College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Drexel University
• Columbia University in the City of New York
• University of Southern California
• Lewis University
• Brigham Young University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Clemson University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• University of Florida
• University of Washington

Classes in the Major

Math: If you're not a big fan of math (but can tolerate it), you'll be okay. Taking a math class or two is required for many programs, but it's not all that intense. We're talkin' college-level algebra or calculus, which might not be fun, but they're more manageable than many other courses. After all, being able to do some basic calculations comes with the territory of building structures.

Management: Understanding the basics of management will serve you like a saw serves a carpenter. Getting a college degree is a good way of increasing your leadership potential, especially if you learn the nuts and bolts of how to delegate work. For most schools, you'll only have to take an "Introduction to Management" or "Principles of Management" course, and then you'll be done. Seems…manageable. Heh.

Materials: Why yes, you will indeed need to study the physical materials that are used in construction. You can't just say, "Eh, let's go with wood" when you're putting up a twenty-story skyscraper; you'll probably need some metal for that. In materials classes, you'll learn, for example, why tempered steel is better than iron for certain projects and why bricks are better than wood in others.

Estimating: From the beginning of a project to its unveiling, there's a lot of estimation along the way. It's important to learn how to estimate, because it takes way more deduction than guesswork and intuition. Needless to say, licking your finger and holding it up to the wind doesn't really qualify as estimating. In an estimating class, you'll learn how different factors might constrain construction abilities, like building codes and zoning regulations. You'll also learn how to conceptualize smaller projects, like residential or light commercial buildings.

Surveying: Unfortunately, asking your classmates about their favorite pizza toppings isn't what we mean by "surveying." In a surveying class, you're more likely to learn how to conduct topographic surveys and techniques for differential leveling. Yeah, we know it doesn't sound as much fun as pizza, but fundamentals can be fun, too. If you've ever seen construction workers at a new site walking around with tape measurers and levels, there's a good chance they were surveying it.