Are you naturally skilled at planning with strict attention to detail and executing well under pressure? Are you a cerebral, analytical thinker with diplomatic negotiation abilities? Are you able to inspire others to overcome challenges? Then, with sufficient post-graduate level training, you have the aptitudes to succeed in the fast-growing, high-demand discipline of project management.
There is a severe shortage of talented and qualified candidates for rewarding project management positions spanning an array of industries. The average experienced project manager with an MBA can expect to earn between $115,152 and $123,813 a year (Salary.com; February 2021). Fortunately, you can attain the competencies employers require for a supervisory project management positions in Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s specialized Master of Business in Administration (MBA) with a Concentration in Project Management online program.
The Discipline of Project Management
Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements,” according to the Project Management Institute. A project is defined in terms of scope and resources, has a finite timespan and produces an expected final deliverable. The successful project manager ensures efficient use of resources to meet time, cost and quality expectations to satisfy various stakeholders’ needs. They can also make the case to company leaders as to why a project should be undertaken, providing a complete management plan with funding sources.
Projects that demand MBA-level project management skills include those that:
- Require management of change and risks
- Produce something new or changed, whether tangible or intangible
- Are complex in terms of work and departments involved
This is an evolving practice driven by leaders who apply best practices while making discoveries and innovations for industries, organizations and projects.
A Robust Online Curriculum
Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online MBA with a Concentration in Project Management program is offered by the John Massey School of Business, accredited by the premier accrediting body for business schools worldwide: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
With input from leading regional employers, the curriculum has been developed to meet the demands for current and expected available positions and roles in the industry. Courses are designed and taught by practitioners with both industry and certification training experience, and they combine foundational business acumen with in-depth studies of project management coordination and strategies applicable across a broad range of industries.
The program’s core business courses include Management Economics, Research Methods, Data Analysis for Managers, Strategic Management and Financial Management. The specialized project management courses and their focuses are:
In BUS 5463: Project Management Coordination, students learn processes and activities used by a project manager and team to identify, define, combine (integration requirements), unify and coordinate project work.
In BUS 5473: Project Management Control, students study policies, procedures and documentation required to plan, develop, manage, execute and control the project schedule.
In BUS 5483: Project Management Strategy, students practice effective and efficient communications strategies applied by the project manager in working with internal and external stakeholders.
In BUS 5493: Agile Project Management, students study a methodology that uses short cycles called sprints to focus on continuous improvement in developing products or services.
In these specialized courses, students learn:
- Policies, procedures and documentation required to plan, develop, manage, execute and control the project schedule
- Relationships between schedule management and cost management
- Procurement management techniques and strategies
- Effective and efficient communications between project manager and internal and external stakeholders
- Sprint management and the agile approach to project management, including scrum concepts
If you have innate organizational and people skills, this specialized MBA program is precisely what you need to successfully oversee major corporate initiatives and complex group assignments as a project manager. The program consists of 36 credit hours and can be completed in as few as 12 months. The total tuition, including fees, is just $11,880.
Learn more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online MBA program with a Concentration in Project Management.
Sources:
PMI: What Is Project Management?
Salary.com: Project Manager III with MBA
U.S. News & World Report: How to Choose a Project Management MBA and Why