Wentworth’s construction management curriculum is commanding attention from prestigious firms while giving students lessons in work ethic.

Construction management professor Mark Hasso modestly describes the program as, “providing basic knowledge and skills to lead and manage the design and construction process from conception to completion.”

To achieve this, and to give students a well-rounded view of the industry, the program integrates industry partnership, course material, and state-of-the-art courses into the curriculum.

“The infusion of these aspects into the program,” Professor Hasso remarks, “provides a sense of realism and relevance of the student’s experience that meets qualification needs and expectations of the construction industry.”

After four years of study, students apply their skills to senior design projects.  During presentations, an examination board of industry professionals critiques students on their abilities in designing, planning, communicating, team building, managing and delivering the construction project.

Hasso said that industry participation is vital for the development of the student’s education and future as a professional in the industry. “They gave the students insightful advice, as well as encouragement and praise for the outstanding development of their projects.”

Firms that critiqued senior design projects this summer semester include construction company Bond Brothers of Everett, Mass., bi-coastal contracting firm Shawmut Design and Construction of Boston, as well as construction management and inspection firm Keville Enterprises of Marshfield, Mass.

Firms also have participated in a series of lectures during the summer semester, and allowed many students to visit construction sites.  The lecture series was very popular among students, offering clarity and a different angle to their coursework.

“The professional lecturers were very informative,” said 2005 construction management graduate Joseph Bray. “They added an additional level of professional understanding.”

The visits to construction sites were equally important, offering the students a third dimension to the two-dimensional course material.

“At the project sites,” Bray added, “we were able to see the professors’ lectures transformed into real world application.  There’s nothing better than visiting a site.”

Over the past three years, enrollment has doubled and all graduates have been employed within three months.  The program has also become very popular in New England and around the country.

“The integration of the Wentworth academic education,” said Hasso, “and intense industry participation has led Wentworth’s construction management become a leading undergraduate program in the Northeast, and one of the largest in the nation.”