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Project Management Curriculum and Course Descriptions

The online Master of Science in Project Management program requires a total of 36 graduate-level credit hours:

  • 27 hours in project management classes
  • 6 hours in management coursework
  • 3-hour capstone course

Students who hold PMP Certification at the time they are admitted to the program may waive the PRM600 Fundamentals of Project Management and substitute it with the PRM650 Project Management for IT Professionals course. All PRM degree seeking students must complete 36 transcripted credits.

The Master’s in Project Management program at Saint Mary’s is accredited by the PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Program (GAC). The curriculum includes the preparation coursework needed to take the PMP exam.

Click the course names below for more details:

Required Core Project Management Classes (27 credit hours)

PRM600 - Foundations of Project Management (3 credits)

This foundation course covers key terminology, project management context, and the project management framework. This framework includes the project management knowledge areas and the project process groups.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  • Apply key project management terms.
  • Analyze the environment in which projects operate.
  • Describe a generalized view of how the various project management processes commonly interact.
  • Identify project integration, scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management process inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
  • Analyze stakeholder needs and expectations.
  • Interpret the role of the project manager.
  • Initiate a project by creating a project charter and analyzing stakeholder needs.
  • Apply citation and documentation carefully to all assignments.

PRM601 - Project Scope and Scheduling (3 credits)

Build a roadmap for project success.

At the beginning of a project, the finish line seems far away. But in reality, there are numerous finish lines along the way. Project scheduling, like estimating, requires viewing each task as both a separate entity and part of the overall project.

Course Description

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that states, comprehensively and in detail, what is required from a sponsor’s and/or customer’s point of view to address the identified need. In order to ensure that you are able to give contractors the most accurate and relevant information about a project, you’ll learn the necessary steps to develop a properly formatted RFP.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Initiating a Project/Project Proposals
  • Plan and Estimate Project Scope
  • Planning and Creating the Project Schedule
  • Resource Utilization
  • Planning and Creating the Project Budget
  • Planning, Monitoring and Controlling Risks
  • Change Management and Draft Project Documents
  • Closing the Project and Final Project Documentation

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the project work scope into work packages that produce the project. You’ll complete activities that will give you insight into creating a hierarchical tree of deliverables (work items) and a WBS.

You’ll see how to determine whether a project can be done within required project time constraints based on the estimated durations for each activity in the network, while taking into account the interdependencies between tasks. You’ll also learn to estimate the types and quantities of resources required to perform each activity in a project.

Sample Assignment
Working on a large project, you’ll prepare all necessary project management documents to complete a project within the timeframe of this course.

Any project involves a degree of risk. You’ll determine what is required to manage risks, qualitatively identify high-level risks and document appropriately. You’ll also examine the factors associated with project change, as well as the necessary steps to closing out a project.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 601 Project Scope and Scheduling, you’ll examine activities related to project planning and scheduling.

  1. Plan and estimate project scope, resources, and schedule.
  2. Evaluate the environment in which the project operates using project management documents.
  3. Prepare scope baseline including requirements traceability matrix, scope statement, and work breakdown structure.
  4. Prepare schedule baseline by developing a network diagram, estimating activities durations, and developing project schedule.
  5. Prepare an integrated project schedule incorporating resources using automated scheduling tool.
  6. Apply appropriate estimating techniques to scope and schedule processes.
  7. Identify factors that create project change.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM611 - Technical Communication (3 credits)

Turn the complex into the comprehensible.

Writing isn’t one size fits all; it’s important to tailor your writing to best meet the expectations of your readers for clarity, comprehension, and style. Technical communication is a discipline used in science, technology, business and other fields where specific information must be presented concisely, clearly and consistently. Academic writing uses strong, well-organized forms of writing such as the annotated bibliography and the literature review to share ideas about research results and theory. Both types of writing are explored in detail in this course. Common elements of good writing that span all forms of writing are evaluated as well.

Course Description

Academic and technical communication are facilitated by a high level of digital literacy — the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information. These technologies are applied and practiced in varied exercises.

