School of hard knocks

ASEE Prism, Apr 2002

Talk about a degree where the course work is hard. The Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro is offering a four-year degree in concrete. The Concrete Industry Management program, which has 100 students and graduated its first 20 last year, was created with the assistance of the concrete industry, including a $1 million grant.

The American Concrete Institute's Ward Malisch, who helped design the curriculum, says the industry was concerned that fewer hours and more tech courses meant that civil engineering students were graduating with little knowledge about a dominant building material. "Concrete was getting squeezed out of the curriculum," he says. "The intent was to build a program that would prepare students for jobs in the industry." Malisch says that concrete may be basic, "but it's really not low-tech, either," because the various mixes require a vigorous knowledge of chemistry. Moreover, he adds, the heart of the ready-mix concrete industry is scheduling and dispatching trucks, which now requires a knowledge of global positioning satellite technology. The program is cemented together with a number of business courses, as well, including sales and accounting. While the dot.com bust has wiped out many high-tech jobs, Malisch says concrete graduates are assured of high-paying jobs, and that's not likely to change. It looks like the road to riches may be paved with concrete.