Haile College of Business • Highland Heights, KY • Campus • $390/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Northern Kentucky University offers one construction management program: the B.S. in Construction Management.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $46.8K in-state / $62.8K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use NKU’s 2026-27 flat full-time rate, which includes all mandatory fees.
- Why choose it: Every NKU construction management student completes two 300-hour co-ops (600 hours) with employers in the Cincinnati region, and because the co-ops carry 0 credits they add no tuition. Ohio and Indiana residents pay the Kentucky rate.
- Trade-off: The degree sits in a business college and requires an 18-credit business minor, so there is less room for electives, and the four-year plan assumes students place straight into College Algebra.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Construction Management |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Highland Heights (Cincinnati metro) |
| Credit Hours | 120 (sample four-year plan totals 122) |
| Internship | Required: two CMGT 300 co-ops, 300 hours each, 0 credits |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE (through 02/2029) |
| Math | MAT 119 Pre-Calculus plus Calculus A, Calculus I, or Statistical Methods; PHY 211 |
| Required Minor | Business Minor for Non-Business Majors (18 credits) |
| Transfer Pathway | Gateway2NKU A.S. to B.S. guide (2025-26) from Gateway Community and Technical College |
| Tuition | $5,856/semester for KY, OH, and IN residents; $7,848 non-residents (12-16 credits, fees included) |
B.S. in Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management at Northern Kentucky University is approximately $46,848 (120 credits at $390.40/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
The B.S. in Construction Management is housed in the Haile College of Business. The 2026-27 catalog lists 92 degree credits: a 63-credit construction core, 11 credits of math and physics, and the 18-credit business minor.
Curriculum
- Management and controls (7 courses, 21 credits): CMGT 303 Contracts and Specifications, CMGT 320 Construction Estimating, CMGT 324 Construction Scheduling, CMGT 420 Construction Cost Control (cash flow, value engineering, cost tracking), CMGT 422 Advanced Project Controls (electronic estimate and schedule, baselining, change management), CMGT 415 Construction Management, CMGT 225 Construction Safety
- Technical (9 courses, 27 credits): CMGT 120 and 121 Materials and Methods I-II, CMGT 220 Construction Layout, CMGT 222 Architectural Drafting and CAD, CMGT 228 Soil and Foundation Interaction, CMGT 305 Mechanical Systems, CMGT 306 Electrical Systems, CMGT 322 Structural Analysis (temporary structures, shoring), CMGT 329 Construction Equipment
- Bookends: CMGT 101 Introduction to Construction Management and CMGT 431 Capstone Project
- Technical electives (choose 3): Land Planning and Development, Building Codes, Sustainable Construction, Heavy Construction Techniques, Construction Law and Legal Contracts, Virtual Construction (VDC/BIM), Design Build, Seminar
- Math and science: MAT 119 Pre-Calculus, PHY 211 General Physics with Laboratory I, and one of MAT 128 Calculus A, MAT 129 Calculus I, or STA 205 Statistical Methods
- Business minor (18 credits): ACC 150 Accounting for Non-Business Majors, ECO 100 or 101, MGT 205 Business Management Principles, MKT 205 Principles of Marketing, plus two electives such as BUS 230 Legal Environment, FIN 150, MGT 306 Project Management, or entrepreneurship courses
Inside the construction core the split is close to even, with a slight technical edge (27 vs. 21 credits), and the required business minor tips the overall degree toward management. Two dedicated controls courses (cost control and advanced project controls) sit on top of the usual estimating and scheduling pair, which is where NKU’s business-college home shows. Construction law is an elective rather than a requirement, so students who want it need to choose it.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Students need a C or better in every construction management core course.
- Prerequisites marked in the catalog are not counted in the 92 program credits. Students who place below College Algebra add MAT 101 and later math before MAT 119, which can push the degree past 120 credits.
- The catalog’s note says students complete “either the standard business component or the minor in entrepreneurial studies,” while the requirements list names the Business Minor for Non-Business Majors. Confirm which applies with an advisor.
- Advanced Project Controls runs in fall only and Structural Analysis in fall, so the junior and senior sequence has little slack.
