25 Best Colleges for Construction Management – 2024

Academic Highlights: Eight undergraduate colleges that offer 110+ distinct bachelor’s degrees are housed within Virginia Tech. 33% of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 21% of recent graduates report participating in some type of undergraduate research experience. Engineering is the area where the greatest number of degrees are conferred (23%), but business (20%) is a close second. Both disciplines are among the most respected at Tech, along with computer science. Other popular majors include the family and consumer sciences (8%), social sciences (8%), biology (8%), and agriculture (4%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 56% of the Class of 2022 were employed and 18% were in graduate school. One recent class sent large numbers to major corporations that included Deloitte (67), KPMG (44), Lockheed Martin (39), Capital One (30), EY (28), Booz Allen Hamilton (18), and Northrop Grumman (12). The median salary for 2022 graduates was $67,000. Among recent grads who decided to pursue an advanced degree, the greatest number stayed at VT, while others enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, William & Mary, Columbia, Duke, and Georgia Tech.

Academic Highlights: With 16 colleges and 100 undergraduate majors to choose from, educational experiences are exceptionally diverse. The Warrington College of Business and the Wertheim College of Engineering are highly respected, so it’s no surprise that those two programs confer the greatest percentage of degrees—12% and 14%, respectively. Biology (11%), the social sciences (11%), and health professions (8%) are next in popularity. 53% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and 33% of students partake in an undergraduate research experience.

Professional Outcomes: By graduation day, 66% of the Class of 2022 had already procured a first job. The top occupational areas were engineering (13%), health care (13%), computer science (5%), and marketing (4%). 200+ Gator alumni can be found at top corporations like Google, EY, Raymond James, Deloitte, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and PwC. The average salary for all 2022 grads was $69k, with a high of $100k for computer science majors. Of those pursuing advanced degrees, a master’s degree was the most popular pursuit (63%) followed by law school (11%).

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.

Academic Highlights: Across all divisions, there are 60+ majors and 80+ minors offered. The majority of courses–59%–fall between twenty and forty students. Cal Poly’s student-to-faculty ratio is a high 18:1, but such is the cost of an uber-affordable STEM degree from an excellent institution. Over one-quarter of all degrees conferred (22%) are in engineering, and Cal Poly gets recognition in many specialty areas of the field including industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, and civil engineering.

Professional Outcomes: Within nine months of graduating, 91% of graduates are “positively engaged” in their next life activity. Top employers of Cal Poly grads include many of the top tech, consulting, engineering, and financial firms in the country such as Google, Deloitte, KPMG, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, Adobe, EY, and Apple. Overall, grads enjoy a terrific median starting salary of $72,000. Of the 14% of alumni who directly enter graduate school, the six most commonly attended schools are all in California.

Academic Highlights: Colorado State offers an incredible 330 total academic programs. There are 70 majors, 140 concentrations, and 80 minors. The student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1 and 34% of course sections enroll fewer than 20 students; 22% seat more than 50. Business is the most commonly conferred degree accounting for 18% of all diplomas earned in 2022. The next most popular areas are biology (14%), engineering (10%), the social sciences (8%), and family & consumer sciences (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Among 2022 graduates, 87% quickly secured their next job or grad school opportunity. For the 68% who landed their first job, the average salary was $57,489. Overall, 88% of those surveyed stated that this job was related to their career plans. Common employers include Charles Schwab, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, Lockheed Martin, and the US Air Force. The most popular grad schools include CU Boulder, the University of Michigan, UIUC, and Columbia University.

Academic Highlights: There are 200+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. Business sees the greatest percentage of degrees conferred at 18% followed by engineering (15%), health professions (10%), and the social sciences (9%). It makes sense that so many flock to the business and engineering schools as they are among the highest-rated undergraduate programs in their respective disciplines. 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and approximately 20% of students gain research experience.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 56% of Class of 2022 graduates were entering the world of employment while 17% were already accepted into graduate or professional school.  Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, more than 1,000 are employed by Amazon, and more than 600 work for Google and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU’s own programs.

Academic Highlights: This highly regarded state institution boasts over 200 programs—undergraduate, graduate, and professional—across 17 degree-granting colleges. A 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio rates in the average range for public universities of MSU’s size and scope. Class sizes are a genuine mix of small seminars and giant lecture halls. 16% of the degrees conferred in 2022 were in the business/marketing category. The next most common degrees were earned in communication/journalism (12%), engineering (11%), and the social sciences (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of strutting across the graduation stage, 56% of Class of 2022 members had landed full-time employment, 27% were pursuing advanced degrees, and 6% were still looking for a job. The top employers of this group included big names like General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Deloitte, Epic Systems, Target, PepsiCo, and Microsoft. The median starting salary earned was $60,000. Among the grads schools favored by recent alumni are the University of Michigan, New York University, Columbia University, and Boston University.

