Nine Colorado public colleges and universities offer construction management credentials profiled on this site: Aims Community College, Arapahoe Community College, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Colorado State University Pueblo, the Community College of Aurora, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. Three schools offer certificates, four offer associate degrees, six offer bachelor’s degrees, and two offer master’s degrees. Colorado State’s B.S. is the state’s only program on ACCE’s accredited list; CU Denver’s construction bachelor’s degrees are ABET accredited, and Mines’ new construction engineering B.S. is seeking ABET accreditation.
Estimated in-state costs run about $6.6K to $16.9K for an associate degree, $45K to $65.4K for most bachelor’s degrees, $92K for Mines’ engineering B.S., and $22.3K to $25.5K for a master’s. Short certificates run from under $1K to about $10.4K.
Colorado Construction Management Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Credentials | Format | Credits | Est. In-State Tuition | Program Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aims Community College | Greeley, CO | Associate, Certificate | Hybrid | 6–60 | $655–$6,553 | None stated |
| Arapahoe Community College | Littleton, CO | Associate, Certificate | Campus | 16–63 | $3,418–$13,070 | None stated |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | Associate, Bachelor's | Campus | 63–120 | $16,861–$44,990 | None stated |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | Bachelor's | Campus | 127 | $92,024 | None stated |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | Bachelor's, Master's | Campus | 30–120 | $22,275–$63,726 | ACCE |
| Colorado State University Pueblo | Pueblo, CO | Bachelor's | Campus, Online | 120 | $51,483–$52,800 | None stated |
| Community College of Aurora | Aurora, CO | Associate | Campus | 60 | $12,598 | None stated |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver, CO | Bachelor's | Campus | 120 | $47,937 | None stated |
| University of Colorado Denver | Denver, CO | Bachelor's, Certificate, Master's | Campus, Online | 12–128 | $10,438–$65,362 | ABET ANSAC |
Costs are estimated program totals (credits × per-credit tuition plus mandatory fees, after the College Opportunity Fund stipend for residents) from each school’s profile. Aims figures are in-district. Ranges cover all of a school’s construction management pathways.
Best Colorado Construction Management Programs by Goal
- ACCE accreditation: Colorado State University’s B.S. in Fort Collins is the only Colorado program on ACCE’s list, with a required full-semester internship placed through its Phelps Placement Office. About $63.7K in-state.
- ABET and two tracks in Denver: CU Denver offers an ABET-accredited management B.S. and an engineering B.S. on one construction core, both with a 12-week required internship. About $61.4K to $65.4K in-state.
- Construction engineering: Colorado School of Mines’ B.S. runs through Calculus III, structural analysis, and foundation engineering. About $92K in-state; ABET review is pending.
- Lowest-cost bachelor’s: Colorado Mesa University’s B.S. in Grand Junction costs about $45K in-state, with an in-house A.A.S. that shares six courses with it.
- Online bachelor’s for any state: CSU Pueblo’s B.S. is offered online at $440 per credit for every student, about $52.8K in total.
- Apprentices and tradespeople: MSU Denver’s B.A. gives transfer credit for DOL Registered Apprenticeships and Emily Griffith Technical College training, and apprenticeship credit replaces the internship. About $47.9K in-state.
- Lowest-cost associate degree: Aims Community College’s A.A.S. in Greeley costs about $6.6K for Aims district residents ($9.9K for other Coloradans) and includes statics and soil mechanics.
- Safety training built in: the Community College of Aurora’s A.A.S. requires a 30-hour construction industry standards course. About $12.6K in-state.
- Small contractors: Arapahoe Community College’s A.A.S. adds small business management, accounting, and two law courses, with 16- and 24-credit certificates as starting points. About $13.1K in-state.
- Online master’s for non-engineers: CU Denver’s 30-credit M.Eng. in Construction Engineering and Management is fully online for about $25.5K in-state or $29.5K for nonresidents.
