Project Management Degree Help!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by rtrp3, Apr 8, 2006.

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  1. rtrp3

    rtrp3 New Member

    I am starting from scratch in getting a degree, very scary! I just finished an online program with Villanova to get an Advanced Masters Certificate in Project Management. The online experience was great and I am now looking to go back and get a college degree. I want an accerlerated course, and don't mind working hard for a couple of years! Am considering AIU or CTU, both have BA's in Project Management, anybody know any pros or cons to these two schools? Or, is there another school that has the same degree, that I haven't found?
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    American Intercontinental University www.aiuonline.edu and Colorado Technical University www.ctuonline.edu are sister schools, both under the same ownership, and, as such, are quite similar. Both are legitimately accredited (AIU by the SACS and CTU by the NCA) and both are about $30,000 tuition, and both have been much discussed on this board. The common complaints about AIU and CTU are that they are expensive and they engage in hard sell marketing. Bears' Guide, 15th edition, lists three bachelor's degrees in project management: Capella University www.capella.edu (BG15, 156), City University www.cityu.edu (BG15, 105), and Thomas Edison State College www.tesc.edu (BG15, 133).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 8, 2006
  3. Gforce11

    Gforce11 New Member

    Looking at AIU as well

    Hi rtrp,

    I am recent graduate of AIU and Ted is partially right. They are expensive, but their hard sell marketing is not so evident anymore (or it wasn't to me). The biggest benefit for going to AIU is the dual degree program (not sure if the other colleges Ted has listed offer that). I graduated with a BBA in Marketing and with 3 more courses I can get a second degree in a different concentration. At this point I am just waiting for them to offer Project Management. Good luck in whatever you choose.
     
  4. rtrp3

    rtrp3 New Member

    Thanks for the info. The closer I think I am getting to a decision, the colder my feet are getting! I have spoken to two people this week so far, a current CTU student and an AIU graduate, who both said they put in about an hour a day, why does this seem so little? I'm putting that into a certificate course I am taking now, for degree, I was assuming I would put in 12-15 hours per week. It just seems too easy!

    AIU does offer Project Mgmt, that's what interested me. The more research on schools I am doing, the more confused I am getting, hence the saying "Too much information!".
     
  5. Jigamafloo

    Jigamafloo New Member

    Not knocking the accomplishment or effort (I'm sure it was substantial), but how did you earn an "Advanced Masters Certificate in Project Management" without having a Bachelors Degree?

    The title implies graduate level work. Maybe it's symantics, but it seems a bit "out of order". By the way, if it helps, I have just shy of 20 years of project management experience. I plan on knocking out that pesky PMP cert within the next year (seems to be worth quite a bit for new jobs....). PM me if I can help.

    Dave
     
  6. rtrp3

    rtrp3 New Member

    Hi Dave,

    Thanks for the comments. I think the "Advanced Master's" is misleading. It is only a certificate program, and anyone can take it. I work for defense contractor and started as HR and Business Manager for our East Coast office. Because of being short staffed, I took on running three of our small programs (1-4 people on each, mostly help desk support ), it was natural for me, because prior to working here, I ran my own 1.2m buisness. I became the "accidental PM". I decided I like this field and set some milestones:
    *short term- get a PM certificate (and because it was just a certificate, I wanted to chose the big name school), possibility the PMP designation
    *mid-term- an AA degree
    *long-term- my bachelors in business with a PM concentration

    I simply want an accelerated program, (meaning 3-4 years to complete a BA), good reputation school, and has a business program with PM concentration. I am in a fast track program within our company and have some great opportunities in front of me. I just want to know whichever school I choose will be the right choice. Too much to ask?
     
  7. StevePage

    StevePage New Member

    I'm considering going this route. (among other routes) Are there any negatives about Capella or Thomas Edison? I spoke to a Capella rep today and they seemed to really have a Project Management course. But the tuition is about $100 a credit higher than T.E. Any thoughts?
     
  8. DBA_Curious

    DBA_Curious New Member

    Villanova has that terminology in place for their Six Sigma program as well. Basically, it means you did 3 courses with them for the 'Master Certificate' vs. one course for one certificate.

    For the SS program, the courses seem pretty rigorous as the 1st two are 8 weeks in length and the final one is 16 weeks and they're not cheap as the entire SS program is approximately $7K.
     
  9. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    If you want to work as a project manager, you might want to consider studying for the Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM) from the Project Management Institute. The CAPM requires only a high school diploma and either 1500 hours of professional project management experience or 23 contact hours of formal project management training. The CAPM is the entry level project management certification.

    You could earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree at one of the Big 3 (Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, or Thomas Edison State College) and earn credit hours for the CAPM certification, if I am not mistaken. Afterwards you could transfer to a well-known business school if desired or continue on with your Bachelor degree studies at the same school from which you earn the AA or AS. With the Big 3 you can transfer in all the credit hours as there is no academic residency requirement.

    Finally, you could earn a graduate degree at the Masters level and/or the Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.
     
  10. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    The 23 contact hours of formal project management training is met by taking this course, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]CAPM® Exam Prep Online[/FONT].

