How to choose the best MBA Project Management course

In today’s cut-throat competitive business environment, the relevance and significance of project management cannot be stressed enough. The business landscape is ever-fast-changing and evolving, and efficient project management lies at the very heart of every single business operation, whether it is a product launch, organizing a marketing campaign, or implementing a new IT system. Skills like understanding and meeting customer requirements, efficient utilization of resources for goal achievement, and effective communication between teams always come in handy. This is where an MBA in Project Management can serve as a stepping stone to assume top leadership roles across various industries and sectors.

Factors to Consider Before Joining an MBA Project Management Course

It can sometimes be a tough decision, considering that it directly impacts your career path and earning potential. To help simplify your decision-making process, we share below a few pointers to bear in mind before choosing the best MBA project management course that aligns with your career goals:

1. Decide whether you want to learn online or on-campus: This has to be the primary consideration in your decision because both online and offline modes of learning have their specific pros and cons to be weighed. For instance, online programs offer a flexible learning structure, and access to plenty of networking opportunities with alumni and other industry experts globally, and make top-quality education easily accessible from any part of the world (even remote areas). All these advantages seem to be missing in the traditional on-campus learning mode. Most importantly, online courses offer easy affordability as the biggest advantage, saving on commuting and other costs for buying books and study materials.

2. Consider the accreditation of the university: Where you choose to study is as important as how you prefer to study. Make sure to choose a program that is accredited by internationally recognized bodies. Additionally, do a bit of research on the reputation of the university that is offering the course. An institution with a respectable name in the industry is always worth the choice. Manipal University Jaipur is among India’s top 100 universities in 2024 as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). It is also Rajasthan’s first NAAC A+ accredited university and among South Asia’s top universities in 2024 according to QS World University Rankings.

3. Calculate the cost of the program: This has to be one of the topmost criteria to consider for your decision. Compute the exact cost of the entire program and also determine whether or not the university offers any scholarship programs, financial assistance, or plans to pay the course fee in installments. All these can help make the course more affordable and accessible to the students. 

• Study the course curriculum: The MBA in project management syllabus is another key consideration. Make sure to find out the course curriculum, the specializations offered during the MBA program, and how they allow you to achieve your career goals.

• Find out more about the faculty: Know who your teachers are going to be and what their overall experience is in teaching the MBA in project management program, both within the university and during their career span. Additionally, learn more about the program’s offering for practical industry experience and exposure, either as part of the curriculum or upon graduation. Also important is to find out the networking opportunities that the course provides for students/graduates to help them not feel lost in the real world after graduation.

Benefits of Pursuing an MBA in Project Management

The degree is designed to offer students a host of advantages, some of which are shared below:

• Facilitates Career Growth: An MBA degree is one of the proven ways to fast-forward your career graph in the upward direction. An MBA in Project Management enables graduates to assume top managerial and leadership roles in industries such as the likes of Program Manager, Project Manager, or Operations Manager by equipping them with the desirable skills for these positions. 

• Prepares You to be a Leader: An efficient leader can lead the team headstrong toward the achievement of common objectives. The MBA program equips students with crucial leadership and management skills that can be very helpful in overseeing the smooth working of complex projects from start to finish.

• Unlocks Global Job Opportunities: An MBA in Project Management imparts skills that find global utility and application in varied industries and sectors. This enables the graduates to find promising job roles in any part of the world.

Syllabus and Course Structure

Online MBA in project management is designed as a two-year postgraduate program to assist students aspiring for a boost in their career in varied sectors. The course helps increase the knowledge base and skill set of the students, preparing them for senior roles in project management and other domains.