Academic Highlights: Thirteen percent of sections contain more than fifty students. However, those lecture hall courses are balanced with classes of more modest size; 47% of courses have nineteen or fewer students. The areas where the most degrees were conferred in 2022 were business (14%), biology (12%), engineering (8%), health professions (7%), and the social sciences (7%). The programs with the strongest national reputations are those within the Marriott School of Business and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering.

Professional Outcomes: By a wide margin, the two largest employers of BYU alums are the university itself and the LDS Church. However, there are hundreds of Cougars working at major corporations including Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs. The median salary of a 2022 grad was $62,500. Brigham Young is in the same league with Berkeley, Cornell, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin in terms of producing future PhDs. Over the past decade, more than 3,000 alumni have gone on to earn doctoral degrees.

Academic Highlights: Students can select from 150 bachelor’s degrees and 80 graduate programs at App State. A reasonable 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to 39% of all course sections having fewer than 20 students and just 8% enrolling 50 or more. 20% of all 2022 grads earned their degree in business/marketing followed by health professions (10%), education (9%), parks & recreation (9%), journalism (8%), and psychology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within one year of graduating, 86% of those surveyed have arrived at their next destination. Undergrads benefit from nine annual career fairs and the 16,000 employers that are approved to recruit on campus. Further, 99% of students find the Career Development Center to be helpful. Alumni go on to work in large numbers for Wells Fargo, Atrium Health, Novant Health, Bank of America, Red Hat, Cisco, and Duke Energy Corporation.

Academic Highlights: LSU offers 330 academic majors and minors which covers virtually every academic subject on the face of the earth. With a 20:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school is able to offer 44% of class sections in a setting of no more than 19 students. By far, the most commonly conferred degree is in the area of business (23%). The next most popular are engineering (11%), education (9%), biology (8%), and journalism (7%).

Professional Outcomes: A solid 83% of 2022 and 2023 graduates reported a positive outcome after receiving their diplomas. The average salary for those employed was $55,240 and companies hiring the most LSU alums were Deloitte, EY, IBM, Chevron, MMR Constructors, and the Walt Disney Company. For those headed to graduate school, the most frequently studied disciplines were law, business administration, medical school, accounting, and social work.

Academic Highlights: There are 150 majors available across eight freshman-admitting undergraduate colleges. 65% of class sections enroll 29 or fewer students. The most commonly conferred degrees are in biology (13%), business & marketing (11%), engineering (10%), the social sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and psychology (8%). The College of Science and Engineering and the Carlson School of Management have strong national reputations, and the chemistry, economics, psychology, and political science departments are also well-regarded.

Professional Outcomes: The top seven companies snatching up the largest number of recent grads are all companies headquartered in the state of Minnesota: Medtronic, Target, 3M, United Health Group, US Bank, and Cargill. Google, Apple, and Meta all employ hundreds of Twin Cities alumni. The mean starting salary for recent grads was $50k. With 130 graduate programs in science, art, engineering, agriculture, medicine, and the humanities, the University of Minnesota retains many of its graduates as they pursue their next degrees.

Academic Highlights: There are seven undergraduate colleges within the larger university. Class sizes are mixed, and many sections are smaller than you would expect for such a large university where the student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1. Fifteen percent of classes have single-digit enrollments, and 55% contain fewer than 30 students. Business and engineering also the most popular majors with a 21% and 18% market share of diplomas, respectively. The next most frequently conferred degrees are in biology (9%), the social sciences (7%), and health professions (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 92% of 2022 grads had already entered the working world or were pursuing a graduate degree. The top employers of newly-minted diploma holders include Michelin, Amazon, Vanguard, and Wells Fargo. Computing and Applied Sciences reported a median starting salary of $62,000. College of Business graduates enjoyed median earnings of $60,000. Of the 19% of recent graduates directly entering grad school, the largest number retained their Tiger stripes by continuing their studies at Clemson.

Academic Highlights: There are 80+ undergraduate majors to choose from at Drexel and they offer a reasonable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio with commensurately reasonable class sizes. Fifty-two percent of sections contain 19 or fewer students, and just a sliver under 9% of sections contain fifty or more. Looking at the number of degrees conferred by discipline, the big three at Drexel are business (25%), health professions (21%), and engineering (17%). Visual and performing arts (9%), and CS (8%) round out the list of majors with a sizable representation.

