MS Project Management input request

Hello,

I am from the northeast and have 10 years of IT experience from web to programming to system administration and another 10 years of doing this and that, some professional, some not so much. A lot of the work has been project based and I'm sort of bored with being one of the worker bees and want to move into Project Management. I have project+ certification and ITIL3 and don't really think I qualify to take the PMP exam, I could fudge it, but don't think that would do me any good. Considering the CAPM, but I'd rather just work and then take the PMP since I already have ITIL and Project+. I'm also looking at MS Project Management programs that can be done online. I've looked at BU and Northeastern, as well as GWU and some of the top schools that I don't think I would get into. My impression so far is that the Fast Track program at Northeastern to be completed in 1 year for around 22K is the best considering expediency.

I'm looking for any/all input about the process. I have some interest in the longer programs at say GWU and Brandeis, but would the extra year be worth the extra prestige of the name. I'm not a super prestige based person, working in IT and looking to do Project Management, I'm usually more likely to be concerned with, can you do this? can you get this done? do you know how to fix this or make it work? Looking to leave IT Tech as a first career and move exclusively into Project Management, I'm not aware of how various employers consider education. Some would say go to the best school you can get into, but considering time, cost, quality all together would make a holistic decision about "best school" more complete I think, but in 10 years - will I regret not having the best brand name school possible on my resume?

 

Two of the lower cost yet well regard that I have found are:

Northern Arizona $14,400
University of Wisonsin - Platteville $17,850

 

How fast do you want to get through a program?

Do you have a tuition reimbursement program at you work?

Do you have a undergraduate degree? What in? When did you receive it?

GWU - will take three years. You can get the NU within two years even if you do pursue the Fast Track. Brandeis - can be completed in two years.

I did fund something out about NU that I did not know when I first started looking at the MS in PM. NU has four 12-week terms per year. I found out that each term is then broken into two six week terms (except for summer). Meaning the first six weeks of Fall you take one six week class. The second six weeks you can take another class. I like the option of taking only one class at a time because I would only have to concentrate on the one. Personally, I'm still looking at two schools now. Brandeis and the University of Wisconsin. UW is suppose to get back to me this week with my transfer credit evaluation. If they come in with 24 hours or less I think I will select UW. If it's more than 24 I'm going with Brandeis for the prestige and plus I like their cirriculum. By the way they are changing their cirriculumn starting in 2011 which help make my decision easier.

Dave

 

I don't think the prestige difference between these schools is that great. I would rank Brandeis, BU, and GW reasonably closely in the same tier, with Northeastern a notch below. I don't know if it will make much of a difference in the long run. Northeastern is still certainly a very solid school.

If you are close to Boston, I would pick one of those options, simply to make it less obvious it was done online.

 

With twenty years of experience I do not think it matters too much what degree you have or from where. It is experience that counts and whether can you do the job. Of course your business sector may be totally different than the aerospace sector regarding job qualifications.

An MBA with some PM courses might be more useful and more recognizable.

And for a PM credential you could become a member of PMI (which provides several benefits)
http://www.pmi.org/Membership/Pages/Benefits-of-Membership.aspx

 

Thanks for all the great input. Let me see if I can answer some of the questions to fill in the blanks.

I would like to go through a program as fast as possible. If there was a 6 month program I would probably take it, but Northeastern has the one year program and that looks like the fastest, and the Price is not too bad either.

I do not have a tuition reimbursement program, I've worked for years in IT to find myself unemployed, and have done fairly well financially - so, sadly I'll probably be paying cash out of pocket. Should have done this when I did have reimbursement available.@%$!

I have a BA from Keene State College in NH 1997, did OK 3.2 or 3.4 gpa, I'll have to get a transcript to know for sure. Film Studies Major, Management Minor

I'm also 38, so it isn't like I haven't put a lot of thought into grad school over the years. I've worked for Compaq, HP, Sun Micro, The Jackson Lab, and tons of consulting firms around New England, mostly project based technology work, so - IT is a weird industry, most people don't care where you went to school just that you have the skills for the project, I've collected, A+, Server+, Project+, MCP, MCSA, ITIL, and GAIQ over the years. However, there are very different considerations to Education for anyone looking to move on to a Project Manager role with serious companies in a recession, well - maybe not if you have a degree from a Major University, but I have an undergrad from State College in NH, and maybe I've developed a complex about that over the years, but I think a Graduate degree from a Major US University would certainly open up doors to more interesting work for me going forward. I know it is hard to believe one can get bored with IT, but really after a while it is the same thing over and over.

