Concrete and Construction Management

Heather Brown, Director

Avila, Buell, Gormley, Huddleston, Knight, Yang, Vanhook
www.mtsuedu/ccm

Students in the School of Concrete and Construction Management are involved in much more at the university than just coursework. The School is proud to have a robust recruiting program to help students connect with internships and full-time careers. Student labs allow for a realistic educational environment with a lot of hands-on learning opportunities and opportunities to work with faculty on research projects. The strong ties to industry allow students unique opportunities including travel to conferences, field trips to job sites, guest lecturers, involvement in research, and a huge network of alumni to help mentor students in the industry.

CIM is a joint initiative of a growing number of universities supported by networks of local, state, and regional concrete industry producers, suppliers, and contractors that pledge their time, talent, and resources to support the development of each university’s CIM program. Currently, there are five universities designated as schools with CIM programs. The CIM program was originally founded at Middle Tennessee State University in 1996 and later expanded to the New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University-Chico, and Texas State University-San Marcos.

A National Steering Committee (NSC) composed of industry-leading organizations helps to provide funding for each university and oversight and direction for the overall CIM Program. Organizations that support and participate at the NSC level include the American Concrete Pipe Association, American Society of Concrete Contractors’ Education Foundation, National Concrete Masonry Association’s Foundation, National Precast Concrete Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s Foundation, Portland Cement Association, and the RMC Research and Education Foundation.

The Concrete Industry Management major includes two concentrations: Production, Sales, and Service (PSS) and Concrete Contracting (COCO). Examples of PSS employment include technical sales, operations manager, sales and marketing professional, product distribution, quality control manager, environmental and safety officer, logistics, ITD support, trade association staffer, and technical magazine staffer. Examples of COCO employment include project management or engineering for a general contractor, specialty contractor or subcontractor, concrete specialist in an architectural/engineering firm or government entity, estimator, draftsman, surveying staff, and safety officer.

In addition to the CIM major, graduates acquire a minor in business administration, which includes the study of personnel management, systems integration, marketing, sales and promotion as they relate to concrete products and services. The CIM core curriculum includes typical college-level general study requirements, general business, and concrete-related introductory course work. Advanced level courses and internships broaden the students’ understanding of the workings of the concrete industry.

A Road Construction Technology certificate offers students an opportunity to advance knowledge in this specialized area of construction.

The Jones College of Business also offers a concentration in Concrete Industry Management within the Master of Business Administration. For further information, see the Graduate Catalog.

The School also offers the Construction Management major with three concentrations: Electrical Construction Management, Land Development/Residential Building Construction Management, and Commercial Construction Management. A minor is offered in Construction Management .