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About the Myers-Lawson School of Construction

Brian Kleiner Headshot

Welcome to a School Built by the Industry, for the Industry!    

At the Myers-Lawson School of Construction (MLSoC), we are dedicated to the development of professionals who are equipped to reshape the future of the construction industry. Named in honor of the visionary founders, A. Ross Myers and John R. Lawson II, we shine the beacon of their legacy forward by pushing the boundaries of construction education and research. Today, we are a nexus organization housed in the College of Engineering, integrating faculty, students, staff, industry partners, and disciplines to benefit the entire breadth of the construction industry: heavy, residential, commercial, industrial, and the entire built-environment supply chain. We are comprised of undergraduate programs in Building Construction (non-engineering program accredited by ACCE) and Construction Engineering and Management (engineering program accredited by ABET) and graduate programs - graduate degree programs offered by the Department of Building Construction (M.S. in Building Construction Science and Management and Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MS and Ph.D. programs focused on construction engineering and management). To ensure we are focused on the industry's needs, we are advised externally by an Industry Executive Board comprised of 12 members and a much larger Industry Council. Internally, we are guided by the College of Engineeing's strategic plan to strengthen our community, build the infrastructure and resources to support our vision, and align reduction and research for impact in a rapidly-changing world. Although we have experienced significant growth, our culture has been described as a "family". Our principal faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers focus their research and innovation in such areas as industrialized construction (smart construction), affordable housing, project management, health, and safety, and more. We have new faculty and staff to move these frontiers.

As we begin the fall 2023 semester, we are excited about the opening of Hitt Hall in the coming months.  Named for Joan and Russell Hitt, they and other donors made this state-of-the-art facility possible, and a reality. Hitt Hall will essentially double our footprint, along with Bishop-Favrao Hall.  New classrooms, research and demonstration spaces, and the administrative home of the School will all be located in Hitt Hall.  We also recently opened the Hitt Research and Innovation facility for field research and student experiential learning. There, research into new materials and configurations among other things, of floors and skins can be performed.  With two sold-out career fairs, students are expected to receive multiple internship and job offers this year. They will enter an industry with very high salaries and great challenges as it reinvents itself. Recent donors have also expanded our ability to award significant new scholarships. We have come a long way since the formation of the School in 2006 and invite new students and industry partners to join the principal faculty and staff to join us on this exciting ride!

- Dr. Brian Kleiner, MLSoC Director

Our Mission

We are a constant beacon for innovation and excellence in construction discovery and research; outreach and engagement; and education and training.

Our Vision

We will produce the future transformative leaders of the built environment, will lead design and improvement of the future construction supply chain, and will develop a better tomorrow through our service to society, and the world.

Our Guiding Principles

  • That we may serve our students first.
  • That we may serve our students, faculty, and staff by building an inclusive family culture within MLSoC.
  • That we may serve and shape the Industry through engagement and outreach.
  • That we may serve our constituent's safety, health, and equitable well-being through prevention through design.
  • That we may serve the future through transdisciplinary discovery and innovation.

The Myers-Lawson School spans several departments and programs across colleges at Virginia Tech and offers a variety of construction-related degrees, which are either administered directly by the Myers-Lawson School or otherwise through the respective participating department or program.

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