Contractual and Legal Affairs in Engineering and Construction Graduate Certificate

The graduate certificate in Contractual and Legal Affairs in Engineering and Construction is designed to (1) provide engineers and others who have a background in construction with a background in law, focusing on contract law, and (2) provide lawyers with a background in construction and engineering. Both of these fields have substantial overlap starting in the planning and contracting stages, continuing through project implementation and contract administration, and sometimes ending in formal dispute resolution proceedings. In such an environment, a broad range of knowledge in both fields is not only desirable; it may be critical to a firm or project’s success.

Application and Admission

The following four types of students are expected to participate in the certificate program:  (i) law students with an interest in construction law, (ii) engineering students pursuing a doctorate degree (doctoral candidates), (iii) engineering students pursuing a master’s degree (master’s candidates), and (iv) students with a B.S. who are pursuing only the law and engineering certificate (“certificate candidates”). To this effect, applicants must meet the minimum admission requirements and be admitted to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Graduate School. The only academic prerequisite for the certificate program is a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university or college. The College of Law stipulates that law students seeking to pursue the Certificate must first obtain the approval of the Dean or the Dean’s Designee.

Curriculum

Completion of the certificate is obtained through completion of the following primary and secondary courses representing a total of 15 credit hours (after the prerequisite courses are satisfied):

Prerequisite courses:

• CE 340 Construction Engineering and Management I (3)
• LAW 842 - Contract Drafting  (2)

Primary courses:

• CE 584 - Construction Conflicts, Claims, and Disputes  (3)
• LAW 994 - Independent Study  (Capstone) (3)
• LAW 944 - Construction Law  (3)

Secondary courses:

• one of:  CE 581 - Construction Estimating  (3), OR  CE 582 - Construction Scheduling  (3)

and one of the following:

• LAW 821 - Administrative Law  (3)
• LAW 896 - Law of the Workplace  (3)
• LAW 914 - Alternative Dispute Resolution  (3)
• LAW 926 - Negotiation  (3)
• LAW 943 - Land Use Law  (3)
• LAW 981 - Business Torts  (3)
• LAW 990 - Issues in the Law  (Arbitration) (3)