Project Management – (M.Sc.)

Contents

The MSc in Project Management is made up of 14 modules: 12 taught modules, an integrating case study exam, and a project with dissertation.

In the first term you build up your knowledge of the fundamental principles of the discipline; in the second and third terms you are increasingly exposed to the contexts and realities of practical project management, through interaction with professional project managers and through action-based projects.

Assessment for the individual modules varies according to the nature of the material covered. For further details, follow the links below to the individual module descriptions.

Term 1: October to December
Fundamentals and Foundations

The programme begins with an Induction Week, which sets the scene for the programme as a whole. Through groupwork exercises and other activities you get to know your fellow students, meet the teaching staff and learn more about the School and its facilities. You are also allocated to a learning set – a small group of students who will support one another during the learning process.

All students then take the following five core (ie compulsory) modules:
Principles of Project Management provides an introduction to the nature and purpose of project management, to relevant academic theory and to key project management processes, tools and techniques used by practitioners, including MS Project software.
Behavioural Aspects of Project Management explores the human and behavioural aspects of undertaking change initiatives, examining these within the environment of project management.

Quantitative Techniques for Project Managers aims to develop a project manager’s
ability to structure, plan, and analyse project data that include scheduling
and network models, as well as developing the computer skills needed to calculate the effects of alternative project plans.

Problem Solving and Consultancy Skills provides a structure approach to solving problems and develops some of the generic skills you will need later in the programme.

Negotiation and Management Simulation provides an introduction to the use of decision support tools in project structuring, negotiation, planning and risk management.

Term 2: January to March
Contexts and Realities

You take a further three core modules, plus two optional modules. The optional modules are chosen from a range of specialist topics offered within the Project Management Electives module, and enable you to develop specialist skills to tie in with your career ambitions.
Developments in Project Management explores latest research and methodologies for project management and their application to key stages of the project management process.
Strategy and Change Management Through collaborative work with students, tutors and guest speakers, this module explores some of the realities of change management, and its implications for leadership and management.

Financial Management of Projects is designed to give managers a knowledge of different aspect of financial budgeting and control techniques, and their relevance and use at different stages in the project management life-cycle.
Project Management Electives These modules – involving study of two subject areas – aim to develop students' knowledge of project management through focused research into specialist topics.

Term 3: April-September
Theory into Practice

In the first part of the Summer Term, you take an integrating case study examination and one further core module. You also complete your final element of research skills training, in readiness for the summer project which rounds off the year.
Case Study Examination aims to integrate the various aspects of management covered in the first two terms. It involves a specific complex problem situation which requires students to bring together holistically techniques and concepts learnt in previous modules.
Applied Project Management provides hands-on engagement in a 'real project' – either via a live project undertaken for a client or via simulation of a complex project undertaken in industry over the previous year.

Research Skills Taught throughout the academic year, this module provides a grounding in qualitative and quantitative research techniques, both for use within the academic environment and for the professional workplace. It also looks at report writing skills for academic and business audiences.
Project/Dissertation The culmination of the year's exploration of the discipline of project management, the dissertation seeks to integrate the various streams of taught knowledge, action learning and reflective practice into a structured piece of academic research and writing.
You have a choice of two routes for your dissertation:

* an Action Learning route, in which small groups of students engage in a specific project for a real client
* a research project, where you conduct in-depth research into an issue of individual or organisational importance