Department of Construction Management and Interior Design, Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning • Muncie, IN • Campus • $11,242/Year (In-State, incl. fees)
Ball State University offers one construction management program: the Major in Construction Management (B.A. or B.S.), with a required minor in business administration.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.A./B.S. | $45.0K in-state / $119.2K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use Ball State’s 2026-27 on-campus tuition plus mandatory fees.
- Why choose it: Ball State requires two credit-bearing internships of at least 400 hours and 10 weeks each, and past interns have worked for contractors such as Hensel Phelps, Messer, Pepper Construction, Shiel Sexton, and Whiting-Turner.
- Trade-off: The math stops at Quantitative Reasoning and Conceptual Physics, with no trigonometry, calculus, or statics, so the degree is lighter on engineering than an ACCE program that requires calculus.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.A. or B.S. in Construction Management |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Muncie |
| Credit Hours | 120 (81 major + 15 business minor + university core) |
| Internship | Two required, each 400+ hours and 10+ weeks; 6 credits total |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE |
| Software Taught | Autodesk Revit and Navisworks (per computer requirements); CAD course; BIM elective |
| Placement | “100% job placement since 2014,” per Ball State |
| Tuition | $11,242/year in-state; $29,790 out-of-state (incl. fees) |
B.A./B.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the Major in Construction Management at Ball State University is approximately $44,968 in-state or $119,160 out-of-state (4 years at $11,242 or $29,790, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters), derived from 120 credits at 15 credits per semester; the internships typically fall in summers.
The department sits in the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, alongside interior design, architecture, and planning programs.
B.A./B.S. Curriculum
The 81-credit major has 55 credits of required construction courses (18 courses, including 6 internship credits), 9 credits of math and science, and 17 credits of technical electives. The 15-credit business minor is required.
- Math and science: MATH 125 Quantitative Reasoning, PHYC 100 Conceptual Physics, and Water Resources or Soil Resources.
- Management (9 courses): Introduction to Construction, Technical Presentation, Ethics in Construction, Estimating, Planning and Scheduling, Construction Safety, Construction Project Management, Construction Finance and Law, and the Capstone.
- Technical (8 courses): CAD for Construction Management, Construction Documents, Site Preparation, Introduction to Sustainable Construction (1 credit), Methods and Materials, Mechanical Construction Management, Electrical Construction Management, and Structural Mechanics.
- Technical electives (17 credits): from BIM, Construction Technology, Specifications, Highway Construction, Sustainable Construction, Project Field Management, special topics, and independent study.
- Business minor: Financial Accounting, Business Law, Managing Behavior in Organizations, Microeconomics, and one business elective.
- Exit requirement: an exit survey.
Required courses split close to evenly between management and technical work, but the business minor and the open technical electives let a student tilt the degree either way. BIM is an elective, not a requirement. Ethics and technical presentation each get a full required course.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog lists 96 credits for the major and minor; the 120-credit total comes from the program page, with university core courses filling the rest. How much the math and science courses overlap with the core is not clearly stated.
- Ball State offers both a B.A. and a B.S. in the major; the catalog does not spell out what separates them for construction students.
B.A./B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: two internships, taken as CM 380 Internship in Construction Management (3 credits each, 6 credits total).
- Length: each internship must be at least 400 hours and at least 10 weeks of work, per the department’s internship page.
- Pay and placement: not clearly stated; the college runs a job and internship fair.
- Past employers: AECOM Hunt, Bowen Engineering, Hensel Phelps, Messer Construction, Pepper Construction, RL Turner, Shiel Sexton, Whiting-Turner, Wilhelm Construction, and others, per Ball State.
- Outcomes: “100% job placement since 2014,” per Ball State; no survey method or response rate is published.
Two full summer internships put about 800 hours of supervised work on a graduate’s résumé, earned for credit. A student who works with two different contractors also sees two company cultures before choosing a first job, which matters more for a new graduate than for a working tradesperson.
You Should Know
- The major’s program page says the two internships total at least 400 hours and 10 weeks; the internship page says each one must meet that minimum. Confirm with the department.
B.A./B.S. Admissions
Students enter through regular Ball State admission; no separate application to the major is stated.
- Program gate: not clearly stated in the catalog.
- Computer: students need a laptop that runs Autodesk Revit and Navisworks.
- Delivery: on campus in Muncie only; no online version of the major.
Tuition
Ball State charges $8,948 a year in tuition for Indiana residents plus $2,294 in mandatory fees, for $11,242. Out-of-state students pay $27,496 in tuition plus the same fees, for $29,790. See Ball State’s tuition and fees page.
| Charge (2026-27, fall and spring) | Indiana Resident | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $8,948 | $27,496 |
| Student services fee | $1,454 | $1,454 |
| University technology fee | $300 | $300 |
| Health fee | $206 | $206 |
| Recreation center fee | $174 | $174 |
| Course fees | $160 | $160 |
| Total per year | $11,242 | $29,790 |
| 4-year total (derived) | $44,968 | $119,160 |
Be aware that:
- Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education lists Ball State’s resident tuition and mandatory fees as unchanged from 2024-25 through 2026-27; later years are not set.
- Internship credits taken in summer may be billed separately from the fall and spring rate; summer pricing is not clearly stated.
- A laptop able to run Revit and Navisworks is an added cost.
- Reduced nonresident rates, if any, are not shown on the tuition page.
At about $45,000 in-state, Ball State costs about $2,700 more over four years than Purdue’s West Lafayette B.S. ($42,256). Out-of-state, the two are within about $1,700 ($119,160 vs. $117,464). Paid internships can offset part of the cost, though Ball State does not publish pay data.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for students who want structured, credit-bearing field experience and a construction-and-business degree without calculus.
Against Purdue. Both are ACCE accredited and priced within a few thousand dollars. Purdue requires precalculus, a calculus course, physics, statics, and soils, and asks students to document 800 work hours on their own. Ball State requires two internship courses and a business minor but stops at quantitative reasoning and conceptual physics. A student weaker in math, or aiming at estimating and project management rather than field engineering, will find Ball State’s path easier to finish.
What it gives up. Ball State offers one campus program with no concentrations and no online option. BIM is elective. Students wanting heavy civil or structures depth have fewer required courses here.
Accreditation and Credentials
Ball State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The construction management program is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education, per Ball State, and appears on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13). Ball State links its ACCE public disclosures from the program page.
No industry certification is named as part of the degree. Ball State does not state that the degree counts toward Indiana contractor licensing.