Project Management
MSc
Course overview
Accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM), this course adopts a generic approach to provide the basis for a career in, or to further develop an existing career in project management. It is aimed to meet the needs of students with a first degree in a variety of disciplines, who wish to develop or progress a career in project management in any industry.It is designed to meet the increasing demand for professional project managers, both nationally and internationally, who are able to provide the increasingly sophisticated management required to meet the challenges of providing and managing projects across a broad spectrum of organisations.
The course has been designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the management processes and practices involved in the development and operation of projects and to develop the broad range of knowledge and applicational skills, required to manage projects. It develops a comprehensive understanding of the role of the project manager, to develop and implement recognised and innovative management, and organisational approaches to project management in a wide variety of organisations and projects. The course, recognises the importance of teamwork to the success of organisations and projects, includes development of the knowledge and skills required to effectively lead and manage teams. It also recognises the growing importance of environmental influences and the demands of health and safety.
This course will enable you to:
- develop a thorough understanding of the management of organisations and their behaviour, as a basis for your application to the management of organisations and projects
- think critically and independently about project management issues and to deal effectively with uncertainty
- solve complex problems and make decisions using appropriate techniques, and to provide realistic contexts and situations in relation to project management in which to apply and modify concepts and principles to solve problems
- explore the economic, legal and political context in which organisations exist, together with a critical evaluation of their effects
- develop the practical application of knowledge and the development of skills to operationalise these
- develop both recognised and innovative solutions to problems
- critically evaluate information and develop your sense of inquiry, analysis and application of data
- understand a wide range of specific management practices and techniques, together with their application to the management of projects.
On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- use the language, knowledge, theories, principles and practical skills demanded by the disciplines of management and project management
- demonstrate a systematic working knowledge of the practices undertaken by project managers
- critically analyse, evaluate and apply procedures, systems and techniques used in project management
- apply aspects of the scientific, social, environmental, legal, technical, economic, health and safety, and political dimensions to project management
- solve organisational, technical, economic and legal problems in the context of project management
- demonstrate a critical awareness of the role and application of developing technologies
- demonstrate a critical perspective of current practice and future developments
- analyse and evaluate the influence of the environment and be aware of their ethical and professional responsibilities towards society
- demonstrate knowledge of a specialised area relating to project management.
Core modules
Management Theory
This module is designed to facilitate each student's development of their own individual knowledge base and approach to management. Its aim is to get students to develop their own particular approach to management by establishing a solid foundation of management knowledge and integrating this with their own values, experiences and goals, to provide the basis for a life-long development of their management skills. It is based on a thorough understanding of the theories and practice of management, reinforced by examples of best practice drawn from a wide range of organisations, together with an appreciation of the context and constraints that influence organisations and management. The module will consider the main activities of management from an integrating perspective, together with identifying and developing the qualities required for a successful manager, including leadership. Organisations form the focus of management, consequently the module will develop a sound understanding of the functions, forms, operation and behaviour of organisations in a variety of contexts and situations, together with an appreciation of how all aspects of management are integrated in the management of organisations. Students will examine and critically evaluate examples of good management and bad management, with regard to developing workable solutions that can be applied to management situations and to facilitate the application of management principles and practice to their own field of work.
Management Practice
This Module recognises the importance of people to the success of organisations and that organisational performance is largely dependent on the performance of its human resources, which in turn is determined by the quality and effectiveness of their management. This module is designed to enable each student to develop their own individual knowledge base and approach to effectively manage human resources, by establishing a solid foundation of human resource management knowledge and integrating this with your own values, experiences and goals to provide the basis for the life-long development of management skills. It is based on a thorough understanding of the theories, principles and practice of human resource management together with critical evaluation of examples of human resource management from a wide variety of situations. The module emphasises the development of the personal skills and traits required to successfully manage human resources, together with effective knowledge management to maximise their success in a knowledge-based economy.
Project Management Systems
This module establishes the framework for the management of projects and develops a comprehensive understanding of the role and functions of the project manager throughout the project life-cycle, from inception to completion, together with the diverse range of resources and activities that the project manager must plan, co-ordinate and control to achieve a successful project.
Assessment
The learning outcomes are tested by a variety of learning and assessment methods determined by the learning objectives and the subject matter. You can expect to be assessed by assignment, case study, examinations, group work and presentations. A variety of forms of written assessments, both formative and summative, are used for the modules, these take the form of essays, position papers, opinions, analysis and reports. Portfolios are also used to assess modules with a range of topics whose learning outcomes require progressive development and reflective learning.Special features
The modules establish a framework for the management of projects and develop a comprehensive understanding of the role and functions of the project manager.They are delivered by a combination of lectures, tutorials, workshops and seminars by specialists in their field. Throughout the Course the learning strategy is to develop an extensive and sound theoretical knowledge base together with the ability to apply it to project management.
Case studies are used to reinforce and develop your application of project management theory and skills. The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is used to support your learning providing access to teaching materials and electronic resources (including our electronic library) to communicate with tutors and receive tutor feedback, and to enable you to submit work electronically.
The ethos of the course is to develop a strong management theme, it recognises that management is unique to every individual manager and encourages you to develop your own critically informed approach to management.
Teams and their management are recognise to be key to successful project management, consequently a number of the modules emphasise the development of the skills required to lead and manage teams, together with those to identify, synthesise and implement innovative management, organisational and technological solutions to project management-related problems.
Associated careers
On successful completion of this course you can expect to be employed in project management roles in a wide range of industries and organisations.Professional recognition and links with industry
This course is accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM). This course has been designed to satisfy the requirements of the Association for Project Management (APM) as defined in the APM Body of Knowledge 5th Edition.Entry requirements
Candidates are required to hold a good honours degree from a recognised university.Those who do not possess an honours degree, but have a degree or equivalent qualification and/or appropriate work experience at a suitable level within an organisation for an appropriate length of time, will be considered; applicants may be invited for interview.
Qualifications from an approved professional body will also be taken into account.
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.
How to apply
Location
Duration
1 yearTeaching times*
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9am - 4pmAvailable starts
September, JanuaryFee Information
For individual students please visit our student course fees calculatorStudent finance
Faculty
Science & TechnologyDepartment
Engineering and the Built EnvironmentContact us
UK and EU applicants:- Call 01245 686868
- Complete enquiry form
- Call +44 (0)1245 493131 ext 2609
- Complete enquiry form
*Teaching days and times are for guidance only and are subject to change each academic year. We advise all applicants to wait until they are in receipt of their timetable before making arrangements around their course times.
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