College of Architecture and Urban Studies
and College of Engineering

Myers-Lawson School of Construction

www.mlsoc.vt.edu

Director: Brian Kleiner
Associate Director: Christine Fiori
Principle Faculty: Y. Beliveau, BC; K. Boyle, REAL; T. Bulbul, BC; J. de la Garza, CEE; C. Fiori, MLSoC; M. Garvin, CEE; D.P. Hindman, SBM; T. Koebel; A. McCoy, BC; T. Mills, BC; V. Mouras7, CEE; A. Pearce, BC; G. Reichard, BC; S. Sinha, CEE; J. Taylor, CEE; W. Thabet, BC;  D. Young-Corbett, MLSoC



house

Construction Engineering and Management Program

Overview

    The Myers-Lawson School of Construction offers students in the College of Engineering a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering and Management. This degree is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in the construction industry. The undergraduate program facilitates the development of critical technical, managerial and professional knowledge and skills required for entry into the construction industry or graduate studies. This body of knowledge includes the decision and optimization methods required to integrate and manage the resources essential to construction operations along with the skills that support the development of safe, ethical, socially responsible, and sustainable solutions for the built environment. The Construction Engineering and Management Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

    Construction managers plan, direct, and coordinate construction projects, including the building of all types of residential, commercial, and industrial structures, roads, bridges, and other public works projects. Construction managers coordinate and supervise the construction process from the conceptual development stage through final construction, ensuring the project is completed within time and budget constraints and is compliant with building and safety codes and other regulations.

    The focus of this degree is construction management with engineering and business management as additional major areas of study. The degree retains an emphasis on engineering, with a focus on construction theory and applications, while providing students the opportunity to define the areas of business management they wish to study to complement their career goals.

    Coursework capitalizes upon established excellence in the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Building Construction and the Pamplin College of Business. The majority of courses are drawn from existing curricula in Civil Engineering and Building Construction. Complementary courses from the College of Business provide the balance.

    Consistent with the general program goal of facilitating development of student competence necessary for entry into the construction industry or graduate school, the School has developed the following program objectives:

    Within a few years of curriculum completion, graduates of the Construction Engineering and Management program should be able to combine skills gained through academic preparation and post-graduation experience so that they can:

    • The intellectual ability to critically assess, analyze, integrate and manage construction engineering problems.
    • An awareness of societal context and how those concerns affect their role as professional engineers and in turn, how their role can enact beneficial change for society.
    • The values-based leadership and team building skills to effectively function in multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, open-ended engineering activities in a professional and ethnical manner, responding dynamically to the social and economic environment that impacts construction.
    • The communication skills to convey technical information to a variety of audiences that include all construction stakeholders, including the general public.
    • The ability and desire to engage in life-long learning in order to perpetually develop their construction engineering skills and professional knowledge, e.g. through graduate study, self- study, continuing education, licensure, mentoring, and leadership in their employment organizations, industry associations and professional societies

    Classroom instruction in the construction engineering and management program is reinforced by instructional laboratories, field trips and guest lectures by leading construction professionals. The department seeks to employ the latest educational technology and innovative teaching methods.

    Students in the School have the opportunity to participation in a summer internship program during which they may apply the concepts learned in the classroom in real world applications. The School encourages all students to participate in professional work experience prior to graduation.

Class Size Limitation

    A proposal to limit enrollment in the BS CEM degree has been approved by University governance. The proposal limits enrollment to 40 students per graduating class.

    The contact person for the undergraduate Construction Engineering and Management program is Dr. Christine Fiori, at 540/239-3389 or e-mail: cfiori@vt.edu.

Construction Engineering and Management Program (for 2015)

    Note: Graduation requires a total of 133 semester credits. Requirements are subject to change; prospective students should contact the department prior to initiating individual programs of study.

    Current Program Checksheets can be found on the Myers-Lawson School of Construction website at: http://cem.mlsoc.vt.edu/resources

    REMARKS:
    Curriculum for Liberal Education Remarks: Engineering students entering the university in 1999-2000 or later are required to meet the following Curriculum for Liberal Education requirements, in addition to their college and departmental requirements:

    Credits
    ViEWS - met by a designated sequence of required CEM courses and ENGL 3764 6
    CLE Area 2: Ideas, Cultural Traditions and Values 6
    CLE Area 3: Society and Human Behavior 6
    CLE Area 6: Creativity and Aesthetic Experience 1

    Business Electives – must be taken from list shown on applicable CEM checksheet.

