Assessing construction management higher education strategies: Increasing demand, limited resources, and over-enrollment

The demand for Construction Management (CM) graduates is on the rise. The problem is that as a result of demand, a growing number of CM programs are experiencing increasing enrollments which exceed their current resources. The purpose of this research was to see how ACCE-Accredited Baccalaureate CM programs were managing increased enrollment demand with limited resources. Forty-nine of the 53 accredited ACCE programs responded to the survey instrument. Over two-thirds of the respondents stated that they were either approaching or were at the limits of enrollment capacities. Most of the respondents listed limited enrollment, the use of adjunct faculty, and funding from industry as leading strategies for managing or obtaining resources. Because CM programs will not be willing to sacrifice quality, more and more CM programs will implement limited enrollment controls. As more CM programs initiate enrollment controls, it will become increasingly difficult for the construction industry to fill entry level positions with college graduates. Because CM programs are having difficulties acquiring resources through their universities, it may be necessary to acquire additional resources through industry. Other strategies to manage increasing demand are discussed.