Graduate Certificate inPROJECT MANAGEMENT

Take the next step up in your project management career with a nationally recognized graduate certificate.

Overview

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Project managers are a pivotal part of any organization and can be part of almost any industry. As change agents, project managers set goals, identify measures of success, and encourage team members to collectively accomplish tasks within an organization. They often work with upper management to understand the overall strategy of specific projects and to determine the tasks and timeline of completion.

To be a successful project manager you must...

• Manage priorities
• Stay organized
• Work well under pressure
• Feel comfortable with change
• Have the ability to understand a variety of professional areas
• Be able to manage people

Employees must feel comfortable working with project managers to accomplish the goal of specific projects. That means project managers need to be able to collaborate and communicate with team members to develop trust and an understanding of expectations.

A Graduate Certificate in Project Management* is a stand-alone, transcribable certificate that proves your proficiency in the field. The certificate you earn at CSU-Global is recognized nationally by educational institutions and professional organizations.

* This certificate is eligible for Title IV financial aid.

PMP Certification

CSU-Global is committed to ensuring that our students remain knowledgeable and competitive in the project management profession. In doing so, we've aligned our curriculum with the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading project management organization with over 450,000 Global Members and over 280 Local Chapters internally.

Our project management certificate is aligned with PMI's Body of Knowledge and prepares students for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate exam.

Career Outlook

Project management job opportunities are found in many different industries at all types of organizations that need short-to-long term programs and projects directed.

Slow economic growth, shifting global market priorities, and a push for innovation will increase the need for project management and creating program management and portfolio management jobs.

According to a survey from the Project Management Institute (PMI), project managers should be aware of the following needs:

• Talent development for project and program managers is a top concern.
• Basic project management techniques are core competencies.
• Organizations want to use more agile approaches to project management.
• Benefits realization of projects is a key metric to align projects and programs with the organization’s business strategy.

In 2013 (the most recent year of PMI’s salary survey), the average annual salary for the project management profession was $108,000.

Of the 11,150 people from the United States who responded to PMI’s salary survey, 80% had the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential, and their salary was over 20% higher than professionals without it.

Program

Program Description

The graduate certificate in project management is a 12-credit stand-alone program that provides students with the business and management skills necessary to evaluate, synthesize, analyze, and apply the concepts required when leading unique projects within the context of large, global organizations.

Project management best practices are acknowledged and applied throughout the program including the planning and execution of projects, the management of contracts and asset procurement, and the skills needed to lead complex projects and manage teams in a dynamic environment.

Advanced topics include decision sciences, risk management, project control and monitoring, and financial metrics.

Learning Outcomes

• Employ the knowledge and skills needed to identify and solve organizational problems using a systematic decision making approach.
• Demonstrate advanced principles of project management, business analytical skills, and organizational development knowledge to execute and manage projects.
• Articulate the importance of strategic planning, cost and risk management, financial metrics, change management, execution, and monitoring tools, and evaluation best practices in terms of successful project management.
• Communicate and demonstrate the importance of ethics, quality, testing, metrics, reliability, and validity in relationship to project success.
• Outline and explain the additional requirements and considerations that should be considered when managing international and multinational projects.

Courses

The project management graduate certificate consists of four three-credit courses:

• PJM500: Project Management

  This course introduces the tasks and challenges fundamental to project management. Topics include how to manage teams, schedules, risks, and resources in order to produce a desired outcome. Case studies are incorporated into the course, allowing students to apply knowledge and skills associated with selecting, managing, organizing, planning, negotiating, budgeting, scheduling, controlling, and terminating a project.

• PJM530: Contracts, Procurement, and Risk Management

  This course provides students with the best practices of contract management and purchasing. Topic areas include risk management planning, risk identification, risk analysis, responses to risk, risk monitoring, and risk control. In addition, the course covers the project manager's responsibilities in identifying and obtaining resources from vendors as well as the legal requirements and contracting processes involved.

• PJM535: Project Metrics, Monitoring, and Control

  In this advanced graduate level course, students will learn financial and success metrics as well as the techniques associated with monitoring and controlling project. Projects are typically short in duration and the project manager must incorporate steps to monitor the progress of the project as well as develop an assessment plan to measure the effectiveness of the project. Students in this class will learn the scope, pricing, cost, trade-offs, learning curves, and quality management within a project environment.

• PJM560: Project Management Office (PMO)

  This course emphasizes the Project Management Office (PMO). The responsibilities of a PMO and the Project Management Professional (PMP) are identified, including defining and maintaining standards, policies, processes, and methods for project management within the organization. Students learn how to report to executive management on project activities, problems, and requirements as a strategic tool in keeping decision makers moving toward consistent, business- or mission-focused goals and objectives. Global best practices in project management are also discussed. Prerequisite: PJM535

Learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Project Management.