The University of Arkansas at Little Rock construction management baccalaureate program has received accreditation from the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission (ANSAC) of ABET. 

The construction management program has been continuously accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) since 1997. This additional recognition makes UA Little Rock’s construction management program one of only eight construction management programs accredited by ANSAC/ABET and the only construction management program accredited by both ANSAC/ABET and ACCE. The added accreditation is retroactive to October 1, 2015.

“ABET is the gold standard for technical education of all kinds, and ACCE is the industry standard for construction education,” said Nickolas Jovanovic, professor in the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering. “Meeting the accreditation standards for both ABET and ACCE is a testament to the high quality of the UA Little Rock construction management program, its faculty, and its graduates.

“Students, employers, and the general public can be sure that graduates of the UA Little Rock construction management program are as well prepared to become construction professionals as any in the U.S.”

The construction management program is an interdisciplinary baccalaureate degree program that builds upon construction methods, engineering techniques, and business courses offered in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology and the College of Business.

The integrated curriculum provides a foundation for the capstone courses offered in the senior year and the required passage of the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) Associate Constructor exam. A minor is not required for the degree, but may be obtained within the College of Business. All construction management students must have at least 800 hours of construction-related work experience before graduation.

About 120 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students are enrolled in the construction management program. The department also offers an associate degree in construction science, a construction concentration in the bachelor of professional studies degree, a master’s degree in construction management, and baccalaureate degree programs in architectural and construction engineering, and environmental engineering.

ABET, previously known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology at the associate, bachelor and master degree levels. Accreditation criteria focus on what students experience and learn. Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer-review process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision and safety are of the utmost importance. ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

In the upper right photo, construction work continues for the Windgate Center of Art + Design building. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/UA Little Rock Communication.