Walden’s M.S. in Project Management is one of a limited number of programs worldwide accredited by the Global Accreditation Center (GAC) of the Project Management Institute (PMI)®, the world’s leading association for project management professionals.

Demand for professionals who understand the principles and practices of project management is predicted to increase dramatically during the next decade.* Earning an advanced project management degree from Walden can provide you with the business, communication, and leadership skills needed to oversee projects and diverse teams as you help your organization achieve its strategic goals.

Earning a PMI GAC–accredited degree can benefit you as a business professional by:

  • PMI GAC logoProviding you with project management training that covers the internationally recognized standards set forth in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fourth Edition, which ensures that you have the skills to succeed in today’s workplace.
  • Making you more marketable to employers who recognize the value of graduates of a PMI GAC–accredited program.
  • Helping to prepare you for the certified Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam offered through PMI.† Additionally, as a graduate of Walden’s accredited M.S. in Project Management program, you receive 1,500 hours of experience toward your Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential requirements.

PMI REP logoIn addition, Walden is an approved provider of project management training by PMI. As a PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.), the university has agreed to abide by PMI-established quality assurance criteria. Each project management course offered at Walden is worth 45 professional development units toward PMP certification.

*Project Management Institute (PMI)®, PMI Today®, “Special Section: The Talent Gap,” on the Internet at http://www.pmitoday-digital.com/pmitoday/200906open (viewed online May 24, 2010).

†Eligibility for the PMP® credential requires individuals to first attain specific educational and project management experience, including 35 contact hours of project management education and a minimum of 3 years, or 36 months, of project management experience, during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. The final step in earning the PMP Credential is passing the PMP exam. For more information, visit the Project Management Institute (PMI) website at www.pmi.org.

 

Sign Up for a Free Information Packet

  • $5,000 Grant

  • Global Interaction

    Janet Gram

    Janet Grams’ M.S. in Project Management program has given her an international perspective that she can apply to her day-to-day tasks. Watch now

  • M.S. in Project Management Program Director, Dr. Kathleen Simmons

    Image of Kathleen Simmons.

    View video

  • Student Support Services

    Our Student Support Services

    “Help is available at your fingertips, even in different countries and different time zones.”   Samira Gumma-Swiatkowski, Graduate

    Learn More

  • Our Academic Resources

    Our Academic Resources

    “Our international students receive dedicated support from their faculty and advisors.”
    Dr. Sreeroopa Sarkar, Faculty Member

    Learn more

  • prev
  • next

  • Curriculum

  • Tuition and Fees

  • Career Options

  • Highlights

  • Learning Outcomes

  • Program Data

  • Learn More

Completion Requirements

  • 31 total semester credits
    • Foundation course (1 sem. cr.)
    • Core courses (27 sem. cr.) 
    • Capstone course (3 sem. cr.)
    • PMP ®/CAPM® Exam Preparation course (optional) (1 sem. credit)*†

This program can be completed in as little as 2 years. Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.

Courses

Each eight-week course is delivered in a prescribed sequence.

PMP®/CAPM® Exam Preparation Course (optional)*

*The 1-credit PMP®/CAPM® Exam Preparation course is optional. Students may take this course during or following the completion of the M.S. in Project Management degree. Enrolling in this course after the conferral of the degree requires the student to submit a new application as a non-degree-seeking student.

PMI is a registered trademark and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

PMBOK is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

PMP is a registered certification mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

†Eligibility for the PMP® credential requires individuals to first attain specific educational and project management experience, including 35 contact hours of project management education and a minimum of 3 years, or 36 months, of project management experience, during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. The final step in earning the PMP Credential is passing the PMP exam. For more information, visit the Project Management Institute (PMI) website at www.pmi.org.

  • Foundations for Graduate Study in Project Management

    Close Popup

    Students taking this course are introduced to Walden University and to the requirements for successful participation in an online curriculum. Students work toward building a foundation for academic and professional success as scholar-practitioners and social change agents. Students engage in course assignments focused on the practical application of professional writing, critical-thinking skills, and the promotion of professional and academic excellence as they relate to project management.