Colorado Construction Management Programs by Degree Level
Certificates
| School | Program | Format | Credits | Est. In-State Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aims Community College | Basics of Construction Management (one of six short certificates) | Hybrid | 6 | $655 in-district |
| Arapahoe Community College | Construction Management Estimating Certificate | Campus | 16 | $3.4K |
| Arapahoe Community College | Construction Management Fundamentals Certificate | Campus | 24 | $5.1K |
| CU Denver | Graduate Certificate in Construction Project Management | Online courses (format not stated) | 12 | $10.4K |
The community college certificates stack into their schools’ A.A.S. degrees; every course in Arapahoe’s Fundamentals certificate counts toward its A.A.S. CU Denver’s certificate is a graduate credential for bachelor’s holders and counts toward its online M.Eng.
Associate Degrees
| School | Program | Format | Math | Est. In-State Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aims Community College | A.A.S. Construction Management (60 credits) | Hybrid | Technical Math or College Algebra | $6.6K in-district, $9.9K in-state |
| Community College of Aurora | A.A.S. Construction Management (60 credits) | Campus | Career Mathematics | $12.6K |
| Arapahoe Community College | A.A.S. Construction Management (63 credits) | Campus | Technical Mathematics | $13.1K |
| Colorado Mesa University | A.A.S. Construction Technology, Supervision (63 credits) | Campus | Career Math | $16.9K |
- Focus: Aims leans technical (statics, soils, physics, CAD); Arapahoe leans toward running a business; CCA toward supervision and safety; Colorado Mesa toward supervision with a path into its own B.S.
- Field experience: Arapahoe requires a 1-credit internship and CCA an internship or capstone; Aims and Colorado Mesa offer internships only as electives or not at all.
- Next step: only Colorado Mesa connects its associate degree to a construction bachelor’s at the same school. The other three name no transfer agreement.
You Should Know
- ACCE’s 2024 report lists no Colorado associate programs.
- The Arapahoe, Aurora, and Colorado Mesa degrees do not require College Algebra, which a bachelor’s program will usually expect.
Bachelor’s Degrees
| School | Program | Format | Accreditation | Est. In-State Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Mesa University | B.S. Construction Management | Campus | None stated | $45.0K |
| MSU Denver | B.A. Construction Project Management | Campus | None stated | $47.9K |
| CSU Pueblo | B.S. Construction Management | Campus or Online | None stated | $51.5K campus, $52.8K online |
| CU Denver | B.S. Construction Management | Campus | ABET ANSAC | $61.4K |
| Colorado State University | B.S. Construction Management | Campus | ACCE | $63.7K |
| CU Denver | B.S. Construction Engineering and Management | Campus | ABET EAC and ANSAC (per CU Denver) | $65.4K |
| Colorado School of Mines | B.S. Construction Engineering | Campus | Seeking ABET EAC | $92.0K |
- Field experience: Colorado State requires a full-semester internship (3 credits with 400 documented hours); CU Denver requires 12 weeks full time; MSU Denver requires a 3-credit internship unless the student brings apprenticeship credit. Colorado Mesa, CSU Pueblo, and Mines do not require one.
- Math: Mines reaches differential equations and CU Denver’s engineering B.S. reaches Calculus II. Colorado State and Colorado Mesa require trigonometry; CSU Pueblo stops at College Algebra; MSU Denver requires one quantitative course.
- Technical depth: Mines, CU Denver, Colorado State, CSU Pueblo, and Colorado Mesa all include statics or structures courses; MSU Denver’s B.A. has none and leans toward facilities and real estate.
- Out-of-state cost: CSU Pueblo online $52.8K for any state; Colorado Mesa $113.8K; MSU Denver $131.8K; Colorado State $158K; CU Denver $160.8K to $171.3K; Mines $192K. WUE rates cut costs for western-state residents at several schools.
You Should Know
- CU Denver’s accreditation page describes its engineering B.S. as both accredited and “pursuing” ABET accreditation; the ABET directory was not checked.
