Department of Construction Science

Department website: https://www.arch.tamu.edu/cosc/

Department Head: Phil Lewis, PhD

Associate Department Head for Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty and Graduate Programs: H. David Jeong, PhD

PhD Program Coordinator: Rifat Bulut, PhD

On-Campus MS Program Coordinator: Zofia Rybkowski, PhD

Online MS Program Coordinator: Anthony Marraro, MS

The Department of Construction Science offers two graduate degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Construction Science and Master of Science (MS) in Construction Management.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Construction Science program is designed to a) prepare construction scientists to carry out effective research and inquiry in science and technology, and to advance the body of knowledge in construction; b) prepare construction managers with advanced business skills to be practical leaders in construction and construction-related industries; and c) serve the academic needs of colleges and universities, qualifying graduates to teach in related programs, which is responsive to the requirements for employment for many construction education faculty positions.

The PhD program offers three concentration areas; 1) construction management; 2) smart construction; and 3) sustainable construction. These three concentration areas address the diverse expertise and training needed to tackle new construction problems and advance construction knowledge. Thus, prospective students may range from those who have extensive experience in construction to those with various educational and professional backgrounds such as architecture, engineering, technology, business, urban planning and others.

The MS in Construction Management (COMG) program is an advanced curriculum focusing on areas related to construction management. Students will develop a specialization through coursework in their fields of interest. The program is augmented with classes in business administration, engineering, architecture and other support areas as appropriate for specialization development. The master's degree can be obtained in person or online.

The MS program offers a combined master’s degree program with the graduate programs in Construction Management and in Land and Property Development that enables students to graduate with a Master of Science in Construction Management and a Master in Land and Property Development upon completion of the combined (with thesis) core curriculum. A student must be admitted into both the graduate program in Construction Management and the graduate program in Land and Property Development before completion of this combined degree program.

Because of the important role of computing in the disciplines housed within the College of Architecture, all entering students are required to possess a portable, network-ready personal computer capable of running software appropriate to their academic program. No student will be denied admission to Texas A&M University based on inability to purchase a computer. Additional information is available on the College of Architecture website.

Construction Science

COSC 601 Advanced Construction Materials and Methods

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Study of construction materials and methods emphasizing interpretation of plans and specifications, including a research component requiring investigation of current and emerging materials, methods and practices. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 602 Construction Cost Estimating

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Determination of quantities for various types of construction materials and works including earthwork, foundations, structural systems, mechanical and electrical systems, and building finishes; methods used for pricing of construction works including labor, materials, equipment, sub-contractors, overhead and profit; use of various types of cost data catalogs available in the industry. Prerequisite: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 603 Construction Scheduling

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to commonly used techniques and computer applications for the planning, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling of construction projects; includes key scheduling techniques such as Gantt Chart, CPM, PERT, LSM, and EVM; practical scheduling practices such as tracking, controlling, and forecasting trends of schedules, cost control, and reporting. Prerequisite: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 606 Mechanical and Electrical Construction

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Building environmental systems with a major emphasis on the design and control of the heating, ventilation and cooling systems, plumbing and drainage systems, electrical, fire and lightening protection, and lighting; design opportunities, calculations, equipment selection and economics as they relate to design and construction. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 608 Structural Integrity and Failure Forensics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Investigation of interrelationships between structural integrity, behavior and failure mechanisms in building systems. Through case studies and applied theory in construction structures, students explore real-world structural failures to understand how design, construction and maintenance decisions affect performance and safety. The course emphasizes professional responsibility, diagnostic reasoning and failure prevention in construction practice. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 620 Construction Company Operations

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Running a construction company; strategic planning; business planning; organizational theory; competitor analysis; risk management; financial analysis; human resources; management information systems; leadership; codes of ethics; best practices. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 621 Advanced Project Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theoretical, practical, and strategic development in the management of contemporary construction projects; advanced techniques used in scheduling and evaluating progress in construction project control; exploration of state-of-the-art management principles and practices, and development of additional insights. Prerequisite: COSC 603 or COSC 475.

COSC 622 Construction Economics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Foundation in Life Cycle Cost Analysis computation within the context of current issues in environmental sustainability and evidence-based thinking; lean construction as a strategy to overcome the hurdle of first cost. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 624 Construction Accounting and Financial Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Fundamental theories and applied methods of construction accounting and construction financial management including cash flow analysis, financial planning, risk analysis, and project financing. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 628 Construction Contracts and Risk Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Advanced construction law, contracts, and risk management applicable to construction management; identification of common disputes and construction risks among the owner, design professionals, and contractor; analysis of construction contracts with an emphasis on troublesome provisions and solutions; demonstration of tools of negotiation and dispute resolution; ethics in construction. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 631 Advanced Productivity and Lean

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to lean history, concepts and methods; deduction of basic training modules in lean project delivery; application of lean management in construction projects. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 635 Life Cycle Assessment in Building Construction

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment from a coupled energy-carbon-water (ECW) nexus perspective; Key LCA concepts; the LCA process; LCA standards; application of LCA approaches and software to assess the energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water, and other environmental impacts of building construction industry at the material and whole building levels; study and analysis of factors relating to material and assembly choices, site logistics, on-site and off site construction and/or fabrication processes, additive construction (large-scale 3D printing), and construction and demolition waste to reduce the energy use, GHG emissions, and water use; analysis and comparison of LCA results of process-based and macro-economic model-based Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). Prerequisite: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 642 Construction Information Technology

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of emerging technologies for the construction industry including hardware and software systems such as BIM, RFID, Wireless/Mobile, information systems, construction specific programs, and information strategy planning; using information strategy planning by owners and contractors to effectively enhance the management of business entities and projects in construction. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 644 Advanced Construction Systems

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theoretical, practical, and strategic development in contemporary construction systems; exploration of state-of-the-art innovations in environmental control systems, structural principles and practices; integration of innovations with information technologies, and development of additional insights. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 650 Advanced Construction Visualization

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to the theory and application of 3-D computer models in the design/build construction process; creation, positioning in 3-D space, and linking of building components to a database record; creation of a wide range of construction related information useful in controlling project quality. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 651 Data Science for the Built Environment

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Data science with a focus on built environment applications; overview of statistics, data collection, data visualization, data cleaning, and machine learning; focuses on tackling research problems in construction and built environment using machine learning. Prerequisite: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science or approval of instructor.

