News Archives | Building and Construction Technology

Congratulations to BCT’s Class of 2026!

June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Congratulations to our newly minted Building and Construction Technology graduates in the #UMassAmherst #ClassOf2026! Graduates of the Building and Construction Technology (BCT) program at UMass Amherst have demonstrated exceptional resilience, creativity, and a strong commitment to advancing sustainable and innovative practices in the built environment. Through rigorous academic work and hands-on field experience, this year’s graduates are well prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry. The department takes great pride in their accomplishments and looks forward to the meaningful contributions they will make as professionals, leaders, and agents of change. Congratulations to the Class of 2026, and welcome to a growing and dynamic network of BCT alumni. For more images and a full class listing, visit the page linked below. We also have more images and videos posted on Facebook. https://www.umass.edu/bct/for-students/bct-alumni/graduating-class/bct-class-of-2026/...

2026 BCT Awards and Scholarships Announced

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The annual Environmental Conservation awards picnic is traditionally where we honor the current year’s group of BCT award and scholarship recipients. This is always an exciting part of the academic year because we can shine a light on outstanding student achievements and provide scholarship support for our well-deserving students. The complete list of the 2025-26 award and scholarship winners is shown below the image and more pictures from the event can be found at the end of this post and here. Congratulations to all the recipients!!! We are tremendously proud of you all!!! 2025-26 Award Recipients BCT Outstanding Senior Award Brennan Ibbitson Associated General Contractors of Western Massachusetts: Building and Construction Technology Endowment Ana Guaman, Cadighan Gladu Building and Construction Technology Alumni Scholarship for Academic Merit Lucas Oles Building and Construction Technology Alumni Scholarship for Leadership Brennan Ibbitson Harry L. Folsom Award from the Donald B. Hyde Memorial Scholarship Fund D'jackyna Celestin Harry and Virginia Braconier Scholarship Tom Peti Henry E. Zottoli Memorial Scholarship TJ Michel, John Bowler Gallery...

Enroll Now in Our Summer 2026 Online Courses

April 6, 2026April 4, 2026 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Our BCT Summer 2026 online courses are now available on UMass University+. These are open to you whether you are a matriculated student or not and can provide valuable skills as well as credits towards your major or minor. Want to complete a BCT Minor? You can use these courses for that. Available Courses: Energy Efficient Housing (BCT 211) Energy conservation in contemporary residential construction. Emphasis on: energy efficient building materials, products and construction technology; alternative energy sources; passive solar design; environmental concerns, regulatory issues and building codes. Construction Estimating (BCT 314) Any successful building construction project relies on accurate and consistent cost estimates. This course provides students with the skills and background to perform construction estimating, bidding, and cost management. Lectures will cover quantity take-off from construction documents and estimate costs for material, labor, equipment, overhead, and profit. Students are required to prepare and submit a formal bid which details an estimate for a building construction project. Furthermore, students will also be introduced to leading construction estimating software utilized in...

Sign up now for our Summer 2026 Pre-College Program: BCT’s Sustainable Building Lab

February 17, 2026February 13, 2026 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

BCT is this year again offering a summer pre-college program for high-schoolers that are interested in construction and in finding out how to make buildings sustainable! Rising 10th–12th graders get a feel for what college is like while earning two (2) college credits that can be applied towards the Building and Construction Technology Program (BCT) at UMass, or others. Enroll NOW to save your child’s spot in these exciting programs! BCT's Sustainable Building Lab Discover how buildings shape the world – and how to make them better! Join us for two action-packed weeks at UMass Amherst where high school students will dive into the world of building design, construction, and sustainability. This isn’t just sitting in a classroom – it’s about designing, building, and exploring the future of the built environment. This pre-college course is dedicated to investigating sustainability in the Built Environment with a series of hands-on activities that will explore: Digital design using the computer-aided design (CAD) software Sketchup Energy efficiency in residential and commercial...

Apply for Our Graduate Programs by March 1

February 12, 2026February 12, 2026 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Invest one year into exploring a facet of sustainable construction that is most interesting and intriguing to you. Our professional, course-only Master's program allows you to do that! Or consider our part-time graduate certificate if you are not ready to commit to a full graduate prgram. For those wishing to advance their academic career, we are also offering research M.S. and Ph.D. prgrams. Professional Master's (M.S.): A professional Master’s (M.S.), which allows students to complete a graduate coursework-based direction of study that does not include research or a thesis. This degree usually takes 1-2 years to complete. Learn More: Professional Master’s (M.S.) Research Master’s (M.S.) or Ph.D.: A research Master’s (M.S.), which centers on a research thesis project and combines it with graduate coursework. This degree usually takes 2-3 years to complete. A doctoral degree (Ph.D.) with its main focus on an independent, advanced dissertation research topic. Course requirements are set mainly by the advisory committee. This degree usually takes 3-5 years to complete. Learn More: Research Master’s (M.S.) and Ph.D. All of these are offered through the “Sustainable Building Systems” concentration of the...