    CEE Technical Elective Remarks – must satisfy departmental requirements as shown on the applicable CEM checksheet.

Undergraduate Course Descriptions (CNST)

    2104: INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT PROFESSION
    Overview of the construction engineering and management profession specialty areas. Introduction to the undergraduate program of study. Emphasis on the fundamentals of good oral and written communication skills. Professionalism, ethics and legal issues relating to the industry. Emphasis on contemporary issues facing the industry. Introduction to engineering library resources. Pre: ENGE 1114 or ENGE 1104. (2H,2C)

    2984: SPECIAL STUDY
    Variable credit course.

    4314 (SBIO 4314): DESIGN OF WOOD STRUCTURES
    Analysis and design of wood structures comprised of solid wood and/or composite wood products. Evaluation of mechanical properties of wood materials. Design of individual tension, compression and bending members, and wood-steel dowel connections. Lateral loading design of diaphragms and shearwalls. Pre: SBIO 3314 or CEE 3404. (3H,3C)

    4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
    Variable credit course.

    4984: SPECIAL STUDY
    Variable credit course.

    4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
    Variable credit course.



Undergraduate Course Descriptions within the CEM Major

Building Construction (BC)

    3064: BUILDING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY LAB
    Develop a competency in the application of Building Environmental Systems, through modeling, scheduling, estimating, and experiments in support of a senior capstone project. Co: BC 4004 or CEE 3014. Pre: (2064, PHYS 2305) or (CNST 2104, PHYS 2305). (1H,2L,2C)

    4014: BUILDING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY II
    This course places an emphasis on the physical installation and integration of passive and active environmental control systems including: heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, acoustics and plumbing.  Lectures by faculty and seminars by construction industry practitioners address issues that are relevant to illustrating the applications resulting from theory studied in BC 4004. CEE 4074 may be substituted for co-requisite BC 3064. Pre: (4004 or CNST 2104), PHYS 2306. Co: 3064. (2H,3L,3C)

    4064: CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE LAB
    Application of the business and construction practices related to operation of a construction company to the execution of a senior capstone project.  All project management concepts learned in prior courses are applied in the capstone lab experience.  Written and oral work is formally presented and critiqued among construction faculty, students, and industry professionals. Pre: 3064. Co: 4434. (1H,2L,2C)

    4434: CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE I
    Business and construction practices related to operation of a construction company are studied.  Construction operation is examined as it relates construction, financial and personnel management. Project management topics studied in this course include permitting, site evaluations, design development and design phase considerations such as preliminary estimates and project constructability.  Writing Intensive (WI) course. Pre: (2044 or CEE 3014). Co: 4064. (3H,3C)

    4444: CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE II
    This course explores and applies the business and construction practices related to operation of a construction company to a capstone experience.  Construction operation is examined as it relates to construction, financial and personnel management. Project management topics studied in this course are applied in the corequisite lab. This course is formally designated as a writing intensive course. Formal written and edited and oral presentations are presented and critiqued by the BC faculty team, the writing resource center, students and industry professionals. Pre: 4434. (3H,3L,4C)

Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2814: CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING MEASUREMENTS
    Introduction to various data measurement issues in civil and environmental engineering, including collection techniques, analysis, error, and statistical evaluation in all sub-disciplines.  Spatial measurement topics include GPS, leveling, distance and angular measurement, mapping and topographic surveys, automated data collection, terrain models, earthwork methods, construction surveying, geodesy, and GIS. A grade of C- or better required in pre-requisites. Pre: BC students required to take the BC 1224 prerequisite, they are exempt from the co-requisite ENGE 2824. CEE students are required to take the ENGE 1114 prerequisite. Pre: ENGE 1114 or BC 1224, (MATH 1206 or MATH 1206H or MATH 1226), (MATH 1224 or MATH 1224H or MATH 2204 or MATH 2204H). Co: ENGE 2824. (3H,3L,4C)

    3014: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
    Fundamental elements involved in managing construction projects.  Management structure, construction contracts, equipment and labor productivity, scheduling, quality assurance, and cost control.  Junior standing required. (2H,3L,3C)