COSC 663 Sustainable Construction

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Contribution of materials and methods to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; overview of international, national and local programs promoting sustainable construction; characteristics of the components of successful sustainable construction projects; theories and practices through case studies. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 664 Advanced Construction Safety and Health Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Evaluation of safety management practices and accident prevention techniques, including state and federal laws related to general and construction projects; theoretical concepts and industry practices used to model, evaluate, and improve construction worker safety through the design of the project features, construction operations, and site safety program elements; causes of construction site accidents, hazard recognition and comprehension, safety risk valuation and mitigation, and the true costs of injuries and fatalities; role of technology in enhancing safety and health management; fulfills the requirements for the ten-hour OSHA certification Prerequisites: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 670 Facilities Asset Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Fundamentals of facility asset management and property management including concepts, theories, and principles of design, construction, accounting, finance, and management of the built environment; an overview of a project throughout its entire life cycle from various perspectives including the owner, users, designers, constructors and facility management personnel. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

COSC 681 Seminar

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Discussion and review of degree requirements, career opportunities, and current research activities in construction management. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

COSC 684 Professional Internship

Credits 3 to 6. 3 to 6 Other Hours. Approximately 400-600 hours with a construction or construction-related company that exposes the student to construction-related activities; an initial report, monthly progress reports, a final report, and a final completion letter are required. Prerequisites: Graduate classification; approval of graduate coordinator; approval of internship coordinator.

COSC 685 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Individual problems in the area of building construction involving the application of theory and practice. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

COSC 689 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. Selected topics in an identified field of construction management. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

COSC 690 Theory of Research in Construction Science

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to research, research tools, proposal writing and research reports; emphasis on research planning and design, conducting a comprehensive review of literature, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, defining research problems in construction science, and the development of research proposals. Prerequisite: Graduate classification in the Department of Construction Science.

COSC 691 Research

Credits 1 to 23. 1 to 23 Other Hours. Research for thesis. Prerequisites: COSC 690 or concurrent enrollment; approval of graduate coordinator.

COSC 693 Professional Study

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Approved professional study of project undertaken as terminal requirement for Master of Science, non-thesis option. Preparation of a record of study summarizing the rationale, procedure and results of the completed study. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: COSC 690 or concurrent enrollment; approval of graduate coordinator.

Abraham, Yewande, Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, The Pennsylvania State University, 2018

Albeaino, Gilles, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Florida - M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management, 2023

Anand, Binay, Visiting Lecturer
Construction Science
PHD, University of Houston, 2004

Aryal, Ashrant, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Southern California, 2020

Bakchan, Amal, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Texas - Austin, 2021

Befort, Jeffrey Leo, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Texas Tech University School of Law, 2000

Bonilla, Minerva, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, North Carolina State University, 2023

Bulut, Rifat, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2001

Carlson, Kimberly A, Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
MAR, Texas A&M University, 2002

Chiang, Chia-yu, Visiting Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2015

Choi, Kunhee, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of California at Berkeley, 2008

Cokinos, Gregory, Visiting Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, South Texas College of Law, 1982

Daigneault, Melissa S, Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Wake Forest University School of Law, 2003

Dixit, Manish K, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2013

Ellis, Debra R, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Baylor University, 1993

Escamilla, Edelmiro E, Instructional Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2011
MAR, Texas A&M University, 2002

Feigenbaum, Leslie H, Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
MS, Texas A&M University, 1985

Feng, Peter, Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
PHD, University of California at Berkeley, 2009

Garza, Jose, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, 1991

Guerra Santos, Hernan, Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
MS, Texas A&M University, 2003

Gurganus, Charles F, Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2018

Hartell, Julie Ann, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 2014

Hillestad, Derek, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
PHD, Arizona State University, 2022

Holliday, Ashton, Visiting Lecturer
Construction Science
MAR, Texas A&M University, 2016

Hu, Mo, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Virginia Tech, 2021

Jeong, David, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Purdue University, 2005

Kim, Namgyun, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2022
MAR, Sungkyunkwan University, 2013

Lavy, Sarel, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel, 2006

Lewis, Phil, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, North Carolina State University, 2009

Lucio, Erick, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Texas Tech University School of Law, 2005

Marraro, Anthony R, Principal Lecturer
Construction Science
MS, Texas A&M University, 1997

McCloskey, Aarika, Lecturer
Construction Science
JD, Southern Methodist University, 2014

Nnaji, Chuma, Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Oregon State University, 2018

Pesek, Anthony Edward, Instructional Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Arizona State University, 2017

Rocchio, Leland, Instructional Associate Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Our Lady of the Lake University, 2015

Rybkowski, Zofia K, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of California at Berkeley, 2009
MAR, Harvard University, 1991

Shults, Ryan, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
MAR, University of Kansas, 2013

Suermann, Patrick C, Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Florida, 2009

Tinker, Audrey, Instructional Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2003

Wang, Xi, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 2022

Wirfs, Michael, Visiting Senior Lecturer
Construction Science
LLM, Texas A&M University - School of Law, 2022

Zhang, Zhenyu, Assistant Professor
Construction Science
PHD, University of Washington, 2021
MAR, Chongqing University, 2016