Purdue’s online Master of Science in Construction Management gives grad the tools to build the future
Before one nail is hammered and one brick is laid, Trevor Sierzputowski can see a finished building project and calculate how to take it from concept to reality.
Enrolling in Purdue’s online Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM) provided Sierzputowski the clarity she needed to map out her future. Now, an estimator for Messer Construction Co., she helps to build large scale construction projects for healthcare, higher education and manufacturing.
“I really don’t have a background in construction,” Sierzputowski said. “I grew up on a farm, so I knew how to swing a hammer. That’s about it.”
“(But) I never really knew what I wanted to do growing up. My dad is an engineer, and my mom is an accountant, so I like to say as an estimator, I found the exact middle between the two.”
Sierzputowski originally considered engineering but was uncertain. While she didn’t know what she wanted to major in or what career to pursue, she did know that she wanted to go to Purdue University. Since her father was a Purdue alumnus, she said she has long loved the university.
“As I was looking for colleges, I found the idea of construction management. I thought, ‘Oh, it’s not quite as technical as engineering. It’s not just drawings and math.’ It’s more of ‘how do you actually build it?’ And I found that just really resonated with me. It clicked. I just fell in love with it.”
Explore Purdue’s online MS in Construction Management
As she explored the field during her undergrad, she learned to appreciate the technical aspects. By the time she completed her bachelor’s degree in construction management technology, she knew one day she wanted to return for her master’s.
“I just had such a good experience with my undergrad through Purdue,” Sierzputowski said. “And, in the construction industry, Purdue is seen as very reputable in construction management.”
After graduation, she joined Messer, married her husband, Nicholas, whom she met at Purdue, and mastered her role as an estimator. In this role, she reads building plans, manages site logistics and determines what’s needed to construct a building. That includes calculating minute details such as the number of window planes, ceiling tiles and doors needed to complete a project. She also computes the time and dollar amount each stage will cost.
“I try to quantify every aspect of the materials, and I assign a labor productivity to it,” Sierzputowski said.
“I consider all of the general requirements: your job site trailers, your fuel, and just all the things that go into making a building a building and I assign material and labor cost. I also work with subcontractors. Then I put together a full building cost. I turn it over to the owner and say, ‘This is how much you can build your building for.’”
After discussions with her husband, Nicholas, Sierzputowski decided it was time to enroll in the MSCM program in 2024. With her employer’s tuition support and the degree’s 100 percent online modality, she completed the program while working full time.
“I knew I wanted to further my education…before life got crazy,” said Sierzputowski (pictured left). “It felt like it was a good investment in me and the future that I could have, the career I could have. It helped that my company said, ‘We think it’s a good addition. Those are good skills for you.’”
For Sierzputowski, the experience was invaluable. She said she interacted with classmates from Germany, Africa and across the United States. Teammates worked in both government and private sectors.
“Being online made it a lot easier to meet people from different backgrounds,” she said.
“I worked with people who are architects and I worked with people who had no construction experience. Being able to interact with them and learn from their experiences was really cool. A lot of knowledge came out of that.”
While the undergrad program covered the technical side of the profession, Sierzputowski said the master’s program introduced the business aspects of construction such as drafting business plans and proposals and facilities maintenance and management.
“Currently, I just think about the building,” Sierzputowski said. “But one day I’d like to sit in a meeting with an owner and ask, ‘Have you thought about these design choices? If we make these modifications, it could change the cost and schedule.’”
In the three months since completing her degree, Sierzputowski said she has already seen benefits such as being assigned more complex tasks at work.
Eventually, she hopes to lead projects as a senior estimator or an estimating manager. Because of her positive experience with her previous Purdue programs, Sierzputowski said she is already wondering if she should pursue her doctorate in construction management technology in the future.
“I’m a little intimidated by that, but we’ll see. It’s not off the table,” Sierzputowski said. “Purdue would be at the top of my list to get a doctorate for sure, because at this point, I don’t think I can go anywhere else.”
Learn more about Master of Science in Construction Management at the program’s website.