Project Management - MSc

This course has been designed in line with the requirements of both the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Association for Project Management (APM).

Course overview

According to the PMI, project management is one of the fastest growing professions worldwide and the need for project management professionals is growing on every continent. Regardless of where you are from, our MSc in Project Management will equip you with both intellectual and practical skills to allow you to become a project management professional in virtually any field of work.

This course is designed to teach project management to people from any discipline. Unlike many other project management courses, you do not need an engineering or technical background to apply. A large number of our students are from business, arts and other backgrounds.

The course covers a comprehensive range of project management topics, utilising lectures, tutorials and practical sessions. You will also be given the chance to put your newly learnt skills into practice in an extended project management business game over a six-week period.

Various other modules ensure that you will develop a well-rounded set of project and general management skills, including International Project Management, Managing People and Project Leadership, Decision Support for Management and Project Risk and Quality Management. Speakers from outside the University also contribute to the course, providing real-world case studies.

When you have completed the course, you will be ready and confident to take place in the world of work and project management.

Course content

The course combines taught elements with independent projects and self-directed research. There is flexibility to pursue personal interests, with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors.

Modules on this course include:
-Project Management and Control (30 Credits)
-Commercial and Contractual Issues (15 Credits)
-Research Skills and Academic Literacy (15 Credits)
-Managing People and Project Leadership (15 Credits)
-International Project Management and Practice (15 Credits)
-Decision Support for Management (15 Credits)
-Project Risk and Quality Management (15 Credits)
-Masters Project (60 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, group work, research, discussion groups, seminars, tutorials and practical laboratory sessions.

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working. Assessment methods include individual written reports and research papers, practical assignments and the Masters project.

Facilities & location

Sunderland’s outstanding IT facilities include the David Goldman Informatics Centre, which has hundreds of computers so it’s easy to find a free workstation with the software you need. We are an accredited Cisco Academy and have two laboratories packed with Cisco networking equipment including routers, switches, terminals and specialist equipment for simulating frame relay and ISDN links.

We host high-performance computing platforms, including a Big Data machine and a High Performance Computing Cluster system, for concurrent processing of complex computational tasks. We also have the equipment and licences for our own public mobile cellular network.

University Library Services
We’ve got thousands of books and e-books on computing topics, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles.

Employment & careers

Project managers have skills that are relevant to most industries. The sectors where project managers are most commonly employed include construction, engineering, digital media, IT and telecoms.

Potential roles include:
-Project manager
-Engineering manager
-Digital and print production manager
-IT manager
-Construction manager

Senior and experienced project managers can earn around £60,000, with potential for higher salaries depending on the situation.
A Masters degree will also enhance career opportunities within Higher Education and prepare you for further postgraduate studies.