Professional Outcomes: One year after graduating, 97%, Dragons have arrived at their next destination; 81% were employed, and 13% had matriculated into graduate or professional school. The largest employers of Drexel alumni are Comcast, Merck, Vanguard, and Johnson & Johnson. The average starting salary for Drexel grads with a full-time job was $64,774. Drexel’s medical school acceptance rate was 60%, roughly 20 points higher than the national average. It offers an accelerated BS/MD program with its own Drexel University College of Medicine.

Academic Highlights: SDSU has nearly 160 undergraduate majors, minors, and pre-professional programs. Classes tend to be on the large side—28% of course sections enroll more than 40 students, and only 31% of sections contain fewer than 20 students. Business/marketing accounts for 21% of the degrees conferred, making it the school’s most popular area of study. Next in line are engineering (9%), psychology (8%), and the social sciences (7%). Engineering and computer science majors tend to fare quite well in the booming local tech and startup scene.

Professional Outcomes: At the time of receiving their degrees, roughly 75% of newly minted SDSU graduates already have their next phase of life planned. 34% of recent grads had secured full-time employment, 21% were engaged in military service/volunteer work/part-time employment, and 17% were entering graduate or professional school. Qualcomm is the largest employer of Aztec alumni, and it is followed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and a number of other Silicon Valley-based tech companies.

Academic Highlights: There are only 23 majors available at Wentworth and the vast majority, unsurprisingly, are in the STEM realm. The student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1 and 43% of sections have enrollment of less than 20. Overall, 39% of degrees conferred last year were in engineering, with computer science (20%), business (20%), architecture (11%), and visual and performing arts (8%) next in line.

Professional Outcomes: Class of 2022 outcomes data is most impressive with 95% finding their next step within six months of leaving campus and earning a median salary of $70,720. Companies that employ 40 or more Wentworth Institute of Technology alumni include Suffolk Construction, Raytheon, Turner Construction Company, Gilbane Building Company, Dellbrook, and Wise Construction. Most grads settle in Boston, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York City.

Academic Highlights: There are more than 200 areas of study available to students at Boise State and the student-to-faculty ratio is 20:1. As such, classes vary in size: 38% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students and 10% enroll more than 50 individuals. 26% of the degrees conferred in 2022 were in health professions and related programs. The next most common majors at Boise State are business (19%), interdisciplinary studies (7%), and biology (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, alumni find their next destination at an 81% clip. Of those grads, 67% were working in Idaho and 89% stated that their current job was related to their career goals. Some of the companies employing a significant number of Boise State alumni include Micron Technology, St. Luke’s Health System, HP, Clearwater Analytics, Amazon, Microsoft, Kount, and Engineered Structure, Inc.

Academic Highlights: There are more than 175 undergraduate and graduate programs available at MSU and the student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1. Impressively, 46% of the school’s class sections have an enrollment under 20 and only 14% enroll more than 50 students. By a wide margin, the two most popular majors are business (19%) and engineering (16%). The next most frequently conferred degrees in 2022 were education (8%), biology (7%), and psychology (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Looking at 2023 grads, 93% had already landed at their first job or graduate school. The organizations employing the greatest number of recent grads were a number of local school districts as well as Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, KPMG, International Paper, Chevron, and State Farm. Those headed to graduate and professional school most often matriculated at the University of Mississippi, the University of Alabama, Auburn, LSU, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

Academic Highlights: In total, OU offers 170 academic programs, 80 of which are housed within the OU Health Sciences Center. With a very reasonable student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, the University of Oklahoma is able to run 47% of its course sections with an enrollment of 19 or less. Business (26%) is by far the most commonly conferred degree, followed by engineering (13%), agriculture (9%), biology (8%), and psychology (5%).

Professional Outcomes: The top hiring employers in 2022 were Paycom, Deloitte, KPMG, Dell, AT&T, Boeing, Amazon, and Norman Public Schools. These connections are enhanced by the fact that 38% of recent grads reported completing an experiential learning opportunity during their undergraduate years. Large numbers of alumni are now pursuing an advanced degree at SMU, NYU, Oklahoma State, the University of Tulsa, and the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Academic Highlights: With 360 undergraduate programs, 14 degree-granting colleges and schools, 500 study abroad programs, and 1,700 instructional faculty, nothing is small at the University of Tennessee. With an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio, this university offers 28% of courses in a more intimate setting of fewer than 20 students; the bulk of courses enroll 20-49 students (57%). Business (24%) is easily the most popular major with engineering (11%), biology (7%), the social sciences (7%), and parks and recreation (7%) next in line.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after receiving their diplomas, 64% of UT-Knoxville alumni have found jobs and 27% have started their graduate school careers. The top employers of the Class of 2023 were the UT Medical Center, PepsiCo, and Axle Logistics. Among those headed to graduate/professional school, the five most commonly attended institutions were the University of Tennessee, UT Health Science Center, Lincoln Memorial University, East Tennessee University, and Belmont University.

