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The competence of an applied education program is in imparting to its students the necessary expertise in order to practice professionally in the industry. Applied education is becoming increasingly popular as an essential pedagogy for construction education. The study compares the graduate competencies for building and construction education in Makkah region of Saudi Arabia and Alberta, Canada. To achieve the study objectives, a comparison of graduate competencies identified by industry for construction management program in both locations is conducted. The results suggest that the construction acumen, project management and leadership, business acumen, professionalism, and communications were considered as the most important and desirable graduate competencies. Other important competencies include building techniques, cost management, conflict resolution, ability to learn, contracts management, risk management, teamwork, and technological competency, procurement management. It is recommended that the breadth and depth of the core's syllabi ensure sufficient coverage of fundamental and extended topics on construction, and facilities management. Construction management programs should help to equip our students better to participate in the local and global construction industries that await them. The findings from this study would also be valuable for all academicians and researchers involved in the area of academic development in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]