Building the future
This fall, the CU Denver College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) launched a Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) program.
The program is the only cooperative, interdisciplinary CEM program in the state backed by industry and supported by accredited schools of architecture and business. By weaving together coursework in CU Denver's CEAS, Business School and College of Architecture and Planning (CAP), the CEM program will give the next generation of construction engineers the hard science and business skills to be effective leaders within this ever-evolving and growing industry.
In the next 25 years, Colorado's population is expected to grow by 3 million—five times Denver's current population. Demographic trends predict similar growth in other Western states. Accommodating this growth will require an unprecedented boom of new homes, commercial spaces, transportation and municipal infrastructure.
The interdisciplinary qualities of CU Denver's CEM "make our program very unique," said Rens, PhD, director of CEM and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. "We're a hybrid between the business side of the industry and hard science side." The program will offer a Master of Engineering and a Graduate Certificate.
In addition to rigorous scientific knowledge in soils, transportation, sustainability and structures, CEM students will learn about project management, decision analysis and leadership. In CAP classes, students will add expertise in green building technology, LEED certification, construction documents and managing quality and risks.
The interdisciplinary quality of the program is what attracted Caroline Clevenger, PhD, and professionally licensed engineer and architect, to join CU Denver's CEM faculty. Clevenger is the program's assistant director.
"I think that's a real strength of the program," she said. "Also, the fact that it's centered in Denver where there are a lot of professionals who are interested in increasing their skills across disciplines."
Clevenger, who previously taught at Colorado State University, said CU Denver students will benefit from CU Denver's urban location, where local surroundings can play a significant role in their education. "Construction is an applied field, and the more we can get our students to see things being applied, the better," she said. "The Denver campus affords us quick access to a variety of exciting projects."
CEM program graduates will be prepared to handle all responsibilities of construction engineers and managers, including building and site design, planning and leading construction schedules, construction quality assurance and control, construction cost estimating and project management.
The master's program has already exceeded its goal of 15 students for this fall's start. About 60 percent of those students are international.
"In India, China and other part of Asia, there are programs that teach a hybrid of civil engineering and construction engineering at the bachelor's degree level," Rens said. "So it's attractive for those international students to come to a graduate program that covers those disciplines. They are also interested in the cross-disciplinary aspect of our program."
He said the program is off to a strong start in recruitment of students, helped greatly by the recent hire of Roxanne Pizano as program coordinator. "I'm starting my 21st year here, and what we're seeing with what Rox has done in the last three months is unparalleled in terms of customer service to students," Rens said. "She's making personal contact with each of them, so I would think that our retention will be high. The amount of attention our students receive is excellent."
Rens noted that another distinction of the CEM program is its gender makeup. Heidi Brothers has also joined the Civil Engineering faculty, specializing in sustainability. Civil engineering is a field that's predominantly male, "so it's nice that we have qualified women in our area," Rens said. "We're diverse; it's pretty unique."
Published: Oct. 13, 2014
Contact:christopher.casey@ucdenver.edu