Here is a collection of the most recent project management education articles published here on PMITeach.org. Just click on a link below to reach the story that best matches your interest.
- Setting Your Program Apart
- Filling the Project Management Training Gap
- Why Schools Should Be Teaching Project Management
- The Full Range: A Look at Five Project Management Programs From Around the World
As the project management profession matures, the opportunities for continuing education are abundant. While this indicates positive growth and demand, it also makes it more difficult for individual project management programs to stand out.
Here's how some successful programs have set themselves apart from the pack.
Choose the Right Instructors
Ken Russell, a professor and associate dean of corporate and MBA programs with the Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, aims to hire professors who can provide research and practical experience.
"Research capability is important as it underpins the teaching and ensures that our delivery is current," he says. "Staff also need to demonstrate practical knowledge, as this is required for the relevance of our teaching and many students have several years experience in project management."
John Estrella, PhD, CMC, PMP, academic coordinator for the project management certificate program at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, or The Chang School, at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, agrees that practical knowledge is critical, and it comes by having "real-world experience" as a professional working in the project management field for some time.
Dr. Estrella says he looks for candidates with advanced academic credentials, such as a doctorate degree, as well as experience teaching in adult settings because many students embrace project management as a second career and are older.
Provide Flexible Options
When designing a project management program, schools must consider the fact that many students have other commitments, such as family or an established career, says Dr. Estrella.
He thinks that a convenient location and online options are especially helpful. "[Ryerson is] situated in Toronto's downtown core, so working professionals can easily attend our classes after work," he says. "Most of our courses are available online as well."
Dr. Estrella says Ryerson's program also offers night and weekend classes to further help students who work during the week. "It gives them a lot of flexibility and the ability to take classes whenever it is most convenient for them," he says.
Cater to Different Skill Levels
Many students working toward PMI's PMP® credential at Colorado State University (CSU) participate in its project management certificate examination preparation program because it is centered on the principles of PMI's A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), says Mary Colasanti, program manager for the division of continuing education at the Fort Collins, Colorado, USA school.
Some students, however, are just starting out in project management, and they may find the program too advanced for their needs. To accommodate the more basic needs of this group, CSU offers a fundamentals class that teaches the basics of project management at an introductory level. Dr. Estrella says the program at Ryerson offers the same type of class, and it's perfect for students who aren't embarking on a new career as a project manager and for those who want to take on more of a project management role within their organization.
Get Your Program Recognized
Dr. Estrella says Ryerson's program achieved much credibility when it received the PMI Continuing Professional Education Provider of the Year award in 2007.
"I think it's a testament of the preparation that went into curriculum," he says.
Dr. Estrella says he believes that when students are deciding which school to attend, they'll want to invest in one that shows proof of credibility, such as award recognition.
Russell says accreditation through a third party also shows strong credibility. By having accreditations through both PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs and the UK-based Association for Project Management (APM), Aberdeen's project management master's program has a "head start" on other institutions, Russell says.
"[Accreditation] is directly related to our overall strategy of obtaining external recognition for all our courses and reflects the fact that we continually aspire to be close to professional practice," he says. "The aim of getting the professional body recognition was at the forefront of our minds when we started the design process."
Be Accessible
"We've really homed in on making the students happy," Ms. Colasanti says. "We have always been really focused on customer service and going the extra mile."
Going that extra mile involves returning e-mails promptly and taking the time to have a conversation with prospective students over the phone rather than just referring them to the website for information. This creates more trust in the program, she says, because students figure they'll get that much attention in the classroom as well.
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Universities are responding to the economic downturn with project management courses designed to equip students with the skills they need in today's global business environment.
Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, for example, launched a six-class global project management program in late 2008. The goal is to train students to manage global projects and virtual teams, two trends that have grown during the recent economic turmoil.
"So much of what you do now crosses borders and involves interacting with other cultures and other economies," says Daryl Kingrey, PMP, vice president of admissions and adjunct professor at Davenport University.
"For undergraduates in business and IT programs, the global project management program offers students a really hot specialty that you can lay into your existing curriculum and makes you more competitive," says Mr. Kingrey.
The program also lets the school reach individuals who already have a bachelor's degree but want to ramp up their expertise and earn a post-baccalaureate certificate in global project management.