  • Principles of Project Management

    Close Popup

    The process of creation, from conception through distribution, is complicated and requires a diverse set of management skills. Students in this course are introduced to the knowledge, tools, and techniques needed to manage projects successfully throughout a project life cycle. Students engage in coursework focused on project management knowledge areas and process groups as well as the distinguishing characteristics of each. They examine the ways these two dimensions of project management interact in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing a project.

  • Leadership for the Contemporary Organization

    Close Popup

    In an instable economy with constant technological advances and shifts toward globalization, organizations must be able to adapt and function efficiently while working through cultural barriers. Students in this course focus on the human dimension of business, including individual and group behaviors and organizational culture. Students explore some of the basic dimensions of human resource management, such as those affecting the organization, the project, and the employee. Taking into account individual styles and leadership traits, they also assess and discuss contemporary thinking about leadership and its importance in today’s business world.

  • Integrated Project Process Management

    Close Popup

    An integrated approach to project management increases the likelihood of project success. In this course, students consider the iterative nature of project management processes. They also explore how project management processes and process groups intersect. Students gain hands-on experience developing a comprehensive project plan that comprises the project management knowledge areas with specific emphasis on scope, time, cost, and quality management. They also assess the importance of project communications management as a tool for managing stakeholder expectations, and they suggest strategies for communications as best practices in project management.

  • Budgeting and Management of Operations

    Close Popup

    Effective project management requires leaders with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills who understand the relationships between operational factors, such as business processes and product design. Students in this course learn about these relationships, in addition to other elements imperative in project management, including  project goal attainment, positive operating cash flow, risk mitigation strategy, and operational alignment. Students also explore the role of budgeting and management of operations in an organizational environment. They engage in practical exercises designed to help them develop budget and operational plans based on an organization’s accounting and financial data, project plans, and goals. Students also examine planning considerations associated with global operations.

  • Enterprise and Project Risk Management

    Close Popup

    Project management involves an ongoing, and nearly inevitable, variation of risks to which managers must be attuned and ready to mitigate. In this course, students learn how to plan, analyze, respond to, and control qualitative and quantitative risk in projects. They examine the internal risks associated with managing projects and the external risks associated with customer behavior, the supply chain, transportation and distribution channels, and acts of nature within the framework of the organization’s overall risk strategy. Assessing real-world examples of project risks, students learn about strategies for working with project stakeholders to identify and respond to risk within defined ethical and legal standards.

  • Planning and Administering Project Contracts

    Close Popup

    A major responsibility of many project managers is planning and administering project contracts for the purchase or acquisition of project resources from external sources. In this course, students learn about planning for purchases and acquisitions, requests for proposal, vendor selection, contract administration, and contract closure. They consider and discuss the role of the project manager in the procurement process as it relates to project requirements for purchases or acquisitions, managing the relationship between buyer and seller, assessing vendor performance, contract change control, and conflict resolution. Students also have the opportunity to reflect on theory presented in the course as well as how they can apply these concepts to professional practice.

  • Stakeholder Management and Organizational Behavior

    Close Popup

    One role of the project manager is to lead teams in complex and diverse organizational settings while concurrently communicating with all stakeholders. In this course, students analyze this dual role and examine how individual and group behavior impacts organizational effectiveness. They discover how using influence, rather than organizational power, leads to more successful project management. Students learn ways to design projects to support organizational goals and how to build and engage organizational capital (intellectual, human, physical, financial, and structural). They also assess communications management as a tool to manage internal and external relationships with stakeholders, partners, vendors, and customers.

  • Sustainability in Project, Portfolio, and Program Management

    Close Popup

    How do project managers ensure that their organization’s initiatives allow for sustainable business and promote positive change through products for a sustainable environment? Students in this course are provided with an opportunity to answer such questions as well as to develop their understanding of managing projects at the portfolio and program levels. Students learn about the nature of sustainability in project management in terms of how project management processes align with the three fundamentals of sustainable development: social equity, economic efficiency, and environmental performance. Students work toward gaining a real-world understanding of concepts through the examination of current research illustrating sustainability in project management and by assessing actual products developed through projects.

