Should You Earn A Project Management Degree Online? – Forbes … – Forbes

Project management degrees teach students about budgeting, time management and planning, preparing them to work in various industries as project managers or similar roles. For added scheduling flexibility, learners can pursue their project management bachelor’s degrees online, allowing them to balance coursework with personal and professional obligations.

This page overviews project management bachelor’s programs, including common coursework, admission requirements and potential professional roles for graduates. We also cover information regarding online degrees in the field to guide your research and help you find your ideal project management degree.

What Is an Online Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management?

A bachelor’s degree in project management is an undergraduate program for students interested in becoming project managers. These professionals use their leadership skills to supervise teams of workers across the project life cycle, ensuring smooth progress through efficient problem-solving and effective time management.

Project managers oversee efforts to deliver goods or services to consumers across many industries. They may guide teams to create software applications, construct buildings, deploy tech upgrades, provide assistance after severe weather events or launch new items in specific markets.

Online project management degrees offer additional flexibility for coursework and scheduling. Distance learners can enroll in these programs and study at their convenience to earn their degrees without disrupting family or professional commitments.

These programs often conclude with capstone experiences in which learners apply their acquired knowledge regarding ethics, reporting and interpersonal conflicts to real-world project management situations.

What Can You Do with an Online Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management?

Project management specialists must possess critical-thinking, organizational, time management and communication abilities. But having a project management degree doesn’t mean you have to become a project manager.

A bachelor’s in project management helps learners develop strong business knowledge and skills, qualifying them for various employment opportunities.

With a bachelor’s in project management, you can pursue roles such as:

• Advertising or promotions manager
• Architectural and engineering manager
• Computer and information systems manager
• Industrial production manager
• Marketing manager
• Project management specialist

Admission Requirements for an Online Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management

Undergraduate admission requirements for project management degrees are similar to most other bachelor’s programs. Prospective students typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent, such as a GED certificate. Schools can also apply minimum GPA standards and may require transfer students to complete prerequisites if their transcripts do not cover all of the necessary coursework.

Common Courses in an Online Project Management Bachelor’s Degree

Though each school sets its own curriculum, project management students typically encounter similar core courses across colleges and universities. The following list explores some of the typical coursework for project management degrees.

Theory and Practice of Leadership

In this class, students learn about leading teams of employees in the modern workplace. Coursework applies theoretical management techniques to real-world scenarios, requiring students to consider concrete solutions to common problems. Learners gain the ability to manage multiple departments and teams concurrently throughout the project development cycle.

Instructors blend theoretical and practical elements of project management for learners to develop a broad set of solutions as effective problem-solvers in the workplace.

Foundations of Project Management

This fundamental course covers the basics of collaboration, communication and conflict resolution in business environments. Project managers lead teams through each stage of development, requiring strong decision-making, prioritization, time management and metric-tracking skills. Classes explore real-world scenarios, preparing students to manage diverse teams of workers.

Coursework may also cover the history of project management and its evolution over time. Students can consider shifting workplace dynamics to compare past and present best practices for management.

Organizational Ethics

Organizational ethics considers personal, cultural and regulatory issues relating to project management in business environments. Project managers must know about conflicts of interest and biases among departments and team members.

Successful project management upholds the interests of all stakeholders rather than allowing specific individuals to overstep their bounds and take too much control in a given project. Coursework covers how project managers can provide customers, executives and departments with accurate progress reports that account for risks and potential issues.

Diversity and Organizations

This course explores interactions within diverse workforces, covering explicit bias, best practices in equitable leadership and the implementation of diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) organizational plans. Along with pursuing representation and diversity in the workplace, DEI efforts help with employee retention, increased sales and improved morale.

Aspiring project managers engage with coursework detailing practical issues among coworkers and management and ways to expand hiring practices to include more candidates. Diversity in the workplace can bring novel perspectives to existing problems and decrease employee turnover.

Project Cost Management

Besides overseeing teams of professionals, project managers must apply strategies for budgeting and estimating costs. Instructors lead classes on cost management for each step of project development, starting with initial estimates, advancing to adjusting cost objectives and concluding with retrospective reporting to improve future projects.

Effective cost management ensures that teams complete projects within their specified budgets to turn a profit for stakeholders and companies. Students in this course learn to lead projects and budget properly, regardless of the professional sector.

Should You Earn a Project Management Degree Online?

Online degrees are all the rage these days, but distance learning isn’t necessarily for everyone. Before committing to an online project management program, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the school accredited? Make sure your prospective school holds institutional accreditation from an organization approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Employers, graduate programs and credentialing bodies may not recognize your degree if it comes from an unaccredited school.
• What’s your budget? If you’re hoping to earn your degree without breaking the bank, distance learning can help you do so. Online learners often save on housing and transportation costs, and some schools offer special tuition deals to online students, such as in-state rates regardless of where distance learners live.
• How do you like to learn? Distance learning may suit you if you are self-disciplined and have good time management skills. But if you prefer more structure or learn better in a classroom environment, you might fare better in an in-person program.
• How much flexibility do you need? You might benefit from a more flexible schedule if you’re juggling obligations outside of school. Many online programs allow learners to watch lectures and complete coursework at their convenience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Project Management