Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Major in Construction Management (Entering with Bachelor's Degree) Online

Progress directly from a bachelor’s degree to a Ph.D. in Construction Management with this seamless online program. Gain career-relevant expertise and best practices essential to leadership roles.

Apply by: 7/22/26
Start class: 8/19/26
Apply Now

Program Overview

Skip the master’s and earn an online construction management doctorate

Streamline your path to a Ph.D. in Construction Management. Designed for students with a bachelor’s degree in construction, this comprehensive online program will teach you key strategies in applied research, commercialization, and advanced management practice aligned with real construction projects. Learn how to drive innovation in products, processes, and ventures.

The construction management online curriculum includes both master’s- and doctoral-level online courses, covering such topics as sustainability, data-based decision-making, information modeling, immersive technologies, budget management, dispute resolution, and AI-enabled virtual design and construction. Benefit from flexible block scheduling and the support of top-tier faculty, who can mentor you through dissertation completion.

Construction management Ph.D. research areas

Doctoral students in this online Ph.D. in Construction Management engage in faculty-led research across advanced topics shaping the future of the built environment. Common areas of focus include:

  • Construction Analytics & Data-Driven Decision-Making: Apply data science, predictive modeling, and performance analytics to improve project outcomes
  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Construction: Advance integrated project delivery and lifecycle management through digital modeling
  • Virtual Design and Construction (VDC): Use simulation and visualization tools to optimize planning and execution
  • Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Construction Technologies: Explore AI, automation, and robotics in construction workflows
  • Immersive Technologies (VR/AR): Enhance training, safety, and design validation using virtual and augmented reality
  • Lean Construction & Process Optimization: Improve efficiency through lean principles and continuous improvement strategies
  • Risk Modeling & Construction Financial Management: Evaluate cost controls, forecasting, and project risk
  • Construction Law, Safety & Dispute Resolution: Address regulatory compliance, contracts, and conflict management
  • Innovation & Technology Commercialization: Study how new construction technologies are developed and adopted
  • Leadership & Organizational Strategy in Construction: Analyze leadership, workforce development, and organizational performance
Construction management Ph.D. research areas
  • Construction Analytics & Data-Driven Decision-Making: Apply data science, predictive modeling, and performance analytics to improve project outcomes
  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Construction: Advance integrated project delivery and lifecycle management through digital modeling
  • Virtual Design and Construction (VDC): Use simulation and visualization tools to optimize planning and execution
  • Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Construction Technologies: Explore AI, automation, and robotics in construction workflows
  • Immersive Technologies (VR/AR): Enhance training, safety, and design validation using virtual and augmented reality
  • Lean Construction & Process Optimization: Improve efficiency through lean principles and continuous improvement strategies
  • Risk Modeling & Construction Financial Management: Evaluate cost controls, forecasting, and project risk
  • Construction Law, Safety & Dispute Resolution: Address regulatory compliance, contracts, and conflict management
  • Innovation & Technology Commercialization: Study how new construction technologies are developed and adopted
  • Leadership & Organizational Strategy in Construction: Analyze leadership, workforce development, and organizational performance

As a student in this online Ph.D. in Construction Management program, you will learn how to:

  • Conduct advanced applied research in construction management
  • Use leadership and commercialization skills to drive innovation
  • Apply data, technology, and analytics to improve performance and sustainability
  • Solve complex construction challenges using advanced methods and modeling
  • Integrate ethical, regulatory, and entrepreneurial principles into decision-making
As a student in this online Ph.D. in Construction Management program, you will learn how to:
  • Conduct advanced applied research in construction management
  • Use leadership and commercialization skills to drive innovation
  • Apply data, technology, and analytics to improve performance and sustainability
  • Solve complex construction challenges using advanced methods and modeling
  • Integrate ethical, regulatory, and entrepreneurial principles into decision-making

Also available:

We offer a variety of student-centered online degrees that can help you advance. If you’re entering with a master’s degree, learn more about our Ph.D. in Construction Management pathway designed for advanced standing. You can also explore other Ph.D. programs in construction and engineering management.

