The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program—a business-intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in CIM—is pleased to announce it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. A first-of-its-kind college degree program for concrete construction in the United States, the CIM program ensures the industry has a continuous stream of professionals trained in concrete technology and management.
The National Steering Committee (NSC) of CIM, a national-level, broad-based industry coalition dedicated to the support of CIM institutions, has planned an anniversary celebration which will take place on Oct. 26 at the Embassy Suites Hotel Nashville in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Key Facts & Figures
- 5 Program Universities: Middle Tennessee State University; New Jersey's Science & Technology University; South Dakota State University; California State University: Chico; Texas State University
- First CIM Program: Middle Tennessee State University, 1996
- 472 students currently enrolled
- 1,500+ graduates since program inception
- National steering committee with seven subcommittees
- Five local patrons groups
- First executive MBA program: 2012
- 40 MBA grads since program inception
- 80% industry retention rate
- Nearly 100% job placement
- $10 million+ raised at all auctions
- 15 annual auctions at World of Concrete
- $3 million+ invested by concrete industry in CIM program
First introduced in 1996 with two students, the undergraduate program now includes nearly 500 students at program universities including Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU); California State University, Chico; Texas State University and New Jersey Institute of Technology. On Aug. 31, South Dakota State University’s Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially announce it is now the 5th university in the country offering a degree in CIM.
To date, more than 1,500 students have graduated from CIM programs with the skill set necessary to meet the growing demands of the progressively changing concrete industry.
Concrete Industry Management
The leadership of NSC’s board of directors is comprised of ready-mix suppliers, admixture suppliers, concrete contractors, engineering firms, research organizations, and trade associations. Their mission is to develop, support, promote and sustain a network of higher learning educational institutions with programs that produce graduates with degrees in CIM. The local patron groups are the backbone of the CIM program. These groups provide guest lecturers, sponsor field trips, hire students and graduates and provide financial support that matches or exceeds that of the NSC.
Seeing the need for concrete industry-specific executive education, the NSC launched an Executive MBA program. In the fall of 2012, the first class of students in the CIM MBA program at MTSU began. This unique degree program was the result of many years of close collaboration between MTSU, the NSC and companies in the concrete industry. The program expands the industry/academic partnership by bringing CIM to the business world through an executive-type MBA and stands alone in its focused curriculum on the concrete production and concrete construction industries. The first cohort graduated in December 2014. The program now allows for entry in any semester and is combined with the MBA Flex program to keep many options for courses available to students.
For more information, visit the CIM MBA website.
