Construction and Operations Management

Construction Management and Operations Management Department
Hagen Hall 211, (218) 477-2104
Co-Chairs: Pam McGee and Scott Seltveit
Program Coordinator Construction Management: Norma Andersen
Program Coordinator Operations and Project Management: Pam McGee
Faculty: Rachel Axness, Atif Osmani, Vahid Khiabani

The Department of Construction Management and Operations Management offers majors and minors in Construction Management, Operations Management, and Project Management.

Construction Management Mission Statement:

• To maintain a nationally accredited construction management program, which will produce graduates who will have the technical, managerial and general knowledge necessary to enter and advance professionally in the construction industry.
• Provide an environment, which encourages students and faculty to engage in professional development, critical thinking, and creative endeavors.
• Promote continuous improvement of teaching, learning and program curriculum.

Construction Management Career Information
Construction Management (CM) is a professional program that specifically trains graduates to manage, coordinate, and supervise the construction process from conceptual development through final construction on a timely and economical basis. Throughout the program, students learn the responsibilities of coordinating and managing people, materials, processes, budgets, schedules, and contracts, as well as the safety of employees and the general public.

Construction Managers hold a variety of job titles, such as project manager, field engineer, estimator, scheduler, or construction manager. On large projects construction managers may work for a general contractor – the firm with the overall responsibility of all construction activities on the job. They oversee the completion of all construction processes in accordance with the engineers or architect’s drawings and specification. From 2000 through 2010, CM graduates experienced excellent job placement and average starting salaries often exceeding $50,000.

The Construction Management program has a laptop requirement. All CM majors who enroll in CM 230, Estimating I, are required to purchase and utilize a laptop computer in the subsequent CM coursework. CM 230 is the beginning of a sequence of courses where laptops will be integrated into the learning process. Freshman and sophomore level CM courses are exempt from this requirement unless students enroll in the estimating sequence their sophomore year.

Construction Management Program Assessment
The Construction Management (CM) program at MSU Moorhead is accredited by the American Council of Construction Education (ACCE), which establishes standards and criteria for excellence in construction education.

Assessment of the Construction Management program must satisfy two entities. First and foremost, assessment is a requirement of the ACCE and the CM program must meet or exceed those standards. ACCE requires a comprehensive assessment plan including program outcomes and student performance outcomes, which are outlined below. In addition, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) requires that all degree-granting programs have a student outcomes assessment plan. This assessment plan is designed to satisfy both entities.

Student Learning Outcomes (Construction Management)

• The student will apply oral, written, graphic, and listening skills to enhance the communication process.
• The student will apply scientific knowledge to applications of applied mechanics, engineering design fundamentals, and associated mathematics to the construction practices and processes.
• The student will apply the principles of philosophy of general and human resource management systems, accounting, economics and ethics to the construction industry (including team building, leadership concepts/skills, and the Construction Code of Conduct).
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of the science of materials and methods of construction as they apply to the 16 Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Divisions designated for the construction industry.
• The student will demonstrate estimating skills including interpretation of plans and construction documents, performing quantity take-offs, analyzing productivity and pricing, identifying appropriate cost codes, applying value engineering, and developing detailed project proposals and documentation necessary for construction job acquisition and completion.
• The student will be able to prepare complete cost control processes including the ability to establish a budget, develop a work breakdown structure, prepare cost reports, and forecast expenditures at completion of the project.
• The student will prepare a complete construction project schedule showing the logical sequence of activities and time duration, develop a procurement time table, and establish a project plan in order to monitor progress and update the schedules.
• The student will identify and execute construction safety standards including the ability to interpret the OSHA construction standards, establish safety and health procedures on the job site, perform hazard material and process analysis and enforce safety procedures.
• The student will be able to establish procedures for identifying distance and elevations from known points and layout the project in accordance with the design drawings and site information.
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of overall field administration at the construction site including developing a site plan, evaluating vendors and subcontractors, processing payment applications, maintaining field records such as purchase orders, change orders subcontract agreements, shop drawings, as-built drawings, daily job reports and construction reports.

Operations Management Mission Statement:
Operations Management 2+2 program offers a rigorous, student-centered education for technical students, resulting in fulfilling and life long careers in a broad spectrum of Operations Management roles. The mission of the Operations Management program is three-fold:

• To maintain a nationally accredited operations management program, which will produce graduates who will have the technical, managerial and general knowledge necessary to enter and advance professionally in the industry.
• Provide an environment which encourages students and faculty to engage in professional development, critical thinking, and creative endeavors.
• Promote continuous improvement of teaching, learning and program curriculum.

Operations Management Program Overview
The Operations Management (OM) degree is specifically designed for transfer students who have earned an Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Science, or a Diploma in a field from an accredited institution in a field of study related to Industrial Technology. The technical courses coupled with the upper division technical management courses provide the Operations Management graduate with a unique advantage in today’s job market. This “Fast Track” BS degree is appropriate for recent technical college graduates as well as persons in the incumbent workforce seeking an applied educational experience to enhance their competitive advantage and promotional opportunities.

