ESTABLISHING A CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TRACK WITHIN AN ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

摘要

The current recession has had a dramatic impact on all aspects of the construction industry. According to many studies a great percentage of architects are currently unemployed or employed in a different capacity while the remaining ones have suffered pay cuts, reduced work weeks, and other hardships. It is our opinion, that when the industry emerges from this recession it will look drastically different than it did before the recession. We feel that while the construction industry will require professionals with architectural educations, it will employ those people in less traditional and new capacities. The industry is employing fewer people in a conventional architectural office setting and more people in progressive owner representative, program manager and construction manager capacities. The current recession and new technologies have accelerated the shift in this direction. We have outlined the following tasks as we embark on our effort to establish a Construction Management (CM) Track within our Architectural Engineering Technology (AET) Program. CM Track: Research and develop a track for architecture students interested in pursuing a CM track and careers in a more construction related capacity. CM Track Curriculum: Research and develop the curriculum for the CM track students without jeopardizing our ABET and NAAB accreditations. CM Track Advisor: Advise undergraduate students on CM track. Help CM track students find employment and/or pursue graduate study in construction. CM Track Clubs and Organizations: Encourage and coordinate student involvement in Construction related organizations and clubs, example: Construction Institute (CI) and American Institute of Architects (AIA). Invite professionals to campus to discuss the CM industry.