Department of Construction Management, College of Health and Human Sciences • Fort Collins, CO • Campus • $531/Credit (In-State, incl. fees, derived)
Colorado State University offers 2 construction management pathways:
- B.S. in Construction Management
- M.S. in Construction Management (Plan A thesis or Plan B research paper)
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $63.7K in-state / $158.0K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| M.S. | $22.3K in-state / $48.8K out-of-state | 1.5 years (3 semesters) | 30 |
Tuition estimates use CSU’s 2026-27 Fort Collins flat-rate tuition and mandatory fees, plus undergraduate differential tuition on junior and senior courses.
- Why choose it: CSU’s B.S. is the only Colorado program on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13; accredited since 1985, current term expires 2/2030), and it requires a full-semester, 6-credit internship placed through the department’s own Phelps Placement Office.
- Trade-off: Students enter as Pre-Construction Management and must earn a B- in CON 101, a 2.75 Pre-CM GPA, and full admission by the end of the third semester, with space limits, before taking most CON courses.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. Construction Management; M.S. Construction Management (Plan A or Plan B) |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Fort Collins |
| Credit Hours | 120 (B.S.); 30 (M.S.) |
| Internship | Required for B.S.: CON 487A (6 credits) or CON 487B (3 credits, with 400 hours of prior experience) |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE (B.S. only; M.S. not on ACCE’s master’s list) |
| Admission Gate | Pre-CM: B- in CON 101, 2.50 CSU GPA, 2.75 Pre-CM GPA, MATH 125 or higher |
| Industry Certifications | OSHA 10 card required before the internship |
| Transfer Pathway | No named community college agreement found |
| Tuition | $7,129/semester in-state, $18,913 out-of-state (15 credits, incl. fees) plus $114/credit CON differential |
B.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management at Colorado State University is approximately $63,726 in-state or $158,000 out-of-state (8 flat-rate semesters with mandatory fees, plus about $6,696 in differential tuition, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters), per CSU’s four-year plan.
B.S. Curriculum
The 120 credits include 58 credits of required CON courses, 12 credits of CON electives, three business courses, and the university core. At least 42 credits must be upper-division.
- Math and science: MATH 117 and 118 (College Algebra I and II) and MATH 125 Numerical Trigonometry, one statistics or calculus-for-business option (MATH 141, STAT 201, or STAT 204), PH 110 Physics of Everyday Phenomena with lab, and a geoscience course with lab.
- Management: CON 365 Estimating, CON 461 Scheduling (critical path), CON 367 Contracts and Project Administration, CON 368 Budget and Cost Controls, CON 353 Field Management, CON 317 Safety Management, and the CON 465 Professional Practice capstone.
- Business: ACT 205 Accounting Fundamentals, BUS 205 Legal and Ethical Issues in Business, MGT 305 Fundamentals of Management, ECON 202 Microeconomics, and SPCM 200 Public Speaking.
- Technical: CON 251 Materials Testing, CON 253 Surveying and Layout, CON 265 Plan Reading and Quantity Survey, CON 366 Equipment and Methods, CON 340 MEP Systems (4 credits), CON 457 Structures for Construction (concrete, steel, wood, formwork design), and CON 469 Soil Mechanics.
- Drawings and software: CON 132 Construction Graphics and CON 232 Modeling for Construction, which uses virtual design and construction software (not named in the catalog).
- CON electives (12 credits): options include concrete, asphalt pavement, metal fabrication, computer applications, sustainable design, aging-in-place and green building, road construction, and 1-credit seminars in heavy civil, commercial, or residential project management.
Counting required courses, the degree splits evenly: 10 management and business courses against 10 technical courses. Structures, soils, and MEP each get their own course, but the math stops at trigonometry and conceptual physics, with no calculus or statics requirement. The 12 elective credits are where a student leans toward heavy civil, commercial, or residential work.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- CSU enforces a strict prerequisite policy: a student who fails, drops, or takes an incomplete in a prerequisite is automatically dropped from the courses that depend on it.
- Pre-CM students may take only CON 101, CON 132, and CON 151 until fully admitted.
- CON 251, CON 253, CON 352, and CON 353 carry special course fees; the amounts are not listed in the catalog.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: CON 487A Internship (6 credits) before graduation, taken in fall or spring after CON 267 Pre-Internship and CON 367.
- Shorter option: CON 487B (3 credits, fall, spring, or summer) for students with 400 hours of documented construction experience, by petition due August 31 of the prior fall.
- Prerequisite credential: an OSHA 10-hour construction safety card.
- Placement support: the Phelps Placement Office provides internship and job search help, plus a CM jobs portal; the department hosts two career fairs a year.
- Paid status and hours: not clearly stated.
- Outcomes: about 93% of students have plans secured before graduation, an average base salary of $79,692, and more than two job offers per student, per CSU (no year given).
Because CON 487A is scheduled as a 6-credit course in a regular semester, the internship is built into the degree rather than squeezed into a summer, and CON 465 Professional Practice cannot be taken until it is done. Students who already have field experience can use CON 487B to shorten it, which suits tradespeople returning to school.
You Should Know
- The catalog labels the internship requirement “6 credits” but lets students choose the 3-credit CON 487B; it does not say how the other 3 credits are made up.
B.S. Admissions
Admission to the major is a second step after admission to CSU, and it is subject to space availability.
- Grades: CON 101 with a B- or better, CON 132 and CON 151 with a C or better, 2.50 cumulative CSU GPA, and 2.75 Pre-CM GPA.
- Writing and math: CO 150 (or an equivalent) with a C or better, and MATH 125, 127, or 160 with a C or better (or placement above MATH 125).
