Take your construction career to the next level with Herff's construction management certificate
July 22, 2026
The construction management certificate at the Herff College of Engineering enables students worldwide to gain skills that can take their construction careers to the next level in as little as two semesters.
The Certificate in Construction Management was established under the leadership of Dr. Rouzbeh Nazari, Chair of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, in response to the construction industry's growing workforce needs. Developed in close collaboration with regional construction companies, contractors, and industry leaders, the program provides a flexible, high-quality educational pathway that prepares both current and aspiring professionals for leadership roles in construction. Through extensive engagement with industry partners, the curriculum was intentionally designed to address the skills most sought by employers while creating a strong pipeline of qualified construction managers for the region and beyond.
“The launch of the certificate program also reflects the department's expanding commitment and leadership in construction education. As the department broadened its academic, research, and industry engagement in construction engineering and management, it officially changed its name from the Department of Civil Engineering to the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, recognizing its growing presence and impact in this rapidly expanding field. Today, the certificate serves as a cornerstone of the department's broader vision to strengthen the construction workforce through industry-driven education, experiential learning, and lasting partnerships with the construction community," said Dr. Nazari.
“This program is designed to accommodate people who are working, who already have a full-time job somewhere. One of the unique aspects of our program is that while it is fully online it is synchronous and students can participate either online or in person if they happen to live in the Memphis area,” said Dr. Stephanie Ivey, who leads the program under Herff’s Department of Civil Engineering.
Those students who choose to attend online don’t just read slideshows. They sit in on real classes and are able to ask questions, work on group projects and participate in every way that students sitting in the classroom can. And attendance can change from class to class, with a student appearing virtually one week and in person the next.
To best fit hectic schedules, the class meets in a single three-hour block each week, rather than on two or three separate nights.
“It just makes it easier for people to be able to schedule and plan. Some students who are in the program have jobs that require them to travel. So, sometimes they come in person and sometimes join remotely. Either way works. It’s very flexible from that standpoint,” Ivey said.
The program consists of four courses, which can be completed in as little as two semesters. Students are required to take CIVL 4171 – Construction Engineering and can choose three of the following four courses: CIVL 3386 – Construction Safety, CIVL 3691 – Construction Estimating, CIVL 4175 – Construction Contracts and Law, CIVL 4510 – Construction Plan and Scheduling. Though those courses do all fall under the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and construction engineering is required for civil engineering undergraduates, students can earn the certificate without any prior knowledge of civil engineering.
“The reason they can take this without any undergraduate or specific background is that this is so industry-specific that the instructors are not expecting students to come into this with any particular knowledge base. They’re teaching them what they need to know for these intro-level courses in these topics,” Ivey said.
One of the program's distinguishing features is its industry-led instruction. Recognizing that the best construction education comes from those actively shaping the industry, Dr. Nazari assembled an exceptional team of construction executives and senior industry professionals from some of the region's leading companies to teach alongside university faculty. Rather than learning solely from textbooks, students gain firsthand knowledge from executives responsible for managing some of the Mid-South's largest and most complex construction projects. This unique partnership ensures that the curriculum remains aligned with current industry needs while providing students with invaluable networking opportunities and direct access to potential employers.
“They are always willing to come in and speak to students,” Ivey said. “They bring literally everybody in their C-suite to come see them. They see that as something that’s absolutely worth their time. They want to help the students understand what the industry is all about and how to get in the door. I think anybody who’s taking this certificate program or our undergraduate classes is getting an incredibly valuable learning experience because these leaders are so invested in it.”
When students do get that job as a construction manager, a field with 520,900 open positions in 2023, they start a career that, in 2024, had a median pay of $106,980. The total cost for the construction management certificate program is $10,000.
And if a student wants to turn that certificate into a degree, they can transfer those credits directly into Herff’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, even if they completed the entire program online because they had the same experience as in-person students.
“If you’re looking to get a job in the industry or move up in the industry, you can say, ‘Hey, the CEO of this construction company taught my class.’ That means something and it’s really a valuable credential for students,” Ivey said.
Ivey said the department hopes to start offering summer courses so that students can get that job sooner.
“The ultimate vision is that we get to the point to where students can do it however they want,” Ivey said. “So, if they need to take four semesters, just because of the way life works, sure. They can. If they want to do it all in one semester, they can. We want it to be totally flexible to their needs."