School of Engineering, Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology • Murray, KY • Campus • $384/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Murray State University offers one construction management program: the B.S. in Construction Management and Architecture, Construction Management Track.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. (CM Track) | $46.1K in-state / $68.0K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use Murray State’s 2026-27 flat-rate tuition plus mandatory per-semester fees.
- Why choose it: Students from 15 states, including Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio, pay a regional rate only $279 a semester above Kentucky tuition, and the CM track leaves a 20-credit elective block that can go to finance, business law, or real estate principles and law.
- Trade-off: Murray State lists no programmatic accreditation for the degree (it is not on ACCE’s lists), and the required internship can be as little as 1 credit.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Construction Management and Architecture, CM Track |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Main campus, Murray |
| Credit Hours | 120 (90 in the program) |
| Internship | Required: at least 1 credit of SOE 488 Cooperative Education/Internship |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None stated |
| Math | College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
| Software Taught | CAD named in CMA 107; other software not clearly stated |
| Housing Rule | Murray State requires students to live on campus for their first 4 full-time semesters |
| Tuition | Flat $5,265/semester Kentucky, $5,544 regional, $7,995 non-resident (12-15 credits), plus fees |
B.S. in Construction Management and Architecture, Construction Management Track
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management and Architecture, Construction Management Track at Murray State University is approximately $46,120 (120 credits at $384.33/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
The Construction Management and Architecture, Construction Management Track shares a department and its first courses with Murray State’s Architectural Design Track. Duration is derived from 120 credits at 15 per semester.
Curriculum
The 2026-27 Academic Bulletin lists 90 program credits: a 58-credit core and a 32-credit track. The remaining 30 credits are University Studies, which must include MAT 140 College Algebra and PHY 130/131 General Physics I with lab.
- Design and technical core (9 courses, 30 credits): CMA 107 Technical Drawing and Computer Aided Drafting (4), CMA 210 Construction Documents, CMA 280 Plane Surveying, CMA 284 Sustainable Design and Construction, CMA 310 Anatomy of Buildings, CMA 470 Steel and Concrete in Construction, CMA 483 Construction Materials (4), ENT 365 Statics and Strengths of Materials (4), ENT 358 Mechanical and Electrical Systems
- Management (6 courses, 18 credits): CMA 385 Construction Estimating I, CMA 386 Construction Estimating II, CMA 490 Construction Planning and Scheduling, CMA 480 Construction Contracting and Management, SOE 350 Technology Management, OSH 384 Construction Safety
- Accounting (6 credits): ACC 200 Principles of Financial Accounting, ACC 201 Principles of Managerial Accounting
- Math: MAT 145 Trigonometry and STA 135 Introduction to Probability and Statistics in the core, on top of College Algebra
- Capstone and seminars: CMA 110 Introduction to Construction Management and Architecture, ENT 419 Senior Project I, ENT 100T Transitions (1), SOE 399 Professional Development Seminar I (1)
- Track electives (20 credits): a list that includes FIN 330 Principles of Finance, LST 240 Legal Environment of Business, RES 132 Real Estate Principles I, RES 242 Real Estate Law, MAT 220 Business Calculus, EES 202 GIS, CMA 301 Architectural Design Studio I, and several communication courses
Technical courses outweigh dedicated management courses by credits (30 vs. 18), but the cost side gets real depth: two estimating courses, a scheduling course, and two accounting courses. The 20-credit elective block is where students decide what kind of manager they become. A student can build a real estate and finance sideline, add an architectural studio, or take mostly communication courses.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The track elective list also includes REC 108 Golf and UAS 110 Introduction to Aviation, so the block is only as focused as the student and advisor make it.
- The math stops at trigonometry and statistics; Business Calculus is an elective, and there is no calculus-based structures course.
- Murray State’s construction department page says its curriculum is based on the 2023-24 bulletin; the requirements above come from the 2026-27 bulletin.
