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A Body of Knowledge for the Construction Engineering and Management Discipline

Abstract

Many engineering professional associations and societies have defined the body of knowledge (BOK) related to their specific engineering disciplines to define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become licensed and/or certified to practice professionally. Educators can use such BOKs to identify the knowledge domain for undergraduate and graduate degree programs. A construction engineering and management BOK has not been previously established. As part of a longitudinal review of the construction curriculum, a BOK regarding the technical aspects of construction management has been defined based on a review of the requirements of multiple accrediting bodies. Four principal knowledge areas (cost estimating, construction scheduling and control, project administration, and contract documents) were identified as representing particular sectors of construction management for which there is a set of knowledge and skills. A process for defining program outcomes based on the BOK and course learning objectives based on program outcomes, and mapped back to the BOK, is presented. The BOK and the curriculum development process are independent of any accreditation body, which allows both to be used by any CM program regardless of current of future accreditation requirements.

Introduction

The phrase body of knowledge (BOK) is often used to refer to a set of concepts and methods within the domain of a subject. Within the engineering profession, the professional associations and societies have defined the BOK related to the specific engineering disciplines.1,2,3,4,5,6 The BOKs for the engineering disciplines have been developed to define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become licensed and/or certified to practice professionally within the discipline. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) developed a BOK related to civil engineering and defined it as “the necessary depth and breadth of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of an individual entering the practice of civil engineering in the 21st century”. 7 The Environmental Engineering BOK8 authored by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) is described as “the knowledge and core competencies integral to the understanding and practice of environmental engineering”. Other engineering focused BOKs can be described in a similar manner.

As a result of engineering BOKs developed to reflect necessary knowledge and abilities, engineering educators have looked to the BOKs when developing and defining curricula. The Computer Engineering BOK9 authored by the IEEE Computer Society is specifically defined as “the knowledge domain that is likely to appear in an undergraduate curriculum in computer engineering”. Curricula are not based solely on a defined BOK, but are also developed to conform to requirements established by degree accreditation bodies such as ABET.

To date, no construction related professional society has defined a BOK specific to the practice of construction engineering and management. Thus, programs awarding degrees in construction

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Hildreth, J., & Gehrig, B. (2010, June), A Body Of Knowledge For The Construction Engineering And Management Discipline Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16614