Total Tuition $39,036*
Duration As few as 3-4 years
Credit Hours 78
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Call 833.690.1245 today!

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Tuition

Our affordable tuition puts your Ph.D. within reach

Tuition for the online Ph.D. degree program in construction management is affordable and paid by the course, so you can achieve your academic goals while remaining within your budget.

View full tuition

Program Per Credit Hour Per Course Per Program
Ph.D. Construction Management $500 $1,501 $39,036*

*Students in Accelerated Online Programs are not eligible for payment plans or emergency loans. Tuition and fees are subject to change by legislative or Board of Regents action; changes become effective on the date of enactment. BookSmart fees are automatically added each semester but are not included in program costs; students may opt out by the start of each term. Registrations after the tuition deadline require full payment at registration. Cost of Attendance details are available through TXST One Stop.

Tuition breakdown

Total Tuition $39,036*
Per Credit Hour $500

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Calendar

Begin your program on the date that works best for you

The Texas State Ph.D. in Construction Management program is delivered in a convenient online learning format that offers maximum flexibility for working adults like you. Choose the start date that fits your goals.

View Full Calendar +

TermStart DateApp DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlineTuition DeadlineClass End DateTerm Length
Fall 1 20268/19/267/22/267/22/268/19/268/13/2610/7/268 weeks

Now Enrolling

Apply by 7/22/26
Start Class 8/19/26

Admissions

Follow these steps to apply to the construction management Ph.D. program

Apply to the Ph.D. in Construction Management online program quickly and easily with our streamlined admission process. Review the admission requirements below and take the next step toward your professional goals.

View all admission requirements

To be eligible to earn your Ph.D. in Construction Management degree online from Texas State University, you must have the following:

  • Completed online application
  • Nonrefundable application fee of $55 ($90 for international*)
  • Baccalaureate degree in construction management or a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
  • A copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted.
  • A competitive GPA (minimum 2.75) in all completed graduate course work.
  • Statement of purpose outlining your personal history and goals that are relevant to obtaining this doctoral degree, explaining why you want to pursue this degree at TXST. The statement of purpose should also include information regarding what dissertation topic(s) you would like to explore, where and how you would collect your data, and the methodologies you would use
  • Three letters of recommendation evaluating your skill and potential in this degree program, preferably from academic sources
  • Resume/CV outlining education, work experience, scholarships/grants, publications/presentations, and other accomplishments
  • Top-ranked applicants who meet the minimum preferred credentials may be interviewed by the Ph.D. program director and other committee members via online tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • GRE not required

For applicants without a U.S. bachelor’s degree (or equivalent)**:
You must submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements.

  • Official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall and minimum individual module scores of
    • 19 listening
    • 19 reading
    • 19 speaking
    • 18 writing
  • Official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
  • Official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
  • Official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
  • Official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

**Exemption: Applicants who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a country on our exempt countries list are not required to submit an English proficiency exam score.

Transcripts may be sent electronically to [email protected] or mailed to:

TXST One Stop
Texas State University – Graduate Admissions
601 University Dr.
San Marcos, TX 78666

*Texas State defines an on-campus international student as anyone with a nonimmigrant visa status, including H-1B visa holders, or those seeking a visa to enroll. If you are not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you will be classified as an international applicant.

An online international student is someone who holds citizenship in another country, is not a U.S. permanent resident, and resides outside the U.S. while enrolling in an online program.

Students who are not on a visa but are graduating from a Texas high school after three years in residence are considered domestic applicants.

If you are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you are considered a domestic applicant.

Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in construction
  • No GMAT/GRE required
  • All official transcripts

Courses

Gain career-relevant insights in your online construction management courses

To be admitted with a bachelor’s degree and graduate from the Ph.D. in Construction Management online degree program, you must complete a total of 78 credit hours, including 24 credit hours of master’s level core courses, 21 credit hours of doctoral-level core courses, nine credit hours of electives, and 24 credit hours of dissertation courses.

