Online Project Management Degree Programs

An online project management degree is designed to prepare students who then go on to be project managers.

Project managers are responsible for directing projects and ensuring that projects keep to the scheduled time line and budget. To be a project manager means that one must have certain skills including communication skills, flexibility, organizational skills, management skills, and people skills. Project managers work in many settings including businesses, construction, information technology, engineering, etc. Specific skills that are taught in project management courses are risk management, time and cost management, communications, and project procurement. Other project management classes cover managing multiple projects (portfolio management), working with project teams, project management standards, estimating, and scheduling, especially at the project management masters online degree level.

Online Project Management Degree Programs

Capella University - Online

• BS - IT Project Management
• BS - Project Management
• MBA - Project Management
• MS - Project Management
• PhD - IT Project Management
• PhD - Project Management

Colorado Technical University Online

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Project Management
• Master of Science in Management - Project Management

Jones International University

• MABC in Project Management
• MBA in Project Management

DeVry University

• Bachelor's - Business Administration - Project Management
• Graduate Certificate - Project Management
• Master's - Project Management

American InterContinental University Online

• Bachelor of Business Administration - Project Management
• MBA - Project Management
• Kaplan University
• MBA / Project Management
• MS in Management / Project Management
• Project Management Certificate

ITT Technical Institute

• Bachelor Degree - Technical Project Management
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Project Management Option

Villanova University Online

• IS/IT Project Management (Master Certificate)
• Applied Project Management (Master Certificate)
• Essentials of Project Management (Certificate)
• Project Management for IS/IT (Certificate)
• Mastering Project Management (Certificate)
• Advanced Strategic Project Management (Certificate)
• Project Management Professional (Exam Prep)
• Project Management Capstone (Exam Prep)
• Maximizing IS/IT Team Effectiveness (Certificate)
• Maximizing Team Effectiveness (Certificate)

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Project Management Education and Training

To work in project management, students usually have a degree in business or a certificate in project management, and relevant work experience. In many cases students have an undergraduate in an area such as information technology and then get an MBA in project management, a masters in project management, or certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Online project management degree courses prepare with skills in group dynamics, team work, and communication skills. Skill you would learn would include project planning, scheduling, implementation, management, finance (budgeting), and risk management. Particular project management courses may include:

• Leading Project Teams
• Negotiation and Conflict Management in Project Teams
• Planning and Control in Projects
• Recovering Troubled Projects
• Risk Management
• Project Procurement and Acquisition Management
• Project Portfolio Management

Programs of study include the online project management masters certificate, the project management masters online degree programs, the online project management MBA, and the PhD project management online program.

Project Management Careers

A career in project management management requires working with a team, hence a successful project manager must understand the importance of teamwork. In most cases projects are temporary and must be completed within a limited time span. This often requires various management and technical skills. Necessary skills for project management include having:

• Analytical skills
• Decision making ability
• Diplomacy
• Excellent communication skills
• Leadership qualities
• Self motivation
• Managerial skills

Some related project management activities are:

• Planning and setting project goals and objectives
• Risk analysis and mitigation
• Estimating and allocating resources
• Organization of work
• Acquiring project resources and human resources
• Task distribution and directing activities
• Controlling and executing project
• Tracking and reporting project progress
• Predicting future trends in the project

Project managers work in many setting including information technology project management, health care project management, construction management, software development project management, and other areas.

In all cases, a career in project management requires the project manager to have interpersonal skills, and competencies in handing projects efficiently and effectively. These are skills that are emphasized in online project management degree programs.

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not classify project managers as an individual occupation but rather based on the industry in which they work, for example information technology, construction management, etc.

Because project managers work in many work settings, there is a variety of career options to consider. The BLS reports on a Project Management Institute (PMI) 2006 study that reported the median income for project managers to be around $96,000. Many professionals in business and other areas have chosen to earn an online project management degree or online project management certificate while they work, so as to simultaneously advance in their careers.