Opinions on Villanova University IS/IT Project Management Program

Hello,

I'm interested in the Project Management for IS/IT Professionals coursem from Villanova University. It's a 2 to 4 month online Master's level certificate course for about $2,000.

More information about that particular course may be found at:

http://www.villanovau.com/content/ISIT.html

I was wondering if anyone has taken it and what your opinions were.

I have about 10 years of IT experience with various technologies and am Microsoft certified. I am in more of a consultant role with the organization I am now with, and I feel I would benefit greatly by taking a professional and structured set of classes in project
management with an IT concentration. I'm not looking to be a PMP anytime soon (I don't even qualify for the certification)...I am mainly interested in firming up my skills on the PM side of things. I'm thinking due to my professional background and my career goals this would be course to take.

Thanks for any input you may have!

 

Last year I did some research on this topic and my 2 cents... The programme is nice. Villanova has a good reputation... However I find that getting a PMP certification is better than a certificate course.. Personally, I am waiting till 2006 when I become eligble for taking the PMP certification, which I would do rather than the course.

 

I, as well as some others on the board, am a PMP. Be careful of looking at these programs since there is a large difference between a "Masters" certificate and a graduate program which will grant you academic credit rather than CEUs. Many providers, ESI, Global Knowledge and others have teamed with various universities but these "master" certificates are not graduate certificates.

The best deal going (money wise) in my opinion ( In addition to my regular duties I am also the regional coordinator for PM training at my agency) is Amberton University. They have a 4 course PM certificate that can be either undergrad or graduate academic credit. If you take it for graduate credit they will let you use the classes towards a graduate degree. This information was provided by the graduate department.

http://www.amberton.edu/PMC.htm

The best name for a non academic program, Stanford:

http://apm.stanford.edu/

A coworker took the Villanova course. OK course but with limited utility.

There are many programs including an AACSB accredited Masters degree in Project Management at Western Carolina University but none of these are of themselves a substitute for the PMP certification.

If you pass the certification the University of Wisconsin Platteville will grant you 6 semester hours of grad credit towards their masters in Project Management:

http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted/degrees/pm/index.html

A slew of universities offer PM training and many of these can be found by going to the PMI website:

http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_AccreditationOverview.asp?nav=0407

you can scroll down to the bottom to link to other schools. Be careful to research the school of interest.

holler back if I can add some more to your confusion.


Kevin

 

Thanks for the insight stock and Fed.

As far as my career and educational goals, here's what I was thinking with regards to that type of training:

- It'd be nice if the program's credits would transfer should I decide to persue my Master's at some point, but it's not a big thing to me...so that's not a selling point right now.

- Right now I'm in mid-career if I can put a fine point on it. I'm planning on staying on the technical track in the company for probably another 10 years, so I wouldn't be looking to be a PM anytime soon. Therefore, looking for a school whose individual classes would be good for preping for the PMP isn't important to me right now.

I'm wanting a good foundation on basic project management skills that has an IT concentration (and better yet one for software/solution developers if I can get one that specific). The one at Villanova online grabbed my attention of the bat with me reading it recently in a magazine (Redmond mag I think.)

Cost is of course important, but not a "major" sell for me. A single (or combination of courses) in about the $2,000 range is what I'd be looking for.

It'd have to be totally online and be from a fairly reputable institution.

I'll be sure to check out those links when I get some time...especially the ones from the PMI website.

Thanks for your input. If you or anyone has any other ideas around this, feel free to post!

 

How does the PMP compare with the CompTIA Project+ certification?

 

Not to give a short answer (nor to answer for stock) but it doesn't. Look at the qualifications to take the PMP exam from PMI (www.pmi.org) versus the Comp Tia project+

It is important to note that the PMBOK is an ANSI standard:

http://www.pmi.org/info/PP_PMStandardsProgram.asp

and if you contact CompTia and ask them what guidance they use it will be the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge).

PMI awards the PMP, everyone else is awarding their version and/or will even tell you that they are preparing you to take the PMP exam.

While I have high regard for the CompTia certs they do not replace the PMP. However, I would say that the CompTia reputation is valued enough that if you can only meet their criteria then it would be a step towards PMP certification.

Alternatively, PMI does have an associate level:

http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_CAPM.asp

for those that don't qualify for PMP testing.

 

Why would anyone have a high regard for CompTIA certs - they are deliberately marketed as "entry-level".

Possibly the only certs with less market value are the Brainbench certs - and they are free.

 

Actually, they are of tremendous value to those at the entry level, that should be obvious. They may not be of any value to you as you look down so arrogantly upon the grunts digging your ditches for you, but those grunts have big dreams and they can't all start out with an MS in Comp Sci.

I think that they are well-regarded because they do a pretty good job of revealing a certain level of competence in those that hold the certificate. They don't deliver much more than that, but then again, they don't promise more than that, either. I got my first two computer-related jobs solely on my Comptia A+, Server+ and Network+ certs. You'll never convince me they have no value.

 

Doesn't the PMP have an education requirement? If so, how do you plan to meet the requirement? I started looking at PMP certification but I have put it on the "back burner" because I am currently working on an MBA and have neither time nor money for additional training.

 

the PMP does have an educational requirement, but also provides for an allowable substitution with experience. However this portion is only the qualifications application to sit for the exam:

http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_PMPHandbook.pdf

"Category 2
At the time of application, the candidate does not hold a baccalaureate or global equivalent university
degree*, but holds a high school diploma or equivalent secondary school credential and has a minimum
of 7,500 hours of project management experience within the five project management process
groups. Candidates who hold an associates degree should also apply in this category. The number of
hours on the Experience Verification Form(s) must total at least 7,500 hours and the project dates
must indicate that the candidate has at least five years of project management experience within the
eight-year period prior to the application. Candidates must indicate at least 60 unique (nonoverlapping)
months of project management experience on the Experience Verification Form(s) to satisfy the
five-year requirement. Additionally, at the time of application, the candidate has obtained 35 contact
hours of project management education. A time frame is not associated with this requirement; therefore,
candidates can document all project management education hours regardless of when they were
accrued. The hours must include content on project quality, scope, time, cost, human resources,
communications, risk, procurement and integration management."

 

For a college grad going into a "managment-track" position, they had better know more than what a Network+ cert demands - and degree is what this forum is all about.

 

CertMag's 2004 Salary Survey

I don't know how accurate this survey is, but based on this the CompTia certs fare pretty well (salary wise) to others on the list.

http://www.certmag.com/articles/templates/cmag_feature.asp?articleid=981&zoneid=9

 

I completed the Villanova Project Management Cert back in the early 2000s. I think it was thru "University Alliance", they administered the certificate for Villanova (or so I was told). Knowing what I know now many years later, is this a legitimate VU program? The main reason I ask, and like I said "knowing what I know now", this certificate is not located on the main VU website (.edu). www.villanovau.com is where the information about this cert, and other what I would call "professional development" programs are located. I list Villanova on my resume and want to confirm that this is correct. Any thoughts here?

 

I have always considered this cert to be a Villanova cert, nothing else. The fact that it's described on a separate site (with all the other certs, btw) doesn't change that in my mind. Villanova has been offering the PM cert for a long time now. I think Villanova was one of the first big name schools to offer it through DL. Now there are many more (and cheaper) options but the Villanova program continues to be a quality offering.