- CSU Pueblo’s program page lists 130 credits and three emphases that its catalog does not show.
- Colorado State admits students to the major only after a Pre-Construction Management stage with GPA and grade requirements.
Master’s Degrees
| School | Program | Format | Credits | Est. In-State Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University | M.S. Construction Management (thesis or research paper) | Campus | 30 | $22.3K |
| CU Denver | M.Eng. Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management | Online or Campus | 30 | $25.5K |
The two degrees serve different students. Colorado State’s M.S. is a research degree with required research methods and a journal submission, suited to future researchers and teachers. CU Denver’s M.Eng. is a coursework degree for non-engineering bachelor’s holders, fully online, at $29.5K for nonresidents. CSU Pueblo and Colorado Mesa also offer 3+2 B.S./MBA routes.
Construction Management Programs by Colorado Region
Denver Metro
- University of Colorado Denver, Denver (bachelor’s, master’s, graduate certificate)
- Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver (bachelor’s)
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden (bachelor’s)
- Arapahoe Community College, Littleton (associate, certificates)
- Community College of Aurora, Aurora (associate)
Northern Colorado
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins (bachelor’s, master’s)
- Aims Community College, Greeley (associate, certificates)
Southern Colorado
- Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo (bachelor’s, also online)
Western Slope
- Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction (associate, bachelor’s)
Online Statewide
- CSU Pueblo’s online B.S. and CU Denver’s online M.Eng.; Aims’ A.A.S. mixes on-site and online instruction.
The University of Denver, a private university, offers construction management only as a concentration and minor inside its business degree, so it is not profiled here.
Colorado Contractor Licensing and Where a Degree Fits
Colorado does not license general contractors at the state level; cities and counties do. The state licenses electricians and plumbers through boards in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). In the local building licenses reviewed for this page, a construction management degree does not count toward the experience requirement.
Local Building Contractor Licenses
- Denver: Community Planning and Development issues supervisor certificates by building class. Class A (any building) requires 7 years of commercial experience, including high-rise work over 75 feet, and the ICC F11 exam. Classes B and B-2 require 4 years and the F12 exam. Class C (residential) requires 2 years as a journeyman carpenter or foreman and the F13 exam.
- Denver degree credit: a bachelor’s in structural engineering or architecture replaces up to 2 years for Class A and 1 year for Classes B and B-2. A construction management degree is not a listed substitute. Class C accepts up to 1 year of design work instead of field experience.
- Colorado Springs area: the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department licenses building contractors in classes B-A-1 through B-F-1, tested with ICC G11, G12, or G13 exams. No degree substitution is stated.
- Aurora: Aurora uses ICC A or B exams for commercial contractor licenses and the C exam for residential.
- Fort Collins: Fort Collins licenses classes A through E and MM with ICC G11, G12, or G13 exams. Applicants show experience through three supervised whole-building projects. No degree substitution is stated.
State Trade Licenses
- Electrical: the State Electrical Board requires 4,000 hours over 2 years for a residential wireman and 8,000 hours over 4 years for a journeyman (2,000 commercial or industrial, plus 288 classroom hours). A master license takes 10,000 hours over 5 years, a B.S. in electrical engineering plus 2,000 hours, a trade school or community college credential plus 8,000 hours, or a journeyman license plus 2,000 hours.
- Plumbing: the State Plumbing Board requires 3,400 hours for residential, 6,800 for journeyworker, and 8,500 for master. No education credit is mentioned.
- Other trades: conveyances fall under the CDLE Division of Oil and Public Safety, and fire suppression contractors register with the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. HVAC is licensed locally.
You Should Know
- Each city or county decides what experience and education it accepts. Confirm with the local building department before counting on a degree.
- HB26-1415, introduced April 9, 2026, would create an optional state residential contractor certification. The bill page shows no later action, and no licensing law enacted from 2024 to 2026 was found.
- Requirements in Boulder and other jurisdictions not listed here were not reviewed.
