College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Construction Management • Sacramento, CA • Campus • $288/Credit (In-State, incl. fees)
Sacramento State offers one construction management program: the B.S. in Construction Management.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $38.6K in-state / $101.7K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 134 |
Tuition estimates use Sacramento State’s 2026-27 full-time semester tuition plus mandatory campus fees; out-of-state adds $471 per unit.
- Why choose it: Every Sacramento State B.S. graduate also earns a Minor in Business Administration, and the degree adds two structures courses, including timber and formwork design, plus an engineering construction course to an ACCE-accredited construction management core.
- Trade-off: At 134 units, the degree runs 14 units past a standard bachelor’s, so finishing in four years means several 18-unit semesters, and no internship is required.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | B.S. in Construction Management (with a Minor in Business Administration) |
| Format | Campus |
| Campus Location | Sacramento, CA |
| Credit Hours | 134 (105 in the major) |
| Internship | Not required; part-time and summer work encouraged |
| Programmatic Accreditation | ACCE, per Sacramento State; 2024 ACCE list showed expiry 02/2025 |
| Software Taught | Word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation courses (MIS 1-3); construction software not named |
| Industry Certifications | None embedded |
| Built-In Minor | Business Administration, earned with the degree |
| Tuition | $4,828 per semester in-state, tuition plus mandatory fees (2026-27) |
B.S. in Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Construction Management at Sacramento State is approximately $38,624 in-state (134 credits at $288.24/credit, derived from 8 semesters at $4,828).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years (8 semesters).
The B.S. in Construction Management combines engineering, construction management, business administration, and general education, per Sacramento State. The program began in 1972 and became its own department in 2012. The out-of-state estimate is about $101,738.
B.S. Curriculum
The 105-unit major splits into a 51-unit lower division, a 45-unit upper division, 6 elective units, and 3 units of computer skills.
- Construction management core (9 courses, 27 units): CM 110 Legal Aspects of Construction, CM 111 Construction Labor Relations, CM 120 Construction Operations and Methods Analysis, CM 121 Fundamentals of Construction Estimating, CM 124 Engineering Construction, CM 125 Advanced Estimating and Bidding, CM 126 Construction Project Management, CM 127 Planning, Scheduling and Control, and CM 129 Senior Project.
- Structures and systems (5 courses, 15 units): CM 30 Statics, CM 130 Structures I (structural steel design), CM 140 Structures II (timber and formwork design), CM 135 Soils and Foundations, and CM 136 Principles of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
- Construction foundations (7 courses, 19 units): CM 9 Surveying and Layout, CM 10 The Construction Industry, CM 15 Fundamentals of Construction Management, CM 20 Materials and Processes, CM 21 Construction Graphics, CM 22 Construction Documents, and CM 40 Properties of Construction Materials.
- Business (7 courses, 21 units): ACCY 1 and ACCY 2 accounting, MGMT 10 Business Law, HROB 101 Management of Contemporary Organizations, MGMT 117 Business, Ethics and Society, a 100-level business elective, and FIN 101, MKTG 101, or OPM 101.
- Math and science (6 courses, 20 units): MATH 26A Calculus I for the Social and Life Sciences, STAT 1, PHYS 5A and PHYS 5B, ENVS 10, and ECON 1A or 1B.
- Computer literacy (3 units): MIS 1 Word Processing, MIS 2 Spreadsheets, and MIS 3 Presentation Graphics.
Sacramento State pairs a full estimating, scheduling, and project management sequence with two structures design courses, including formwork, and an engineering construction course, which gives graduates a heavier technical base than a management-only program. The business courses double as the minor, so graduates leave with a credential employers can read on a résumé.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Most CM courses require a C- or better, and undergraduate CM courses may be taken only three times.
- The university’s 2024-25 four-year roadmap totals 128 units against the catalog’s 134; the catalog figure governs.
- Construction management majors are exempt from Sacramento State’s foreign language graduation requirement.
- The catalog does not name the estimating, scheduling, or BIM software used.
B.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Required: No internship or work experience course appears in the catalog.
- Work while studying: the department chair said in 2022 that students can work part time during the semester and full time in summer, with many contractors 15 to 30 minutes from campus.
- Competitions: Sacramento State students have competed at an annual national construction competition in Nevada since the 1980s and had won 79 awards since 2003 as of 2022, per the university.
- Industry support: the Sacramento Construction Management Education Foundation, founded in 2004, supports the program.
- Hours, pay, and placement: Not clearly stated.
Field experience is left to students, but Sacramento’s contractor base and the competition program give them ways to build it. The 100% placement figure the chair cited in 2022 is the department’s own claim and is not dated beyond that article.
B.S. Admissions
The catalog lists no separate admission gate for the major beyond Sacramento State admission.
- First-year and transfer students: admitted through Sacramento State undergraduate admissions.
- Transfer planning: Sacramento State publishes a transfer roadmap; students should complete Calculus I, statistics, General Physics, accounting, and business law before transferring.
Tuition
For 2026-27, Sacramento State charges full-time undergraduates $3,419 in tuition plus $1,409 in mandatory campus fees per semester, for $4,828. Nonresidents add $471 per unit.
| Item (2026-27, per semester, 6.1+ units) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $3,419.00 |
| University Union/WELL fee | $482.00 |
| Instructionally related activities fee | $256.00 |
| Intercollegiate athletics fee | $246.00 |
| Student health and counseling fee | $198.00 |
| Other campus fees (ASI, recreation, health facilities, transportation, State Hornet) | $227.00 |
| Total, in-state | $4,828.00 |
- B.S. estimate: 8 × $4,828 = $38,624 in-state (derived).
- Out-of-state: $38,624 + 134 units × $471 ($63,114) = $101,738 (derived).
Be aware that:
- The estimate assumes eight full-time semesters; a ninth semester to fit the 134 units would add $4,828 in-state.
- Nonresident tuition is charged per unit, so the 134-unit total costs out-of-state students more than a 120-unit degree.
- Campus fees other than tuition can change until instruction begins.
- CSU tuition has risen each year, so later years may cost more.
- Housing, meals, books, and course materials are not included.
At about $38,600 in-state, Sacramento State costs a little more than Fresno State because of higher campus fees, and well below Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s college-fee pricing. See Sacramento State’s 2026-27 tuition and fees.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Sacramento State fits students in the capital region who want a construction management degree with real structural design content and a business credential built in.
Business minor included: Accounting, business law, management, ethics, and a finance, marketing, or operations course make up the minor, which suits graduates aiming for project management and eventually company ownership.
Structures and heavy work: Steel design, timber and formwork design, soils, and an engineering construction course give graduates a technical base for heavy civil and concrete work, where formwork design matters.
Accreditation check: ACCE’s 2024 list showed Sacramento State’s accreditation expiring in February 2025; the catalog still says the B.S. is ACCE-accredited, but students who need ACCE status should confirm it with the department.
Accreditation and Credentials
California State University, Sacramento is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, which supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer.
Sacramento State’s catalog says the B.S. in Construction Management is individually accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). ACCE’s baccalaureate list (Rev. 2024.03.13) showed the accreditation expiring in February 2025, and a newer ACCE list could not be retrieved to confirm renewal.
The program embeds no industry certifications. Graduates do earn a Minor in Business Administration with the degree, and Sacramento State says the business courses also satisfy many core requirements of its graduate business program.