Online Master of Science in Project Management Degree
As the logistical complexity and technical requirements of today’s projects become more sophisticated, the demand for skilled project managers cannot be underestimated. In fact, a recent Project Management Institute study (Make Reality Global Survey 2020–2021) cited project management as one of the top-five areas business leaders would like to prioritize in 2021. Yet, a talent shortage persists. According to the PMI 2021 Talent Gap Report, the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030, filling about 2.3 million job openings per year. To counteract this shortage, we need to ensure that the project management workforce has the skills necessary to navigate a rapidly evolving profession
The Master of Science in Project Management degree at Boston University’s Metropolitan College is a unique opportunity to combine a broad knowledge of business and management principles with a specific knowledge of successful project-based strategies. The MS in Project Management curriculum enables you to choose required courses and electives that match your personal academic and career interests. You also have the option of pursuing a more specialized approach by selecting an optional degree concentration:
As reflected in the seventh edition of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), the global standards of project management are changing radically across industry, including a shift from processes toward principles and best practices for carrying out projects successfully. That means less emphasis on predictive plan-based methodology and more focus on leadership and agile methodologies that can result in faster delivery time and higher success due to collaboration and the ability to respond to market trends.
To meet these evolving needs—including corresponding adjustments to professional certification exams—the Project Management master’s provides a strong foundational core in project management technical knowledge, leadership principles, and awareness of the context of projects in the business environment. Along with developing the technical expertise to manage projects in accordance with professional standards, you will be able to demonstrate ethical and culturally aware stakeholder engagement, communication, leadership, and teamwork. Additionally, the program will ensure that you possess the strategic awareness to make informed decisions and deliver a sustained competitive advantage.
Students who complete the master’s degree in Project Management will be able to:
- Construct a project plan and demonstrate knowledge of key subsidiary plans such as scope, schedule, cost, quality, communications, resources, and procurement; and demonstrate proficiency in developing an agile or plan-based project management life cycle for projects relevant to their professional domain.
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of project delivery principles—such as value, stewardship, team, stakeholders, risk management, communications, and leadership. Students will build and enhance team capability after assessing personal strengths and weaknesses and develop skills to manage a team and lead others.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategic planning, portfolio and program management, project analytics, and governance applicable to large projects and programs. Apply key drivers for project success—such as value delivery systems, change management, complexity management, investing in actively engaged sponsors, and social responsibility and ethics.
Awards & Accreditations
Accredited by the Project Management Institute® (PMI) Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC)
The GAC Accredited Program seal is a mark of Project Management Institute, Inc.
Accredited member of AACSB International―The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Why Choose BU’s Master of Science in Project Management?
In 2024, Metropolitan College’s online master’s degrees in management were ranked #6 among the Best Online Master's in Business Programs (Excluding MBA) by U.S. News & World Report.- Boston University is an accredited member of AACSB International―The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
- The MS in Project Management is also accredited by the Project Management Institute® (PMI) Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC).
- Students learn from internationally recognized and research-focused instructors who are also practitioners and leading authorities on topics such as mega-projects, program and project portfolios, agile principles, project and program governance, project planning and control, project management life cycle, methodologies of effective leadership and motivation, cost and risk management, management of project quality and procurement, earned value analysis, and communication.
- Project Management students have free access to hands-on, noncredit preparatory laboratories offered through the Department of Administrative Sciences, including Project Management Essentials (PM 100) and Introduction to Project, Program, and Portfolio Management (PM 200).
- A capstone course provides the benefit of a hands-on, experiential research project under the guidance of faculty and industry mentors.
Meet Dr. Stephen Leybourne, one of the faculty members you’ll work with in the Project Management program.
Career Outlook
Construction Managers
8% increase in jobs through 2029
$97,180 median annual pay in 2020
Management Analysts
11% increase in jobs through 2029
$87,660 median annual pay in 2020
Operations Research Analysts
25% increase in jobs through 2029
$86,200 median annual pay in 2020
Business Continuity Planners
5–10% increase in jobs through 2029
$77,420 median annual pay in 2020
Emergency Management Directors
4% increase in jobs through 2029
$76,250 median annual pay in 2020
Software Developers
22% increase in jobs through 2029
$110,140 median annual pay in 2020
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, August 2021
The total GDP of projectized industries is estimated to increase from US$24.7 trillion in 2019 to US$34.5 trillion in 2030.
The global economy needs 25 million new project management professionals by 2030.
