Construction Management Program • Littleton, CO • Campus • $207/Credit (In-State, incl. fees, derived)
Arapahoe Community College offers 3 construction management pathways:
- Construction Management Estimating Certificate
- Construction Management Fundamentals Certificate
- A.A.S. in Construction Management
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimating Cert. | $3.4K in-state / $12.5K out-of-state | 1 year (2 semesters) | 16 |
| Fundamentals Cert. | $5.1K in-state / $18.8K out-of-state | 1 year (2 semesters) | 24 |
| A.A.S. | $13.1K in-state / $49.0K out-of-state | 2 years (4 semesters) | 63 |
Tuition estimates use Arapahoe’s 2026-27 on-campus per-credit tuition after the College Opportunity Fund stipend plus mandatory fees.
- Why choose it: Arapahoe’s A.A.S. costs about $13,100 for a Colorado resident and is built for running a small contracting business: estimating, scheduling, contracts, building codes, accounting, supervision, small business management, and two business-law courses, plus a required internship.
- Trade-off: The A.A.S. is a terminal workforce degree with Technical Mathematics as its math course and no named transfer agreement into a Colorado bachelor’s program.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | Estimating Certificate; Fundamentals Certificate; A.A.S. Construction Management |
| Format | Campus (delivery not clearly stated) |
| Campus Location | Littleton campus pictured on the program page |
| Credit Hours | 16 (Estimating); 24 (Fundamentals); 63 (A.A.S.) |
| Internship | Required in the A.A.S. (AEC 2080, 1 credit) |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None stated |
| Software Taught | Revit (certificate elective); architectural design and modeling course in the A.A.S. |
| Transfer Pathway | No named agreement |
| Tuition | $183.75/credit in-state after COF, $754.25 out-of-state, $275.60 WUE, plus fees |
Construction Management Estimating Certificate
The estimated tuition for the Construction Management Estimating Certificate at Arapahoe Community College is approximately $3,418 in-state or $12,546 out-of-state (16 credits at $183.75 or $754.25 per credit, plus fees, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (2 semesters), derived from 16 credits at a part-time load.
Estimating Certificate Curriculum
- Math: MAT 1150 Technical Mathematics (4 credits).
- Plans and materials: AEC 1200 Print Reading Residential/Commercial and AEC 1510 Building Materials.
- Estimating: AEC 2610 Construction Estimating and AEC 2611 Estimating II: Cost Analysis.
This is the narrowest pathway, a two-course estimating sequence with the plan reading and materials knowledge behind it. Four of its five courses also count in the A.A.S.; Estimating II does not appear in the A.A.S. requirements.
Estimating Certificate Internship and Field Experience
The certificate has no internship.
Estimating Certificate Admissions
- Entry: open admission to Arapahoe Community College.
Construction Management Fundamentals Certificate
The estimated tuition for the Construction Management Fundamentals Certificate at Arapahoe Community College is approximately $5,088 in-state or $18,780 out-of-state (24 credits at $183.75 or $754.25 per credit, plus fees, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (2 semesters), derived from 24 credits at 12 per semester.
Fundamentals Certificate Curriculum
- Writing: ENG 1031 Technical Writing I.
- Core (18 credits): Print Reading, Building Materials, Building Environmental Systems I, Construction Estimating, Construction Scheduling, and International Building Codes.
- Elective (choose one): AEC 2640 Contracts and the Legal Environment, AEC 2080 Internship (3 credits), or CAD 2220 Revit Architecture.
All six core courses and the writing course are A.A.S. requirements, so the certificate works as the first half of the degree. Choosing Contracts as the elective keeps every credit inside the A.A.S.
Fundamentals Certificate Internship and Field Experience
A 3-credit internship is one of three elective options; it is not required.
Fundamentals Certificate Admissions
- Entry: open admission to Arapahoe Community College.
A.A.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the A.A.S. in Construction Management at Arapahoe Community College is approximately $13,070 in-state or $49,012 out-of-state (63 credits at $183.75 or $754.25 per credit, plus fees, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (4 semesters), derived from 63 credits at about 16 per semester.
