Thompson Thrift Department of Construction Management, Bailey College of Engineering and Technology • Terre Haute, IN • Campus / Online • $361/Credit (In-State; $4,989/Semester Flat Rate for 12-18 Credits)
Indiana State University offers one construction management program: the B.S. in Construction Management, delivered on campus in Terre Haute or fully online.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. (Campus) | $41.0K in-state / $94.2K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| B.S. (Online) | $42.3K in-state / $58.3K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use Indiana State’s 2026-27 flat-rate tuition for 12-18 credits plus mandatory campus fees or the online course fee.
- Why choose it: Indiana State’s ACCE-accredited B.S. can be finished fully online, and out-of-state online students pay a reduced $6,985 per semester instead of the $11,641 campus nonresident rate.
- Trade-off: The single 3-credit internship is the only required field experience, with hours not stated, and online students still take a soils lab and a surveying course whose remote delivery is not explained.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. Construction Management |
| Format | Campus (Terre Haute) or Online |
| Credit Hours | 120 (80-credit major, per catalog) |
| Internship | Required: CNST 351 Professional Internship, 3 credits |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE |
| Software Taught | BIM course (first semester); software not named |
| Math | PreCalculus and Principles of Statistics; Statics and Strength of Materials |
| Industry Partner | Thompson Thrift: scholarships and paid internship placements |
| Tuition | $4,989/semester in-state; $11,641 out-of-state campus; $6,985 out-of-state online |
B.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management at Indiana State University is approximately $41,032 in-state or $94,248 out-of-state on campus, and $42,312 in-state or $58,280 out-of-state online (8 semesters at the flat rate plus fees, derived).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters), per the catalog’s degree map.
The department carries the name of Thompson Thrift, a real estate development company and the department’s named industry partner, which funds scholarships and paid internship placements; the company reports that about 15 percent of its staff are Indiana State alumni.
B.S. Curriculum
The major lists 18 construction (CNST) courses totaling 52 credits, plus business, economics, math, and lab science courses outside the department.
- Math and science: MATH 116 PreCalculus (4 credits), MATH 241 Principles of Statistics, and 8 lab science credits from chemistry, environmental science, physical geology, or physics.
- Management (8 courses): Introduction to Construction, Contract Documents and Project Delivery, Scheduling, Estimating and Bid Preparation, Accounting, Finance, and Safety, Ethics and Construction, Construction Project Management, and the Capstone.
- Technical (9 courses): BIM, Materials, Methods, and Equipment, Soils Laboratory (1 credit), Environmental Control Systems, Plan Interpretation and Quantity Take-Off, Sustainable Design and Construction, Statics and Strength of Materials, Design of Temporary Support Systems, and Construction Surveying.
- Business: Survey of Accounting or Principles of Accounting I, Legal Environment and Business, an economics course, and ET 492 Industrial Supervision.
- Grades: C- or better in every CNST course; 2.00 GPA overall and in the major.
The technical side runs slightly heavier than the management side, and Design of Temporary Support Systems carries statics into a full design course. Safety shares a course with accounting and finance rather than standing alone. BIM comes in the first semester, so students use it across later courses.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog heading says 80 credits, but the listed courses add to 79; the degree map adds to 121 credits against a 120-credit degree. Confirm with an advisor.
- The catalog lists ET 492 Industrial Supervision followed by “or” with no alternative named; the degree map requires it.
- Ten degree-map courses are marked critical, including PreCalculus, BIM, Statics and Strength of Materials, and the internship.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: CNST 351 Professional Internship, 3 credits, C- or better.
- Timing: the catalog says the summer between the third and fourth years; the degree map lists it in the fourth-year fall.
- Hours and pay: not clearly stated; the Thompson Thrift partnership offers paid internship placements.
- Employers named: C.H. Garmong and Sons, C.P. Morgan, F.A. Wilhelm Construction, Hannig Construction, Rieth-Riley, Thompson Thrift, and White Construction.
- Outcomes: graduates “typically find employment before graduation or within one to three months,” per Indiana State; no rate is published.
One internship is the minimum field requirement here. A campus student near Terre Haute can use the department’s employer ties; an online student will usually complete the internship with a local employer or a current job, which suits working adults but gives career changers less structured exposure.
B.S. Admissions
Students enter through regular Indiana State admission, with no separate program application stated.
- Transfer credit: accepted from regionally accredited U.S. institutions and military training, per Indiana State.
- Online availability: Indiana State online programs are not available in every state; check the program availability tool before applying.
- Prior degree: the online program does not state that an associate degree or prior credit is required.
You Should Know
- Indiana State Online describes the B.S. as 100% online, but the major includes CNST 118 Soils Laboratory and CNST 420 Construction Surveying, which uses tapes, levels, and transits. How online students complete these is not clearly stated.
Tuition
Indiana residents pay $361 per credit, or a flat $4,989 per semester for 12 to 18 credits. Out-of-state campus students pay $11,641 per semester. Residents of Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio, Midwest Consortium scholarship recipients, and out-of-state online students pay $6,985. See the undergraduate tuition rates.
| Charge (per semester, 12-18 credits) | Indiana Resident | IL/KY/OH and Online Out-of-State | Out-of-State Campus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $4,989 | $6,985 | $11,641 |
| Recreation and health fees (campus, 6+ credits) | $140 | $140 (campus only) | $140 |
| Online course fee | $60 per course | $60 per course | N/A |
| Campus B.S. total (8 semesters, derived) | $41,032 | $57,000 | $94,248 |
| Online B.S. total (8 semesters + 40 course fees, derived) | $42,312 | $58,280 | N/A |
Be aware that:
- Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education lists Indiana State’s resident tuition as unchanged from 2024-25 through 2026-27.
- The online total assumes about 40 courses at $60 each; online students taking fewer than 12 credits pay $361 (in-state) or $499 (out-of-state) per credit instead of the flat rate.
- Lab, course, and program fees apply to some courses; construction-specific amounts are not clearly stated.
- Online availability and the reduced online rate depend on the student’s state of residence.
At about $41,000 on campus, Indiana State costs about $1,200 less in-state than Purdue’s West Lafayette B.S. ($42,256) and about $3,900 less than Ball State ($44,968). The bigger gap is for nonresidents: the online B.S. costs about $58,300, about half of either campus program’s out-of-state price.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for working adults outside Terre Haute, and for out-of-state students who want ACCE accreditation without paying a full nonresident campus rate.
Cost verdict. In-state, the three ACCE bachelor’s programs profiled in Indiana sit within about $4,000 of each other, so cost alone won’t decide among them. Out-of-state, Indiana State’s online rate or its Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio rate cuts the price to about $57,000 to $58,300, against about $117,000 to $119,000 at Purdue or Ball State.
Who gives something up. Students wanting structured field experience get one internship here, against two required internships at Ball State. Students wanting calculus and engineering depth will find more at Purdue. Indiana State sits between them: precalculus and statistics, with statics and temporary support design.
Accreditation and Credentials
Indiana State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The B.S. in Construction Management is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education, per the catalog and program page, and Indiana State appears on ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13). The catalog and online pages do not say whether ACCE accreditation is reviewed separately for the online delivery.
No industry certification is named as part of the degree. Indiana State does not state that the degree counts toward Indiana contractor licensing.