Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering • New Orleans, LA • Campus • $384.18/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
LSU New Orleans, called the University of New Orleans until July 1, 2026, offers one construction management pathway: the B.S. in Urban Construction Management, built around city building, renovation, and historic preservation.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $46.1K in-state / $65.4K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
Tuition estimates use LSU New Orleans’ fall 2026 undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at 15 credits for eight semesters, plus the $63/credit College of Engineering differential fee on 64 engineering credits.
- Why choose it: The urban focus is built into required courses: Historic Structures Restoration and Preservation, Fundamentals of Urban Design, Introduction to Cities, and Sustainable Construction Techniques and Green Building, alongside a required internship with a local contractor.
- Trade-off: The program is not ACCE-accredited, even though its learning outcomes are mapped to ACCE standards, and engineering courses carry a $63/credit differential fee on top of tuition.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Urban Construction Management |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Lakefront campus, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans |
| Credit Hours | 120 (catalog course list sums to 121) |
| Internship | Required with a local construction company, per the program page |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None; learning outcomes aligned to ACCE standards |
| Math | Precalculus Algebra and Precalculus Trigonometry; no calculus |
| Software Taught | AutoCAD, Revit, BIM coordination, drone capture, laser scanning, photogrammetry |
| Industry Certifications | Not clearly stated |
| Tuition | $5,258.75 per 15-credit semester (resident), plus $63/credit on engineering courses |
B.S. in Urban Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. at LSU New Orleans is approximately $46,102 in-state and $65,446 out-of-state (120 credits at about $384.18/credit in-state, including the engineering differential fee).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
B.S. Curriculum
The degree sits in the College of Engineering and uses the ENCM course prefix. Math stops at Precalculus Algebra and Precalculus Trigonometry, with one semester of physics (General Physics I or Physics for Science and Engineering I).
- Management (9 courses): Introduction to Urban Construction Management, Construction Project Management, Construction Codes, Documents, and Specifications, Construction Estimating, Construction Scheduling, Construction Finance and Feasibility, Construction Safety Regulations, Construction Law and Contracts, Capstone Project
- Technical (12 courses): Construction Graphics, Urban Architectural Design in Construction, Construction Materials Lab, Elementary Surveying, Structure I, Advanced Structures, Soils and Equipment, Urban Construction Techniques and Methods, MEP Construction, Historic Structures Restoration and Preservation, Sustainable Construction Techniques and Green Building, Computer Applications in Construction
- Urban studies: Introduction to Cities, Fundamentals of Urban Design
- Business: Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Accounting, Principles of Marketing, Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior
- Other: Introduction to Engineering, one engineering elective, and the state general education core
Technical courses outnumber management courses 12 to 9, and two of them are structures courses, which reflects the engineering home. The urban and preservation courses are the program’s distinguishing content: they suit students who want to work on renovation, adaptive reuse, and infill projects in older cities. Computer Applications in Construction covers BIM and spatial coordination, reality capture, laser scanning, photogrammetry, and drones. More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The 2026-27 catalog states 120 credits, but its listed courses add up to 121. Confirm the count with an advisor.
- The current requirements add a 3-credit engineering elective that was not in the 2020 four-year plan, which still sits on the department site.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Required internship with a local construction company, per the program page
- Course: ENCM 4800 Urban Construction Management Internship, 3 credits, graded, department consent required
- Prerequisite: credit or registration in Construction Project Management (ENCE 3391)
- Placement: the department helps students find an internship; the employer must be a company or public agency approved by the university
- Deliverables: a series of reports and presentations on the work performed
- Paid status: not clearly stated
A required, graded internship means every graduate leaves with documented jobsite or agency experience, which employers weigh heavily for entry-level project engineer and assistant superintendent roles. Greater New Orleans, Inc. has backed the program through its GNOu workforce initiative since launch, which gives the department a regional contractor network to draw on.
You Should Know
- ENCM 4800 is in the 2026-27 course list but not in the program’s 2026-27 requirement list. The 2020 four-year plan placed it in the senior year at 2 credits. Ask whether the internship fills the engineering elective.
B.S. Admissions
The program sets its own math and English score minimums on top of university admission.
- First-time freshmen: 2.5 high school core GPA, ACT Math 19 (SAT Math 510), and ACT English 18 (SAT ERW 500)
- Transfer students: C or better in transfer courses and at least a 2.00 transfer GPA
- Transfers with fewer than 24 credit hours must also meet the freshman requirements
Tuition
Full-time undergraduates (12 credits or more) pay a flat $3,045.19 in tuition plus mandatory fees. A 15-credit semester costs $5,258.75 for Louisiana residents in fall 2026; non-residents add $2,418. Courses in the College of Engineering, including every ENCM and ENCE course, add a $63/credit differential fee.
| Cost Item (Fall 2026) | Louisiana Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| 15-credit semester, tuition and mandatory fees | $5,258.75 | $7,676.75 |
| Eight semesters | $42,070 | $61,414 |
| Engineering differential (64 credits x $63) | $4,032 | $4,032 |
| B.S. total | $46,102 | $65,446 |
Rates come from the 2026-27 catalog tuition and fees page.
Be aware that:
- The semester rate includes a $200 Privateer Bucks meal plan charged to all full-time undergraduates; unused balances roll forward and are refundable when a student leaves.
- New first-year and transfer students pay a one-time $175 orientation fee, not included above.
- Follett ACCESS course materials post to the bill at $27/credit; whether students can opt out is not clearly stated.
- The 13-18 credit rows of the catalog fee table are mislabeled; the $5,258.75 total was rebuilt from the line items.
- Lab fees may apply, and the catalog notes fall 2026 rates are subject to change.
The engineering differential adds about $1,000 per year for a typical schedule, so the full degree runs close to $46,100 for residents. That is about $4,200 more than ULM’s ACCE-accredited B.S. and about $5,800 less than LSU’s campus B.S. Non-residents pay a smaller surcharge here ($2,418 per semester) than at ULM ($6,050).
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for New Orleans-area students who want to manage renovation, preservation, and urban infill work and want a required internship built into the degree.
For students drawn to older cities: Required courses in historic restoration, urban design, and green building match the work in New Orleans’ historic housing stock and commercial corridors.
For students who want experience before graduation: The required internship, with department placement help, puts every student on a contractor’s or agency’s project team before graduation.
For students weighing accreditation: The program is not ACCE-accredited, while LSU and ULM are. Students who want an accredited degree without calculus should compare ULM; students who want the urban focus and New Orleans employer access may accept the trade-off.
Accreditation and Credentials
LSU New Orleans is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, which supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer.
The B.S. in Urban Construction Management is not accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). Neither the school nor ACCE lists an accreditation or candidacy date. Its eight student learning outcomes are written to align with ACCE’s standards, and an earlier program brochure said the program “will be accredited.”
The Board of Regents approved the degree in February 2020, and it enrolled its first students that fall as Louisiana’s first bachelor’s degree in urban construction management. The school does not name embedded industry certifications or tie the degree to Louisiana contractor licensing.