Bowen School of Construction, Purdue Polytechnic Institute • West Lafayette and Indianapolis, IN • Campus / Online • $5,282/Semester Flat Rate (In-State Undergraduate, incl. fees)
Purdue University offers 4 construction management pathways:
- B.S. Construction Management (West Lafayette or Indianapolis)
- M.S. Construction Management Technology (campus)
- M.S. Construction Management (online)
- Executive Construction Management Graduate Certificate (online)
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. (West Lafayette) | $42.3K in-state / $117.5K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| B.S. (Indianapolis) | $41.3K in-state / $116.5K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| M.S. (Campus) | $21.1K in-state / $58.7K out-of-state | About 2 years (4 semesters) | 33 |
| M.S. (Online) | $24.8K in-state / $29.9K out-of-state | About 2 years | 33 |
| Graduate Certificate | $6.8K in-state / $8.2K out-of-state | 1 to 2 years | 9 |
Tuition estimates use Purdue’s 2026-27 flat-rate tuition and mandatory fees (including the Polytechnic differential) for campus programs and Purdue Online per-credit rates for online programs.
- Why choose it: Purdue’s ACCE-accredited B.S. offers seven optional concentrations, including healthcare, disaster recovery and demolition, and mechanical and electrical construction, at about $42,300 in-state, and runs at two locations at nearly the same price.
- Trade-off: The B.S. allows each CM course to be repeated only once, and a student who misses the C- standard must change out of the major, so the program carries less margin for a bad semester than its sticker price suggests.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. Construction Management; M.S. Construction Management Technology; online M.S. Construction Management; online graduate certificate |
| Format | B.S. and campus M.S.: Campus; online M.S. and certificate: Online |
| Campus Location | B.S.: West Lafayette or Indianapolis; campus M.S.: West Lafayette |
| Credit Hours | B.S. 120; M.S. 33 (both); certificate 9 |
| Internship | B.S.: 800 hours of AEC work experience required; no internship course |
| Programmatic Accreditation | B.S.: ACCE (Construction Management Technology program) |
| Industry Certifications | Construction Safety course fulfills OSHA 30-Hour Card requirements, per Purdue |
| Math | Precalculus with trigonometry plus a calculus selective |
| Tuition | Flat rate $5,282/semester in-state, $14,683 out-of-state (West Lafayette, incl. fees) |
B.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management at Purdue University is approximately $42,256 in-state or $117,464 out-of-state at West Lafayette (8 semesters at the $5,282 or $14,683 flat rate), and $41,320 or $116,528 at Indianapolis (8 semesters at $5,165 or $14,566).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters), per the catalog’s sample plan; Purdue also offers a three-year “degree in 3” plan through its CM advisors.
The major runs in the Bowen School of Construction at both locations. Indianapolis launched its version for 2026-27 as part of Purdue’s expansion there, with two concentrations not offered in West Lafayette.
B.S. Curriculum
The 120-credit degree holds 65 to 66 credits of CM courses (21 courses), 40 to 54 credits of other required courses, and 0 to 15 elective credits.
- Math and science: MA 15800 Precalculus (Functions and Trigonometry), a calculus selective (Applied Calculus I or higher), General Physics or Modern Mechanics, and a second science.
- Business: Introductory or Business Accounting, Legal Foundations of Business, an economics selective, and a management selective.
- Technical (10 courses): Materials and Methods (6 credits), Surveying, Construction Graphics, Plans and Specifications, Mechanical Construction, Electrical Construction, Statics, Equipment and Field Operations, Soils and Foundations, and BIM for Project Managers and Field Supervision.
- Management (9 courses): Introduction to Construction Management, Estimating and Scheduling, Company Financial Management, Jobsite Management, Construction Safety, Risk Management and Legal Issues, Project Costs and Controls, Project Execution Lab, and a 6-credit Construction Capstone.
- Selectives: two CM selectives (6 credits).
- University core: written and oral communication, humanities, a global selective, an AI working competency course, and the Civics Literacy podcast pathway and test.
The CM core splits close to evenly between technical and management courses, and the business courses outside the major push it toward management. Statics, soils, surveying, physics, and calculus give it more engineering content than a management-only degree, while estimating and scheduling share a single 4-credit course.
