Ivy League Schools with Professional Certificate in Management

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by BMWGuinness, Mar 9, 2013.

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  1. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    I'm currently enrolled in AMU's IT Project Management Graduate certificate.

    I am taking the PMP this week to fulfill transfer credit (up to 9 credits transferable from the PMP).

    I recently noticed that some Ivy League schools have Professional Certificates in Management and they are relatively fast and inexpensive.

    I thought this might be beneficial to add to the resume.

    I found an old thread that compared Stanford and Cornell but that was several years ago.

    There is a National Comparison
    National University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges

    and a World Comparison
    World's Best Universities; Top 400 Universities in the World | US News

    which provide interesting differences.

    My question is, does someone have a list of Ivy League schools that offer Professional Certificates in Management (specifically Executive level, Leadership, Project Management, etc.) and a ranking of the schools with these certificates?

    I have seen that eCornell has quite a few, the cheapest being $3,600 for Project Leadership: Project Leadership - Online Certificate Program | eCornell

    I also saw that Stanford has Advanced Project Management for around $7,000: Advanced Project Management Certificate | Stanford University Online

    Any additional help would be appreciated for: school, program, rank
     
  2. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

  3. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Well, I just found something interesting. Stanford has the IT Benchmarking Certificate available for $500.
    IT Benchmarking Certificate | Stanford University Online

    Who Should Enroll
    IT professionals, managers, CIOs, and CFOs in financial services, consulting services, and IT management interested in implementing benchmarking within their organization

    I think that's a damn good deal to get Stanford on your Resume.
     
  4. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK, so I've got to get technical. The Ivy League consists of only 8 schools.

    Ivy League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Clearly there are many other great schools in the country and while the Ivy League contains some of the best there are people (and I might even be one of them) that could argue that they're not the top 8 in the country (MIT, Stanford, U Chicago come quickly to mind). But if your question is, are there any top 10 or top 25 schools that have management certs that's different than asking if there are any Ivy League management certs
     
  6. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Yes you are absolutely right. This is an assumption on my part when growing up that the Ivy League schools were the most recognized. I realize this has changed, and it is a bad habit of mine to continue to reference them in that way. How about "The most recognized schools."

    My background is in IT and Management and it looks like Stanford and Cornell have excellent Professional Certificate programs that will enhance a resume.

    I really like the fact that the SCPM can supplement the PMP.

    I'm using this thread as a hybrid. Both as a placeholder for my information (so it might be helpful for others, as previous discussion on this was in '08, '09) and to gather insight and opinion from others in this community.

    Thanks for reminding me that my search realistically extends beyond "Ivy League."
     
  7. Woho

    Woho New Member

    In regards to the certification question: I think they are not worth the money unless you are going to finish a regular masters.

    Let me take a (maybe a bit) controversial stand: Today a non-credit certificate issued by any Ivy institution is not worth a single dime.

    Through the popularity of MOOGs (e.g. http://www.coursera.org) Ivy certificates are inflational. Everyone successfully finishing the courses is going to pretend having earned a certificate by the course-hosting University. And as far as I know this is even fair game, as some courses issue certificates mentioning the University name. Therefore I expect HR people getting soon or later flooded with CVs mentioning some Ivy certs.

    Of cause my statement relates only to the brand factor and not on the educational aspect.

    Disclaimer: A few years ago I earned the Stanford Certificate in Computer Security. Since then not a single job interviewer brought up my listed certificates. In regards to academia related subjects they were much more interested in discussing my degrees, thesis subjects, and publications.
     
  8. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Is your career field in Computer Security?

    I like the fact that Stanford suggests you utilize their SCPM in your resume and presents you with a professional certificate.

    [​IMG]

    I did a search for SCPM in Linkedin and found many Fortune 500 Executive Level PMs actually included SCPM with PMP in their titles (even a few with Scrum certs).
    "FirstName LastName, PMP, SCPM"

    I like the fact that their certificate program provides PDUs for the PMP since they are an REP with PMI.
     
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  10. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

  11. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    I rarely, rarely post much here anymore, I simply haven't enough hours in a day; however, this topic seems to be too timely not to chime in on. I am currently in the Advanced Project Management Program at Stanford working towards my SCPM. So far my experience is that the program is excellent; however there are a few things you should know.

    1.) Before investing in such a program I recommend you have a graduate degree in business or otherwise have a very strong academic or professional work background in business strategy and portfolio management. An MBA would be great as at this level, this seems to be the appropriate level of knowledge you are expected to have. This program does not replace any degree work and conceptually builds upon things you will or have learned in an MBA program. Barring this, at least buy, read, and understand as much of the Portable MBA as you possibly can prior to enrollment.

    2.) I recommend you have a PMP before starting this program. Again, this is a base level of knowledge you are assumed to have from which they will build. If you do not have a PMP you still should have this level of knowledge as a baseline. I recommend Andy Crowe’s book The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try. This program is not an acceptable substitute for a PMP, CAPM or PgMP certification.

    3.) I recommend you be involved with project management, program management, or at the middle to senior levels of management within your organization. Otherwise much of what you learn will not be of great value to you in the workplace. Ideally, you will be working within a PMO or some like organization within your company. If are not in this position, the courses are still good, but potentially not as valuable to you as they otherwise might be.

    4.) I recommend buying and reading Executing Your Strategy: How to Break It Down and Get It Done prior to enrolling in the first course, since much of what you will cover will be included in this book. Having this as a baseline from which to work would be a tremendous advantage in understanding some of what they are talking about.