Sample Course Topics

While topics may vary slightly based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Digital Literacy and Technical Communication
  • Audience Awareness and Storyboards
  • Proposals
  • Evaluating Use and Credibility of Sources
  • Concept Map and Literature Review
  • Usability Testing and Screencasting

As you learn how writers organize their writing development process, you’ll also come to understand how communicators adjust messages to facilitate audience comprehension. You’ll view the relationship between audiences and the writing/graphic choices that communicators use to reach them, including audience-specific language.

Sample Assignment

You’ll Identify a process you feel could be improved, then describe, analyze, and recommend a redesign for your chosen process in a semester-long project to be presented in both written and video form.

Written communication is about more than words. Design can have an impact on an audience. You’ll evaluate how document/web design elements can improve a message’s meaning and an audience’s understanding.

Your Learning Objectives

You’ll work hands-on with technological tools to create and revise professional-level documents in PRM 611.

  • Design and revise business/workplace documents for a specific audience and purpose.
  • Compose and apply discipline-specific voice, style and terminology to achieve communication goals.
  • Distinguish, formulate and evaluate design principles to assist with visual, written and oral communication.
  • Assess and employ technology to assist in achieving communication objectives.
  • Assemble and interpret relevant research materials.
  • Prepare professional documentation consistent with University and workplace standards.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM612 - Project Leadership Team and Stakeholder Management (3 credits)

How high is your EQ?

Projects involve tasks and products. Deadlines and costs. Changes and quality. But the driving force behind any project is people. Knowing how to manage the “who” involved with a project is essential to achieving the desired “how,” “where,” “when,” and “what.”

Course Description

To succeed as a project manager, you must be intelligent, not just intellectually but emotionally. Emotional intelligence is vital when working with people, managing interactions and overcoming conflicts. In PRM 612 Project Leadership Team and Stakeholder Management, you’ll see how having a high “EQ” can help you address issues involved with human resources and communication in project management.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Overview of Project Human Resources and Communications Management; Self-Management
  • The Project Manager and Emotional Intelligence
  • The Project Manager – Self-Awareness and Managing Challenges
  • The Project Team – Assignments, Conflict Management, Influence, Motivation
  • Stakeholder, Relationship & Team Management
  • Project Communication
  • Project Team Leadership, Performance Appraisals, Positive Team Environments and Building Teams
  • Defining Project Success, Human Resources and Communications Documentation

You’ll discover what organizations are looking for in a project manager as you examine the types of interpersonal skills that are most desirable for this position.

As you learn how to effectively identify a project’s stakeholders, you’ll start with yourself, exploring the importance of self-management in the role of project manager. Every project will present communication challenges, and you’ll begin to think about the number of communication channels in a project and ways to apply the best communication structure in the project to avoid conflict.

Sample Assignment
Using virtual communications and presentation tools, you’ll teach a Project Management Human Resource or Communications Management concept to your classmates, focusing on creativity, clarity, and accuracy of plotting stakeholders for your project.

A large part of managing a team is motivation. You’ll explore motivation techniques, as well negotiation and persuasion methods necessary to negotiate for the resource needs of your project.

Reporting status to the many different levels of stakeholders within a project requires a variety of communication skills. You’ll come to understand the appropriate communication skills needed for different levels within a project.

As the leader of a project team, you’ll need to have plans for both human resource management and communications management in place. You’ll gain the skills needed to craft both of these plans.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 612, you’ll focus on the people side of project management such as organizational planning, staff acquisition, team development, conflict resolution and negotiation.

  1. Identify, assign, and communicate project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
  2. Synthesize in a balanced manner the individual, organizational, and systemic issues in conflicting situations and negotiations.
  3. Develop strategies to identify, address, and manage the diverse expectations of the project team and other stakeholder groups.
  4. Evaluate attributes that shape decisions on tailoring project approaches.
  5. Demonstrate, select, and adapt communications styles critical to project environments and progress.
  6. Adapt personal leadership style for alignment with the organization culture and project needs.
  7. Develop facilitation skills for virtual and in-person interactions among teams and groups.
  8. Close projects effectively, including staffing, finance, and archiving lessons learned and project documentation.
  9. Direct and manage project work.