Students identifying Operation Management as their intended major at MSUM may transfer up to 48 technical credits. A minimum of 30 technical credits will be applied to the technical portion of the OM major. Any remaining technical area credits may be transferred and designated as “free electives” counting toward graduation requirements. The AAS degree transfer may not exceed 64 semester hours including 16 to 22 semester hours in Liberal Studies. All university graduation requirements apply for the 2+2 transfer degree. The program is structured so that a student may complete the degree with two additional years of study. The Operations Management 2+2 BS program, the first approved by MnSCU for a block credit transfer, recognizes the technical courses as a cohesive set of courses with stated and verified educational outcomes.

Operations Management Career Information
Operations Management (OM) is a professional program that specifically trains graduates to manage, coordinate, and supervise the operations management process in a variety of industries. Throughout the program, students learn the responsibilities of management, general business, leadership, lean, safety, quality, risk, and production inventory management, allowing them to coordinate and manage people, processes, projects, materials, budgets, schedules, and logistics.

Operations Managers hold a variety of job titles, such as Operations Manager, Technical Sales and Marketing, Quality Assurance Specialists, Design Expert, Information Management, Production Management, Materials Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Purchasing, Logistics, Process Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Continuous Improvement Manger, etc. The Operations Management program is offered fully on line, on campus and off campus in the Twin Cities.

Operations Management Program Assessment
The Operations Management (OM) program at MSU Moorhead is accredited by the Association of Technical Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), which establishes standards and criteria for excellence in Industrial Technology.

Assessment of the Operations Management program must satisfy two entities. First and foremost, assessment is a requirement of the ATMAE and the OM program must meet or exceed those standards. ATMAE requires a comprehensive assessment plan including program outcomes and student performance outcomes, which are outlined below. In addition, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) requires that all degree-granting programs have a student outcomes assessment plan. This assessment plan is designed to satisfy both entities.

Internship Requirement
Students will be required to fulfill an internship as part of their graduation requirements. The student will participate in various activities with Career Services to ensure they have a proper resume, cover letter and job search strategy. The student is responsible for finding their own internship. There are three types of internships that qualify: 1) If the student is gainfully employed in an Industrial Technology job setting, they can work with their manager and take their internship at their current place of employment. The manager, faculty advisor and student will outline the specific objectives of the internship to ensure there is a proper amount of Operations Management related objectives. 2) The student may attend various job fairs, work with industries interested in Operations Management interns, and/or search companies of interest and find an internship position. Once the student has interviewed and been offered a position as intern, the University paperwork will coincide with the requirements of the employer. 3) The student may launch a full scale job search in the Operations Management field and treat their first Operations Management position as their internship. All types of internships must meet the program and university requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes (Operations Management)

• The graduate will be able to apply oral, written, graphic, and listening skills and be able to contribute and facilitate team efforts.
• The graduate will be able to demonstrate appropriate computer skills through the use of word processing, databases, and spreadsheets applications and electronic data searches.
• The graduate will be able to apply mathematical and physical principles to business and industrial applications and implement efficient scientific and technological solutions to industrial problems individually and in a team setting.
• The graduate will be assumed to have gained this competency at their transferring institution by graduating from an accredited instituion in an articulated technical oriented program.
• The graduate will be able to demonstrate skills for determining the cost advantage of different processes and performing cost estimates. The student will also understand and be able to document the costs and benefits associated with production concepts such as Just-In-Time and Total Quality Management.
• The graduate will understand the implication of TQM on the local and national economy, methods and procedures for planning, organizing and controlling for quality, statistical methods for quality control, and the application of quality tools and techniques for designing products and services.
• The graduate will understand the varied needs for inventory, technology in different production environments, the effect of inventory on business techniques for scheduling materials, workers, machinery and space, and the Theory of Constraints and its usage for production scheduling.
• The graduate will be able to apply skills of organizing and managing resources to deliver the temporary or one-time endeavor project with a defined scope, time and cost constraints. The graduate will also understand the changing workplace structure and be a positive contributor.
• The graduate will be able to apply appropriate management skills, demonstrate ethical actions and conduct, be aware of the personal value for involvement and contribution to the community and knowledge of industry expectations.
• The graduate will exhibit an understanding and acceptance of human concern for ethical treatment of all persons. Additionally, graduates will have a realistic understanding of the internationalization of business and industry.

Project Management Program Overview
Businesses are recognizing the value of project management beyond its traditional use in information technology. This degree is designed to offer the core business knowledge and project management skills needed to apply for many cross-departmental initiatives in many different industries. These include health care, information technology, manufacturing, retail, government and nonprofit agencies. It is built around the competencies in "A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK guide), which is a globally recognized standard for project management. People who choose a career in Project Management are often interested in pursuing project leads, project management or coordinator positions in corporations, consulting firms, government and nonprofit agencies.

Project Management Career Information
Students can apply the broad range of computer, communication, business and project management skills obtained in a Bachelor of Science in Project Management degree program to many industries. To reiterate this includes government, nonprofit, information technology, corporations and businesses of varying size and scope. Graduates should be equipped to offer strategies and tactics to solve problems, evaluate project risks, motivate a professional team, manage a project schedule, offer customer facing solutions and visionary leadership to accomplish goals in a timely manner, with budget and resource constraints.

Project Managers hold a variety of job titles, such as project analyst, project consultant, IT project manager, project coordinator, risk manager, project manager, IT director, software manager, helpdesk manager, business development, operations manager, nonprofit manager.