Optional concentrations at both locations: Disaster Recovery and Demolition Management, Healthcare Construction Management, Infrastructure Construction Management, Mechanical and Electrical Construction Management, and Residential Construction Management. Indianapolis adds Structures and an Applied Construction Residency. Concentrations fill elective credits; the sample plan holds up to six concentration or elective slots.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog says concentrations “may not be available at all locations”; confirm availability with an advisor.
- The Indianapolis B.S. is new for 2026-27; Purdue’s ACCE statement names the Construction Management Technology program, and whether the accreditation covers the Indianapolis location is not clearly stated.
- The program page credits the Construction Safety course with OSHA 30-Hour Card requirements; the catalog does not say whether students receive the card.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: 800 hours of post-high school architecture, engineering, or construction work experience to graduate.
- What counts: summer jobs, internships, or co-op programs, documented on the school’s Work Experience Form.
- Credit and pay: no internship course or credit; pay depends on the employer.
- Applied Construction Residency (Indianapolis): a three-semester residency with an approved industry partner, built around a three-course Applied Construction Practice sequence.
- Employers named: The Walsh Group, F.A. Wilhelm Construction, Hensel Phelps, and Kiewit appear on the program page as potential employers, not as placement data.
The 800-hour rule works like a pass/fail checkpoint rather than a supervised course: students find and document their own work, usually over summers. Because any AEC work counts, a design or engineering job can fill the requirement, so a student who wants field supervision experience should seek it on purpose. The Indianapolis residency is the only version with a structured, multi-semester employer placement.
B.S. Admissions
The major has strict progression rules that a student should weigh before enrolling.
- Entry: through Purdue admission; internal transfers use the major-change (CODO) process, whose requirements were not reviewed here.
- Grades: C- or better in every CM course, earned before taking the next course in sequence.
- Repeats: each CM course may be repeated only once; any Purdue course may be attempted no more than three times.
- Consequence: a student who fails these standards must transfer out of the School of Construction Management.
- Graduation: 2.0 GPA; 32 upper-level credits in residence at Purdue.
M.S. Construction Management Technology (Campus)
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Construction Management Technology at Purdue University is approximately $21,128 in-state or $58,732 out-of-state (4 semesters at the $5,282 or $14,683 flat rate, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (4 semesters), derived from 33 credits at about 8 credits per semester.
This is the research-track master’s at West Lafayette, for applicants with a bachelor’s in construction management, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
M.S. Curriculum
- Thesis option: at least 27 credits of coursework plus a 6-credit thesis, with a three-member committee.
- Non-thesis option: at least 33 credits of coursework with a one-member committee.
- Required areas (both): a graduate statistics selective (3 credits) and 12 credits of CM courses at the 50000 level or above.
- Thesis track adds: 3 credits of research methods courses and 9 credits of related-area electives.
- Non-thesis track adds: 18 credits of related-area electives.
- Concentration: Computational Science and Engineering is listed as available.
- Grades: B or better in every plan-of-study course.
Only 12 credits must be CM courses, so a student can build much of the degree from statistics, technology, and related fields. That flexibility suits research and teaching goals more than a practitioner seeking a fixed construction curriculum.
You Should Know
- The plan-of-study overview carries a 2019 copyright; confirm current requirements with the graduate office.
- GRE requirements, start terms, and funding are not clearly stated on the program page.
- Optional curricular practical training (TECH 69500) is available; no internship is required.
M.S. Construction Management (Online)
The estimated tuition for the online M.S. in Construction Management at Purdue University is approximately $24,750 in-state or $29,898 out-of-state (33 credits at $750 or $906/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years, per Purdue (“as little as 24 months”), at two courses per semester.
Purdue positions the MSCM as an MBA-style degree focused on running a construction company, taught by industry practitioners.
Online M.S. Curriculum
The degree is 11 courses (33 credits) chosen from a list of 14 three-credit courses; students set an individual plan of study after the first full semester.
- Company management: Construction Operations and Strategic Management, Accounting and Financial Management, Leadership and Marketing, and Training and Development.
- Project management: Preconstruction Project Management, Managing Construction Quality and Production, and Risk Management in Construction.
- Law: Law for Construction Managers.
- Development and sustainability: Real Estate Development Process, Sustainable Site Development, and Value Engineering and Visualization for Sustainability.
- Facilities: Facility Maintenance and Operations, Advanced Study of Facilities Systems, and Advanced Facilities Management.