- Deadline: full admission by the end of semester 3.
- Transfer and change-of-major students: CSU directs them to CM advising; no named community college transfer guide for this major was found.
M.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Construction Management at Colorado State University is approximately $22,275 in-state or $48,831 out-of-state (3 flat-rate graduate semesters of 10 credits with mandatory fees, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 1.5 years (3 semesters), derived from 30 credits at a full-time graduate load; CSU does not publish a typical length.
M.S. Curriculum
Both plans require the same five core courses; they differ in the final project.
- Research core: CON 502 and CON 503 Research in Construction Management I and II.
- Management core: CON 511 Project Procurement and Preconstruction, CON 512 Post-Award Construction Management, and CON 521 Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Systems.
- Plan A: CON 699 Thesis (6 credits) plus 9 elective credits, at least one a CON graduate course.
- Plan B: CON 698 Research (3 credits) and a professional research paper, plus 12 elective credits, at least two CON graduate courses.
- Graduate electives: include Legal Aspects of Construction, Applied Productivity Improvement, Construction Industry Institute Practices, Regulatory Impact on Construction, Facility Planning and Management, and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making.
- Publication requirement: every student must submit an article to an adviser-approved journal or conference proceedings before graduating.
This is a research degree, not a coursework degree for working managers. Six of the 30 credits are research methods, the application asks for a proposed research topic and possible faculty advisers, and both plans end in a defended research product. The department lists research areas in workforce development, construction technology, infrastructure, project delivery, and sustainability.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Students without a construction degree may be assigned leveling courses (CON 265, CON 365, CON 367, CON 461) after admission; these do not count toward the 30 credits and add cost.
- Only one graduate CON course (CON 578) is marked as possibly offered online; there is no online M.S.
- No Plan C (coursework-only) option is offered.
M.S. Internship and Field Experience
The M.S. has no internship requirement. Graduate research and teaching assistantships are available depending on faculty funding, with priority for CM master’s students.
M.S. Admissions
Applicants must propose a research topic and name possible faculty advisers in the statement of purpose.
- GPA: 3.0 for unconditional admission; a waiver needs at least five years of relevant experience and leads to provisional status.
- Materials: three letters, resume, a five-question statement of purpose (200 words each), three supplemental questions, and a coursework form. GRE is not mentioned.
- Deadlines: February 1 for fall and September 15 for spring, also the assistantship deadlines.
- Orientation: new students attend an in-person department orientation in their first fall.
Tuition
For 2026-27, Colorado residents pay a flat $5,682.09 per semester in tuition (after the College Opportunity Fund stipend) plus $1,090.36 in general, technology, and transportation fees and a $23.75-per-credit facility fee, for 12 to 18 credits. Nonresidents pay $17,466.43 in tuition plus the same fees. CON courses taken as a junior or senior add $114 per credit in differential tuition. See CSU’s tuition and fees page.
| Charge | Colorado Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate semester, 15 credits (tuition + mandatory fees) | $7,128.70 | $18,913.04 |
| B.S. base, 8 semesters (120 credits of facility fee) | $57,029.60 | $151,304.32 |
| Differential tuition (57 CON/ACT/BUS/MGT credits at $114, 3 writing credits at $66) | $6,696 | $6,696 |
| B.S. total (derived) | $63,726 | $158,000 |
| Graduate semester, 10 credits (tuition + mandatory fees) | $7,424.86 | $16,277.06 |
| M.S. total, 3 semesters (derived) | $22,275 | $48,831 |
Be aware that:
- ACT 205 and BUS 205 are billed differential tuition from sophomore year; CON and MGT courses from junior year. The estimate assumes the free elective carries no differential.
- The resident figure assumes the College Opportunity Fund stipend ($116 per credit) is authorized; without it, tuition is higher.
- Special course fees on four CON lab courses are not included because the amounts are not published in the catalog.
- Students are automatically billed for CSU Student Insurance unless they waive it; the premium is not included.
- The M.S. is approved for WICHE’s Western Regional Graduate Program, so residents of participating western states may qualify for the resident graduate rate, per CSU.
- An M.S. student with leveling courses or a fourth semester will pay more than the 3-semester estimate.
For Colorado residents, the B.S. runs about $63,700 before course fees and insurance, roughly $8,000 a year. For nonresidents it runs about $158,000, so CSU’s ACCE credential costs an out-of-state student about two and a half times what it costs a resident.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for Colorado students who want an ACCE-accredited bachelor’s with a full-semester internship and are ready for a competitive entry year.
The ACCE route in Colorado. Among Colorado schools, only CSU appears on ACCE’s baccalaureate list. Students who want ACCE accreditation without leaving the state have one choice, and it comes with a placement office, two career fairs a year, and published placement figures.
Tradespeople with field hours. Students with 400 documented hours can petition for the 3-credit internship instead of the 6-credit one. The math ceiling (trigonometry, no calculus) is also within reach for adults returning to school, though the Pre-CM grade gate applies to everyone.
Graduate students heading toward research or teaching. The M.S. is built around research methods, a thesis or research paper, and a required journal submission, with assistantships available. Working managers who want a coursework-only, online master’s will not find that here.
Accreditation and Credentials
Colorado State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The B.S. in Construction Management has been accredited by the American Council for Construction Education since 1985, per CSU. ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13) shows CSU’s last accreditation in 02/2023, expiring 2/2030, and lists no other Colorado program. The M.S. does not appear on ACCE’s master’s list, which has no Colorado entries.
An OSHA 10-hour card is a prerequisite for the internship. CSU does not state that the degree counts toward any Colorado contractor license or the AIC Associate Constructor exam.