When conflict occurs, as it inevitably will, you’ll need to be able to identify and resolve it quickly. You’ll learn ways to accomplish conflict resolution, as well as how the success and/or failure of a project manager are identified.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM613 - Project Quality and Quantitative Methods (3 credits)

Ensure that projects meet stakeholder expectations.

Quality can be subject to interpretation. What one party finds acceptable, another may not. But when expectations are documented and measurable parameters are put in place, quality is a defined objective. Ensuring quality during a project requires careful attention to using tools designed for quality management. Integrating all aspects of a project, including quality, scope, time, cost, human resources, risk, communications, and procurement is at the heart of the project manager’s role.

Course Description

As you begin to master project integration and quality, you’ll examine a multitude of quality planning tools and techniques used to create a Project Quality Management Plan. You’ll explore the history and paradigms of quality as well as the role statistical variances of processes play in project management.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Integration and Quality Introduction
  • History of Quality
  • Plan Quality and Continuous Improvement
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control and Quality Improvement
  • Collecting and Understanding Data
  • Applied Quality Management in Organizations
  • Closing Presentations

In addition to examining the concept of Total Cost of Quality, you’ll improve your understanding of how to prioritize your customers expectations, and how to create operational definitions.

You’ll also see how data analysis can help identify process improvement opportunities as you learn to leverage basic statistical analysis techniques to focus project improvement activities. The purpose of Quality Audits and how to operationalize the measurement of project quality will also be part of your focus.

Sample Assignment

At the beginning of the course, you’ll be assigned a specific quality tool or technique. You’ll thoroughly research the tool and create a video presentation showing examples of how the tool or technique can be used appropriately on a project, and demonstrating step-by- step instructions for applying it.

As you plan for quality, ensure that the plans are being deployed consistently and accurately, and leverage quality tools to recognize and respond to variances, you’ll be better able to make connections between the various quality processes. You’ll also consider what kind of ethical concerns can be associated with quality.

Through both practice and theory, you’ll consider how the project results should be integrated into the organization, and you’ll learn to leverage the tools and techniques to recommend and carryout process improvement activities for Quality concerns found in the industries you may work with in the future.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 613 Project Quality and Quantitative Methods, you’ll examine various methods used to ensure a project meets the stakeholder needs for which it will be undertaken, including quality planning, quality assurance and quality control.

  1. Identify measurable quality standards relevant to the project.
  2. Leverage tools and techniques to manage and control product and project quality.
  3. Monitor and control specific project and product results against the quality standards.
  4. Apply ethical considerations to project quality decisions.
  5. Analyze dependencies between project requirements, specifications, and quality on product and project performance.
  6. Manage project lessons learned to integrate project knowledge with organizational knowledge base.
  7. Apply identified strategies of quantitative problem solving in practical applications.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM614 - Project Risk Management (3 credits)

Expect the unexpected.

You’ve heard the saying, “There are no guarantees in life.” There are also no guarantees in project management. Uncertainty hides in every project, in many forms. Using risk management processes, you can better ensure the success of your project.

Course Description

Project risk management is a six- process approach defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge® — based on collaborative insight from working project managers — designed to deal with uncertainty in projects and project environments.

  1. Develop a risk management plan for dealing with uncertainty
  2. Identify and document project risks.
  3. Perform qualitative risk analysis to prioritize risk for further analysis.
  4. Perform quantitative risk analysis to analyze the effect of risks on the project objectives.
  5. Plan risk responses to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to the project objectives.
  6. Monitor and control risks throughout the project life cycle.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Overview of Risk Management
  • Identify Risks
  • Analyze Risks
  • Risk Response Planning
  • Monitor and Control Risks
  • Risk Techniques
  • Risk Topics
  • Risk Reflections

Using these processes, you’ll be able to develop a risk management plan that includes the key elements tailored to the size and complexity of a project while differentiating between negative and positive risk events (threats and opportunities).

When project teams begin to think about risk management, they often start by creating a long list of one-word, ambiguously stated risks (such as weather and leadership). Formal risk management techniques enhance the risk identification process and ensure that concise, coherent potential risk events are documented. You’ll learn to identify the necessary inputs, apply effective risk identification tools and techniques, and capture the characteristics of each risk in a well-designed risk register.