"We have seen a lot of people coming back looking for shorter-term programs where they can get in and get out and make themselves more competitive. Even going part-time, you can complete the six-class track in six months," Mr. Kingrey says.
Leveraging Location for Big Results
The University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia, is also adjusting — shifting to capitalize on the country's close economic ties to Southeast Asia.
"Australia has massive business with China — they are the biggest importer of Australian goods," says Vernon Ireland, director of project management at the school's master of project management program. "In addition to our Australian students, we have a strong contingent of students from overseas. China is number one, India is second and there also are students from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, as well as some from the United States and Europe."
Reflecting the specific demands of the Asia Pacific economy, the project management program at the university has expanded beyond its previous offerings of only IT and construction concentrations. The school has launched three new courses in its master of project management program: mining, defense and the climate change management.
And the school is already seeing results: "We have bigger enrollment this year than ever before," says Mr. Ireland.
Meeting the Needs of Modern Business
Trying to produce more with less has made it harder for companies to carve out time — and money — for employees to participate in continuing education opportunities. In response, some schools are changing the way they deliver their coursework.
"We are seeing a lot of attention focused on making college training available in the workplace and a lot of interest in how project management can be taught in an online or virtual mode," says Arthur P. Thomas, PhD, professor of practice and director at Global Enterprise Technology Programs, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA. "We have recently enhanced our project management program, and it meets one of our basic tenets in that it is offered both on campus and online."
Dr. Thomas says the move represents a long-term trend toward "a blurring of the lines between the university's campus and the [business center] ... and a very contiguous mix of activities going on between the two."
The school also tries to maintain close ties with companies — which can provide a powerful reality check.
Feedback from corporate partners enables the school to strike a balance between theoretical and practical knowledge, Dr. Thomas explains.
Whether it's offering a course tailored to the regional economy or maintaining connections with the business world, successful project management programs are learning to adapt to address the changing needs of industry.
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Project management is a young but in-demand profession. According to a 2009 survey by Anderson Economic Group there will be an average of 1.2 million job openings each year in project-oriented occupations from 2006 to 2016.
To prepare all those project managers, more and more universities and colleges have added project management course and degree programs to their curricula. But some schools are still offering little or no project management education options whatsoever.
Here are three reasons why they should change that as soon as possible.
Organizations want project managers with the right skills that schools can provide.
"You can have the skills to develop a really good schedule, but your project will be more likely to fail if you don't stay in tune with your stakeholders and understand what their expectations are of the project you are working on," says Lynda Bourne, DPM, PMP, FAIM, CEO of Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Bourne, who is also president of the PMI Melbourne Australia Chapter, began her project management career nearly 25 years ago, with no formal classroom training.
But as her career progressed, however, Dr. Bourne had questions, such as, "'How do you find and acquire good resources for a project and keep them?' and 'How do you manage expectations of your senior stakeholders?'" she says.
To find the answers, Dr. Bourne pursued her doctorate in project management at Melbourne Royal Institute of Technology, a continuing education program that didn't exist when she started out in her project management career.
But now project management courses and degrees are the norm, whether you are new to the profession or just looking to enhance your résumé. In fact, according to a 2009 MediaMark survey, 61,000 PMI members planned to pursue an advanced project management degree in the next two years.
"I truly believe that project management is the most valuable skill set an individual can carry throughout his or her lifetime," says Natalya Sabga, PMP, consultant and project manager, executive programs, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Boca Raton, Florida, USA. "The formal course training in project management helps build confidence among students," Ms. Sabga says. "It makes them more effective leaders by learning the correct project methodology."
Project management education is growing globally.
Formal education for project management is finding a niche market in China and India, "because they are pragmatic nations, Dr. Bourne explains. "They understand the importance of the discipline that will help them build and develop their countries."
In China, for example, the 104 institutions offering project management programs receive more than 20,000 applications each year.
And as projects become more global and teams are no longer stationed in the same city or even country, students are learning a common language no matter where they seek their education.
"Because the language of project management has become such an internationally accepted standard, [students need to] have a firm grasp of it and master the correct way to apply it to the profession," Ms. Sabga says.
Project management offerings can benefit the school's bottom line.
