certificate in Construction Management
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. (Online) | $36.2K, all students | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| B.S. (Campus) | $50.8K in-state / $85.4K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| Certificate | $7.6K in-state / $12.8K out-of-state | 1 year (2 semesters) | 18 |
Tuition estimates use A-State Online’s per-credit rate and the Jonesboro campus per-credit tuition plus mandatory fees.
- Why choose it: At $302 per credit for students in any state, the online B.S. costs about $36,200, below UA Little Rock’s $42,764 in-state price and John Brown University’s $136,050.
- Trade-off: Only 10 of the degree’s courses (30 of 120 credits) are construction courses; the rest of the major leans on engineering management, programming, and industrial operations, and the program holds no programmatic accreditation.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. Construction Management; Certificate in Construction Management (18 credits) |
| Format | B.S.: Online (7-week courses) or Campus (Jonesboro); Certificate: not clearly stated |
| Credit Hours | B.S. 120 (77 major); Certificate 18 |
| Internship | Required 3-credit internship course; program director approval |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None listed (not on ACCE list) |
| Software Taught | Architectural CAD and BIM courses; software not named |
| Math | College Algebra plus one calculus-level option (or History of Mathematics) |
| Transfer Credit | Up to 90 credits (online) |
| Starts | Online: multiple 7-week terms per year; Campus: fall start listed |
| Tuition | Online $302/credit, all students; Campus $421 in-state / $710 out-of-state incl. fees |
B.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the online B.S. in Construction Management at Arkansas State University is approximately $36,240 (120 credits at $302/credit); the campus version is about $50,750 in-state or $85,430 out-of-state (derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters), derived from 120 credits at 15 credits per semester; transfer credit can shorten it.
Arkansas State houses construction management with its engineering management program, under one program director. The result is a construction degree shaped by engineering management, data, and operations courses.
B.S. Curriculum
The 77-credit major has 24 required courses (one is a choice of safety course) plus one math option. Construction-specific CNMG courses are 30 credits, a quarter of the degree.
- Construction (10 courses, 30 credits): Applied Professional Physics, Strategic Bidding and Estimating, Architectural CAD, Structural Blueprints, Building Information Modeling, Materials and Methods, Green Construction, Construction Management Design I and II, and the Internship.
- Engineering management and operations (9 courses, 27 credits): Project Management and Practice, Engineering Management I, Value Engineering, Facilities Management, Technical Entrepreneurship, Statistics, Operations Systems Research, Quality Assurance, and Industrial or Construction Safety.
- Business (3 courses, 9 credits): Financial Accounting, Principles of Management, and Legal Environment of Business.
- Computing (2 courses, 8 credits): Concepts of Programming and Programming for Data Analysis.
- Math: College Algebra in general education, plus one of Business Calculus, Survey of Calculus, Calculus I-III, Advanced Calculus, or History of Mathematics.
- General education requirements: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Oral Communication.
The program’s own description lists planning and scheduling, contract administration, dispute resolution, and quantity takeoffs as required topics. Estimating has a course; scheduling and construction contracts have none by name and may sit inside Project Management or the Design courses. There is no surveying, statics, structures, or MEP course. A student can also satisfy the safety requirement with Industrial Safety instead of Construction Safety.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog’s 77-credit major and 120-credit total assume a 3-credit math choice; a 4-credit calculus course brings the total to 121.
- The online program page lists 38 general education, 75 major, and 7 elective credits, which does not match the catalog (35, 77, and 5, plus the 3-credit seminar).
- History of Mathematics counts as the upper math option, so calculus is not strictly required.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: CNMG 44063 Construction Management Internship, 3 credits, with evaluation and reports.
- Approval: the program director must approve the placement.
- Hours, pay, and placement help: not clearly stated.
- Capstone: Construction Management Design I and II, a two-course senior sequence.
- Employers and outcomes: no named employers, advisory board, or placement data published.
The credit-bearing internship works well for online students already in the industry, who can often use their own job. Students without construction work will need to find a placement themselves, since no employer network is published. That contrasts with JBU’s built-in field labs and UA Little Rock’s 800-hour requirement backed by named industry sponsors.
B.S. Admissions
Online and campus students apply through separate channels with different first-time requirements.
- Online transfer students: 13 or more transferable credits with a 2.0 GPA; up to 90 credits may transfer.
- Online recent graduates: automatic admission with a 3.0 high school GPA, ACT 19 or SAT 990, or top 20% of class.
- Online adult learners: 5 or more years out of high school with 12 or fewer credits need Accuplacer, ACT, or SAT scores.
- Campus: 3.0 GPA (2.0 for transfers), application, transcripts, and immunization record.
- Program standard: grade of C or better in every major course.
