Department of Civil Engineering • Fayetteville, AR • Online • $393/Credit (All Students, incl. fees)
The University of Arkansas offers one construction management program: the online Sam and Janet Alley Master of Science in Construction Management.
Program Pathways Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. | $11.9K, all students | About 2 years | 30 |
Tuition estimates use the University of Arkansas online engineering per-credit tuition plus the technology and off-campus fees listed for the program.
- Why choose it: The University of Arkansas M.S. costs about $11,850 for 30 credits online, with no GRE and admission open to any accredited bachelor’s (B.S., B.A., or B.Arch.), not just engineering or construction degrees.
- Trade-off: Only five construction courses are required; the other half of the degree is electives from the general online engineering master’s catalog, and the program has no internship, capstone project, or programmatic accreditation.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Credentials Offered | M.S. Construction Management |
| Format | Online; no required campus visits stated |
| Credit Hours | 30 (15 construction core, 15 electives) |
| Internship | None |
| Programmatic Accreditation | None listed |
| Software Taught | BIM course; software not named |
| Admission | Any accredited bachelor’s, 3.0 GPA overall or last 60 hours; no GRE |
| Final Requirement | Comprehensive final exam |
| Tuition | $313/credit + $80/credit fees; same for all students |
M.S. Construction Management
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Construction Management at the University of Arkansas is approximately $11,850 (30 credits at $393/credit, plus $60 in one-time online fees).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years, per the University of Arkansas.
The degree launched in January 2021 after Sam and Janet Alley, of retail contractor VCC, endowed it with $2 million. It runs through the Department of Civil Engineering on the same online platform as the university’s engineering master’s programs.
M.S. Curriculum
The catalog requires five of six construction courses (15 credits) and five electives (15 credits) from approved Master of Science in Engineering courses.
- Construction core (choose 5 of 6): Construction Safety, Construction Scheduling, Legal Aspects of Construction, Building Information Modeling for Design and Construction, Construction Project Management, and Cost Management: Ownership.
- Sixth core course: may count as one of the five electives.
- Electives (15 credits): any approved online Master of Science in Engineering course.
- Completion: pass a comprehensive final exam; no thesis or project is listed.
The core covers the management side of construction: scheduling, cost, law, safety, project management, and BIM. Half the degree is open, so a student can stay construction-focused only if suitable engineering electives exist; the electives list is not published on the program page.
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The online program page lists seven required courses (21 credits) and 9 elective credits, including Construction Productivity, Sustainability, and Risk and Financial Management. The catalog lists six courses (choose five) and 15 elective credits, with Construction Project Management and Cost Management in place of those three. The catalog governs.
- Prerequisites for engineering electives taken by students with non-engineering degrees are not clearly stated.
- The catalog PDF requires a 2.85 cumulative graduate GPA, while the catalog web page and the 2020 program proposal cite 3.00.
M.S. Internship and Field Experience
- Requirement: none; no internship, practicum, or capstone project is listed.
- Instructors: graduate engineering faculty and industry practitioners, per the university; the 2020 proposal planned for adjunct faculty to teach the construction courses.
- Outcomes: no placement or salary data published.
The program is built for people already working in construction. A career changer gets classroom management training but no supervised field experience.
M.S. Admissions
Admission is open to graduates of any accredited bachelor’s program, including liberal arts and architecture degrees.
- Degree: B.S., B.A., or B.Arch. from an accredited university.
- GPA: 3.0 overall, or 3.0 on the last 60 hours.
- Tests: no GRE or other entrance exam.
- Work experience: not required.
- Start terms: not clearly stated.
Tuition
Online students pay $313 per credit in tuition plus a $50 per-credit technology fee and a $30 per-credit off-campus fee, for $393 per credit. The rate is the same for Arkansas and out-of-state students. See the program page and the graduate fee schedule.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $313.00/credit |
| Technology fee | $50.00/credit |
| Off-campus fee | $30.00/credit |
| Total per credit | $393.00 |
| 30 credits | $11,790 |
| Online orientation ($50) and authentication ($10) fees | $60 |
| M.S. total (derived) | $11,850 |
Be aware that:
- The program page labels its rates “fall 2024”; the 2026-27 graduate catalog confirms $313 per credit for online engineering master’s programs but does not name the construction M.S. separately.
- The catalog lists the $30 Global Campus fee without stating that it is per credit; the program page says it is.
- Taking any on-campus course adds campus mandatory and college fees for that course.
- Employers may reimburse tuition; the 2020 program proposal cited employer interest, but no formal partnership is published.
At about $11,850, the degree costs less than ASU’s online M.S. at $19,230 and UAB’s online M.Eng. at $31,320.
Why Choose This Construction Management Program?
Best suited for working construction professionals with any bachelor’s degree who want a low-cost online master’s in project controls, law, and scheduling.
What it gains. A full master’s for under $12,000 at any residency, no GRE, and admission for liberal arts, business, and architecture graduates, not only engineers.
What it gives up. Half the credits come from general engineering electives, there is no capstone or internship, and the program carries no ACCE accreditation. None of the other Arkansas schools profiled here offers a construction master’s; UA Little Rock closed its M.A. around 2021.
What it does not solve. Career changers without construction jobs get no field placement. Students wanting a bachelor’s-level foundation first should look at Arkansas State’s online B.S. or John Brown University’s campus program.
Accreditation and Credentials
The University of Arkansas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which supports credit transfer and federal financial aid eligibility.
The university names no programmatic accreditation for the M.S. in Construction Management. ACCE accredits a small number of master’s programs, but the University of Arkansas does not claim ACCE status for this degree.
No industry certification is built into the degree, and the university does not state that it counts toward Arkansas contractor licensing.