Project managers play an important role as the link between a client and a professional team. More and more companies are looking for such professionals and as a result, project managers enjoy serious career stability. According to Indeed.com information the median project manager salary is 85,000 dollars and a senior project manager can earn up to 107,000 dollars.
Obtaining a project management degree is the first step towards building a career in the field. Numerous colleges and universities have online programs that make it easier for students to complete the academic process at their own pace. Here’s a list of the most attractive and comprehensive programs that will give students all of the skills needed to be a successful project manager.
1. Pennsylvania State University’s Master Program
The Penn State program deserves the top position due to several facts. In 1998, the university opened its Penn State World Campus – an online educational platform that enables students from all parts of the world to get easy access to quality education.
Its accredited master of project management program consists of 30 units and can be completed in approximately two years. After the first 12 credits are obtained, students will get a certificate of graduate project management.
Students can choose among an array of courses that include project control, cost and value management, human issues in project management, procurement law, enterprise architecture, supply chain management and SAP software.
Admission comes with no prerequisites but having a bachelor’s degree in business administration or project management is a plus. The tuition fee per credit is 975 dollars and financial aid options are available.
2. Boston University’s Graduate Project Management Degree
Boston University has developed an equally as attractive option for anyone interested in obtaining an online graduate degree in project management. The Master of Science in project management degree is accredited by Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Center.
According to the US News and World report for 2015, this is one of the 10 best online business programs. Students are required to complete six core courses, four project management courses and two electives.
Some of the courses included in the curriculum are enterprise risk management, financial concepts, ecommerce, quantitative and qualitative decision making, project communication management, international business and the innovation process – developing new products and services.
3. Florida Institute of Technology Graduate Project Management Degree
The graduate project management program at Florida Institute of Technology is especially formulated for the needs of professionals that want to move their career forward. Students can choose between on-campus and online programs that are identical in structure and curriculum.
Some of the classes included in this program are strategic project management, essentials of business development, project tools and techniques, cases in applied project management and mastering project management.
Students need to take 36 credits and the online program can be completed in approximately two years. No GRE scores are needed for enrollment in the program and upon completion, students qualify for 1,500 hours of experience that can be used towards the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) credentials.
The university has also been included among the best institutions offering online degrees in business by US News and World. It’s also listed among the best US schools in the Fiske Guide to Colleges.
Apart from completing the general project management program, students can choose among two specialization opportunities – MS Project Management Information Systems and MS Project Management Operations Research.
4. Colorado State University Global Campus – MS in Project Management
The program delivers a nice mix of core business skills, project management concepts and leadership skills. Students will need to complete 36 credit hours for the completion of the Colorado State University online program.
Some of the courses in this curriculum include fundamentals of research and writing, business analyses, project metrics and monitoring, managing accounting, financial metrics, risk management and decision sciences.
Apart from completing an online degree in project management, students can choose additional specialization. Some of the specialization options in this program include information technology, applied business management, human resource management, organizational learning and performance, international management and strategic innovation and change management.
Upon enrolling in the program, the online graduate tuition rate will become locked (no changes can take place during the course of study). The course per credit is 500 dollars, which means that the cost of a course (usually three credits) is 1,500 dollars. Thus, the cost of the standard 36 credit program becomes 18,000 dollars. Financial assistance is available.
Leave a Reply