If I can get in I'm very seriously thinking about dropping the 22K +, to do the Northeastern fast track MS Project Management program to finish in 12 Months. Supposedly it is set up so you can work full time and do the program, so I can keep job searching while in the program, and take something if a good role comes up. Honestly, I think just being enrolled in a good program would make me more attractive to employers.

Thanks again for the input - really, I've found reading some of the threads on this board a great help in researching programs and getting a handle on online vs. b&m

 

One thing that I've noticed is that most of the DL programs are offered through continuing education schools at the various colleges. For example BU through the Metropolitan College and Northeastern through the College of Professional Studies.

Now, these are not degrees from the Business Schools at the respective universities, they are from the Continuing education departments. In the world out there - if you get an MBA from school such and such, you can get a degree from whatever respective business college is at the university, I believe the DL degree from the continuing education school is really a very different degree, no?

 

If you take a look at most colleges and universities, their post graduate degrees (master, doctorates, etc.) are through their Graduate Schools and not the departments.

What you are seeing is the part of the school that administers the paper work and collects the fees as separate from the part of the scholl that handels the education.

The Business School (as an example) decides what to teach, who will teach it, and what you must due to learning a subject. The other school (Continung Ed or Graduate) handles the paper work for you admittnace, collects and processes your checks, etc.

My degree from Colorado State, through the DL program managed by the Continuing Education Department but in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research, lists the Mechanical Engineering Department of the School of Engineering as awarding the degree, while most of my cancelled checks (and credit card receipts) list the Continuing Education Department.

 

This is great feedback. I think what college the degree is from is a question that anyone looking at DL programs should think about. I think it is just a matter of being a good student to research the programs completely and the schools.

For Example - I'm looking at Northeastern and their DL MBA Program is offered through the schools Business College, while the DL MPM is through the schools college of professional studies. Now, I don't want to imply that the degree is not good or nor valuable, just that if you are trying to determine the quality of the program, going by the reputation of the business school may not give an accurate depiction of the program through the professional studies program. It is a separate unique college that is part of the university from the business college. so, I believe their DL MBA would be from the business college and the DL MS Project Management would be from the College of Professional Studies. I'm sure each school is unique so it does take a lot of research.

I am very interested in your experience with Colorado State. I'll have to get on the phone with the schools I'm looking at to see if that is the case with BU or Northeastern.

 

I am in the BU Computer Information Systems program. The degree is from Metropolitan College. It is made very clear throughout the program and Metropolitan College is listed on my transcript in the same way School of Management was for my undergraduate degree at BU.

 

How do you like the Met program compared to your undergrad experience?

 

I think like it more. That is probably due to a few personal factors though. I prefer the online learning format, am a much more dedicated student now (although I did well as an undergrad), and enjoy studying Information Systems more than Finance (although I like both).

I think the Professors (and facilitators, which are like TAs) are mostly great and generally really involved. The courses are well thought out and structured, probably because the program has been around for quite some time. Of course, everything is not always perfect, but I am very satisfied.

The one negative might be that there are short, 7 week, very intensive "semesters" of which you take one at a time. It works pretty well for me, but might not be for everyone.

Coincidentally, the professor for the class I am currently taking is the Director of the Project Management program.

 

For what it's worth, you're going to find that the particular school is irrelevant. there are a few better-known names (GWU for MSc, Esc Lille/SKEMA for PhD, Stanford for Certificate) of course, but those will all be trumped by experience, especially domain/context experience. The degree will give you the theory, but there's an on-going argument in the PM world about which is more important - pm knowledge or domain experience. And a degree in PM will NOT allow you to just move into another domain. And since you're looking at this as a career change, the HR depts are looking for domain knowledge more than PM knowledge.

Your best bet to make the transition is to look for a PM position in a domain just outside, but still similar to your current expertise, while you go to school. The more projects you rack up the better your chances for more and bigger ones.

