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An online bachelor’s degree in project management is designed to help students develop leadership, communication, and project management skills across a variety of fields. Many online degrees in this field help students become eligible to sit for the Project Management Certification exam. Potential career options for graduates of an online bachelor’s in project management include project managers, project coordinators, and business analysts. 

Online project management degrees explore the technical and organizational skills needed to lead professional business projects from inception to completion. Students learn effective ways to oversee teams and execute plans while mitigating risk, managing budgets, and utilizing tools. Coursework covers detailed methodologies, ranging from business analysis to quality control. 

Some programs are specifically designed to prepare students for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam, the gold standard of professional career certifications beyond academic training. Program reputations are important to consider, so students should only choose accredited degrees. This way, they can be sure a third-party education agency has evaluated the program they're pursuing. Every degree OnlineU features on its site is accredited. 

Alternative options to a traditional project management degree include certificates in management or bachelor's degrees in management, all offering a comprehensive education in human resources, finance, and leadership while including some training in project management. 

There are also affordable project management degrees for budget-minded students.

Project management online degrees are meant to be completed in four years by full-time students. Credit requirements are typically 120 hours, leading students to take between 12 and 18 credits per semester. Compare this to associate degrees in management, which require 60 credit hours, and master's degrees in management, which may require more than 40 credits. 

Some schools have minimum credit requirements to maintain eligibility for financial aid, so it's important to consult the school's academic counselor before choosing a class schedule. 

Project management specializations allow students to narrow the scope of their coursework to fit their career or graduate degree aspirations. Examples include emergency management, which prepares students to lead teams of first responders or oversee natural disaster planning. There's also organizational leadership, which focuses on upper-level management training and effective communication techniques. 

On the other hand, some programs offer lists of electives that students can choose from to earn special training in specific areas within and beyond project management, such as project leadership, Six Sigma training, and project planning. Electives allow for more personalized education experiences and may affect how many credits go toward the major. 

In other cases, project management is a specialization in a technical management or business administration major. Students can also use their specialized courses to prepare for a relevant graduate degree, such as an MBA in management or a master's in organizational leadership.

Courses in a project management master's degree are designed to relay basic business principles alongside fundamentals of project leadership and organization. Students learn how to properly communicate in business environments while delving into the cost estimation tools professional project managers use daily. 

Below are some standard courses at the undergraduate level:

• Project Development and Execution: This course looks at the foundational phases of project budgeting: formulation, review, execution, and audit. Students discover how to estimate costs, propose financial limitations, and incorporate budgets into performance metrics. There will also be discussions of earned value management techniques and how they relate to a project's life cycle. 
• Project Management Tools: Tools are critical in a project manager's day-to-day life, so students must learn the appropriate software packages and how to utilize them effectively. They'll use case studies to understand the best applications of specific programs and how professionals use them in real-world scenarios. Students get first-hand experience using tools like Microsoft Project to create their final portfolio.
• Project Risk Management: In this course, students analyze the methodologies of risk management through the lenses of preparation and execution. They'll learn how to identify risk before a project goes into motion and explore measurement and monitoring tools to mitigate risk during a project. Once risks are established, students are taught to report and respond to their discovery. 
• Project Leadership Fundamentals: Projects require leaders, and this course ensures graduates have the appropriate skills to execute their responsibilities in a group environment. Team building, problem-solving, and coaching are all examined, along with communication tactics for negotiations, presentations, and conflict resolutions. In total, students learn how to create effective and positive changes in team settings.

Project management graduates have an immense amount of career options because they study essential disciplines that can be applied to nearly any industry. Job opportunities can be found at nonprofits, government agencies, large corporations, or small businesses. 

