Department of Applied Technology • Hays, KS • Campus • $215.84/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Fort Hays State University offers one construction management program: the B.S. in Technology Studies with a Construction Management concentration.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $25.9K in-state / $78.1K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use FHSU’s 2026-27 on-campus undergraduate per-credit tuition plus campus and infrastructure fees.
- Why choose it: Students from Kansas and 13 other states, from Texas to Illinois, pay the same $215.84 per credit, so the ATMAE-accredited B.S. costs about $25.9K in tuition and fees for all of them.
- Trade-off: It is a technology studies degree, not an ACCE or ABET construction program: the 32-credit core includes power and energy, STEM systems, and training design, and the construction courses lean toward light residential building, with one course covering both estimating and scheduling.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Technology Studies, Construction Management concentration |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Hays |
| Credit Hours | 120 (24 in the construction management core) |
| Internship | TECS 499, 9 credits on the degree map; problems or issues courses can substitute |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ATMAE, accredited through 2027 |
| Math | College Algebra (MATH 110) and Elements of Statistics |
| Tuition | $215.84/credit for Kansas and 13 regional states; $302.29 MSEP; $651.23 nonresident |
B.S. in Technology Studies (Construction Management)
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Technology Studies (Construction Management) at Fort Hays State University is approximately $25,901 (120 credits at $215.84/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
The B.S. in Technology Studies (Construction Management) combines a general technology studies core with 24 credits of construction courses and 9 credits of management and business law.
B.S. Curriculum
- Construction management core (24 credits): TECS 180 Materials, Processes, and Production, TECS 380 Construction Material and Testing, TECS 382 Construction Estimating and Scheduling, TECS 385 Construction Planning and Design, TECS 415 Construction Graphics, TECS 475 Mechanical and Electrical Systems, TECS 484 Site Preparation and Foundation, and TECS 485 Building Construction (3 each)
- Drafting and graphics: TECS 200 Engineering Graphics, TECS 312 Graphic Communication Techniques, and TECS 318 Introduction to Computer-Aided Drafting (3 each)
- Management and law: TECS 480 Industrial Management, MGT 301 Management Principles, MGT 411 Applied Management Skills, GBUS 204 Business Law I (3 each), and TECS 490 Occupational Safety, Health, and Liability (2)
- General technology courses: TECS 120 Power, Energy, and Transportation, TECS 130 STEM in Technology Systems, and TECS 495 Training and Instructional Systems or TECS 460 Teaching Technology and Engineering Education (3 each)
- ATMAE math and science: College Algebra or Contemporary Mathematics, Elements of Statistics, Physical Science with lab, Exploring Earth or GIS, and TECS 391 Technology in Society, most of which also count as general education
- Electives: 9 credits of TECS directed electives and about 3 to 5 open elective credits
The eight construction courses fill the whole 24-credit core, so the “select 24 credits” list works as a required sequence. Only two are management courses: estimating and scheduling share one course, and planning and design covers land use, permits, and environmental impact. Construction Graphics builds a full set of house plans, and Building Construction covers light construction, so the technical side is residential. The degree has no contracts, project management, or cost accounting course, and three core courses (power and energy, STEM systems, and training design) aren’t about construction.
More curriculum details are available in FHSU’s academic catalog.
You Should Know
- ⚠️ The math pathway requires College Algebra (MATH 110) from fall 2025, but the ATMAE course list still offers Contemporary Mathematics as an option; students should confirm with an advisor.
- Several construction courses run only in fall (Construction Graphics, Mechanical and Electrical Systems) or only in spring (Construction Material and Testing, Building Construction).
- FHSU also offers a Construction Technology concentration of the same degree, also ATMAE-accredited.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- TECS 499 Internship: 9 credits, scheduled in the final spring on the sample degree map
- Can be split into segments completed before the senior year
- Alternative: the catalog lets students meet the 9 credits with TECS 406 Problems in Technology Studies or TECS 606 Technology Issues instead
- Placement: students arrange internships through the department, with an internship manual and a meeting with the department chair; the department urges all students to attend the fall career fair
A 9-credit internship is a full semester of field work, so students who take it finish with real jobsite experience. Because the catalog allows classroom substitutes, students who want that experience should plan for TECS 499 early. FHSU reports 96% to 100% career placement for Applied Technology graduates from 2021 to 2024, a department-wide figure rather than one for construction management alone.
B.S. Admissions
- Standard FHSU undergraduate admission; no separate program application is listed
- College Algebra placement: Math ACT 22, Math SAT 540, ALEKS 46, or a 3.25 high school GPA with a B- in second-semester Algebra 2; others take MATH 105 College Algebra with Review
Tuition
FHSU charges $172.86 per credit in tuition plus $41.16 in campus fees and a $1.82 infrastructure fee for 2026-27, for $215.84 per credit on campus. That rate applies to Kansas residents and to on-campus students from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
| Item | Kansas and Regional | MSEP | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per credit (incl. fees) | $215.84 | $302.29 | $651.23 |
| B.S. (120 credits) | $25,901 | $36,275 | $78,148 |
See FHSU’s cost of attendance page.
Be aware that:
- Housing and meals add about $9,725 per year.
- The MSEP rate covers students from Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
- Freshmen from California and Florida high schools can receive the Special Out-of-State scholarship, which cuts annual tuition and fees to about $7,337.
- The fee schedule lists no applied technology course fees, but lab materials beyond normal use and breakage are charged.
A student from Kansas or one of the 13 regional states pays about $25.9K in tuition and fees for the degree, or about $64.8K with four years of campus housing and meals. Students from other states pay about $78.1K in tuition and fees unless they qualify for MSEP or the California and Florida scholarship.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for students across the Plains and Mountain West who want a low-cost, accredited bachelor’s that leads to residential or light commercial construction supervision.
Regional pricing: A student from Texas, Colorado, or Illinois pays the same $215.84 per credit as a Kansan, so the degree costs about $25.9K in tuition and fees instead of about $78.1K at the nonresident rate.
Limits: Students aiming for project management with large commercial or heavy civil contractors will find only one estimating and scheduling course, no contracts or project management course, and a core shared with manufacturing and technology education majors. Graduates of ACCE or ABET construction programs may stand out more with those employers.
Accreditation and Credentials
Fort Hays State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The Construction Management concentration is accredited by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) through 2027, according to ATMAE’s November 2025 directory. ATMAE accredits technology and applied engineering degrees; it is not the construction-specific accreditor. Pittsburg State University’s construction management B.S.T. holds ABET accreditation instead. The program is not on ACCE’s bachelor’s list (Rev. 2024.03.13), which includes only Kansas State University among Kansas schools. At the two-year level, Johnson County Community College’s A.A.S. is on ACCE’s associate list.
FHSU doesn’t name an embedded industry certification, though TECS 490 covers OSHA regulations. Kansas doesn’t issue a statewide general contractor license; contractors follow city and county licensing rules.