Construction Management Prospective Graduate Students

• Visit the online application to apply.
  The deadlines for application and admission and full consideration of financial assistance for new and continuing students are as follows:
  • Sept. 15 for Spring semester
  • Feb. 1 for Fall semester

  Timely submitting your complete application can increase your chances of being accepted and receiving financial assistance. Please consider applying for future terms if you cannot submit all required application materials by the deadline.

• All application materials (including official test scores and official transcripts) must be received before the deadline for an application to be reviewed.
• Submit Application Materials – After submitting your online application and paying your application fee, begin submitting your supporting materials to complete your application:
  • Upload supporting documents directly to your application, such as official transcripts.
  • To submit official transcripts, contact your previous institutions to request they submit official transcripts to Colorado State University (use institution code 4075).
  • To submit test scores, contact the testing agency to request that scores be sent to Colorado State University (use institution code 4075).
  • For any documents that cannot be uploaded, submit paper copies directly to the Office of Admissions at:
    Office of Graduate Admissions
    Colorado State University
    1062 Campus Delivery
    Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062
• Check Your Application Status – View the status of your application at any time to ensure your application checklist is complete or check on updates.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

• Official transcripts of all previously earned college credits from each institution attended.  Unofficial transcripts will NOT be accepted for application review.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Complete resume describing all academic and work experience.
• Statement of Purpose
  • The Statement of Purpose (SOP) serves as an academic writing sample for the admission committee to determine your readiness for graduate level writing, learn more about you, and discover how your goals align with the program. Please provide responses to the following questions. All responses shall be drafted in complete sentences with no more than 200 words used for each response.
    • Describe your construction/engineering/architecture experience and how this experience aligns with your professional goals? What are your long-term professional goals?
    • Why do you want to attend graduate school at Colorado State University?
    • How does pursuing the CM master’s program contribute to your long-term goals?
    • Describe your previous research experience. Be specific about the skills you used to do analysis, work within a team environment, and/or create a final product.
    • What are your particular research interests? Outline a research topic (as specific as possible) that you would like to work on during your master’s degree, and list any potential CM faculty adviser(s) with whom you are willing to work, and who align with your research interests.

    Note: Your research interests may evolve as you make progress in graduate school. You will not be required to pursue the exact same research topic that you outlined in this document if you get admitted. Please visit our CM research faculty directory to learn more about our faculty members and their research interests.

• Supplemental Questions (REQUIRED)
  • Similar to the SOP, you will be required to provide answers to supplemental questions, which allow the admission committee to determine your readiness for graduate level writing, learn more about you, and establish how your goals align with the program. Please provide responses to the following supplemental questions.
    • Describe an academic and/or professional challenge you faced, how you handled the situation, and what you learned from the experience.
    • Describe your time management skills and give an example of how you worked effectively under pressure.
    • After reading the CSU Principles of Community, how would you see yourself engaging with these principles when joining the CM Master’s program at CSU? In addition, how would you see them being part of the larger construction management field moving forward over the next 5 years?
    • You will be also required to fill out a form, indicating when you have taken related course(s) related to CM and other study areas. In addition, you will need to indicate the grade you earned, and the grading scale, and the name of the course as it is listed on your transcripts.
• International Applicants – TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo English Proficiency scores need to be requested by the applicant to be sent to Colorado State University.
  • Minimum English proficiency score is required:
    • TOEFL score of 80 for the internet-based*
    • IELTS score of 6.5
    • PTE score of 58
    • Duolingo score of 120
      *Note: Contact the Graduate School for guidance on interpreting TOEFL
      paper-based exam scores.
• As indicated by the Graduate Admissions Requirements and Procedures, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) is required for unconditional admission. The Department of Construction Management may appeal the 3.0 minimum GPA requirement under unusual circumstances. However, those applicants will have to demonstrate at least five years of appropriate professional experience and submit a strong application. If the minimum GPA requirement is waived and the applicant is accepted by the Graduate School, the applicant will be provisionally admitted and placed immediately on academic probation. The student must achieve a term GPA of 3.0, averaged across all coursework that is traditionally graded (A through F), in the first semester, or the student will be dismissed from the Graduate School.