A.A.S. Curriculum
The 63 credits split into 16 general education credits and 47 major credits.
- Math: MAT 1150 Technical Mathematics (4 credits, or higher).
- Estimating, scheduling, and contracts: AEC 2610 Estimating, AEC 2630 Scheduling, and AEC 2640 Contracts and the Legal Environment.
- Business: Fundamentals of Accounting, Introduction to Business, Legal Environment of Business, Principles of Supervision, Small Business Management, and Principles of Management.
- Building technology: Print Reading, Building Materials, Building Environmental Systems I, and International Building Codes.
- Design and engineering: AEC 1250 Architectural Design and Modeling (4 credits), AEC 2411 Applied Structural Analysis, and AEC 2620 Surveying.
- Internship: AEC 2080 (1 credit).
- Communication and electives: public speaking or interpersonal communication, composition or technical writing, and one humanities course or professional Spanish.
The degree leans toward the business side, 9 management and business courses to 7 technical courses. Small business management, supervision, and two law courses fit a tradesperson planning to run a crew or start a company. Arapahoe also describes the degree as preparing students for the energy industry, though no energy-specific course appears in the requirements.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The program description names energy technologies, but the course list has no energy course beyond Building Environmental Systems I.
- Arapahoe contacts career and technical graduates about six months after graduation to verify employment; results are not published on the program page.
A.A.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: AEC 2080 Internship, 1 credit.
- Hours, pay, placement, employers: not clearly stated.
A 1-credit internship is a short placement. Students already working in construction may meet it on the job; students new to the field get a first site connection but should look for more experience before graduating.
A.A.S. Admissions
Admission is open through Arapahoe Community College, with no separate program application.
- Math placement: students who place below Technical Mathematics will need a prerequisite course.
- Transfer: no named agreement with a Colorado bachelor’s program was found.
Tuition
For 2026-27, Arapahoe charges Colorado residents $183.75 per credit on campus after the College Opportunity Fund stipend, nonresidents $754.25, and WUE students $275.60. Fees add a $7.18 student activity fee and an $8.56 building fee per credit (each capped at 12 credits), a $9.25 instruction fee per credit, and $38.95 per semester. Online courses cost $301.85 per credit for residents and $460.30 for nonresidents. See Arapahoe’s tuition and fees page.
| Program | Colorado Resident | Nonresident | WUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimating Certificate (16 credits) | $3,418 | $12,546 | $4,887 |
| Fundamentals Certificate (24 credits) | $5,088 | $18,780 | $7,292 |
| A.A.S. (63 credits, derived) | $13,070 | $49,012 | $18,857 |
Be aware that:
- The resident figures assume the College Opportunity Fund stipend is authorized.
- The estimates assume the $9.25 high/medium-cost instruction fee applies to every credit.
- Any AEC course taken online is billed at the higher online rate ($301.85 resident).
- Course-specific fees for AEC courses were not readable on the fee page.
At about $13,100, the A.A.S. costs a Colorado resident roughly what one year of a Colorado State or CU Denver bachelor’s costs. Nonresidents from western states pay about $18,900 through WUE.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for south Denver-area tradespeople and career changers who want a low-cost, two-year credential aimed at supervision and running a business.
Future small contractors. Small business management, supervision, accounting, business law, contracts, codes, and estimating together cover the office side of a contracting company.
Certificate first. Students unsure about a full degree can start with the 16-credit Estimating Certificate or the 24-credit Fundamentals Certificate; the Fundamentals courses all count toward the A.A.S.
Not a transfer degree. Students who want a bachelor’s should compare Colorado Mesa, where the A.A.S. feeds an in-house B.S., or MSU Denver and CSU Pueblo, which describe transfer routes for workforce and community college students.
Accreditation and Credentials
Arapahoe Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The programs list no programmatic accreditation, and ACCE’s 2024 report lists no Colorado associate programs.
Arapahoe’s high school-only Construction Essentials certificate includes a 10-hour construction industry standards course, but the A.A.S. and the two certificates profiled here name no embedded certification. Arapahoe does not state that the credentials count toward a Colorado contractor license.