Building information modeling in graduate construction engineering and management education

Abstract

With the growing use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and allied technologies - such as energy modeling, laser scanning, and surveying - graduates of construction engineering and management (CEM) programs need an increasing number of computer technology concepts and skills. CEM programs across the country are updating their curriculum offerings to include computing generally and Building Information Modeling (BIM) specifically. In this paper, we focus on the question of Building Information Modeling in the context of graduate education and specifically ask in what ways should software generally and BIM specifically be incorporated into CEM graduate education? In this paper we present a review of CEM graduate programs and discuss ways that computer technology generally and BIM specifically can be incorporated into the curriculum. This paper will include the results of a survey of industry professionals to determine if, how and in what ways BIM education is valued by the industry. A majority of BIM managers surveyed thought that graduate education is important for BIM professionals. From this survey, we see a coupled need: technological education in the context of CEM topics. Our review of current graduate coursework in CEM aligns with the survey findings in that BIM courses focus on the CEM uses of technology - some are application-specific (e.g., estimating) while others are project-focused (e.g. design team coordination). These findings suggest that BIM workflow could be incorporated into many of the CEM topic coursework as BIM becomes more prevalent in the industry.