Acquire a Versatile Asset Management Toolkit.
Civil Asset Management is the science and coordinated activity for the long-term care and maintenance of infrastructure systems, facilities, and other civil assets. Transportation systems, bridges, landfill operations, potable water distribution systems, wastewater collection systems, parks, and trail networks are just some common civil assets.
Many, in fact, view Asset Management as crucial to filling a gap in civil engineering: thinking beyond the analysis, design, and building of infrastructure. That is, when making decisions and recommendations, civil engineers must also plan for the lifecycle, longevity, management, and sustainability of what they construct. Furthermore, they must consider how to be strategic, so that they can successfully operate and manage assets while optimizing their value for users, stakeholders, and customers.
The discipline, then, is an important and necessary technical and business skill set for today’s civil engineers or professionals managing engineering projects.
Although there are very few certified Asset Management professionals in the United States, there is still a strong demand for them on engineering teams. For instance, many government departments, such as the Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Interior for the National Parks System, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are embracing Civil Asset Management principles. Therefore, teams submitting proposals for government contracts must contain at least one Asset Management professional.
Asset Management also values Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles embraced by many international governments, as well as the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. So Asset Management expertise also equips you for roles in international governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Study and Apply Asset Management While Getting Certified.
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering offers an online Asset Management Course that is periodically taught in Fall.
CEE5390 is a practical, interactive course taught by Asset Management professional, Mark Declercq. The rigorous curriculum blends leading international practices from the ISO standards, Institute of Asset Management, and Lean Enterprise Institute.
Even better: the modules align with the Institute of Asset Management's official certification.
After being introduced to the discipline, students dive into organizational value, asset data, operational demand analysis, life cycle analysis, levels of service, asset risk assessment, contingency planning, and more.
Instead of a final exam, they use the A3 model from the Lean Enterprise Institute to present and submit their finalized asset management plan.
CEE5390's syllabus is approved by the IAM's Qualifications Recognition Program. That is, those who complete the course with a B or better will receive a first-level Certificate in Asset Management.
In other words, graduates do not have to sit, inconveniently, for an exam like those in the private/public sector industry.
An Overview of CEE5390.
Declercq's very organized, collaborative, and robust course is comprised of thoughtfully designed modules that contain required readings, a pre-lecture forum board, lectures, self-assessments, quizzes, discussions, and lab activities.
Participation is also a crucial component. Students must attend both a synchronous lecture and lab. Then, during the first week, students collaborate with Declercq on choosing a real-life infrastructure asset for their Asset Management Plan. This scaffolding exercise highlights
- application to real-life assets
- hands-on critical thinking for problem solving
- development of an asset management plan
- formatting the plan in a non-technical message for stakeholders
The course weaves in multiple real-life examples and decision-making scenarios, so that students can learn from other perspectives of and potential responses to problems. In particular, Declercq challenges students to try on different lenses. For instance, if you were a city manager, how might you have used asset management principles to be better prepared for the 2018 Father's Day Flood in the Houghton and surrounding county region? How might your perspective differ if you were a city engineer?
Learn About CEE5390 Instructor, Mark Declercq.
Mark Declercq, PE and MTU Alum (Bachelor’s and Master’s of Structural Engineering, ’88, ’90) helms this course. Currently, he serves as president of Applied Asset Management Consultants, with his primary clients being municipalities (cities, road commissions, airports). However, he also conducts asset management services for water and wastewater, streets, bridges, stormwater systems, flood protection systems, and buildings.
Along with creating strategic plans and objectives, he completes risk assessments, organizes data, builds teams, optimizes workflows, and develops operational excellence. Risk, resilience, and sustainability are his core focus areas.
Even more impressive, Declercq was one of the leading engineers on the front lines during the 2013 Grand Rapids Flood Event, which affected multiple areas in the city. After the flood, Declercq stepped in to colead the Grand River Corridor Strategic and Conceptual Planning for the potential river restoration project and riverbank development.
The project, indeed, was a success: the Grand River watershed, low-head dam restoration, and flood protection system were all re-certified by FEMA. This recertification, in fact, was a crucial part of the update and digitalization of nationwide flood insurance maps.
Hear What Former Graduates Have Said.
Students have praised this course for both the instructor's significant expertise as well as its robust content and applicability.
Take John Butler, MS, PE, for instance. Employed as the Director of Public Works and Utilities for the City of Ashland, he is also a PhD student at Michigan Tech. Butler applied this course to develop an asset management plan for the municipal water distribution systems. He was motivated to analyze not only the short-term challenges for Ashland's water distribution systems, but also the need for long-term investment.
The curriculum helped him to strategically develop a framework to identify priorities, present data, perform analysis and organize solutions in a way that speaks informatively and persuasively to city management and policy makers.
"Asset Management goes beyond just engineering and construction by integrating multiple disciplines, such as organizational dynamics, business management, finance, and public policy."
Dr. Morse Applies Asset Management to Higher Education.
Another of the course’s more recognizable recent students was Dr. Audra Morse (PE, BCEE, F. ASCE) and Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. To accommodate her higher-education workplace, which she admits “operates differently than other sectors,” Dr. Morse chose a more non-traditional project. That is, her plan analyzed the administration of one crucial asset of CEGE: the department’s large equipment--particularly that costing more than $50,000 to replace.
For her investigation, Dr. Morse compiled data from the department’s 2023-2024 annual equipment inventory and corresponding survey. This information is extremely important in determining maintenance needs, the value of the equipment, and the need for its replacement.
Her findings: CEGE needed to do a better job collecting data on equipment use. To address this issue, the department is going to establish user fees. The fees will not only provide data on equipment use but also generate funds to maintain the inventory.
All in all, Dr. Morse discovered that the course’s asset management, life cycle, and communication principles could be translated to higher education. She intends to maintain her certification and continue to apply these principles in her many responsibilities at Michigan Tech.
Earn Your Asset Management Certification at MTU.
The next section of CEE5390 begins on Monday, August 25, 2025.
Add in-demand skills to your undergraduate or graduate education while getting certified. In fact, the certification from this course represents one of the three opportunities to advance one’s Asset Management qualifications. The next two, in progression, are the AM Diploma (advanced AM topics with a business focus); and the status of AM Professional (received upon completion of an application, experience, and oral interview on seven core subjects in AM.)
And although this blog focused on civil engineering, students from business, policy, and other engineering backgrounds could also benefit from this course. For instance, CEE5390 would also be an ideal elective for those in MTU's Engineering Management and Master of Engineering programs.
Curious? Want to learn more about Asset Management and enrolling in this course? Email Mark Declercq at madecler@mtu.edu, Angela Keranen at amkerane@mtu.edu, or Dr. Andrew Swartz at raswartz@mtu.edu.