    That said, I have really enjoyed the program and find it exceedingly valuable. I did explore Cornell’s offering but Stanford was more in line with my organization’s needs. Plus the Stanford program is actually a Stanford program, not a 3rd party schlepping the name around that has little to do with the school or staff.

    You can take the program one of 3 ways. Online, asynchronous, like most online degree programs. Online synchronous (virtual sessions in real time). Or on campus, in person. So far I have been doing online asynchronous though I’ll likely attend on campus too.

    As for my experience so far, I printed the slides and watch about 20 hours of online video lecture taking notes along the way. They continually reference the book I recommend above…so get it and read it. Finally you take an exam of about 50 questions at the end of the course, though you are allowed to print out the exam and have it with you while watching the videos. Do not expect to print the exam and get 1 for 1 answers; they do not seem terribly interested in doing that. You’ll still have to understand what they discuss and apply some thinking in the exam. In fact one of the Stanford professors moves so fast that I’m grateful I have the ability to watch the same segment more than once and pause to reference the book I mention above. Now this is not a PMP exam or anything like it but it’s not a gimme’ either. If you attend in person, you are not expected to take an exam but instead do a course assessment.

    Either way, the expense and amount of time required to take all of these courses to earn the SCPM are a real investment and I would not expect to see nearly as many of these on a resume as you would PMPs. I fully intend to list my SCPM on my resume and after my name on presentations, articles, white papers, and other professional writings.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2013
  12. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Thanks for the input! This is pretty much spot on with my plan. I have completed my graduate degree in Administration and passed my PMP exam on 3/15/13. This weekend I enrolled in Stanford's IT Benchmarking certificate since it is being retired at the end of the month. I completed the first class which was in a similar format to what you explained above, except each class has 1 hour of lecture and a 5 question exam. Also, when I received the completion certificate for the first class, it mentioned PDUs for PMI which is a bonus in my book. 3 more classes before the end of the month and I'll have "Stanford" on my resume. Thanks again for the input!
     
  13. ooo

    ooo New Member

  14. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Doubtful, Graduate Certificates and Professional Certificates are not usually in the same boat.

    However, if you're looking to have a top tier school on your resume, this would be an option.
     
  15. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    I'm looking to pursue the Computer Security Certificate next from Stanford. In June, my final classes start for my IT Project Management Graduate Certificate. After that I'll look into the Stanford Certified Project Manager certificate. I'm not sure where to go from there. I have a Master of Arts in Administration not a Master of Business Administration but at this time, I do not think that is a disqualifier for Executive Management Consulting. I'll have to decide what else I want to do for Q4 2013. I've decided to forgo an Academia career and continue to move up with Professional ladder.
     
  16. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Well, I figured out what I'll be doing after (or even before) the SCPM :) :) :)

    Global Innovation Programs | Stanford Graduate School of Business

    Stanford Graduate School of Business - Global Innovation Program - Online Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate

    About Us - Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate

    I called their Global Innovation Program and confirmed that on the certificate will be the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
     
  17. Intlprof

    Intlprof New Member

    I completed a Wharton Certificate with their mgt dept

    In 2011 I was invited for a fully funded certificate with Wharton's management dept, where we worked with six of Wharton's top profs. What they had done was invited select faculty from schools they were working with overseas, to review tier 1 level publishing materials; these were issued in April, and then we all came together in August for a short residency in Philadelphia.

    The goal was to learn about high level academic publishing from the Wharton profs and our colleagues in the cohort, as each presented on research concepts.

    I have been affiliated with Wharton since 2010 as a researcher in their entrepreneurial and technology innovation programs and each year they ask for an update on my output.

    While a valuable and unique credential, I am still seeking to capitalize more fully on the experience.
     
  18. crazybubba

    crazybubba New Member

    I found this interesting.

    I recently compared Stanford and Cornell and chose the Cornell Master Certificate in Systems Design and Project Leadership. Wordy title aside, I found the course descriptions more interesting (and less generic) and felt that a 12 course program was a must better option than the equivalent abbreviated course from Stanford.

    I've been happy with the course material and feedback/support in my ecornell program and the program seems intimate and well designed. My colleges in the program are all quite accomplished in their programs, which is a pleasant surprise.

    Less substantive factor: The degree looks great

     
  19. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    How interesting you were posting this, I was just looking at Earning potential by college major - Business Insider not an hour ago and saw the financial return for Strategy at the MBA level.

    When I was pursuing my Master's Degree I took an Executive Strategy Course in which your grade was based on your performance in the Business Strategy Game. https://www.bsg-online.com/

    I placed #1 Overall in the world at the time and declined to play again as I had more courses upcoming.

    However, I always wanted to get back into Executive Strategy as I use it frequently with my current client.

    Your post led me to look back into eCornell again and I found Business Strategy: Achieving Competitive Advantage | eCornell which includes The Application of Game Theory to Business Strategy | eCornell

    I'm impressed with eCornell, considering most of the programs from other schools have increased their tuition while Cornell seems to keep an excellent "Bang for the Buck."
     
  20. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I have a certificate from cornell in HR. I briefly took some of the courses for stanford's project management certificate but I found their system to be much more difficult to work with. Recording a live lecture (Stanford) is very different from creating video content specifically for the course (cornell). The Cornell exams were fairly intuitive and the Stanford exam, in one of the classes, was damn near impossible.
     

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