  • Business Process Management and Systems

    Close Popup

    A prevalent aspect of all modern organizations is that they are constantly seeking ways to make their processes and systems more efficient and effective to ensure stakeholder’s needs are met and business prospers. In this course, students learn how to harness the tools needed to help business gain competitive advantage through business processes and systems. Students examine strategies for managing the flow of business information within and across organizational boundaries. They become familiar with the concept of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and learn how these systems can lead to novel ways of efficiently managing project execution and business innovation. Students also assess and discuss technologies for business process integration, automation, and optimization, and they examine and practice using practical tools of enterprise.

  • Capstone: Social Impact in Project Management

    Close Popup

    This course is designed to allow students to bring together knowledge gained through the program and to demonstrate mastery of the various course competencies. Students synthesize concepts and skills in an integrative project that combines multiple aspects of their program, illustrating  how ethics, internal culture, and external forces shape project managers’ behaviors when executing projects within an organization. Students articulate how project managers within an organization can drive social change and sustainability through the example they set in their everyday work.

  • PMP Exam Preparation

    Close Popup

    The PMP exam tests the full Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), and, as such, is a comprehensive exam. This preparation course provides the guidance needed to organize the implicit project management knowledge the student has acquired through experience and coursework, fill gaps in the body of project management knowledge, and provides additional context to enhance the student's project management knowledge base. Through material review, drills, and detailed explanations, this course will prepare the student to sit confidently for the PMP exam. (Prerequisites: MSPM 6140 or MSPM 6170. Prerequisite may be taken concurrently with this course.)

  • Prev
  • Next
Request Info

Next State Date is July 1. Apply Now

2013-2014

Curriculum Component Requirements Cost
Courses 31 total semester credit hours $895 per credit hour, which includes the cost of all required textbooks
Technology Fee per semester $150

Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Call 1-866-492-5336 for information about a full range of options for:

$5,000 Grant

With Walden’s M.S. in Project Management degree, you will have the opportunity to gain the skills you need to enter the field or advance your career in project management in a variety of functional areas and within a host of industries and organizations, including:

  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
  • Information technology
  • Communication systems deployment
  • Chemicals, oil, gas, and public utilities
  • Local, state, and federal government
  • International development
  • Commercial and defense aviation
  • Financial services
  • Product and service development
  • Event planning

A Growth Industry

Despite the economy, project managers are actually earning more than they were 2 years ago.*

  • Project management ranks 11th among the top 25 job categories cited by recruiters.†
  • Some 1.2 million job openings are predicted for project-oriented occupations globally between 2008 and 2016.‡
  • The demand for project management professionals is expected to far exceed supply, with as much as $123 billion of the $194 billion “projectized” global gross domestic product at risk by 2016.†

*Project Management Institute, Research Shows Project Management Salaries are Growing, Despite Recession, on the Internet at http://www.pmi.org/AboutUs/Pages/Research-Shows-Project-Management-Salaries-are-Growing-Despite-Recession.aspx (viewed on May 25, 2010).

†Higham, L. (2009, June). New Opportunities for Business School Growth. [PowerPoint]. PMI Global Accreditation Center. ACBSP Annual Conference. Retrieved from: www.pmi.org/PDF/2009 06-25 Higham ACBSP San Antonio Rev 2.ppt

‡Higham, L. (2009, June). Tap into the amazing growth of project management. Paper presented at the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas.

The M.S. in Project Management degree program offers strong emphasis on traditional management tools and how they need to be applied in combination with technical project management practices. This combination of skills helps students to recognize how even large projects can be managed in alignment with an organization’s strategic goals. As you pursue your degree, you will participate in a variety of learning experiences and utilize resources designed to give you a competitive advantage in the rapidly expanding marketplace for skilled project managers.

Throughout the course of the program, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Engage in learning activities with faculty who are specialists in the field of project management and with peers who bring diverse experience managing projects across a wide range of public and private industries and organizations.
  • Learn the necessary skills to market yourself and your projects to gain organizational exposure.
  • Put your newfound knowledge to work on a real-world project through your capstone course. Participate in a comprehensive case study providing relevant and practical applications of project management skills taught throughout the program.
  • Benefit from courses that incorporate all 6 content domains of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® and align with PMI’s PMP® exam.†
  • Take courses such as Integrated Project Process Management and Budgeting and Management of Organizations, which can help you gain the essential management and technical expertise to lead a range of projects in your organization.