Transferring from a Colorado College to a University
Colorado’s statewide transfer rules, in CCHE Policy Section I, Part L (revised March 7, 2025), cover gtPathways general education courses and A.A. and A.S. degrees. They do not cover the A.A.S. degrees that the two-year construction programs on this page award.
- gtPathways courses: a gtPathways course passed with a C- or better transfers toward gtPathways requirements at the receiving school.
- A.A. and A.S. degrees: a 60-credit Degree with Designation includes 31 gtPathways credits and brings junior standing once admitted, but it does not guarantee admission. No construction Degree with Designation was found.
- A.A.S. degrees: no statewide transfer guarantee; the receiving school decides which courses count.
- Colorado State: CSU’s transfer admission guarantee covers Colorado A.A. and A.S. holders with a 2.0 GPA, with limits on some majors. Its construction major still requires the Pre-Construction Management stage.
- Common course numbers: Colorado Community College System schools, including Arapahoe and CCA, use common course numbering.
School Routes
- Same school: Colorado Mesa’s A.A.S. shares six courses (18 credits) with its B.S.
- Transfer guide: CSU Pueblo’s 2015 transfer guide accepts up to 60 credits from Colorado Community College System schools.
- Trades credit: MSU Denver awards lower-division credit, set by department review, for DOL Registered Apprenticeships, Denver Public Schools, and Emily Griffith Technical College training.
- No named agreement: Arapahoe, Aims, and CCA name no transfer agreement with a construction bachelor’s program.
- Prerequisites: Colorado State and Colorado Mesa require trigonometry. Students planning to transfer should take College Algebra and trigonometry instead of career or technical math.
Bottom Line
Among the schools on this page, estimated in-state costs fall into four ranges: associate degrees at about $6.6K to $16.9K, master’s degrees at about $22.3K to $25.5K, most bachelor’s degrees at about $45K to $65.4K, and Mines’ construction engineering B.S. at about $92K.
- Accreditation: Colorado State’s B.S. is ACCE accredited; CU Denver’s B.S. in Construction Management is ABET accredited, and its engineering B.S. and Mines’ B.S. are listed by the schools as ABET accredited or pursuing it.
- Format: CSU Pueblo’s B.S. and CU Denver’s M.Eng. are available fully online; Aims’ A.A.S. is hybrid; the rest are on campus.
- Internship: Colorado State, CU Denver, and MSU Denver require internships in their bachelor’s degrees; Arapahoe requires a 1-credit internship and CCA an internship or capstone.
- Next step: Open each linked profile and confirm tuition, admission dates, and transfer credit with the school.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many construction management programs are in Colorado?
This page compares 17 construction management credentials at nine Colorado public colleges and universities.
Which Colorado construction management programs are ACCE accredited?
Only Colorado State University’s B.S. in Construction Management, accredited since 1985 per CSU. CU Denver’s B.S. in Construction Management holds ABET accreditation instead.
Can I study construction management online in Colorado?
Yes. CSU Pueblo’s B.S. in Construction Management and CU Denver’s M.Eng. in Construction Engineering and Management are fully online, and Aims’ A.A.S. combines on-site and online instruction.
What is the cheapest construction management program in Colorado?
Among the schools on this page, Aims Community College’s A.A.S. costs least, at about $6.6K for district residents or $9.9K for other Coloradans. The lowest-cost bachelor’s is Colorado Mesa University’s at about $45K in-state.
Do I need a contractor license in Colorado?
Colorado has no statewide general contractor license; cities and counties such as Denver, Aurora, Fort Collins, and the Pikes Peak region license building contractors, and the state licenses electricians and plumbers. In Denver, a construction management degree does not replace experience for supervisor certificates; only structural engineering or architecture bachelor’s degrees do.
Program data verified October 2026 from each school’s profile. Licensing from the Colorado State Electrical and Plumbing Boards, Denver Community Planning and Development, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, Aurora, and Fort Collins; transfer from CCHE Policy Section I, Part L (revised March 2025).