What will I study?
You will learn how culture affects how teams perceive each other, lead, solve problems and execute tasks. Although the world is increasingly connected, the people behind the projects have biases, expectations and a perception of life that impacts all decisions. You will also learn how to effectively manage international teams including how to build trust and collaboration across various cultures, time zones and technological settings. You will learn how to design communication channels and project structures effectively in an international project environment.
This programme is also available as MSc International Project Management which lasts for one year.
You will become familiar with the issues underlying the problem of corruption, which is the abuse of trusted power for private gain. Reducing the risk of corruption strengthens a company’s reputation, builds the respect of employees and raises credibility with key stakeholders. Finally you will learn how the adoption of collaboration tools can enhance the international project experience. The programme is designed to teach you how to successfully deliver projects in an international environment.
To accelerate your learning, you will be exposed to theories and principles relating to financial and contractual management, leading teams including those that are geographically diverse, strategic leadership and the management of change, risk and opportunities. You will also be exposed to the fundamental concepts, principles of leadership theory, contractual arrangements, budgeting and forecasting and business case analysis. You will subsequently be able to apply this knowledge and skill in your own context, and subsequently critically analyse the implementation and recommend potential future improvements in the context of leading projects and programmes. Recognising that stakeholder management, risk assessment and management of projects and portfolios are critical to achieving business objectives that in turn achieve enhanced organisational performance, you will also cover fundamental concepts, principles, techniques and tools of how to manage projects from the perspectives of time, costs and quality.
Advanced Practice stage
The Advanced Practice version of this course offers you a valuable opportunity to secure a work placement or complete an individual research activity, giving you experience of the workplace environment or being part of an academic research team, and an excellent way to put your learning into practice or developing your research career potential.
This stage of the programme will take place between your second and final semester, and is a semester long (15 weeks) in duration. Internships as part of the Advanced Practice stage may be paid or unpaid.
The alternative to the Internship, the Research Project or Consulting Project, will successfully develop your business skills and further enhance your employability.
The full duration of your programme will depend on your start date:
- September start dates: your programme will last up to 21 months. You will have a summer break after Semester 2, and commence your Advanced Practice stage in September.
- January start dates:your programme will run for 24 months. You will commence your Advanced Practice stage in the following January. Please note there are two summer breaks included in this programme for those starting in January.
- May start dates: your programme will run for 16-18 months. There is no summer break included in this programme for those starting in May. Your Advanced Practice stage will commence in January.
The programmes are structured as below:
|
Sept-Jan |
Jan-May |
May-Sept |
Sept-Jan |
Jan-May |
May-Sept |
Sept-Jan |
September starts |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Summer break |
Advanced Practice stage |
Final semester |
|
|
January starts |
|
Semester 1 |
Summer break |
Semester 2 |
Advanced Practice stage |
Summer break |
Final semester |
May starts |
|
|
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Advanced Practice stage |
Final semester |
|
How will I be taught and assessed?
You will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars and workshops, totalling around 10 hours per week, to enable you to grow your knowledge of project management frameworks and skills. In addition, you will be expected to engage in independent study involving directed and self-directed learning, around 28 hours per week.
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is embedded throughout the course with tools such as the ‘Blackboard’ eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists that will guide your preparation for seminars and independent research.
During your studies you will be assessed via coursework including critical report writing, practical exercises and research project work.
Career and further study
This course will open up opportunities in project management roles in many industries. Past Northumbria University graduates have gone on to work for multinational companies such as BAE Systems, Volvo Car Group, NHS, Siemens, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Shell and Virgin Money. Job roles have included project managers, programme managers, project portfolio managers, management consultants, business developers, entrepreneurs, quality managers and directors.
Upon successfully completing your course, you may undertake further professional development and training through Professional Pathways programmes. These are offered to our graduates for free, from our partner, QA. Find out more about Professional Pathways and your eligibility.
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