The 2020 Construction Careers Outcomes Report showcases a snapshot of the Master of Science in Construction Administration graduates and how they are advancing knowledge with purpose. It also demonstrates how our Career Design Lab (CDL) connects students to the resources and relationships they need to advance, adapt, and accelerate their careers — while they’re here and long after they leave.
The year 2020 will long be remembered for the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout these challenging times, the Columbia University community, including students, faculty, and alumni, have been combating this global health crisis at the front lines. As Construction Administration students prepared to graduate from the Construction Administration program in the spring of 2020, the building industry was in the midst of a dynamic and robust boom in private development. The pandemic caused an abrupt disruption in economic activities on many levels.
Early in the shutdown, the construction industry was deemed an essential sector, in part to build the foundation for a public health response to the once in a lifetime public health crisis.
Contractors are hiring. According to industry standard surveys, as many as 60% of firms in the U.S. and 53% of firms in New York had unfilled hourly craft positions in the summer of COVID (as of June 30, 2020). Construction industry jobs continue to pay well. In New York, 5 out of the 5 most numerous construction occupations had higher median pay than the median for all employees in the state in 2019.
The report highlights the extraordinary career advancements of the program alumni after the completion of the degree.
- Thanks to the support of the program and CDL, 97% of the Class of 2020 found full-time employment after graduation.
- The top industries include 48% of graduates finding jobs in Construction, 7% in Architecture and Planning, and 7% in Real Estate.
- Most graduates (92%) pursued construction management careers in the United States with 87% finding roles in New York (86%).
- 60% of graduates have landed jobs with post-graduate salaries of over $100,000, and 27% with salaries between $70,000 and $99,999.
Columbia University has equipped me to face the most challenging moments that I come across professionally. All the interactions with the professors and the classmates are my most treasured learnings and I am sure to be inspired by this for years to come. The perspective change that the program brought about in my career has definitely helped me pave a unique and defined pathway for my life. The experience of studying in the middle of the city of New York is just the icing on this cake.
During the COVID shutdown, faculty and alumni of the Construction Administration program were, and continue to be, actively involved in the restoration of vital services and the construction of critical health sector facilities. Construction Administration students were directly involved in repurposing spaces to accommodate clinics, testing, and treatment facilities around New York City and across the country. Even the classrooms across the Columbia campus were retrofitted to allow for in-person class engagement in the midst of the global pandemic.
The outlook for construction jobs remains strong, even as there is a shift in emphasis in the types of building that will prevail in the post-COVID era. The Construction Administration program prepares students to be action-ready to step into the fray, making a difference and impacting the built environment.
I cannot emphasize enough the knowledge, connections, and inroads students can gain during the program at Columbia. Professors are eager to share their academic knowledge as well as their real world experiences. They truly want their students to succeed and are invested in making that happen. I am forever grateful to my professors and to Columbia’s Construction Administration program.
