Goals & Objectives

Program Goal

We will maintain a strong general, relevant, current, comprehensive and broad based undergraduate degree program, founded in construction fundamentals applicable to all sectors of the industry and responsive to the ever evolving industry and industry trends.

Program Objectives and Strategies

Goal 1: Promote Undergraduate Excellence

Provide a rigorous academic and leadership development experience to highly qualified students.

Objective 1.1: Recruit excellent undergraduate students who exemplify Aggie values, especially integrity and leadership.

Strategy:

  • Develop a menu of leadership indicators (e.g., volunteer activities, club leadership, etc.) to use as an admissions screen.
  • Engage with K-12 students to increase awareness of our programs.

Objective 1.2: Raise the bar on academic and extracurricular excellence from the outset.

Strategy:

  • Establish department-level awards for academic excellence.
  • Encourage and reward students for active leadership in A&M clubs and organizations and engagement in department-wide events, including serving as recruiting ambassadors.
  • Encourage and reward student participation in professional organization events and other extracurricular activities.
  • Seek support from industry partners to fund awards.

Objective 1.3: Develop and deliver high-impact leadership development curricula.

Strategy:

  • Integrate leadership content into existing courses.
  • Encourage and reward cross-pollination among faculty who teach leadership content.
  • Establish a process to regularly evaluate the undergraduate and master’s leadership curricula.

Goal 2: Develop Interdisciplinary Coursework

Develop interdisciplinary courses that leverage A&M and external partnerships.

Objective 2.1: Promote integrated collaborative pedagogy among COSC faculty to promote transformational teaching and learning experiences.

Strategy:

  • Develop coursework that links theory, practice, critical thinking and communication skills.

Objective 2.2: Create interdisciplinary course(s) at the undergraduate and master’s levels.

Strategy:

  • Establish a committee of interested faculty, staff, and students.
  • Explore faculty interest from programs within the School of Architecture, College of Engineering, and Mays Business School.
  • Create a pilot course and refine it based on results.

Goal 3:  Offer Transformational Learning Opportunities 

Provide a hands-on curriculum that responds to changing industry conditions to best prepare students for the world in which they will work.

Objective 3.1: Review the existing undergraduate curriculum to ensure that our program delivers cutting-edge knowledge and meets evolving technology and construction industry challenges.

Strategy:

  • Research offerings at peer institutions.
  • Seek input from industry partners.
  • Monitor industry trends and emerging technology and modify courses as appropriate.

Objective 3.2: Use current resources to increase experiential learning opportunities within existing undergraduate and graduate courses.

Strategy:

  • Devise and offer summer hands-on experiences to Freshmen and Sophomore students.
  • Expose students to more diverse sub-sectors beyond commercial and residential construction.
  • Leverage existing infrastructure-enabled classrooms.

Objective 3.3: Develop new experiential learning opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Strategy:

  • Promote research opportunities for undergraduate students.
  • Explore opportunities to use A&M campus construction projects and RELLIS facility as teaching/learning labs.
  • Support and train teams for local, state, and national competitions.

Objective 3.4: Maintain and strengthen study abroad programs.

Strategy:

  • Grow the program in visibility and prominence by implementing a dynamic public outreach plan.
  • Enhance departmental program support by diversifying funding sources.
  • Facilitate and coordinate wider faculty participation.
  • Maintain stronger relations and communication with student advisors.
  • Attend international conferences to present transformational learning benefits.

Objective 3.5: Maintain and strengthen facility management minor program.

Strategy:

  • Grow to offer an interdisciplinary learning environment by proactively reaching out to students with diverse backgrounds.
  • Monitor the latest industry FM trends while seeking direct input from industry practitioners.
  • Provide transformational learning benefits to students by engaging in industry trends and evolving technologies, along with the possibility to expand the program with new FM elective courses.
  • Promote FM Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and disseminate REU outcomes through prominent international conferences and journals.

Goal 4: Harness Existing Research Strengths

Produce world-class research that contributes to the theoretical and practice aspects of Construction Science.

Objective 4.1: Build a nationally acclaimed Ph.D. program to being Fall 2022.

Objective 4.2: Promote interdisciplinary activities and improve visibility and prominence.

Strategy:

  • Develop opportunities for intellectual cross-pollination among research and Academic Professional Track (APT) faculty.
  • Incentivize interdisciplinary research projects across the university, college, and department research units.
  • Host an annual international research conference to foster collaboration and improve department visibility and prominence.

Objective 4.3: Create a major research center that serves as a global network.

Strategy:

  • Facilitate research collaboration and education activities among research and APT faculty.
  • Target major federally funded centers to further expand research expenditures.
  • Develop tools and data that help our partner industry practitioners.