    3104: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
    Overall view of environmental engineering with emphasis on hazardous waste management, water treatment, wastewater treatment, air pollution and its control, solid waste management, groundwater pollution and environmental regulations.  A grade of C- or better required in pre-requisites. Pre: (CHEM 1035 or CHEM 1074), (CHEM 1045 or CHEM 1084), (MATH 1206 or MATH 1206H or MATH 1226 or MATH 2016 or MATH 2024), (PHYS 2305 or PHYS 2205). (3H,3C)

    3404: THEORY OF STRUCTURES
    Fundamental tools and methods of structural analysis: moment-area, slope-deflection, force, and moment-distribution methods.  Influence lines.  Application to beams, trusses, and simple frames.  A grade of C- or better required in prerequisite ESM 2204. Pre: ESM 2204. (3H,3C)

    3424: REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES I
    Behavior and design of reinforced concrete members based on ultimate strength.  Beams and slabs in flexure, shear and torsion, development of reinforcement.  Columns with axial force plus bending, slenderness effects in columns. A grade of C- or better required in pre-requisite 3404. Pre: (3404, 3684) or BC 2044. (3H,3C)

    3434: DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES I
    Behavior and design of structural steel members and steel-frame buildings, including simple and fixed connections.  AISC specifications; elastic theory.  Design members to resist tension, compression, bending, torsion; plate girders, composite beams. ESM 3054 may be taken in place of co-requisite CEE 3684. A grade of C- or better in prerequisite. Pre: (3404, 3684) or BC 2044. (2H,3L,3C)

    3514: INTRODUCTION TO GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
    Engineering properties of soils including their descriptions and classifications, the effects of water, soil strength and compressibility.  Introduction to soil stabilization, earth pressures, slope stability, and foundations.  A grade of C- or better required in pre-requisites GEOS 2104 and ESM 2204. Pre: ESM 2204, (GEOS 1004 or GEOS 2104 or GEOL 1004 or GEOL 2104). (2H,2L,3C)

    3684: CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS
    Characteristics of constituent materials and the design and behavior of Portland cement and bituminous concrete mixtures with demonstrated laboratory experiments. A grade of C- or better required in prerequisites. Pre: CHEM 1035, CHEM 1045, ESM 2204, CEE 2814, (GEOS 2104 or GEOS 1004). (2H,3L,3C)

    3804: COMPUTER APPLICATIONS FOR CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS
    Introduction to computer applications in civil and environmental engineering.  Integration of design, data management, computer programming and problem solving skills with computer tools and techniques.  Topics include systems analysis, optimization, database management, computer programming and data structures. Junior Standing Required. (2H,2L,3C)

    4014 (BC 4024): ESTIMATING, PRODUCTION, AND COST ENGINEERING
    Interpretation of plans and specifications, preparation of construction estimates, and cost control. Methods analysis, resource requirements, and resource costs in building systems, including system components, and in large-scale civil engineering works such as highways, bridges, and hydraulic structures.  A grade of C- or better required in prerequisite 3014. Pre: 3014. (3H,3C)

    4024: CONSTRUCTION CONTROL TECHNIQUES
    Techniques used to plan, schedule, and control the Construction Process.  Emphasizes manual and computer-based approaches.  Focuses on an analytical approach towards the construction process whereby good technical methodologies and solutions are converted to reality through construction practices. A grade of C- or better required in prerequisite.
    Pre: 3014. (3H,3C)

    4074: CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING: MEANS AND METHODS
    Construction means, methods, and equipment used to transform a particular design concept into a completed usable structure or facility.  Selection and optimization of individual units as well as the systems needed to produce the required work to the required quality on time and on budget. A grade of C- or better required in prerequisite. Pre: 3014. (3H,3C)

    4554: NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION AND RECOVERY
    Causes, mechanics, classifications, and forces associated with tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and landslides.  Resistance evaluation for existing ground, facilities and structures.  Hazard-resistant design of new facilities.  Risk and reliability assessment and decision analysis.  Strategies and designs for natural disaster risk mitigation.  Emergency response for protection of life and property and restoration of lifelines.  Includes an interdisciplinary team project. Prerequisite: Senior Standing Required. (3H,3C)

    4804: PROFESSIONAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING
    Analysis of the legal, professional, and ethical aspects of engineering practice; introduction to contract law and contract dispute resolution, professional liability, and other aspects of law relevant to engineering practice; professional registration and codes of ethics.  Pre: Senior standing in engineering. (3H,3C)