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Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management

Master of Science in Architecture–Engineering– Construction Management

MS-AECM

The Master of Science in Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management (MSAECM) focuses on the integration of design and technology, particularly advanced information systems, as a means of both improving building performance and enhancing environmental sustainability.

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Joshua D. Lee

Assistant Professor, MS AECM Track Chair, PhD AECM Track Chair

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management (MSAECM) program is jointly offered by the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Comparison chart of LiDAR scanning equipment by Tannaz Afshar Bakeshloo — *Comparison of LiDAR scanning equipment by Tannaz Afshar Bakeshloo*

The MSAECM degree program is intended for practitioners, researchers, and educators in engineering, architecture, construction management fields, and other professionals in the building industry who wish to be leaders in advanced management technologies and their application to the built environment.

The program is designed to accommodate flexibility in the admission and graduation needs of candidates through program length and prerequisite courses that build up toward more advanced courses.

Carnegie Mellon Architecture offers two versions of the program, with varying residency requirements. The 9-month MSAECM “Fast Track” Program is custom-designed for mid-career applicants with extensive professional training and experience in AECM fields. Admission to the Fast Track program is contingent upon a resume review documenting a minimum of eight years of leadership experience in Architecture, Engineering, and/or Construction Management. The 16-month MSAECM Program is designed for all other applicants. Both versions begin in the fall semester.

Please feel free to contact Track Chair Joshua Lee with questions about the MSAECM program.

Educational & Professional Qualifications

Program Details

Residency Requirement

Students admitted to the standard MSAECM program must complete a minimum residency of three academic semesters at full-time status (minimum of 36 units per semester).

Students admitted to the standard MSAECM FAST TRACK program must complete a minimum residency of two academic semesters at full-time status (minimum of 36 units per semester).

Graduation Requirements

A woman wearing a hard hat and safety vest in front of a bridge — *Nika Postnikov completed an internship at the Port Authority of New York*

Graduation Requirements for the MSAECM Program:

In addition to the standard requirements for all graduate students in the School of Architecture, students in the MSAECM program must satisfy the following:

Students must complete a minimum of 120 units as outlined on the curriculum chart below.
Pre/Co-Requisites: Waivers are available by request if similar work has recently been completed elsewhere. These units will be replaced with Approved Electives.
Core Courses: Two semesters of 12-794 Graduate Seminar, 48-725 Real Estate Design & Development, 48-759 Value Based Design, 48-767 Transdisciplinary Thinking, and 48-765 AECM Synthesis Project.
Required Internship: See “SoA Standards, Policies, & Practices for Graduate Programs, Outside Work and Internships” in the handbook below for additional requirements.
Selectives: 12 units each in the “Or/And” categories of Sustainability Assessment, Quantitative Modeling, Management, and Computational Skills. Students are encouraged to take the other selective courses as electives.
Approved Electives: A minimum of 36 units as noted on the chart or by petition. Prerequisites count towards this total.
A maximum of 54 units per semester.
Grade of B or better in courses marked with an asterisk (*) on the curriculum chart.
Advanced standing is available to qualified CMU students within the B.A. in Architecture or B.Arch or other Master’s programs through the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP).

Graduation Requirements for the MSAECM Fast Track Program:

Students must complete a minimum of 96 units as outlined on the curriculum chart below.
Core Courses: Two semesters of 12-794 Graduate Seminar, 48-725 Real Estate Design & Development, and 48-759 Value Based Design. 48-767 Transdisciplinary Thinking and 48-765 AECM Synthesis Project are not required but are encouraged as electives.
Internship: Not required.
Selectives: 12 units each in the “Or/And” categories of Sustainability Assessment, Quantitative Modeling, Management, and Computational Skills. Students are encouraged to take the other selective courses as electives.
Approved Electives: A minimum of 36 units as noted on the chart or by petition. Prerequisites count towards this total.
A maximum of 54 units per semester.
Grade of B or better in courses marked with an asterisk (*) on the curriculum chart.
Advanced standing is available to qualified CMU students within the B.A. in Architecture or B.Arch or other Master’s programs through the Graduate Accelerated Master’s Program (GAMP).

Program Curriculum

Graduates of both versions of the MSAECM program will work with the track chair to create a program of study that reflects each student's background and career goals by taking a mixture of appropriate prerequisites; core courses; "selectives" in Sustainability Assessment, Management, Computational Skills, and Quantitative Modeling; and approved electives.

In addition, 16-month students are required to complete a summer internship course during the summer semester, and a synthesis course to apply theory they have covered in core courses to a local research project.

View the AECM Synthesis Reports:

View the MSAECM Curriculum

View the MCAECM Fast Track Curriculum

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