When you choose Walden, you can benefit from the flexibility of pursuing your project management training online and from MobileLearn®. Offered exclusively at Walden, MobileLearn not only enables you to choose where and when you learn, it also gives you the ability to choose how you learn. Learn more.

Find out more about what defines Walden’s M.S. in Project Management program:

PMI is a registered trademark and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

PMBOK is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

PMP is a registered certification mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

†Eligibility for the PMP® credential requires individuals to first attain specific educational and project management experience, including 35 contact hours of project management education and a minimum of 3 years, or 36 months, of project management experience, during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. The final step in earning the PMP Credential is passing the PMP exam. For more information, visit the Project Management Institute (PMI) website at www.pmi.org.

Accelerated Path to a Doctoral Degree

When you complete Walden’s M.S. in Project Management, you may be able to apply credits earned toward Walden’s Ph.D. in Management or Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) degree programs.

Note: To be eligible to apply credit toward these doctoral programs, students must have earned a B or better in the applicable master’s courses within the last 10 years and be in good standing with the university. All transfer of credit is granted after formal review by Walden’s Office of Admissions.

Earn Project Management Certificates

When you enroll in Walden’s M.S. in Project Management program, you may be eligible to earn project management certificates as you complete specified courses during the degree program.

For more information on the Graduate Certificate in Applied Project Management, the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Project Management, or the transfer of credit policy for these programs, please contact an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.

Watch and Learn

If you missed this webinar the first time, view it now for free:

Project Management: Universality of the Profession and Practice Across Industries

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply the theoretical and practical aspects of project management to formulate strategies enabling organizations to achieve strategic goals through projects.
  2. Evaluate management by projects as an emerging business model in the context of managing complexity, managing change, and optimizing business performance in a dynamic environment.
  3. Employ critical-thinking and analytical skills to investigate complex business problems to propose project-based solutions that are derived from project management theory and practice.
  4. Articulate the value of project risk management in the broader context of enterprise risk management considering both threats and opportunities posed by environmental factors.
  5. Exhibit the ability to make reasoned, ethical decisions that are based on professional standards for ethical conduct in project management as well as in the best interest of the project, the organization, the environment, and society as a whole.
  6. Assess leadership styles from the perspectives of the role of the leader and leadership effectiveness in organizations that are managed by function, by matrix, and by projects.

Walden is committed to providing the information you need to make an informed decision about where you pursue your education. Please find below detailed information for the M.S. in Project Management relating to the types of occupations this program may lead to, completion rate, program costs, and median loan debt of students who have graduated from this program.

Occupations
Program Completion Rate
Program Costs
Median Loan Debt

Occupations—This program generally prepares students to enter the types of occupations listed below. For more information on these specific occupations, visit www.onetonline.org.

In addition to this list, there are other career options that graduates of this program may choose to pursue. To enter certain professions, students may need to satisfy specific additional requirements established by state and/or professional organizations in addition to completing their program.

View examples of our student and alumni accomplishments in their chosen fields.

Occupation Name*  Occupation Code* 
Managers, All Other 11-9199
Business Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1011

*The “occupation name” is a general job title. “Occupation code” refers to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Standard Occupation Classification.

Program Completion—The program completion rate is the percentage of students who graduated between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, who completed this program in the normal completion time.

The program completion time may vary depending on transfer of credit and the pace at which a student chooses to complete the program. Because many of the students in this program are working adults and need to balance personal and professional commitments, our academic advisors can help establish an appropriate program of study that enables each student to complete this program in a time frame that works best for him or her.

Rate Percentage
On-time completion rate 100%

Program Costs—The total program costs are the estimated average costs over the duration of the program, excluding any scholarship or tuition reductions, for students completing the program on time. These costs can vary based on the number of credits. Typically, tuition and fees are subject to change annually.

Expense  Cost 
Tuition and Fees  $28,495
Books and Supplies  $0 
Room and Board  Not applicable 

View cost per credit in the Tuition and Fees section.

Median Loan Debt—The following is the median amount borrowed by all students who completed the program between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012. The amount borrowed may include tuition as well as non-institutional costs such as estimated living expenses.

Loan Amount
Title IV Program Loans $34,166
Private Educational Loans $0
Institutional Financing Plan $0

For assistance in deciding which online degree program fits your goals, request information, or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.