Internship and Field Experience
- Required: at least 1 credit of SOE 488 Cooperative Education/Internship (offered for 1-3 credits)
- Hours, pay, timing, and placement support: not clearly stated
- Industry teaching: CMA 480 Construction Contracting and Management was taught in fall 2025 by a vice president of Bill Adams Construction under the AGC Danny Claiborne Professorship, which Murray State says will fund more industry-led adjuncts
- Student chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC)
The internship requirement guarantees some field exposure, but a 1-credit minimum with no published hours means students who want a full summer with a contractor need to plan it themselves. The AGC chapter and industry-taught contracting course are the program’s clearest ties to employers.
Admissions
No separate program admission gate is listed; students declare the track through standard university admission.
- Freshman, transfer, and international admission follow Murray State’s general requirements
- Students must live on campus for 4 full-time semesters (excluding summer), per Murray State’s tuition and cost page
Tuition
Murray State charges a flat rate for 12-15 credits: $5,265 per semester for Kentucky residents, $5,544 for regional students, and $7,995 for other non-residents in 2026-27 (students admitted summer 2023 or later). On-campus students also pay $500 per semester in mandatory fees.
| Item (per semester) | Kentucky | Regional | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition (12-15 credits) | $5,265 | $5,544 | $7,995 |
| Asset Preservation Fee ($10/credit, capped at 15) | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Technology Fee | $200 | $200 | $200 |
| Racer Experience Fee | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Total | $5,765 | $6,044 | $8,495 |
| 8 semesters | $46,120 | $48,352 | $67,960 |
- Regional rate applies to residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
- Kentucky rate also applies to Henry, Montgomery, Obion, Stewart, and Weakley counties (TN), Massac County (IL), and Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties (IN)
Be aware that:
- Required CMA, ENT, and OSH courses carry 2026-27 course fees ($4-$23 per credit) totaling about $305 over the degree (derived from the fee schedule).
- Murray State’s cost-of-attendance table shows tuition and fees as $10,530 a year for Kentucky residents, which equals two semesters of flat tuition without the $500 per-semester fees listed in its own footnotes.
- Credits above 15 in a semester cost $438.75 each for Kentucky residents ($462 regional, $666.25 non-resident).
- Rates shown apply to students admitted summer 2023 or later.
The regional rate is the cost story here: a student from Tennessee, Illinois, or Ohio pays about $48,400 in tuition and fees, roughly $2,200 more than a Kentucky resident and almost $19,600 less than the full non-resident rate. Add about $305 in course fees for a realistic total. See Murray State’s undergraduate tuition page for current rates.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
A good fit for students from western Kentucky and the surrounding region who want a construction degree with a cost and real estate slant and moderate math.
Compared with Eastern Kentucky University. EKU offers an ACCE-accredited B.S. with applied calculus, soils, and structural design, and its out-of-state rate is open to every state. Murray State’s degree is not programmatically accredited and stops at trigonometry, but it adds a second estimating course, two accounting courses, and room for real estate and finance electives. Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green offers a similar non-accredited B.S. with a wider elective list but one estimating course. Students who want ACCE recognition should start with EKU or Northern Kentucky University; students drawn to development, estimating, or a smaller department may prefer Murray State.
Regional students. For residents of the 15 regional-rate states, Murray State costs about $279 a semester more than a Kentucky resident pays, and border counties in Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana pay the Kentucky rate outright.
Who should look elsewhere. Students who need to commute from home in their first two years, want an engineering-heavy degree, or need a guaranteed full-semester co-op should weigh the housing rule, the trigonometry ceiling, and the 1-credit internship minimum. Murray State’s ABET-accredited Civil and Sustainability Engineering degree is the on-campus alternative for the engineering route.
Accreditation and Credentials
Murray State University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The Construction Management and Architecture degree does not list programmatic accreditation. It does not appear on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13) or ACCE’s 2025 annual report, and Murray State reports ABET accreditation for engineering programs such as Civil and Sustainability Engineering, not for this degree. Murray State also notes that the Architectural Design Track is not accredited for architect licensure. The program does not name embedded industry certifications; OSH 384 Construction Safety is the closest required course, and Murray State does not say whether it awards an OSHA card. No Kentucky contractor-licensing credit for the degree is stated.