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Master’s in Quantity Surveying Engineering in the US

Who doesn’t enjoy building things? Your career in quantity surveying engineering likely got its roots from your earliest days of building structures with blocks and tinker toys. As you got older, the size of your creations likely grew. Now that you are ready to embark upon your career, you have the chance to manage project that can produce towering skyscrapers or expansive business and commercial buildings. However, the knowledge needed to succeed in such a job goes far beyond stacking blocks on top of each other.

As building and construction projects get ever bigger, the skills required to oversee such undertakings is getting more and more advanced. Earning a Master’s degree in quantity surveying engineering may just provide you with the skill set needed to handle such responsibilities. As one of the world’s most well-developed nations, the United States offers plenty of opportunities to continue your education in this area with the support of some of the most advanced technologies available. You’ll find several American graduate programs that are more than adequate at preparing you to work as a quantity surveying engineer anywhere in the world.

What is a Master’s Degree in Quantity Surveying Engineering?

Run an Internet search on “quantity surveying graduate programs in the US,” and you are likely to come up with few results. That is because, in America, quantity surveying engineers are referred to by a different title: construction managers. Yet while actual job titles may differ between those used in the US as opposed to other countries, many of the principles and philosophies stressed in construction management and quantitative surveying engineering graduate programs are the same.

Most of these Master’s degree programs in the US focus on the high-level aspects of construction management. Those who hold Bachelor’s degrees in this field are typically hired as crew chiefs or ground supervisors. It is only through a Master’s program in construction management that you begin to develop the skills equated with quantitative surveying engineers, such as:

  • Estimating and cost controls
  • Risk management
  • Contract negotiation
  • Utilising new technologies in project planning
  • Asset capitalization
  • Labour relations

Your introductory coursework in your quantity surveying engineering Master’s degree program in the US will usually encompass studies in cost estimating and control, project management and contracting and dispute resolution. The elective courses focus on specialised topics such as green technologies and sustainable development, planning and design issues, infrastructure and urban planning and advanced accounting, taxation and commercial lease analysis. Most graduate programs in the US will also incorporate some form of a capstone project. This allows you to use actual industry data and resources to produce a professional-level project analysis. Such a project will help bolster your resume.

Why Get a Master’s Degree in Quantity Surveying Engineering?

As was mentioned earlier, a Master’s degree in quantity surveying engineering is usually a minimum requirement in order to progress beyond ground-level operations. The understanding of cost and risk analysis as well as advanced planning and development methods that you acquire through your graduate studies may allow you to bypass the job site and go straight to the corporate offices.

Why pursue your graduate degree in the US? For starters, America is the top destination for international students. This means that you be surrounded by a culturally diverse mix of both faculty and students. This exposure may help in creating networking relationships that could assist you down the road in your career. Plus, the robust American economy may mean that there will plenty of jobs waiting for you in the very cities where you are studying.

What Sort of Career Can You Expect with a Master’s Degree in Quantity Surveying Engineering?

This leads to the inevitable question of what to expect with a career in quantity surveying engineering or construction management. Much of what you do will involve work with both clients and contractors, as you offer advice and analysis on project planning and management. Plus, you may be called upon to inspect and supervise job sites, fulfilling your desire to occasionally get your hands dirty. US News and World Report ranks this profession as the top job in the construction industry, with above average prospects for upward mobility.  

As cities and communities continue to grow both in the US and across the world, the services of qualified quantity surveying engineers will no doubt remain in high demand. Having earned your Master’s degree in quantity surveying engineering in the US, you will be ready to fill any of those roles. Your choice to make this mover towards your own professional development right now may not only land you the job of your dreams, but also reward you with cultural experiences that you are sure to treasure.