Strategic Project Management, Master of Science (Technology), Seinäjoki

Project management has become a key competence for most organisations in the public and private sectors. Driven by recent business trends such as fewer management layers, greater flexibility, increasing geographical distribution and more project-based work, project management has grown beyond its roots in the construction, engineering and aerospace industries to transform the service, financial, computer, and general management sectors.

Project management offers the discipline and framework required to help organisations to transform their mainstream operations and service performance. It is viewed as a way of organising for the future. Moreover, in an increasingly busy, stressful, and uncertain world it has become necessary to manage multiple projects successfully at the same time.

Not surprisingly, project management is now recognised as a core competence required to deliver change measured in terms of achieving desired outcomes with associated benefits. With projects increasingly viewed as managing the change efforts of society, project management is increasingly called upon to cross-functional, organisational and societal boundaries and handle the inherent complexity and uncertainty required to bring about a new reality.

The degree in Strategic Project Management offers a world leading programme for developing the project managers and leaders capable of operating in this demanding new world and delivering successful projects and initiatives. The degree is designed for practitioners interested in deepening and widening their competence, expertise and professional practice and for graduates who are looking to move into project management.

Strategic Project Management is taught in the city of Seinäjoki.

The Major in Strategic Project Management is a part of the Master’s Programme in Industrial Management.

Goals

A student successfully completing the degree will have acquired the following subject knowledge and understanding as well as skills, capabilities and other attributes.

After completing the degree, the student will be able to

Knowledge and understanding:

• critically assess and evaluate contrasting project management frameworks, methods, tools, techniques and systems in relation to context, organisational culture, environmental factors and type/scale of projects;
• critically discuss contemporary themes and principles of strategy, project, programme and portfolio management;
• demonstrate a strong understanding of tools, frameworks, concepts and theories relating to the chosen area of Strategic Project Management at an advanced level and their application to decision making and problem solving in projects;
• apply a range of project management frameworks in order to evaluate and solve complex project delivery problems and make informed decisions in challenging situations; and,
• demonstrate a Masters-level understanding of a chosen subject within the field of project management, through the delivery of a project with research based on an original research question developed by the student.

Specific skills:

• use project management techniques to plan, delegate, monitor and control a project;
• align a project to strategic objectives;
• demonstrate project teamwork and leadership skills;
• identify sources of relevant data;
• adopt an appropriate, independent approach to problem-solving in the project environment; and,
• plan and manage time and learning.

Transferable skills:

• communicate ideas, insights, arguments and information effectively and succinctly to a professional audience;
• evaluate the viability of a proposed project and its alignment to the strategic capability of the commissioning organization;
• demonstrate interactive, interpersonal and group skills;
• demonstrate competence in justifying, initiating, planning, undertaking, managing, successfully completing and evaluating a significant project;
• conduct original research independently;
• take responsibility for learning and continuing professional development; and
• reflect on own practice and performance.

Lähde: Opintopolku