Expand All
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the supervisory role of construction professionals in the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) process. Topics covered include directing a VDC team in the integration of construction documents for construction (architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans), coordination of site work, implementation of current CAD software for 2D and 3D design, the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process, and other technologies that have an impact on the construction industry.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Financial accounting and cost controls used at the company level in construction companies are studied. Topics include accounting systems, construction project profit calculations, and financial analysis.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The course will introduce students to designer/contractor interactions, including conceptual estimating and scheduling, the RFQ/RFP process and legal, insurance, risk allocation issues, along with procurement and selection.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers methods of construction project delivery in detail and focuses on analyzing data to assess its impact on project outcomes. Construction project delivery is covered along with contract strategies. An owner approach to a method selection is developed within this class.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on the application of systems engineering and statistics used in solving construction and civil engineering problems. Topics covered include network and linear programming models, construction and evaluation of decision trees to clarify a proper course of action considering uncertainty, probability distributions, sample statistics, linear regression models, risk analysis, and sampling plans for quality assurance. Personal computer usage emphasized for problem solving.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides students with an in-depth examination of geotechnical principles as they apply to soil construction activities. Topics covered include geological formations of natural soils, soil mineralogy, soil sampling, classification, soil testing, dewatering, safety and sustainability in soil construction, soil contamination and remediation, recycled content used in soil construction and innovative technologies in soil stabilization.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on different mechanisms of dispute resolution in the industry. They are presented from the perspective of owner, designer, and contractor’s liability/risk assessment. The course is comprised of best practices and pitfalls of negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Finally, a perspective on litigation is discussed, along with the fast changing world of case law. The course uses a collaborative model of contemporary research and industry case studies.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the administration and application of 29CFR 1926 OSHA Construction Industry Regulations for the construction industry along with applicable state and federal construction safety laws related to construction, alterations, or repair work at construction sites. The roles of all participants at the construction job site concerning construction safety are discussed.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on the research enterprise around construction management. Methods and procedures required to complete research in construction management will be discussed. Specific topics covered are research topics, research techniques/methods, data analysis, data management, statistical approaches to analyze data, technical writing, presenting, and publishing.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is focused on covering new and emerging construction technologies for the 21st century and beyond. Specific topics covered are theoretical, practical, and strategic development in contemporary construction systems, exploration of state-of-the-art innovations in environmental control systems, sustainability, structural principles and practices, integration of innovations with information technologies, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other development of additional insights.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course offers students insight into advanced production techniques through lean construction. Specific topics include an introduction to lean construction, concepts and methods, deduction of basic training models in lean project delivery, and application of lean management in construction projects.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides students with technical depth and understanding of how decisions are made based on available data. This course covers big data, big data management, big data analytics and visualization, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and advanced statistical analysis required for decision making and risk analysis in the construction industry.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course delves into a comprehensive coverage of Portland cement concrete materials as well as resilient and sustainable materials used for building and transportation infrastructure. Topics include cement and aggregate properties, chemical and mineral admixtures, mixture proportioning, concrete microstructure, concrete durability, long-term performance, durability prediction and modeling, durability of alternative cement, multi-scale assessment, and dimensional stability.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides students with the opportunity to evaluate the design and constructability of all major construction materials. The course investigates practical applications of structural materials and how they are used in construction.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course allows Ph.D. level graduate students to initiate, conduct and participate in a collaborative research or commercialization experience with graduate faculty in addition to research conducted under MSEC 7103, MSEC 7303, MSEC 7199 and MSEC 7399. This course recognizes the collaborative nature of the scientific and commercialization enterprise. Repeatable for doctoral credit up to 6 hours.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester. Repeatable for credit.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 2
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester. Repeatable for credit.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester. Repeatable for credit.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 5
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester. Repeatable for credit.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 8
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 9
Original research and writing in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, is to be accomplished under direct supervision of the PhD Research Advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester. Repeatable for credit.

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