You Should Know
- The campus program page says online and campus students take live classes together, while A-State Online sells 7-week accelerated courses. How campus sections are scheduled is not clearly stated.
- A-State Online does not offer payment plans; each course must be paid in full by its deadline.
Certificate in Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the Certificate in Construction Management at Arkansas State University is approximately $7,578 in-state (18 credits at $421/credit) or $12,780 out-of-state (18 credits at $710/credit), using campus rates.
The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (2 semesters), derived from 18 credits at 9 credits per semester.
The Certificate in Construction Management is six courses taken directly from the B.S. major, so every credit applies toward the bachelor’s.
Certificate Curriculum
- Construction (5 courses, 15 credits): Strategic Bidding and Estimating, Architectural CAD, Structural Blueprints, Building Information Modeling, and Green Construction.
- Management (1 course, 3 credits): Project Management and Practice.
The certificate is weighted toward documents and digital tools: four of six courses cover drawings, CAD, BIM, and estimating. It skips the B.S.’s physics, materials and methods, safety, and internship courses.
You Should Know
- The catalog’s description lists regulatory compliance and planning and scheduling, but no certificate course covers either by name.
- Whether the certificate is offered online at the $302 rate is not clearly stated; if it is, the cost would be about $5,436.
- Federal financial aid eligibility for the certificate is not clearly stated.
Certificate Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: none; the internship course is not part of the certificate.
Students who later finish the B.S. pick up the 3-credit internship there.
Certificate Admissions
No separate certificate admission requirements are stated.
- Prerequisites: several courses are upper-level (3000-4000); course prerequisites are not listed on the certificate page.
Tuition
Arkansas State prices its two formats differently. Online students pay $302 per credit, which A-State says includes all fees and is the same for every state. Campus students pay $337 per credit in-state or $626 out-of-state, plus per-credit fees. See the online program page and the campus tuition and fees page.
| Charge (per credit unless noted) | Online | Campus In-State | Campus Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $302.00 (fees included) | $337.00 | $626.00 |
| Athletic fee | Included | $23.00 | $23.00 |
| Engineering college support fee | Included | $50.00 | $50.00 |
| Renewal fee (Jonesboro courses) | Not applicable | $11.00 | $11.00 |
| Total per credit | $302.00 | $421.00 | $710.00 |
| Activity fee ($25/term, 8 terms) and seminar fee ($30) | Not applicable | $230 | $230 |
| 120-credit B.S. (derived) | $36,240 | $50,750 | $85,430 |
| 18-credit certificate (derived) | $5,436 if offered online | $7,578 | $12,780 |
Be aware that:
- A-State Online’s general tuition page lists a $50/credit required fee (technology, library, identity compliance, and others), while the program page says $302 includes all fees. Confirm whether $302 is the all-in figure before enrolling.
- Campus college support fees vary by the college teaching each course ($35 to $55); the estimate applies the $50 engineering rate to every credit.
- Course fees of $5 to $255 apply to some campus courses; online lab kits (such as for biology) are priced separately.
- Arkansas State lists no border-state tuition waiver for undergraduates, so out-of-state campus students pay the full non-resident rate.
- Application ($30) and graduation ($60) fees are one-time extras.
For students outside Arkansas, the online format is the clear value: $36,240 against $85,430 on campus. For Arkansas residents, online still saves about $14,500 over campus and about $6,500 over UA Little Rock’s in-state B.S., though UA Little Rock’s degree carries ACCE and ABET accreditation that A-State’s does not.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for working adults who want a low-cost, fully online construction bachelor’s and value broad management and operations training over construction depth.
Working adults with transfer credit. Up to 90 transfer credits, 7-week online courses, and a flat $302 rate in any state make A-State cheaper than UA Little Rock in-state and more flexible for transfer students, with a new course starting every few weeks.
Students heading toward operations or facilities roles. Engineering management, value engineering, facilities management, quality assurance, and data-analysis programming suit owner-side, facilities, or industrial project roles as much as general contracting.
Professionals adding credentials. The 18-credit certificate covers estimating, CAD, BIM, and project management, and every course counts toward the B.S. if a student continues.
Students who want an accredited contractor-track degree. This program is the weaker fit. With no ACCE or ABET accreditation, no surveying, structures, or MEP courses, and no named employer network, students targeting general contractors may prefer UA Little Rock or John Brown University, both ACCE-accredited.
Accreditation and Credentials
Arkansas State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility for both online and campus students.
The construction management B.S. does not appear on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13), and Arkansas State’s program pages name no ABET or other programmatic accreditation for it. The Arkansas programs on ACCE’s list are UA Little Rock and John Brown University.
No industry certification, such as OSHA cards or AIC exam preparation, is listed as part of the degree, and Arkansas State does not state that the degree counts toward Arkansas contractor licensing.