Goal 5: Attract and Retain Top Faculty

Attract top faculty and create and sustain a thriving research culture where all faculty members are productive, supportive, and engaged. Provide faculty with the resources they need to be successful.

Objective 5.1: Balance the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Strategy:

  • Identify strategic research areas and focus on new faculty searches in those areas.
  • Develop a strategic hiring plan to attract and retain qualified tenured and tenure-track applicants.

Objective 5.2: Leverage APT faculty capabilities.

Strategy:

  • Develop a strategic hiring plan to attract qualified APT faculty.
  • Provide professional development to retain APT faculty.

Objective 5.3: Support teaching and increase research and scholarly productivity.

Strategy:

  • Create summer internship programs for tenure-track faculty members.
  • Sponsor faculty development related to new technology tools and expertise.

Objective 5.4: Develop and communicate a transparent performance evaluation process.

Strategy:

  • Define research and outline what is counted and how it is measured.
  • Develop and communicate guidelines for annual performance reviews.

Goal 6: Expand Physical and Technological Infrastructure

Meet research and teaching challenges through additional investment.

Objective 6.1: Develop space and resources for teaching and research outside of Francis Hall.

Strategy:

  • Explore the expansion of Francis Hall.
  • Secure new faculty offices and lab space outside of Francis Hall.

Objective 6.2: Regularly upgrade our software, hardware, audio/visual technology, and multimedia offerings and incorporate these into teaching and learning activities.

Strategy:

  • Explore the renovation of BIM CAVE.
  • Identify core classrooms and upgrade those with state-of-the-art teaching and learning technologies.
  • Upgrade classrooms equipped with a remote teaching platform.

Goal 7: Prioritize Online Delivery

Develop our online program to improve access, especially to non-traditional students.

Objective 7.1: Develop online programs.

Strategy:

  • Design online experiences to meet students’ needs and interests.
  • Identify classes where online delivery is appropriate and feasible.
  • Recruit and incentivize current COSC instructors who are willing and able to teach in an online environment.
  • Invest in the technology needed for optimal student and instructor experience.
  • Develop online Master’s program or option.

Objective 7.2: Invest resources to support online delivery.

Strategy:

  • Leverage existing learning management systems and subject matter experts to set up initial classes and learning features.
  • Procure all required technical equipment.
  • Provide training for faculty and technical support staff.

Objective 7.3: Develop high-quality on-the-job videos to serve as learning tools.

Strategy:

  • Involve local communities or on-campus projects that are within reach.
  • Promote intellectual collaboration with industry experts and community representatives.

Goal 8: Increase Diversity and Inclusion Across Construction Science

Create and sustain a diverse and inclusive environment for students, staff, and faculty.

Objective 8.1: Champion diversity and inclusion in all departmental activities.

Strategy:

  • Acknowledge and honor our existing diversity.
  • Actively support diversity of thought and practice among students, staff, faculty, and industry partners.
  • Develop programs that enhance inclusivity at all levels within the department.

Objective 8.2: Align recruitment, admissions, and retention activities to enhance access and diversity in our undergraduate and graduate student population.

Strategy:

  • Secure industry-sponsored scholarships for non-traditional, first-generation, and underrepresented students.
  • Recruit high-achieving graduate students by working together with the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) honors program.

Goal 9: Cultivate a Climate of Excellence

Develop a welcoming professional environment where students, staff, and faculty can thrive.

Objective 9.1: Encourage and provide financial support to faculty and staff for professional development opportunities.

Strategy:

  • Identify individual development objectives related (but not limited) to leadership, technology, tools, teams, and communication skills.
  • Acknowledge and reward professional development in the annual review process.

Objective 9.2: Create a culture that values mutual support and sharing.

Strategy:

  • Connect APT with research-active faculty.
  • Organize opportunities for APT and research faculty to present to one another.
  • Create programs for faculty to share teaching and learning best practices.

Goal 10: Strengthen Industry Partnerships

Strengthen our construction management industry partnerships in ways that mutually benefit the industry, our students, our faculty, the department, the College of Architecture, and Texas A&M.

Objective 10.1: Strengthen robust industry connections to ensure strong student employment opportunities and financial support.

Objective 10.2: Regularly seek input from Owners, Architects, Engineers, and Construction (OAEC) professionals and CIAC sector advisors regarding changes to the curriculum.

Goal 11: Tell Our Story 

Effectively communicate our accomplishments to the world to attract faculty, students, and financial support.

Objective 11.1: Market our department’s accomplishments. Determine what sets us apart from all other Construction Science programs and champion that to the world.

