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Identifying University Minors To Support The Construction Specialization Area Within A Civil Engineering Technology Program

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Conference

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii

Publication Date

June 24, 2007

Start Date

June 24, 2007

End Date

June 27, 2007

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Curriculum Development in Civil and Architectural Engineering Technology

Tagged Division

Engineering Technology

Page Count

8

Page Numbers

12.820.1 - 12.820.8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--2478

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/2478

Download Count

345

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Paper Authors

biography

Vernon Lewis Old Dominion University

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Vernon W. Lewis, JR. P.E., Senior Lecturer, is Program Director of Civil Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University. He joined the faculty of Old Dominion University in January 1994. He has 30 years of professional experience in consulting, industry and forensic engineering and is registered in eight states. His areas of expertise include structural design, contract documents and materials testing.

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biography

Carol Considine Old Dominion University

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Carol L. Considine is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University. She joined the faculty of Old Dominion University in fall 1999. She has fifteen years of industrial experience in construction estimating and project management. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and her M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Identifying University Minors to Support the Construction Specialization area within a Civil Engineering Technology Program

Abstract

Construction programs at many universities are diversified and provide students with opportunities to examine topic areas that include mechanical and electrical systems, safety, business administration, residential construction, real estate, and management. It is impossible for small civil engineering technology programs with a construction emphasis to encompass all of these expertise areas. As industry looks for students with a knowledge base in these areas, it is incumbent upon programs to find avenues to provide these educational opportunities to their students.

To meet the upper division general education requirements for Old Dominion University, students must have either a minor, second major or a cluster, which is similar to a minor except that it is interdisciplinary in nature. Civil Engineering Technology (CET) students have historically taken advantage of minors that provide expertise in the areas of mechanical systems and engineering management. Both of these minors are offered by academic units which are housed in the same college as the CET program. Upon examination of minors available at the university in other academic units, it is apparent that additional expertise is available. This additional expertise can be found in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Business and Public Administration which offer minors in the areas of safety, business administration, real estate, and management.

The construction advisory committee for the CET program has examined the academic minors that are available in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Business and Public Administration and made recommendations regarding these minors. A CET Minor Recommendation Form has been developed as an outcome of the construction advisory committee recommendations. This paper examines the minor recommendations from that committee, examines the content of these minors, and evaluates the academic impact on students who may choose this route as a way to obtain knowledge in these specialized areas.

Introduction

Construction programs at many universities are diversified and provide students with opportunities to examine topic areas that include mechanical and electrical systems, safety, business administration, residential construction, real estate, and management. It is impossible for small civil engineering technology programs with a construction emphasis to encompass all of these expertise areas. As industry looks for students with a knowledge base in these areas, it is incumbent upon programs to find avenues to provide these educational opportunities to their students.

Old Dominion University (ODU) requires a second major, minor or cluster (a multidisciplinary minor) to meet the upper division general education requirements. Arguably this requirement

Lewis, V., & Considine, C. (2007, June), Identifying University Minors To Support The Construction Specialization Area Within A Civil Engineering Technology Program Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2478

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