Sample Assignment

Using a project scenario, you’ll research risk concepts and apply risk management techniques from the six risk processes to develop a comprehensive approach to identifying risks, prioritizing the most likely and impactful risks, quantifying the results if risks occur, and developing meaningful risk response strategies.

Performing qualitative risk analysis consists of using techniques to better understand individual risks, their characteristics, and the relationships between risks. The primary output of risk analysis is a prioritized list of significant risks. Quantitative risk analysis is performed only on a select number of significant risks or on the project as a whole and yields a probability that the project will meet its time and cost objectives. You’ll see how tools are chosen effectively prioritize and evaluate risks.

After creating a prioritized list of risks and quantifying the most significant risks, they will merit careful, proactive planning to minimize threats by mitigation, transfer, or avoidance and to optimize opportunities through exploiting, sharing, or enhancing risks. You’ll examine ways to accept residual risks and develop contingency plans.

Once a plan is in place, continuous monitoring and review of risk ensures that new risks are detected and managed and that action plans for risk responses and contingency plans are implemented and continuously monitored. You’ll discover how to implement an ongoing review process and conduct major risk reviews at significant milestones.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 614 Project Risk Management, you’ll examine key concepts in managing uncertainty and determine the tolerance for uncertainty within an organization.

  • Determine the level of risk exposure that is acceptable in pursuit of project objectives and define a risk strategy for the project.
  • Identify and accurately describe potential threats and opportunities associated with a project.
  • Analyze the likelihood of individual threats or opportunities occurring and their potential impact on overall risk of meeting objectives.
  • Determine appropriate responses to significant risks and evaluate implemented responses.
  • Determine appropriate responses to significant risks and evaluate implemented responses.
  • Evaluate risk considerations using adaptive approaches such as Agile.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM615 - Project Procurement Management (3 credits)

Present your organization’s capabilities.

Once an organization defines a need or objective and sets out to plan a project, finding the vendors to get the job done is the next step. As a project manager, you may be on the issuing side of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. On the other hand, your organization may be responding to an RFP, submitting a detailed proposal in hopes of procuring the project. Woven into both sides of this process is a need to accurately estimate and control costs, whether for materials, labor or other expenses.

Course Description

The process of creating or responding to a Request for Proposal requires keen attention to detail and an understanding of the specific elements and documentation required by the process.

As you come to understand these requirements, you’ll also see how decision tools used for procurement are developed. By evaluating the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) guide processes and their relationship to procurement, you’ll be able to simulate the beginning of a procurement process by generating a project schedule. You’ll then complete the procurement plan and process flow diagram deliveries using graphics software.

Sample Course Topics

Throughout this course, you’ll focus on centralized topics as they relate to the overall objectives of the course. While topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Microsoft Project File Creation
  • Request for Proposal Overview
  • Procurement Planning
  • Request for Proposal Document Development
  • Request for Proposal Development and Submittal
  • Proposal Development

During this course, you’ll develop a complete Request for Proposal, using provided templates that you will draft and update as the course progresses.

Sample Assignment
At the end of this course, you’ll submit a PowerPoint presentation of the Request for Proposal and subsequent proposal developed during the class.

As you develop your RFP, you’ll examine the various types of contracts common in procurement, contract negotiation techniques, and the need for vendor quality assessments.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 615, you’ll focus on the process required to complete the project procurement lifecycle.

  • Determine project procurement requirements and schedule.
  • Develop a procurement plan.
  • Analyze contract types and rationale for use.
  • Develop proposal documentation from a buyer and seller perspective.
  • Develop appropriate selection criteria and evaluate bids.
  • Develop strategies to evaluate, manage, and close contract relationships with vendors.
  • Analyze ethics from a procurement perspective.
  • Conduct estimation to support proposal development.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM616 - Project Cost and Performance Management (3 credits)

Forecast a project’s cost-effectiveness.

A project’s scope, schedule and cost are all three distinct variables. While each can be measured and controlled, it’s the interaction of the three that gives a project manager an accurate forecast of project performance to reflect positive/negative financial predictors of project success. This interaction is an approach called Earned Value (EV). Using formulas, EV shows how much time and budget should have been spent against the amount of work done at any phase of a project.