NOTE:

• Meeting the minimum CSU or department standards does not entitle an applicant to admission. Meeting such standards only insures consideration of the application. Since CSU cannot accommodate all who meet the minimum standards, it reserves the right to select individuals for admission on the basis of merit in such a way as to promote the best interests of CSU and the society as a whole and to maximize the potential for individual accomplishment.
• Application Fee
  Unfortunately, the Graduate School and the CM Department do not offer financial need-based fee waivers, but there are other criteria for waiver requests. The link to the request form is below; if you, as an applicant, fit one of the criteria, you are more than welcome to complete/submit the form. In addition, Graduate School requires supporting documentation (like military ID, membership letter, etc.) before granting the waiver.
  See: https://gradadmissions.colostate.edu/register/fee_waiver_request

Students admitted to the Master of Science program in Construction Management at Colorado State University, with degrees in disciplines other than baccalaureate construction programs, may be required to complete a series of undergraduate courses to fulfill leveling requirements. Leveling course requirements will be determined for each applicant depending on academic background and work experience. This evaluation is completed by the Graduate Program Coordinator once the applicant is selected for admission.  Admitted students may be required to take some or all of the leveling courses as determined by the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Leveling courses include:

• CON 265 Plan Reading and Quantity Survey (3 credit)
• CON 365 Estimating (3 credits)
• CON 367 Construction Contracts and Project Administration (3 credits)
• CON 461 Scheduling and Cost Control (3 credits)

Note: Students with backgrounds other than engineering and architecture may be required to take additional leveling courses. Leveling course credits cannot be used towards the required 30 credits for the Graduate Program of Study.

• Applicants that are selected for admission will receive a Notice of Admission and Acceptance Letter. Applicants will be notified of the admission decision one to two months after the application deadlines. Applicants will be notified of required prerequisite courses in their acceptance letter. Once a student is admitted and confirms acceptance of admission, then the advising liaison will assist the student in registering for classes.
• See: Graduate School: Steps Once Admitted

The program includes Plan A and Plan B.

For more information: View the Curriculum

• CON 502 Research in Construction Management I – 3 credits
• CON 503 Research in Construction Management II – 3 credits
• CON 511 Project Procurement and Preconstruction – 3 credits
• CON 512 Post-Award Construction Management – 3 credits
• CON 521 Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Systems – 3 credits
• CON 698 Research Credits – 3 credits (for Plan B only)
• CON 699 Thesis Credits – 6 credits (for Plan A only)

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships

• We may be able to offer either a GRA or GTA depending on availability and your credentials.
• To be considered for a GRA or GTA, you must first be accepted to the program, meaning you must apply first to the program before we can consider your eligibility.
• To be considered for GTA positions, you must submit all application materials by the posted deadline.
• To be considered for GTA positions, the Graduate School must receive all of your official transcripts before you can move into the GTA selection process.
• Priority for new and renewal GTA positions is given to students who are admitted and enrolled in the CM masters program, collaborative doctoral program focusing on construction with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) with a primary adviser/co-adviser who is a CM faculty member, the collaborative doctoral program focusing on construction with the School of Education (SOE) with a primary adviser/co-adviser who is a CM faculty member, or the Systems Engineering Ph.D. program with a primary adviser who is a CM faculty member.
• GRA positions open at different times of the year based on when faculty research funding is available. Faculty members are the final decision-makers for GRA positions in their research programs.
• For other information about financial aid please check the following links.

• • Financial aid resources available through the Office of Financial Aid website.
  • Financial resource section for additional opportunities.
  • View Paying for Graduate School Information
  • Financial aid for international students

A graduate student orientation is held by the Department each fall semester. All newly admitted graduate students are required to attend during the first fall semester enrolled. The Graduate School also conducts a Graduate Student Orientation each fall and will contact you directly regarding the schedule.

Once you have been admitted and established your eID, you can access the registration system in RAMweb. Once logged in, access the “Class Schedule.” The CM graduate advising liaison will notify you of required and suggested courses for your first semester.

The Graduate Program in Construction Management is WICHE Approved. Residents of any one of the following western states are eligible for in-state tuition:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming

Learn more about WICHE

View Steps to Completing Graduate School