That said, for students who are uninterested in entering the workforce immediately upon graduation, the learning can continue beyond the bachelor's level. Many students pursue a master's in project management or a budget-friendly master's in project management, where they can advance their skills in project leadership. Some go even further to achieve a doctorate in management to move into PM research or pursue collegiate education roles. 

lead and oversee all aspects of building projects, from budgeting to project reports and safety compliance. Before a project starts, they'll outline budgets, hire staff, and coordinate with architects and engineers. They often work in remote offices at construction sites to monitor progress and ensure project workflows are on schedule.

The role of is to organize various aspects of projects within an organization. This includes outlining project scopes, schedules, funding, and staff. They oversee every step of the process and ensure deliverables are on time and within the agreed upon budget. Once projects are complete, they organize documents and run reviews to identify bottlenecks or waste for future projects.

While project managers work in the field, often in different locations, oversee the operations at specific locations. They manage staff, budgets, schedules, inventory, maintenance, equipment, and safety. They're also responsible for completing renovation projects, maintaining the groups around their facilities, and compliance with worker health, security, and emergency protocols.

develop plans to address natural disasters and human-caused incidents. They generate preparation guidelines and procedures in case of floods, food shortages, attacks, chemical spills, disease outbreaks, and every happening in between. They coordinate with first responders and local communities during an incident to minimize exposure and ensure safety. 

Professionals widely utilize project management certifications to demonstrate to potential employers that they are up-to-date on the latest standards in the field. The Project Management Institute, a nonprofit organization unaffiliated with any college or university, delivers the most well-known certificates. Graduates often pursue a project management certification called the Project Management Professional () because it's the most widely recognized credential. It's considered a coveted title and highly sought after by serious employers who require the most skilled PMs. It's a challenging test containing 180 questions and requires intense studying before the exam. 

Bachelor's graduates may want to start by pursuing the Certified Associate in Project Management (), which only contains 150 questions and takes three hours to complete. It's designed to prove students have the foundational knowledge required to lead teams in different project environments. Students can choose from an additional project management certification from PMI in the areas of risk management, program management, business analysis, scheduling, and construction. 

When applying to college for a project management degree or certificate, students should take into account the minimum GPA needed for enrollment. This varies from school to school but typically falls between 2.0 and 2.5. For this reason, it's important to pick a college that aligns with the applicant's academic credentials. The application process also varies but always requires submitting high school transcripts, along with any college grades earned during an associate degree, and may include personal essays and college entrance exam scores.

Online project management degrees are respected because they're taught by the same instructors and use the same curriculums as on-campus programs. Students receive professional training in project management fundamentals, with many schools providing career services to put graduates on the track to employment. 

Aspiring project managers are most likely to pursue project management bachelor's degrees in order to prepare for entry-level careers in the field. Concentrations for these programs, such as organizational leadership and accounting, allow graduates to pursue specialized careers. There are also alternate routes that include affordable management degrees that cover many of the same PM principles.

The highest paying jobs with a project management degree are construction managers and facilities managers. They receive median annual salaries above six figures, making them approximately twice as much as those for all other occupations. Other careers, such as project management specialists and emergency management directors, still earn above the national median salary.

Benefits

• There are abundant job opportunities in the broader field of management. The (BLS) reports that around 1.1 million management jobs will be added annually until 2034.
• Compensation outperforms all other occupations. That same report from the BLS shows that the 2022 median annual wage for all management roles was $122,090, compared to $49,500 for all trades.
• Project managers can apply their skills to nearly any field. The broad, abstract training received through PM degrees can be used to pursue operational careers in areas such as sports, healthcare, construction, and hospitality.

Drawbacks

• Post-graduate credentials are becoming increasingly crucial to career success. The professional field contained as of 2020, according to the Project Management Institute.
• The work can be stressful. Project managers are often required to plan for future projects while they oversee current projects, leading to possible burnout.
• Project management degree curriculums are very broad. This may make some students feel rudderless when deciding on a specific career path.

Project management degrees are worth it for students with a penchant for leadership and a desire to create change at the organizational level. Salaries are high, with graduates earning well above the national median rate. However, competition is fierce due to the strict qualifications needed to be considered by top-tier employers.