Course Description

Earned Value Management (EVM) is an integrated measurement system that tracks project and budget cost adherence. In PRM 616 Project Cost and Performance Management, you’ll become familiar with the multiple schedule, budget and cost scenarios that can occur during a project, and the formulas used to determine if your organization is getting value out of the work done to date.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Overview of Earned Value Management
  • Organizing the Work – Work Breakdown Structure
  • Planning, Scheduling and Budgeting – Establish Control Accounts
  • Cost Accounting – Establish Financial Tracking Methods
  • Analysis and Reporting – Develop Critical Reports to Management
  • Cost Accounting Monitoring and Control – Develop Control Methods
  • Variance Management – Assessment of Variances to Plan and Reporting
  • Budget Close-out

In learning these formulas, you’ll interpret Plan vs. Actuals and the two key variance calculations of Schedule Variance (SV) and Cost Variance (CV). You’ll see how an EVM system is developed through the creation of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and subsequent control accounts.

Sample Assignment
You’ll develop an understanding of the fundamentals required to establish an EVM system by creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and subsequent control accounts.

As people are almost always a part of any project management equation, you’ll evaluate the practice of individuals to the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) and control accounts to lay in activities into a time-phase model for execution. You’ll also understand how to allocate the budget to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and determine the best methods for EVM.

By developing a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) as a foundation for measuring project performance, you’ll discover how project scope, schedule, and cost influence the decisions for appropriate tracking, monitoring, and controlling. You’ll identify the impact of cost and schedule to the PMB, using Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), Actual Cost (AC), and Budget at Completion (BAC) to measure performance.

Changes will always occur during a project and you’ll determine how to assess changes in the project learn how to interpret variances to the Earned Value Management plan. You’ll also learn to interpret data gleaned from Earned Value Management and develop subsequent variance reports to management.

Your Learning Objectives

Through the use of case studies and scenario-based learning, you’ll gain a practical understanding of Earned Value Management in PRM 616.

  1. Assess projects’ earned performance management strategies to manage and report project status.
  2. Interpret and diagram earned value (EV) data to manage, cost, and schedule performance of projects.
  3. Evaluate the breakdown of the project work scope into finite pieces for assignment to team members to enable assessment of accomplishments at the level of work performed.
  4. Integrate the project work scope, schedule, and cost objectives into a performance measurement baseline plan.
  5. Explain significant variances to appropriate audiences.
  6. Analyze significant variances from the plan and forecast impacts to prepare an estimate at completion based on performance to date and work to be performed.
  7. Assess various approaches to determine how project costs are estimated, budgeted, managed, monitored, and controlled.
  8. Assess costs for relevant resources needed for completion of projects. 
  9. Assess the impact of integrated change management on project baselines.

Focusing on the close-out process, you’ll be able to finalize all Project Management Process Groups impacted by EVM, formally close out the project and shut down budget expenditures.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

PRM620 – Agile Projects (3 credits)

This course develops the skills, techniques, and mindset to build consensus, collaborate with stakeholders, and support self-managed teams in continuous testing of efficiency and effectiveness through Agile project management methods.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  • Apply key agile project management terms.
  • Distinguish among project methodologies based upon project requirements.
  • Synthesize the core practices and philosophies behind agile methodologies.
  • Apply agile tools and techniques to efficiently deliver value.
  • Articulate the importance of value-driven delivery and continuous process improvement loops ensuring that goals are met.
  • Apply university and workplace citation and documentation carefully to all assignments.

Required Management Courses (6 credit hours)

GM660 – Financial Management (3 credits)

This course introduces, discusses, and analyzes financial issues facing profit, not-for-profit and governmental organizations in today's domestic and global business environment. Students gain an ethical financial manager's perspective by examining various financial areas, including types of organizations, sources of capital, investment in the US and in foreign countries, asset management, time value of money, international payments and foreign exchange rates, trade theory and policy, and financial statement analysis.

GM675 – Managerial Ethics and Issues (3 credits)

This course examines philosophical theories and ethical practices that can be used to resolve organizational dilemmas. The course emphasizes the role of managers to strengthen the ethical culture of the organization. Application of ethical principles and models to deal with complex ethical issues facing domestic and global organizations are studied. Students develop skills in values-based decision making built upon integrity and accountability.