The course list is almost all management and business, with no estimating, scheduling, or technical systems courses, which fits its target student: someone who already runs projects and wants to move into company leadership. The facilities courses allow a building-operations emphasis.
You Should Know
- The curriculum page labels no course as required, and four courses share the number CM 58100.
- No capstone, thesis, or final project is listed.
Online M.S. Admissions
- Degree: accredited bachelor’s in construction management, civil engineering, architecture, or a closely related field.
- Experience: at least two years of professional construction management experience.
- Tests: GRE not mentioned.
- Prior credit: courses from the Executive Construction Management certificate apply to the MSCM.
Executive Construction Management Graduate Certificate (Online)
The estimated tuition for the online Executive Construction Management Graduate Certificate at Purdue University is approximately $6,750 in-state or $8,154 out-of-state (9 credits at $750 or $906/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 1 to 2 years, per Purdue.
Students choose three courses from the MSCM list, covering topics such as accounting and finance, construction law, preconstruction, risk management, marketing, and company strategy. All 9 credits transfer into the MSCM. Admission requires a construction-related accredited bachelor’s and two full years of construction industry experience, the same as the MSCM.
You Should Know
- Purdue’s 2026-27 online tuition page lists the certificate at 12 credits ($9,000 in-state), while the program and curriculum pages say three courses and 9 credits. This page uses 9 credits; confirm with Purdue.
Tuition
West Lafayette undergraduates and campus graduate students pay a flat $5,282 per semester in-state or $14,683 out-of-state for 8 or more credits, including a $286 Polytechnic differential. Indianapolis undergraduates pay $5,165 or $14,566. Online M.S. and certificate students pay $750 per credit in-state or $906 out-of-state. See the West Lafayette, Indianapolis, and online fee schedules.
| Charge (per semester, 8+ credits) | West Lafayette In-State | West Lafayette Out-of-State | Indianapolis In-State | Indianapolis Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | $4,996 | $14,397 | $4,879 | $14,280 |
| Polytechnic differential | $286 | $286 | $286 | $286 |
| Total per semester | $5,282 | $14,683 | $5,165 | $14,566 |
| B.S. total (8 semesters, derived) | $42,256 | $117,464 | $41,320 | $116,528 |
Be aware that:
- Purdue has frozen base tuition at West Lafayette; the totals assume 2026-27 rates hold for all four years.
- Indianapolis rates include a $20 per-semester student activity fee.
- Part-time students (under 8 credits) pay $347.85 per credit in-state or $948.30 out-of-state, plus a prorated differential.
- The campus M.S. total assumes four full-time semesters; a thesis student who needs more semesters pays more.
- The 800-hour work requirement can mean summers spent working instead of in summer classes, which can affect a degree-in-3 plan.
The B.S. costs about $42,300 in-state at West Lafayette, and Indianapolis saves about $936 over four years. That is about $8,100 less than Purdue Global’s online business degree with a construction concentration for Indiana residents ($50,400). For out-of-state students the price rises to about $117,500, so the campus degree is mainly an in-state value.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for students who want an ACCE-accredited, engineering-leaning construction degree at an in-state public price, or a working construction professional who wants an online master’s in company leadership.
Choosing the B.S. Pick the B.S. for its concentrations and math depth. Students who know their sector (healthcare, infrastructure, MEP, residential, or demolition) can shape the degree around it, and Indianapolis students can add a three-semester industry residency.
Choosing a master’s. The campus M.S. is a flexible research degree with only 12 required CM credits. The online MSCM is the practitioner’s choice: company finance, law, marketing, and strategy for people with two years of experience. The certificate is a 9-credit trial run that counts fully toward it.
What to weigh. The B.S. progression rules leave little room for repeating a course, and the 800 hours are found by the student. Nonresidents pay about 2.8 times the in-state price for the B.S.
Accreditation and Credentials
Purdue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
Purdue’s Construction Management Technology program appears on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13), and Purdue states that the CM major is part of that accredited program. The same ACCE list still shows IUPUI’s former construction management program as a separate entry; whether accreditation carries to the new Purdue Indianapolis major is not clearly stated, so Indianapolis students should confirm. Purdue names no programmatic accreditation for the M.S. degrees or the certificate.
The program page says the Construction Safety course fulfills OSHA 30-Hour Card requirements. Purdue does not state that any program counts toward Indiana contractor licensing.