(PCM)
The PhD in Construction Management prepares students for extensive research and careers in academia, industry, and government providing a broad knowledge of construction related disciplines. The PhD in Construction Management deals with the development of new methods and technologies that allow for efficient and cost-effective construction. Construction managers and engineers are critical to the planning, execution, and closeout of construction projects at all levels and across industries. The CM graduate students will have an in-depth education in state-of-the-art construction including: sustainable construction, hazard management construction, building information modeling, decision-making, and advanced productivity, which will be explored through three primary focus areas: facilities management, construction engineering, and construction management.
The PhD in Construction Management requires a minimum of 54 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree and a dissertation acceptable to the advisory committee and the Graduate School. Students must complete at least 42 credit hours of required and elective non-research coursework and at least 12 credit hours of dissertation research. All courses are selected with a faculty advisor and approved by the dissertation research committee. The major advisor (advisory committee chair) must be from The Department of Construction Management. The committee will include the student’s major advisor and at least two additional members of the graduate faculty such that the LSU Graduate School’s requirements for graduate committees are satisfied.
The curricular requirements include:
- At least half of the coursework must be at the 7000-level.
- A minimum core requirement of 6 credit hours in research design and statistics.
- A minimum of 12 credit hours in construction management (CM) elective courses.
An individualized program of study that meets the following minimum requirements will be developed for each student in consultation with the faculty advisor from the CM Program and approved by the dissertation research committee. Doctoral students must pass a departmental qualifying exam and a general exam per graduate school requirements. The qualifying exam is an oral exam designed to assess a graduate student’s knowledge competency in their chosen field of study and their ability to conduct original research resulting in a dissertation. Following the qualifying exam, the student advisory committee formalize the plan of study. The general exam may include oral and written components, at the discretion of the committee. The dissertation proposal developed by the student will be evaluated by the advisory committee during the general exam. A dissertation must be produced by the student and approved by the committee. The final examination is an oral defense of the dissertation.
PhD in Construction Management (CM) courses include:
Required Courses (6 credit hours):
Construction Elective Courses (12 credit hours):
- Four CM courses eligible for graduate credit
Other Elective Courses (24 credit hours minimum):
- These courses may be additional construction courses and/or courses from other university programs to satisfy the needs of research goals or career objectives. Selected courses must be approved by the student’s committee.
Dissertation Research Hours (12 credit hours minimum):
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