Required Capstone Course (3 credit hours)

PRM689 - Project Management Capstone (3 credits)

Tailor project management to specific needs.

As you come to the end of your Masters of Science in Project Management program, you’ll be able to demonstrate everything you’ve learned in the prior semesters. This capstone project gives you the opportunity to build a project management plan from the ground up.

Course Description

To help create your capstone master plan, you’ll use the course’s discussion board. Each week, you’ll post specific sections and use classmate feedback to fine tune and revise your plan. At the same time, you’ll critique your fellow students’ submissions and help them improve their projects.

You’ll begin with an organization overview which will include the history, organizational structure/culture of the entity for whom your plan is intended, as well as anything else that is pertinent information to know when working with this organization. Your issue analysis will describe in detail the issue/opportunity that you face with this organization. This section will likely use research and accompanying citations to support the reasons that you feel this is an issue/opportunity.

Addressing the issue/opportunity post, you will describe at least three different options to consider that would address this issue/opportunity with high level information (CBA or ROI) that you would present to a sponsor or executive management. You’ll then explain which option you suggest and explain why this option will best address the Issue/Opportunity.

Once these initial steps have been taken, you’ll start building your plan, providing details of how you tailored standard practices for your specific project charter, your scope management plan and your time management plan.

Sample Course Topics

Each week, you’ll focus on a new centralized topic as it relates to the overall objectives of this course. While weekly topics are subject to change based on course and instructor, sample topics may include but are not limited to the following.

  • Project Environment and Needs Analysis
  • Project Charter, Stakeholder, and Scope Management
  • Time and Cost Management
  • Human Resources and Communications Management
  • Risk and Quality Management
  • Procurement Management
  • Change Management
  • Reflections on Leadership and the Program

You’ll consider your stakeholder audience and project environment by producing a high-level, professional quality slide deck that highlights the unique aspects of your project.

You’ll outline both your cost management and human resource management plans as well as your stakeholder and communication management plans.

Your Capstone Project

Throughout this course, you’ll call on methods and concepts you’ve learned in this program to build a master plan and produce the documentation necessary to implement a real project of the your choice. Your project must be something that could actually be planned and executed at work, for a non-profit organization or in your community.

As you continue to build your project, you’ll outline your risk management, quality management and procurement management plans, while describing how earned value management or other tracking mechanisms will be used in your project.

You’ll create a detailed plan in MS Project, starting with the WBS, then adding activities, task dependencies, project costs and both human and material resources. You’ll show the project baseline, and the Gantt chart. You’ll use resource leveling to ensure that the plan is feasible.

The last outline and section you create will be for your change management plan. With this in place, you’ll be able to complete your capstone project.

Your Learning Objectives

In PRM 689 Project Management Capstone, you’ll prove your ability to critically analyze, synthesize and evaluate the theories and application of project management.

  • Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to project knowledge areas and processes.
  • Locate, assess and integrate current literature on topics associated with project management competencies.
  • Evaluate alternative strategies and implement major aspects of project management for a sample project.
  • Prepare professional documentation and presentations consistent with University and diverse workplace standards
  • Demonstrate interpersonal skills consistent with expectations for project managers.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

Courses Available for Those with Waived PRM600

PRM650 - Project Management for IT Professionals

This course examines the project management framework through the eyes of the IT professional using case studies and scenario-based learning.  Topics include the PMI defined project management knowledge areas, project life cycles, and implementation within varying organizational designs.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Use project management terminology.
  2. Shape a project plan to address user needs using a systems approach.
  3. Document a complete project plan, including a specification, schedule, and budget in an executable form.
  4. Analyze the interdependencies of a typical multi-project environment and address how to effectively manage those interdependencies.
  5. Apply common project control methodologies such as earned value systems.
  6. Conduct project reviews using accepted methods, including CDR and PDR, and produce the associated documentation.
  7. Conduct the close-out of a project in an IT environment.

Find out more about the curriculum of Saint Mary’s University’s online Master's in Project Management. Call us today at 877-308-9954 to speak with an enrollment counselor, or request more information.