The two-year course is divided into 4 semesters offered for 15-20 hours per week. Some of the core subjects covered in the course curriculum are outlined below:

• Statistics for Management
• Management Process and Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management
• Business Communication
• Managerial Economics
• Financial and Management Accounting
• Marketing Management
• Production and Operations Management
• Project Management
• Financial Management
• Operations Research
• Management Information System
• Legal Aspects of Business
• Research Methodology
• International Business Management
• Strategic Management and Business Policy
• Business Leadership

Subjects taught under the Project Management elective in the second year:

• Project Planning and Scheduling
• Managing Human Resources in Projects
• Introduction to Project Management
• Project Finance and Budgeting
• Project Risk Management
• Contracts Management in Projects
• Quantitative Methods in Project Management
• Project Quality Management

In addition to the above theoretical concepts, the online MBA in project management curriculum provides ample scope for practical learning as well. Students are encouraged to participate in case studies to better understand how to apply the skills learned during the course in helping businesses complete projects successfully. 

For instance, the AstraZeneca case study is a popular one for students of online MBA, highlighting how the drug leader used effective project management tools and techniques to successfully develop and supply the COVID-19 vaccine to people. The project management structure thus created helped the company tackle challenges such as finding personnel for developing the vaccine, creating an internal government contracting organization, and making improvements to the manufacturing facility.

In addition, students pursuing an online MBA gain the advantage of free access to over 10,000 paid courses offered by Coursera to supplement their learning and make the most of their degree program. 

You may also like: Unlocking the Power of Innovation in Entrepreneurship

Job Opportunities Post MBA in Project Management

Graduates with an MBA in project management are eligible to apply for various senior job roles in diverse industries. Some of these include healthcare, construction and engineering, IT, manufacturing, finance, advertising, and telecommunications, among others. Let us look at some of the top job opportunities after MBA in project management for graduates in these domains:

• Operations Manager – INR 21.9 lakh per annum
• Program Manager – INR 20.4 lakh per annum
• Portfolio Manager – INR 18.8 lakh per annum  
• Agile Project Manager – INR 16.6 lakh per annum
• Contract Manager – INR 14 lakh per annum
• PMO Lead – INR 9.8 lakh per annum
• Project Risk Manager – INR 9 lakh per annum
• Project Scheduler – INR 8.5 lakh per annum 
• Project Manager – INR 8.3 lakh per annum
• Project Coordinator – INR 5.4 lakh per annum

Skills You Will Learn in an MBA Project Management Course

Students pursuing an MBA in project management are equipped with the necessary and industry-desirable skills that can be particularly useful for graduates working in senior roles. Some of the top skills are outlined below: 

• Effective communication: Good written and verbal communication skills help graduates lead teams effectively, inspire confidence in them, and offer solutions to complex problems. It is a helpful skill for every leader or manager in an organization.

• Strategic planning: A good manager needs to be a good planner as well, putting in the thought behind how to effectively implement projects from the start to finish stages.

• Time management: This is a very critical skill that any project manager is required to have for the successful completion of all deadlines and to motivate the team to achieve those goals within the stipulated period.

• Risk management: Effectively managing and mitigating risks in project completion is also the prime responsibility of a good project manager. It is one of the many essential MBA project management skills imparted as part of the courses.

Take your career forward with Online Manipal

Ready to take the next big leap in your career and progress to the project management level? Online Manipal can help. Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) offers online MBA degrees with a specialization in project management, enabling aspiring professionals to learn the required skills for advancing in their career journey. 

The program is offered for 2 years in a completely online mode and is specially designed to help students explore the top managerial and leadership roles in varied relevant industries. Students learn the art of business leadership, project budgeting, project risk management, finance management, and other relevant functions for successful project managers.

Conclusion

An MBA in Project Management is one of the most ideal choices of specialization for students or working professionals who have a keen interest in taking the next big leap in their career paths. Some of the key considerations before making this choice are your academic background and interests, and your future career aspirations. When these two factors align with each other, an MBA degree can be the most helpful in your professional journey, as the course offers a ton of benefits and rewarding career prospects which have been detailed in this blog.

It is highly recommended that you weigh all your options carefully and choose the best course that suits your requirements perfectly. An online MBA degree is one of the top choices among many students and working executives as it allows complete flexibility and self-paced learning. Manipal University Jaipur offers an online MBA in Project Management to students aspiring to specialize in the domain and assume senior management roles in their respective careers.