    "Rita Mulcahy, world-renowned PM expert and best-selling author, has been teaching her innovative techniques for passing the PMP® exam on the first try since 1991. Now, she has turned her extensive knowledge of International Project Management Standards into a comprehensive, e-Learning based course for the CAPM® exam—available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—to project managers around the globe!"
     
  11. StevePage

    StevePage New Member

    Actually, I was interested in a degree with a PM major. With this in mind. Are there any negatives about Capella or Thomas Edison? I spoke to a Capella rep today and they seemed to really have a Project Management course. But the tuition is about $100 a credit higher than T.E. Any thoughts? Thanks for you replies.
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I am very money conscious and someone has to be pretty convincing if they want me to pay an unnecessarily higher price for anything. I don't know about the PM degrees specifically but my sense of it is that in the world of higher ed Capella doesn't have such a great name/great rep that it would be worth an extra $100 per credit.
     
  13. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Thomas Edison State College is regionally accredited and allows students to transfer in 100% of the credit hours towards a degree. Credit hours must come from regionally accredited schools, nationally accredited schools with regional accreditation candidate status, and various organizations providing certifications. There is no specialization or concentration or major in project management.

    I have earned a BA (Natural Sciences/Mathematics) from Thomas Edison State College.
     
  14. Dono

    Dono Member

  15. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I have worked as a program engineer or program manager on several aerospace projects.

    My recomendation would be to pursue a bachelor degree from COSC, TESC, or Excelsior in business, technology studies (COSC), or even liberal studies. You may be able to get credit for your PM certificates by evaluation or via the portfolio path. These three schoo;s also accept a large number of units earned through CLEP or similar exams.

    A degree in project manahement would be best done at the masters level (American Graduate University, a DETC school has a masters on PM (http://www.agu.edu/project_mgnt/index.aspx)

    I needed a degree fast so I got my BSLS from Excelsior with my depths being in business/management and political science. My 60 electives were almost all engineering. I had no problem being accepted into technical masters programs with the Excelsior BSLS.

    Best of luck to you whatever degree path you follow
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 30, 2008
  16. StevePage

    StevePage New Member

    Thanks for all of the advice. I narrowed my search to Peru State, Thomas Edison and Bellevue University. I applied to all 3 and had my transcripts sent to them. So from there I'll wait to see who will apply my credits in a way that gets me on course to a degree in the most timely, cost efficient way. I appreciate the input I received here because TESC and PSC were not even on my radar.
     
  17. vewdew1

    vewdew1 New Member

    PM options

    I may be somewhat late to this conversation, but perhaps I can provide a little additional input. I just completed my B.S. in Individualized Studies with a concentration in Project Management from COSC. I spent a great deal of time looking for the most efficient path to finish my B.S., get my PMP cert, and get settled into a graduate school. Ultimately I found that if you have a large amount of previous college credit not specifically related to Project Management (as I did) then nobody can come close to the "roll your own degree" option that COSC offers. I had my transcripts evaluated at many different places and was able to apply the most in this way.

    I took all 3 of the Project Management courses that COSC offers as part of thier undergraduate PM certificate. This gives you the added bonus of the certificate with your degree. I also incorporated as many transfer credits as possible into my CPS (Concentrated Plan of Study). You may have to get very creative here (hehe). Then, I filled the remaining core course requirements with business classes that supported the role of a Project Manager (i.e. Operations Mgmt, Organizational Behavior, Team Leadership, Management Theory, etc). Then I CLEP'd the living daylights out of every possible course I could, as fast as I could. Now I'm focused on studying for my PMP exam (still waiting on my application to be processed with PMI).

    Regarding the PMP exam, I'd offer the advice that you not underestimate it's difficulty and study for it accordingly. It is a very difficult exam as far as professional certifications go, with something like a 30% failure rate. Experience alone will not even come close to getting you through it. Aside from the breadth of the content, the test is just plain vicious by design in the way the questions are worded and structured.

    Anyway, if your interested in further pursuing the PM field in a graduate program there are a few schools out there that will award you graduate level credit for your PMP certification (UW-Platteville and Capella are two off the top of my head). This will significantly shorten your time to complete those requirements.

    Good luck!

    Danny
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 2, 2008
  18. Quemoni

    Quemoni New Member

    Well thank you rtr3p and responders!

    You have just given me another contingency plan!

    ***jotting down PMP exam, cert., etc.

    I really need to get a part-time or temporary job in business doing something. I need work experience outside of the classroom.

    Sorry, I can offer no assistance.

    But, I can say, "GOOD LUCK!"
     
  19. DRMarion

    DRMarion New Member

    You may also want to look into University of Wisconsin Platteville. They have an online MS in Project Management.
     
  20. TescStudent

    TescStudent New Member

    I often see the difficulty of the PMP exam overstated. I am a current PMP, but I think the exam is a joke. I'd heard that it was difficult, but being skeptical, I gave myself two handicaps for the exam. First, I decided not to study specifically for it, but to rely on project management knowledge I already had. Second, I decided to finish the exam in two hours instead of the provided four hours. I passed easily.
     

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