The general objective of this Master’s Degree program in Project Management is to produce professionals who will be able to plan, implement, manage, and lead complex projects in a dynamic and diverse environment using various tools and techniques.

  Specific Objectives of the Program

The specific objectives of the program are the following. These are, upon completion of this program, students should be able to:

Acquire nuanced understanding as to how projects are initiated, planned, implemented and evaluated;

Expand their ability to play a leadership and coordination role in teamwork for developing projects;

Acquire skills to deal with cross-cultural, political, and social issues impacting projects;

Manage change throughout the lifecycle of a project;

Develop skills on how to manage human resources;

Appreciate the diverse and dynamic environments within which projects operate;

Apply tools and techniques in managing risks;

Apply knowledge of development theory and decision-making skills using both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to identify, formulate, analyze and solve socio-economic problems through carefully-designed and managed projects;

Generate project deliverables within the required time, quality, scope and cost constraint with efficiency and excellence;

Appreciate team work by being engaged as a productive and responsible member of a multi- disciplinary team; and

Adhere to the highest standards of project management profession and ethics.

Graduate Profile

A graduate profile describes the competencies that a graduate is expected to have as a result of their educational programs. It determines the program goals and the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed for a professional. In the same line, graduates of this program are expected to: grasp a thorough theoretical and applied knowledge as well as skills required from a high-class Master’s program in Project Planning and Management; comprehend developmental matters particularly focusing on developing countries that serves as an input to policy making at national level; analyze economic development issues and provide pragmatic solutions to the existing problems in different sectors of the economy.

On top of this, they are also able to identify problems and projects, and propose solutions by analyzing primary as well as secondary data; comprehend any professional articles and publications on various issues of Project Management; develop project proposals, prepare scientific proposals and research papers on various areas of project management; analyze local, national and global development trends based on the lessons acquired from their graduate studies; develop effective decision making in various issues of project management and development at different capacity levels; demonstrate strong team spirit and working skills in various areas of project management; apply different project and econometric software packages to analyze different data sets and provide valuable suggestions, and effectively; and analyze the socio-economic performance of different development projects. In what follows, we divided the graduate profiles into three: knowledge, skills and attitude.

Against this background, the graduates of PM will have the following knowledge profiles:

•  Have solid theoretical and applied knowledge and skills that enable them to analyze socio- economic problems;
• Envisage projects in different areas including the macro-economy, agriculture, industry, banking, finance, transport, natural resources, trade, labor, and public finance;
• Acquire nuanced understanding as to how projects are designed, appraised, implemented, monitored and evaluated;
• Have entrepreneurial, effective decision making, strong team spirit, communication, and management skills in various areas emanating from the project management body of knowledge (PMBoK);
• Have knowledge as regards the standard components of PMBoK and the most required project management process groups; and
• Make a realistic operational activity plan based on sound understanding of work breakdown structure, implementation processes, available resources and external conditions, and communicate effectively with relevant stakeholders.

In terms of skills, graduates are expected to have the following profiles:

• Advanced computer skills and software applications in economic research and analysis;
• Research proposal developing skills and writing research reports and professional articles,
• Interviewing (conducting of survey) skills;
• Critical socio-economic phenomenon observation and data analysis skills; Both quantitative and qualitative socio-economic research skills;
• Skills to use empirical evidence to evaluate an economic argument;
• Skills to conduct appropriate statistical analysis of data, and explain the statistical problems;
• Teaching in universities and higher training institutions;
• Ability to lead Focus Group Discussions;
• Formal and Informal communication skills;
• An excellent negotiation and persuasion skills;
• Reasoning skills;
• A good management skill of private and public resources;
• Very good time management skills; and
• A good ability to manage and suggest ideas.

As far as attitudinal change is concerned, graduates will have the following profiles:

• Have a rational attitude about private and/or public matters;
• Value team work and ethics in research, project and management;
• Develop amicable character and feel at ease to work with others; and
• Readiness to support the state and communities.

Professional Profile

This refers to general description of the desirable qualities of the professionals in the world of work. Professional profile is the determination of the conceptual knowledge, skills and the tools a professional is expected to possess. It is about the major roles and tasks of the professional and the competencies that it requires for optimal functioning. It is the graduate profile that is advanced through experience in the real world. It is known that professionals in Project Planning and Management should have the necessary understanding of theoretical, analytical, and practical implementation of project management issues that can be applied in various institutions (government, non-government, private, and community related activities). Similarly, they should have critical thinking skills on various socio-economic phenomena. They also need to have firm