Academic Highlights: There are more than 150 majors at the University of Nebraska and students enjoy a mix of smaller classes (34% have fewer than 20 students) and larger ones (18% have more than 50). Overall, 23% of the undergraduate degrees conferred are in business and 11% are in engineering. The next most common disciplines are agriculture (9%), journalism (8%), and family & consumer sciences (7%). Business, computer science, engineering, and psychology all receive their share of acclaim.

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduating, alumni have entered the workforce at a 63% clip and 35% have matriculated into graduate/professional school. Employers hiring more than a few recent graduates included Microsoft, Deloitte, Amazon, Epic, Union Bank & Trust Company, and Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation. Multiple grads enrolled at the following graduate/professional schools: the University of Nebraska College of Law, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, University of Michigan, and Boston University.

Academic Highlights: K-State offers 250+ majors, minors, and certificates in a wide variety of academic disciplines. Impressively, this state university has 47% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students; the student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1. 20% of all 2022 degrees were awarded in business, while agriculture (12%), engineering (11%), interdisciplinary studies (8%), and biology (7%) are also popular. The engineering program has a strong national reputation.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 96% of K-State alumni are employed or pursuing further education. The most common employers for 2023 graduates were Koch Industries, Textron, the US Army, Garmin, Burns & McConnell. Thirty percent of grads enjoy a starting salary of more than $70,000 and 23% earn between $60k-$69k. Those attending graduate school primarily flocked to K-State, the University of Kansas, the University of Missouri, the University of Nebraska, and Wichita State University.

Academic Highlights: MSOE offers 22 majors and another 11 graduate programs and sports a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. Almost half of all course sections are intimate affairs of under 20 students and you’ll rarely encounter a large lecture hall, even as a freshman. An astounding 71% of all degrees conferred are in the engineering realm. Health programs (12%), business (9%), and computer science (6%) are next in popularity.

Professional Outcomes: This school has a lot to brag about in terms of postgraduation outcomes starting with a 99% placement rate and a $76,647 average starting salary. Students regularly take advantage of the Career Connections Center and connect with the school’s corporate partners which include Cognex, Miller, HED, Associated Bank, ASYST, GE Healthcare, Hydrite, Nordco, and ULINE.

Academic Highlights: There are 27 majors at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a terrific 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. An excellent 64% of class sections are fairly small, enrolling 19 or fewer students. The most frequently earned degrees are in conservation biology (12%), environmental biology (10%), natural resources management (10%), environmental health engineering (9%), and wildlife biology (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Looking at the Class of 2022, ESF had an admiral 92% career placement rate. 70% of that cohort are employed full time and 18% elected to start an advanced degree program. Top employers included WestRock, Arcadis, Environmental Design & Research, GHD, NYS Office of Parks, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and Parsons Corporation. Top graduate programs include GWU, PSU, Syracuse, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UIUC.

Academic Highlights: Michigan’s flagship tech school offers 140 degree programs and another 80 minors. A 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio allows for a reasonable number of small classes–48% of sections enroll fewer than 20 individuals. A whopping 69% of degrees conferred were under the engineering umbrella. Other popular areas of concentration were computer science (9%), business (5%), and natural resources and conservation (4%).

Professional Outcomes: Michigan Tech has a stellar 93% placement rate for alumni within six months of earning their diplomas. The median early career salary is $71,100. More than 400 companies attend the school’s career fairs and that leads to a steady flow of graduates heading to companies like Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Cummins Inc., Caterpillar, Stellantis, Dow, Medtronic, Stryker, Amazon, and Magna International.

Academic Highlights: More than 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs await you at Florida Tech. You’ll study with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio which allows for half of all courses to take place in a relatively intimate setting with fewer than 19 students. Roughly half of all degrees are in the engineering field and the most popular are aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering (13%) aviation/aerospace technology (12%), mechanical engineering (11%), computer science (6%), and ocean engineering (5%).

Professional Outcomes: Florida Institute of Technology sends a large number of grads to companies/organizations such as the US Army, Boeing, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Booz Allen Hamilton, Microsoft, Blue Origin, and Amazon. Employers love the hands-on nature of an FIT education and it results in them being ranked highly in the area of graduate employability.