Teaching project management courses at the university level, like at FAU, has proven successful, "significantly contributing to FAU's continuing education revenue" Ms. Sabga says.
The university currently offers approximately 15 project management programs and boasts a 98 percent passing rate for candidates who go on to take the credential exams offered by PMI. Each semester as many as 500 students enroll in the school's project management program.
And this is not a rare occurrence. Boston University Metropolitan College, for instance, reports that its project management program now represents 10 percent of the student body, contributing funds to the bottom line and allowing the school to add to its faculty.
"Project management is a big ticket item — we see the most demand for it," says Ms. Sabga. "Our classes are continually full and we often have to add new sessions to accommodate demand."
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The Full Range: A Look at Five Project Management Programs From Around the World
Project management education runs the gamut of degree and certificate options, but one commonality always remains: From project certificates to doctorates, these programs strive to meet the growing needs of the profession.
Here is a look at five different project management programs from around the world.
1. Project Management Certificate
Classified as continuing education, the High Technology Institute at Austin Community College (ACC), Austin, Texas, USA offers a project management certificate program that focuses on the IT field.
Designed to prepare students for the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential examination, this program requires 119 contact hours for completion, and ACC recommends at least one-year of IT project experience.
"With this recession, I'm finding requirements for certifications to have increased. When people apply for positions, if they don't have certifications, they never make it through the [computer's] filter," says Bob McGoldrick, PMP, coordinator of the High Technology Institute.
The program consists of three courses: IT project management, PMP® exam prep and Microsoft Project. The first two are offered both onsite and online.
2. Bachelor's Degree with a Minor in Project Management
At the University of Maryland, the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Center for Excellence in Project Management undergraduate minor in project management prepares students to work on project teams.
Open to all engineering and architecture students with at least 60 credit hours and a 3.0 grade point average, the minor requires participants to complete five additional courses including introduction to engineering project management, legal aspects of engineering practice, project cost accounting and economics, introduction to project scheduling and communications for project managers.
John H. Cable, PMP, executive director of the College Park, Maryland, USA-based center, says the minor helps graduates become contributing team members much faster, arming them with the project management concepts and skills to help them excel at their first jobs.
3. Master's in Project Management
The master's in project management program at the Universidad de Valladolid is set up to meet the needs of working students.
Classes for the Valladolid, Spain-based program are held on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, in addition to a fixed schedule of weekly meetings.
Students must earn 50 credits, with 12 of those resulting from the master thesis. Classes cover topics such as time and cost management, management skills, and stakeholder, context and risks in project management.
Javier Pajares, PhD, associate professor and co-director of the program, says there tends to be two types of students who participate in the program.
"One, junior project managers wanting to achieve a formal knowledge about the field," he says. "Two, professionals who have been involved three to seven years in technical issues and who want to [move] to management positions without losing completely their technical background. The master will be a mean to achieve this goal."
4. International Executive Master of Business Administration in Project Management
The international executive master of business administration in project management at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, reaches more than 10,000 students in both online and traditional classrooms.
And through a partnership with the University of California, Irvine (UCI), California, USA, FGV's online program has distinguished itself by offering an international view on best practices.
"We have six disciplines that come from UCI that we offer to our online students within our courses," says André Barcaui, PMP, who co-coordinates the program. "This format has proved to be very interesting because we mix their content with our current disciplines."
Launched in 2005, the program is off to a good start.
"[Student] evaluations tell us that we're on the right track to improve this kind of knowledge in our students' careers," Mr. Barcaui says.
5. Doctorate Degree Program
SKEMA Business School's doctorate in strategy, program and project management lasts a minimum of 36 months. Most students are working professionals, expected to finish their thesis in eight to 12 semesters.
Located at the school's Lille, France campus, this program attracts students from all over the world. Taught in English by an international faculty, the program is designed to provide:
- Research skills development with a focus on business relevance and applications
- In-depth knowledge of project management perspectives
- Development of managerial and entrepreneurial competencies and practical skills
- Links with professional bodies and research networks at national and international levels
- Preparation for the main professional project management certifications
"In short the [doctorate], through linking research, programs and industries, contributes highly to the school reputation, resources and relevance both for the students, for the academic staff and for the industries," says Christophe Bredillet, PhD, the program's director.
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