Introduction
Since its inception, in 1935, the Rinker School has led the construction management profession
in its journey to professionalization. With the dawning of the new millennium, the construction
management profession finds itself at the threshold of its final and most important step toward
professionalization. This final step involves the fostering of sustained efforts in research and
development, in order to bring innovation to the profession and keep it vibrant.
A majority of the research in the US takes place in Universities and affiliated institutions, mostly
by faculty holding doctoral or equivalent terminal degrees and usually sponsored by private
companies or governmental agencies. In the US, there are about 60 construction management
academic programs accredited by The American Council for Construction Education. Most of
the faculty members in these programs have only a Master’s degree and meet the ACCE
requirement to have 5 or more years of relevant construction supervisory experience.
In order to foster research in these academic programs, the best and the brightest of these faculty
members should be encouraged to earn a PhD in construction management. A successful model
that has been used by other professions is based on the academic institution granting the faculty
member a paid 2 – 3 year sabbatical leave and funding to pursue a PhD While the faculty
member makes a written commitment to return to work for a given number of years after
completion of the degree.
Few, if any of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) members, especially those with
small faculty numbers, can afford to loose a faculty member with full pay for 4 – 5 years and still
maintain the required level of academic course offerings for their students.
Program
The M.E. Rinker, Sr. Foundation has funded the establishment of a Rinker Scholar endowment
that would be used to support ASC faculty to pursue a PhD in Construction Management at the
Rinker School of Construction Management. The intent of the Rinker Scholar program is to form a
partnership between the University of Florida, the Rinker School, a given ASC academic
program and its faculty member to facilitate that faculty member’s pursuit of a PhD degree in
construction management. The income from the Rinker Scholar endowment will be devoted to
helping fellow ASC schools enhance the quality of the education they offer while increasing
construction research.
Contributions
The contributions by each of the members of this partnership are shown below.
Rinker Scholarship Fund Contributions and Program Advantages
| Entity | Contributions | Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty/Student | Time and effort to complete degree | Earn a PhD in 2 – 3 years and the personal development to establish a research agenda |
| ASC Academic Unit | One semester paid sabbatical leave | Enhanced quality of instruction and both quality and quantity of research |
| University of Florida | Tuition waiver to cover cost differential between in and out-of-state tuition | Enhanced reputation for quality graduate programs and an increase in PhD graduation rate |
| Rinker Foundation | $30,000 fellowship and in-state tuition waiver for 36 graduate credits | Enhanced reputation in graduate education and increased stature in the industry |
Plan of Study
Summer C
DCP 7794 Doctoral Seminar – 1 Cr.
DCP 7979 Dissertation Research – 5 Cr.
BCN Graduate Courses – 6 Cr.
Total = 12 credit hours
Fall
DCP 7990 Doctoral Core I – 3 Cr.
BCN 6036 Research Methods – 3 Cr.
BCN graduate class – 3 Cr.
DCP graduate class – 3 Cr.
Total = 12 credit hours
Spring
BCN graduate classes – 9 Cr.
Summer C
DCP 7979 Dissertation Research – 6 Cr.
BCN graduate classes – 6 Cr. *
Total = 12 credit hours
* Students who have not had two graduate level statistics classes may take them at their home institution and transfer them in lieu of these six credit hours.
Fall
DCP 7979/7980 Dis. Res. – 6 Cr.
PhD Qualifying Exam
Spring
DCP 7980 Dissertation Research – 6 Cr.
Summer C
DCP 7980 Dissertation Research – 3 Cr.
Fall
7980 Dissertation Research – 3 Cr.
PhD Final Exam
Total graduate credit hours for the program = 60 semester hours
Application Documents
- A University of Florida graduate application
- A 15-page, double spaced PhD dissertation research proposal, including a completion schedule
- A statement of support, and commitment from, the applicant’s academic unit
- Transcripts from all previous academic institutions attended
- Summary compilation of student evaluations for the preceding three years
- Letters of recommendation from applicant’s former master’s committee chair, current college dean, and at least one current or past colleague
- Detailed resume
- Minimum combined GRE scores of 310 on the revised exam or 1200 on old exam
Application
For the application process, see the doctoral studies handbook.