Internship and Field Experience
- Required: two CMGT 300 Cooperative Education experiences, 0 credits each; the catalog describes the program as including “two 300-hour internships”
- Timing: NKU’s sample plan places them in the second year; CMGT 300 is offered fall, spring, and summer after CMGT 222 and CMGT 225
- Pay: NKU says a co-op “can also be financially rewarding”; pay is not guaranteed
- Placement: managed through the Department of Construction Management; named employer partners are not listed in the catalog
- Student organizations: Construction Management Association, plus MCAA, NAHB, and ACI student groups and Sigma Lambda Chi
Six hundred required hours before senior year means NKU graduates typically arrive at their first job with two summers or terms of contractor experience, and the 0-credit structure means students are not paying tuition to work. A graduate quoted by NKU credits the internships with putting them to work for large construction management companies in Cincinnati.
Admissions
NKU’s public disclosure states the program has no special or secondary admission requirements; students admitted to NKU can declare the major.
- Math placement matters: the four-year plan assumes direct entry into MAT 102 College Algebra; an ACT Math score below 27 or ALEKS placement can add MAT 101
- Gateway Community and Technical College students can follow the 2025-26 Gateway2NKU guide: 61-62 credits at Gateway, including six courses that map to CMGT courses, then the remaining major and minor at NKU (124-125 total)
- CMGT 120 and 121 must be taken together at NKU, per the Gateway guide
Tuition
NKU charges a flat full-time rate of $5,856 per semester for 12-16 credits in 2026-27 for residents of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, and $7,848 for other non-residents. NKU states that these rates include all mandatory fees.
| Rate (2026-27) | Per Credit (1-11, 17+) | Full-Time Semester | 8 Semesters |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY, OH, IN residents | $472 | $5,856 | $46,848 |
| Non-residents | $638 | $7,848 | $62,784 |
- Effective cost: $5,856 / 15 credits = $390.40 per credit for KY, OH, and IN residents
- The two required co-ops carry 0 credits and add no tuition
Be aware that:
- The flat rate covers 12-16 credits; each credit above 16 in a semester is billed at the per-credit rate.
- Ohio and Indiana students admitted before fall 2025 pay a different, higher rate ($951 per credit, $11,604 per semester); the “3 States, 1 Rate” model applies to students admitted fall 2025 or later.
- Course-specific fees for CMGT courses are not clearly stated in the sources reviewed.
- Students who need developmental math will pay for additional courses beyond the 120-credit plan.
Because the rate includes mandatory fees, the $46,848 figure is close to the real tuition bill for a Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana student who stays at 12-16 credits a semester. The bigger savings lever is the Gateway route: two years at community college rates before transferring into the junior-year CMGT sequence. See NKU’s tuition schedule for current rates.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Built for students in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana area who want an accredited degree with guaranteed work experience and a business foundation.
Students in the tri-state metro. The “3 States, 1 Rate” model removes the out-of-state penalty for Ohio and Indiana residents, and the co-op requirement puts students in front of regional contractors twice before graduation. Commuters on either side of the river can treat NKU as a nearby ACCE-accredited bachelor’s option.
Compared with Eastern Kentucky University. EKU also holds ACCE accreditation but leans further into field engineering (two surveying courses, soils, structural design with applied calculus) and requires only 2 credits of applied learning. NKU trades some of that technical depth for 600 required co-op hours, two controls courses, and a business minor. Students aiming for estimating, project controls, or eventually running a company may find NKU’s mix a better fit; those headed for field engineering roles should compare EKU closely. Murray State is a lower-math, non-accredited alternative with real estate electives, and Western Kentucky University (an ACCE applicant) offers a broad technical elective list.
Working adults and graduate students. The B.S. is a full-time, on-campus program. NKU’s online MBA lists a Construction Management stack of elective courses, but that is a business degree with a construction focus, not a construction management degree.
Accreditation and Credentials
Northern Kentucky 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 Haile College of Business also holds AACSB accreditation.
The B.S. in Construction Management is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). The ACCE baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13) shows its last accreditation in 07/2022, expiring 02/2029, and NKU’s public disclosure says the program reports assessment against ACCE’s 20 student learning outcomes. NKU does not name embedded industry certifications such as OSHA cards, and no Kentucky contractor-licensing credit for the degree is stated.