Arkansas·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9021

Best Construction Manager programs in Arkansas, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate, usually through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems.

44 schools in Arkansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,968 people a year. The job pays a median of $86,310 in Arkansas across about 2,280 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledConstruction ForemanConstruction ManagerGeneral SuperintendentConstruction SuperintendentSite ManagerSuperintendentConcrete ForemanStreet Supervisor
Graduates / yr
2,968
in Arkansas
Median pay · Arkansas
$86,310
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,280
people employed
Schools
44
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
46%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,423
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Arkansas that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

5 programs in Arkansas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Arkansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arkansas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Arkansas
2,007
67.6%
33$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0101In Arkansas
786
26.5%
27$44,700$24,000
3
CIP 15.1001In Arkansas
116
3.9%
4$72,178$22,750
4
CIP 52.2001In Arkansas
54
1.8%
3$72,249$24,326
5
CIP 52.0205In Arkansas
5
0.2%
1$43,506$25,000

Top 25 schools in Arkansas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 19 of the 44 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
644Business Administration and Management, General$39,86649%96%
2University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR Public · 3 feeder programs
301Business Administration and Management, General$56,45671%74%
3Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR Public · 3 feeder programs
202Business Administration and Management, General$36,00755%82%
4NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Bentonville, AR Public · 3 feeder programs
198Business Administration and Management, General31%
5Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
191Business/Commerce, General$34,91049%75%
6University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
167Business/Commerce, General$42,89254%89%
7University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
146Business Administration and Management, General$39,02242%59%
8University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
123Business Administration and Management, General$39,05738%80%
9Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
105Business/Commerce, General$36,60637%
10University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
71Business Administration and Management, General49%
11John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
66Business Administration and Management, General$54,98272%$20,32576%
12University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College
North Little Rock, AR Public · 3 feeder programs
63Business/Commerce, General$32,78036%
13Arkansas State University - Beebe
Beebe, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
61Business/Commerce, General$23,66342%
14Harding University
Searcy, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
54Business Administration and Management, General$40,08169%$19,42371%
15Strayer University - Arkansas
Little Rock, AR Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
51Business/Commerce, General$55,431
16Arkansas State University Mid - South
West Memphis, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
50Business Administration and Management, General58%
17National Park College
Hot Springs, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
37Business/Commerce, General35%
18University of Arkansas Grantham
LIttle Rock, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
36Business Administration and Management, General$59,00943%
19Arkansas State University - Mountain Home
Mountain Home, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
35Business/Commerce, General44%
20Philander Smith University
Little Rock, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Business Administration and Management, General$27,41330%$16,387
21University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton
Morrilton, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
32Business/Commerce, General42%100%
22University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville
Batesville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
27Business/Commerce, General66%
23University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
26Business Administration and Management, General$35,49040%41%
24University of the Ozarks
Clarksville, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Business Administration and Management, General$35,37351%$13,60860%
25University of Arkansas - East Arkansas Community College
Forrest City, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
23Business Administration and Management, General51%

All 44 schools in Arkansas

Every school in Arkansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Arkansas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellvillePublic6441
University of ArkansasFayettevillePublic3013
Arkansas State UniversityJonesboroPublic2023
NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonvillePublic1983
Southern Arkansas University Main CampusMagnoliaPublic1912
University of Central ArkansasConwayPublic1672
University of Arkansas at Little RockLittle RockPublic1462
University of Arkansas - Fort SmithFort SmithPublic1231
Henderson State UniversityArkadelphiaPublic1051
University of Arkansas at MonticelloMonticelloPublic711
John Brown UniversitySiloam SpringsPrivate not-for-profit663
University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical CollegeNorth Little RockPublic633
Arkansas State University - BeebeBeebePublic611
Harding UniversitySearcyPrivate not-for-profit542
Strayer University - ArkansasLittle RockPrivate for-profit512

What construction managers earn in Arkansas

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Arkansas
$86,310
Mean annual
$88,920
Jobs in state
2,280
What the range looks like
10th pct$52,570Median$86,31090th pct$128,320
Versus the national median
-24.9%

U.S. median $114,990. Arkansas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.71×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Arkansas

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
$99,320median
690 jobs
Jonesboro, AR
$86,170median
90 jobs
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
$84,110median
650 jobs
Fort Smith, AR-OK
$82,940median
130 jobs
Hot Springs, AR
$74,700median
30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+8.7%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
46,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
48,100
550,300 → 598,400
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Construction Managers page.

How to become a Construction Manager

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingActive ListeningActive LearningMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Arkansas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 8 majors mapped to Construction Managers8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.1001Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 44.0402Public Works Management
  • 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.0205Operations Management and Supervision
  • 52.2001Construction Management, General
  • 52.2002Construction Project Management
  • 52.2099Construction Management, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing construction managers programs in Arkansas.

What degree do you need to become a Construction Manager?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 2,007 degrees in Arkansas in 2024-25, 67.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Construction Manager?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Construction Engineering Technology/Technician, Construction Management. Together they graduate about 2,968 people a year in Arkansas.

How much do construction managers earn in Arkansas?+

The median is $86,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 24.9% below the U.S. median of $114,990. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for construction managers growing?+

BLS projects a +8.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 46,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Arkansas?+

44 institutions in Arkansas reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do construction managers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Construction Foreman, Construction Manager, General Superintendent, Construction Superintendent among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9021.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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