For Joshua Chavez, working on Aggie Square was something of a homecoming, even though he’d only passed by the site of the Sacramento innovation district.

A 2021 graduate of UC Davis who majored in managerial economics, Chavez helped to manage some of the early, pivotal work on the Aggie Square site in 2023 — such as bringing power, water and sewer lines to the 11-acre site, which is a partnership between the university and Wexford Science & Technology LLC.

While Chavez’ undergraduate studies pointed him in the direction of business and finance, it wasn’t until a couple of years later, when a friend suggested that he check out the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) Construction Management Program, that Chavez found his calling. Fortuitously, the friend works for Whiting-Turner, one of the general contractors on the Aggie Square project. Now Chavez does, too.

“Once I heard about the construction management program and saw that it was connected to UC Davis, I trusted them because I had gone to UC Davis,” Chavez said. “It was a good experience. I learned everything I need to use and then some.”

The construction management certificate program enrolls about 462 unique students per year, who collectively take about 1,000 classes in a year. The program is about 10% above its enrollment goal this year, a sign of growth prospects in construction as well as the reputation of the courses and instructors. 

The typical graduate takes six online classes in around 12 months, but students also can take individual classes rather than the full certificate. The cost for a certificate is between $4,462.50 and $5,250 depending on discounts for pre-payment.

“The construction management program has become very popular over the last three to five years,” said Michelle Kreuzer-Moore, assistant dean of enrollment, marketing and strategic initiatives for UC Davis CPE. “It’s one of our more popular programs and part of the reason why is that it’s a skills-based program that really focuses on access to the construction industry. Students really gain access to and knowledge of the construction industry.”

For Chavez, who grew up in rural Mendocino County with a father who had a construction and excavation business of his own, the UC Davis CPE program brought together his interests in business management and construction. He said he was able to readily balance his courseload of three classes with his work on Aggie Square.

Brandon Condie learned of the CPE Construction Management Program in much the same way Chavez did: through a friend. A 2019 graduate of Sacramento State University who also got a degree in economics, Condie was bartending when a friend who also worked for Whiting-Turner suggested that he look into construction management. As fate would have it, the friend had gotten his certificate in construction management through the CPE program at the same time as Chavez. 

Chavez helped Condie, who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Antelope, sign up for the program. Condie has been taking classes through the program since April of last year.

Condie’s work at Aggie Square is focused on tenant improvements — touches like adjustments to walls, lighting and other features to meet the needs of the soon-to-be-occupants of the spaces. While in class, Condie is learning about the fine points of subcontractor billings, a skill set he applies on the job at Aggie Square.

“A lot of the things I’m learning on the job, I’m also learning in the classroom,” Condie said. The classes are very useful — it’s actual, real-life situations we’re going through.”

While Chavez has moved on to other projects, such as a new dugout for the Oakland A’s when they begin playing in West Sacramento temporarily in the 2025 season, he takes pride in the progress of Aggie Square whenever he passes by the bustling site.

“The project to me is a huge milestone for the city of Sacramento. It’s one of the biggest projects I’ve been on and one of the coolest,” he said. “Just to have gone to UC Davis and done the construction management program for UC Davis, it felt like full circle for me.”