Method for Planning Graduate Programs in Construction Management
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 139, Issue 1
Abstract
University programs in Western countries must be accredited, and although several detailed conceptual methods have aimed to design new programs, no specific quantitative tools are currently available. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method to plan, design, or improve graduate degree programs based on selected requirements and market demands. This method involves two metrics, which are later combined into a final index. The first metric is the completeness index that evaluates the extent to which certain programs cover a discipline, in this case, construction management, according to a model using two variables: infrastructure life cycle and organizational breakdown. The second metric is the adequacy index, which measures how a program addresses the previously identified market demands. The final indicator (summary index) relates both indexes in a plot chart. In this study, the applicability of the method is illustrated by a sample of 21 construction management programs from prestigious universities and a survey of the Spanish construction industry. It can be applied in practice, not only in the construction management field, but also in other fields with an appropriate theoretical model that maps each field of knowledge and exploratory data that highlight the demands of each specific market.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to Professors Luís F. Alarcón (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Joaquín Catalá (Universitat Politècnica de València), David Eaton (The University of Salford), Andrzej Minasowicz (Politechnika Warszawska), and José C. Teixeira (Universidade do Minho) for their valuable assistance throughout this study. The authors also wish to thank Dr. Debra Westall for thoroughly revising the manuscript.
References
ABET. (2008). Criteria for accrediting engineering programs, ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission, Baltimore.
Alam, M., Gale, A., Brown, M., and Kidd, C. (2008). “The development and delivery of an industry led project management professional development programme: A case study in project management education and success management.” Int. J. Proj. Manage., 26(3), 223–237.
ANECA. (2007). Evaluation protocol for the verification of recognized university degrees, Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación, Madrid, Spain.
Arditi, D., and Polat, G. (2010). “Graduate education in construction management.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 136(3), 175–179.
Atalah, A., and Muchemedzi, R. (2006). “Improving enrollment in the Master of Construction Management program at Bowling Green State University.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 132(4), 312–321.
Christodoulou, S. (2004). “Educating civil engineering professionals of tomorrow.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 130(2), 90–94.
CICCP. (2008). Análisis estratégico del campo de actividad profesional del ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos, Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Madrid, Spain (in Spanish).
Crawley, E. F., Brodeur, D. R., and Soderholm, D. H. (2008). “The education of future aeronautical engineers, conceiving, designing, implementing and operating.” J. Sci. Educ. Technol., 17(2), 138–151.
Crawley, E. F., Malmqvist, J., Ostlund, S., and Brodeur, D. R. (2007). Rethinking engineering education, the CDIO approach, Springer, New York.
Fillon, Y. R. (2010). “Developing and teaching a course in ‘Applied sustainability and public health in civil engineering design’ at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 136(4), 197–205.
Galloway, P. D. (2007). The 21st century engineer: A proposal for engineering education reform, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Hammer, M., and Champy, J. (1993). Reengineering the corporation, a manifesto for business revolution, Harper Collins, New York.
Hoskinson, A. M. (2010). “How to build a course in mathematical–biological modeling, content and processes for knowledge and skill.” CBE-Life Sci. Educ., 9(3), 333–341.
Jahren, C. T., and Johnston, D. W. (2011). “Linkages between construction education and research.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 137(10), 887–894.
Jain, R., Chandrasekaran, A., and Gunasekaran, A. (2010). “Benchmarking the redesign of ‘business process reengineering’ curriculum. A continuous process improvement (CPI).” Benchmark Int. J., 17(1), 77–94.
Johnson, G., and Scholes, K. (1997). Exploring corporate strategy, Prentice Hall, Hemel Hempstead, UK.
Lucena, J., Downey, G., Jesiek, B., and Elber, S. (2008). “Competencies beyond countries: the re-organization of engineering education in the United States, Europe, and Latin America.” J. Eng. Educ., 97(4), 433–447.
McNeill, B., and Bellamy, L. (1999). “The articulation matrix, A tool for defining and assessing a course.” Chem. Eng. Educ., 33, 122–127.
Milosevic, D. Z., Martinelli, R. J., and Waddell, J. M. (2007). Program management for improved business results, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
Moon, Y., and Duran, A. (2010). “A tale of two transformations in engineering education.” Interface, 4–5.
Naranjo, G., Pellicer, E., and Yepes, V. (2011). “Marketing in the construction industry: State of knowledge and current trends.” Dyna, 78(170), 245–253.
Olds, B. M., and Miller, R. L. (1998). “An assessment matrix for evaluating engineering programs.” J. Eng. Edu., 87(2), 173–178.
Pellicer, E., Yepes, V., Teixeira, J. C., and Catalá, J. (2009). “Developing learning manuals for European construction project managers.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Education and New Learning Technologies, EDULEARN 09, Gómez, L., Martí, D., and Candel, I., eds., International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), Valencia, Spain, 2374–2384.
Prados, J. W., Peterson, G. D., and Lattuca, L. R. (2005). “Quality assurance of engineering education through accreditation: The impact of Engineering Criteria 2000 and its global influence.” J. Eng. Edu., 94(1), 165–184.
Russell, J., and Yao, J. T. P. (1996). “Consensus! Students need more management education.” J. Manage. Eng., 12(6), 17–29.
Salman, A. F., Ibrahim, Y. E., El-Shami, M. M., Osman, S., and Hariri, A. S. (2011). “Developing of specifications and academic curriculum in construction engineering, a case study in University of Dammam, KSA.” Int. J. Eng. Educ., 27(3), 670–678.
Schexnayder, C. (2011). “Construction engineering education: History and challenge.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 137(10), 730–739.
Trejo, D., Patel, S., Andersen, S., and Cervantes, E. (2002). “Framework for competency and capability assessment for resource allocation.” J. Manage. Eng., 18(1), 44–49.
Wessels, P. L., and Roos, S. A. (2009). “The development of a conceptual framework for the design, delivery, and assessment of a typical management accounting syllabus.” Account Perspect., 8(2), 147–164.
Woollacott, L. C. (2009). “Validating the CDIO syllabus for engineering education using the taxonomy of engineering competencies.” Eur. J. Eng. Educ., 34(6), 545–559.
Yepes, V., Pellicer, E., and Ortega, A. J. (2012). “Designing a benchmark indicator for managerial competences in construction at the graduate level.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 138(1), 48–54.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 9, 2011
Accepted: Mar 12, 2012
Published online: Mar 14, 2012
Discussion open until: Aug 14, 2012
Published in print: Jan 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.