About Construction
Management
Construction is essential to the economic growth and
progress of the nation. Practically every aspect of
civilized life requires some kind of construction for growth
and development. In addition, the construction industry is
the nation's largest single production activity. In recent
years it has accounted for approximately 15% of the total
employment in the US.
Construction Managers plan
and manage the implementation of construction projects. This
includes developing the job plans (how work will be done)
from architectural and engineering drawings & requirements;
estimating the labor and materials needed for each step,
developing cost estimates and bids, scheduling the project
work, and managing the actual work to ensure it proceeds on
time, within budget, and of high quality. Construction
Managers are also always looking to implement new
construction techniques
to
improve the total quality and cost effectiveness of the
nation's construction industry for the purpose of providing
a competitive advantage.
Construction projects
include Residential
(ex.: new homes, residential
developments, and condos/town houses), Commercial
(ex.: malls, doctor's
offices, hospitals), Industrial
(ex.: process plants, steel
mills, factories, deep water drilling platforms), and
Highway (ex.: road &
bridge construction). Construction Managers may work for a
firm that specializes in one of these areas, or a firm that
handles multiple types of projects. Many construction
managers go on to start their own construction firms later
in their careers.
The department graduates professionals who have a solid
foundation in the technical and managerial principles upon
which they can build to become industry leaders. have a
fundamental knowledge of project planning, implementation,
and control systems, as well as upper-management skills. are
taught in the ethical and professional standards necessary
for career advancement. The departments graduates have
enjoyed a near 100% employment record over the past 15
years. Career opportunities are worldwide and as varied as
the field of construction.
Learn more about the CM program at
LSU... |
About Industrial
Engineering
To survive and prosper in today's global markets, companies
must constantly improve the quality of their products and
services, the productivity of their organizations (how well
they use their resources), and how quickly they can respond
to changing customer needs/wants. This is what Industrial
Engineers do.
Industrial Engineers apply engineering design to creating (&
improving) systems that deliver products or services.
For instance, an IE may be involved in designing a new
production plant for a car manufacturer (a product), or in
designing an effective emergency room for a hospital (a
service). In designing these systems, an Industrial
Engineer integrates equipment, materials, energy,
information, and people together to meet business
objectives, while insuring product/service quality and
reliability, the safety and satisfaction of customers and
employees, and the effective and productive use of
resources.
IEs must have good people skills and enjoy working with
people. The systems that IEs work with encompass the entire
organization and impact all its units. In addition to
having excellent mathematical/engineering skills, IEs must
be able to converse with upper management to convince them
to fund large capital projects; communicate effectively with
people from many parts of the organization to identify their
needs and problems, and understand how to improve their
jobs; and make sure employees, management, customers, and
suppliers "buy in" to the proposed solution, overcoming fear
of change. Technically-savvy students interested in
engineering but also working closely with business and
people are often drawn to Industrial Engineering. IE's are
a natural bridge between the technical and business worlds
of many organizations, and move readily into technical
management roles later in their careers.
IEs have an incredibly diverse range of career options.
Career opportunities can be found in traditional
manufacturing, such as automotive and electronics
manufacturing, and the aviation and ship-building
industries; process industries such as chemical, steel,
pharmaceuticals, and paper manufacturing; construction
industries; and service-oriented industries such as
financial institutions, hospitals and health care,
transportation & logistics (ex: UPS/Fedex, airlines, Walmart),
government, and business systems consulting.
Our IE students have many internship opportunities, and
almost all students graduate with at least one internship
experience. Demand for IE graduates is high, and nearly 100%
of our graduates have at least one job offer prior to
graduation, and many have multiple offers. The current
(2008) typical salary range for our graduates is
$48-65K/year for BS, $60-80K for MS.
Learn more about the IE program at LSU... |
