WCU Stories      September 28, 2022

Western Carolina University’s Construction Management program has been granted initial accreditation from the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology. The accreditation is effective from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2028.

The Construction Management program enrolled its first students in fall 2002 and had been previously accredited by the American Council of Construction Education from 2009 until 2020. At that time the program made the decision to switch to ABET accreditation to better align with the accreditation status of the other programs in the College of Engineering and Technology. This required the submittal of a self-study report in July 2020, followed by a site visit from ABET evaluators in fall 2020 and a final statement of accreditation action in Aug. 2021.

“Earning this accreditation means students, parents and employers can have confidence that our construction management program meets the highest standards for construction education and that our graduates are ready for the profession on day one,” said Bruce Gehrig, director of the Kimmel School of Construction Management. “The program accreditation standards are aligned with the learning outcomes established by the Construction Management Association of America, which ensures that our students obtain the necessary skills to successfully manage the complex projects found in today’s modern construction industry.”

All of the construction management faculty were involved in the collection of student work and assessment materials that enabled the successful accreditation. Individuals directly involved in the preparation of the self-study and site visit included:

• Jeff Ray, former dean, College of Engineering and Technology
• Chip Ferguson, associate dean, College of Engineering and Technology
• Bruce Gehrig, director, Kimmel School of Construction Management
• John Hildreth, Kimmel Distinguished Professor of Construction Management