A MSc will help differentiate you when you have experience and are being compared to other possible hires, but it's not going to put you over other more experienced but non-degreed applicants.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still planning on pursuing my MSc in PM after I finish my undergrad. Just not for employment reasons.

You might also look at Prince2 or ScrumMaster certifications which are IT/software focused methodologies. ScrumMaster is a sort of hybrid PM position and is in demand these days. Kind of like being a PM without having to have the PM background.

 

Interesting. I do want the degree for a sense of personal achievement also, something I have always wanted to do, just never discovered a program that I really wanted to do until I really looked at this.

I also have more than 10 years in IT, most project based work - all kinds of experience with great companies, and have done some project management, but never held the title Project Manager, I was always part of a project team. So, I do think all of that experience within the IT Domain, sets me up well to start focusing in more on IT Project Management because I have really a lot of experience with IT Projects, Teams, Operations etc.

I see the degree opening my eyes to a higher understanding of the experience I do already have, filling in the blanks, and will help and HR Dept - see the progression, and the commitment to Project Management.

 

Also, I'd like to work for a company where a degree is required - and part of a larger company in a PMO office as a PM for IT Projects. I'm not sure what company would hire anyone to be a PM just because they have Domain experience and no PM experience or Degree. I guess it is possible, but just having a PMP seems a little short on complete ability to function in such an arena, most of the Job postings I look at say MBA preferred, but I think an MS Project Management is probably a better qualification for education when applying to an IT Project Manager role.

I have been amazed over the last year at how many companies ask me about education lately when I interview, it wasn't much of a conversation piece in my experience of the last 10 years or so, was sort of like a check box the HR Dept would mark if you had a Bachelors, but now I find myself in long conversations in interviews about my degree and where I went to school (Keene State in NH), so - based on practical application of those interview experiences and not getting hired, being able to have that conversation and explain how my exact degree matches exactly to the position I'm applying for, and it is from a well known University in Boston at a Masters level (I'm 2 hours north of Boston, so everyone knows what Northeastern and BU are around here) then I will have a significant competitive advantage just for being enrolled, never mind after having completed the degree.

I also get a lot of "what have you been doing" at interviews and "well, I've been unemployed" really doesn't seem to cut it - so, enrolling in an applicable Masters Program for my career, is additional current activity to show on a resume.

Wow, I think I'm going to try to use some of this in my SOP for my applications.

 

Jeezem,
The fact of the "accidental" Project Manager, someone who was promoted to PM because they did a good job as a team member and have a lot of domain knowledge is alive and well. Especially in IT.
I don't wish to hijack your thread, so I'll leave it at this - the PM world is a strange one. We have BSc. MSc, DBA and PhD's, and yet when it comes down to it, each business context says 'yes, but that's not specific to 'our' context. And IT/software are the worst in believing that their application of PM is somehow different than all the others and commonly accepted PM methods don't apply.

If it would help I can put you in touch with a Program Manager at Intel that might be able to give you a better of what you can expect.

 

i've seen many accidental project managers, usually on smaller projects or self managed projects by a technical memeber, and actual certified project managers with business education manage project attached to a companies strategic vision, larger scale enterprise projects.

i would enjoy gleaming some info from an Intel PM if you had a ball to get rolling there.

 

Jeezum,
I've sent you a PM re: getting in touch with the PM at Intel.

BTW, "accidental PM" and "actual certified PM" aren't mutually exclusive. I'm both.
Fell into it years ago (my company was actually billing me out as a PM without telling me I was one) and now I'm certified by both PMI (for knowledge) and IPMA (for performance.)

 

The George Washington University | School of Business

I actually messaged Jeff to see if he could add some input to this thread. Looks like he did some academic work through GWU, and I have some interest in this program as well, but like the Northeastern program better due to geography I'll be able to do a couple classes on campus in a traditional setting. However, if I can get accepted and the GWU program is considered superior - I would strongly consider it as a 1st choice even though I would do the entire program online.

 

Did Jeff get back to you?
I know he went through GWU and I have another several friends that went through GWU, and one that went on to a PhD from Esc Lille.
I'm not sure 'superior' is the right word. PM as a program is relatively new so (IMO) the name recognition comes more from being around longer as opposed to being superior.

Have you looked at University of Alaska - Anchorage? They have a MSPM program for $21k that's both RA and accredited by PMI and can be done online in 1-3 years.