Objective 11.2: Promote a positive image of the construction industry.

Objective 11.3: Engage in strategic development activities targeted at departmental priorities.

Admissions

Enrollment within our undergraduate program has increased steadily over the past couple of years.

Student Demographic Fall 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022
Total Undergraduate Student Body1,1051,1771,257
First Generation Students306328331
Minorities & Women32.04%32.12%33.73%

Assessment

ACADEMIC QUALITY PLAN

The department maintains a comprehensive plan for quality improvement of the program and its students through development and assessment of educational program objectives, as well as learning outcomes through internal and external measures of student achievement.

Academic Quality Plan for the Bachelor of Science in Construction Science (PDF)

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT PLAN & REPORT

UNDERGRADUATE ANNUAL REPORT

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS)

INDIRECT ASSESSMENTS

Employment Data

2020

Data CollectionSpring 2020Summer 2020Fall 2020TOTAL
Number of graduates16539106310
Number Providing Data13935100274

 Job Placement

Placement StatisticsConstructionNon-ConstructionGraduate / Professional SchoolMilitaryOtherTotal
Plans upon graduation2924581310
Employed upon graduation2901081300

Starting Base Salaries

Base SalariesSpring 2020Summer 2020Fall 2020
Maximum$86,450$120,000$78,000
Average$64,941$65,140$64,206
Minimum$55,000$54,000$55,000

Job Position Titles

  • Assistant Project Manager
  • Assistant Superintendent
  • Builder
  • Construction Coordinator
  • Engineer II
  • Estimator I
  • Field Engineer
  • Junior Estimator
  • Office Engineer
  • Project Engineer
  • Project Manager
  • Rotational Project Engineer
  • Superintendent
  • Traveling Project Engineer

Locations

  • Austin
  • College Station
  • Dallas/Fort Worth
  • Houston
  • Lubbock
  • Edinberg
  • Midland/Odessa
  • Outside of Texas
  • Outside of USA
  • San Antonio

2020–2021

Data CollectionSpring 2021Summer 2021Fall 2021TOTAL
Number of graduates18037110327
Number Providing Data17234105311

Job Placement

Placement StatisticsConstructionNon-ConstructionGradate / Professional SchoolMilitaryOtherTotal
Plans upon graduation 3066753327

Employed upon graduation

303 20

53 313

Starting Base Salaries

Base SalariesSpring 2021Summer 2021Fall 2021
Maximum$74,000$80,000$85,800
Average$64,067$64,100$65,481
Minimum$55,000$53,000$50,000

Job Position Titles

  • Assistant Project Manager
  • Assistant Superintendent
  • Builder
  • Construction Coordinator
  • Engineer II
  • Estimator I
  • Field Engineer
  • Junior Estimator
  • Office Engineer
  • Project Engineer
  • Project Manager
  • Rotational Project Engineer
  • Superintendent
  • Traveling Project Engineer

Locations

  • Austin
  • College Station
  • Dallas/Fort Worth
  • Houston
  • Lubbock
  • Edinberg
  • Midland/Odessa
  • Outside of Texas
  • Outside of USA
  • San Antonio

Differential Tuition

Differential tuition for the School of Architecture was approved by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in May 2011 and went into effect in the fall 2011 semester.  Each student majoring in an undergraduate program in the School of Architecture is charged an additional $204 per semester in addition to the university’s standard tuition.

The Department of Construction Science spends the funds in the following ways:

1) Faculty to student ratio

  • Retained current and attracted new faculty, who encouraged and created an exceptional, relevant, and engaging learning environment. Improved learning by hiring teaching assistants so that faculty to student ratio is more conducive to student success. 

2) Improved graduation times

  • Assisted with and supported timely degree completion by offering more required course sections throughout the year.

3) Student and industry networking

  • Created unique learning experiences through service learning, community projects, field trips, competition teams, peer mentoring, and expanded lecture series.

4) Increase study abroad participation

  • Enhanced the students social and cultural competence by creating and promoting national and global experience opportunities.

5) Emphasis on quality of education and student experience

  • Assisted students with the purchase of equipment that enhanced their educational experience and provided scholarships based on need.  Provided more educational options through the creation of more elective courses and online course offerings.

6) Classroom and lab furniture, equipment and supplies

  • The purchase of new equipment for classrooms and replacement of furniture in common areas provided more study space, while enhancing the facilities as a whole.

The funds generated from differential tuition are allowing our students to enhance their education through various activities. The department has a student leadership committee that gives administration recommendations on how differential tuition should be spent to enhance the learning experiences and education of students in our department.