Globally, a gap between the demand for project management skills and the availability of talent continues to persist.
Project Management Institute
Project Management Talent Gap Report, June 2021
Tuition & Financial Assistance
Money Matters
Boston University Metropolitan College (MET) offers competitive tuition rates that meet the needs of part-time students seeking an affordable education. These rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education. To learn more about current tuition rates, visit the MET website.
Financial Assistance
Comprehensive financial assistance services are available at MET, including scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans. There is no cost to apply for financial assistance, and you may qualify for a student loan regardless of your income. Learn more.
Curriculum
The Boston University Metropolitan College Master of Science in Project Management consists of 10 required online courses (40 credits). Students with PMI® certifications can earn up to 45 PDUs per course.
Students who have earned BU’s Graduate Certificate in Project Management may transfer their credits directly to the MS in Project Management, earning the master’s degree by completing just two core courses, two specialization courses, and two electives.
With appropriate advanced planning, you can use degree electives from your online master’s in Project Management to satisfy up to two required courses in an Administrative Sciences graduate certificate program—leaving only two additional courses to be completed in order to receive a graduate-level certificate.
Courses
All students must satisfy the degree core courses, specialization requirements, and electives as indicated. Degree requirements may vary for those students transferring credits from previous coursework at Boston University or receiving course waivers due to professional designations.
Degree Core Courses
(Four courses/16 credits)
METAD642 Project Management
The course explores modern project management by providing an enterprise- level, experiential view of the discipline focused on connecting projects to the organization's mission, vision, and values. The theme of the course is applying key project management tools and techniques, through case-based group work, which will help students identify, analyze, and develop practical proposals to real-world issues. Groups select, plan, report, and then present on their project's scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality, and communications elements using tools such as the WBS, network diagram, PERT estimate, Gantt chart (including the use of MS Project), risk register, and heat map. Students also gain familiarity with important new concepts in project management: Agile frameworks, actionable sustainability thinking, and Benefits Realization Management, all of which will be important for their success not only in other graduate courses, but as they lead projects for their organizations so as to provide lasting, triple-bottom-line value. The course is aligned with the latest PMBOK? Guide from the Project Management Institute. [4 credits]
METAD643 Project Communications and Leadership
This course examines the increasing importance of leadership and communications in projects. Since project outcomes and the delivery of value are accomplished through teams of people, the course aims to improve the capability of a project manager to become a project leader and to excel at motivating and inspiring their teams. Students begin by gaining a better understanding of their own social, leadership, and communications styles. Self-awareness is key to the course. We investigate motivation, conflict management, negotiation skills, and the Agile principles of stewardship and servant leadership. Grounded in the use of tools, the course will provide students with templates to enhance team collaboration and communication. The course also addresses more contemporary issues in PM, including resolving ambiguity and complexity, the use of improvised working styles, sustainable PM, and issues around power and politics within the project. [4 credits]
METAD715 Quantitative and Qualitative Decision-Making
The purpose of this course is to help improve business problem solving and managerial decision-making through the use of quantitative and qualitative decision-making tools and techniques. This course will provide the student with an overview of how decisions are made to solve management problems in the business environment. It introduces the fundamental concepts and methodologies of the decision-making process, problem-solving, decision analysis, data collection, probability distribution, evaluation, and prediction methods. Students will learn how to apply different quantitative and qualitative analytical tools commonly used in business to provide a depth of understanding and support to various decision-making activities within each subject area of management. Through the use of case studies of decisions made by managers in various production and service industries and a business simulation package specifically prepared for this course, the scope and breadth of decision-making in business will be described. [4 credits]
METAD807 Principles and Best Practices in Project, Program, and Portfolio Management
This course is one of the last courses that a student in the master's degree project management program is required to take. Students are expected to carry out independent research on a relevant topic in the area of project management under the supervision of the instructor. This course focuses on emerging trends and reviews unique methodologies and approaches to project management. Students are exposed to research methods and practice that contributes to original research in the emerging project management areas. Approval of the instructor is required. [4 credits]
Specialization Courses
(Four courses/16 credits)
With the advice of the department coordinator, students who are not choosing the concentration in Program & Project Portfolio Management must select four courses from the following list. Other graduate-level courses may be selected upon approval of the department coordinator.
Choose four from the following:
METAD571 Business Analytics Foundations
Prereq: AD100 Pre-Analytics Laboratory and ADR100 Introduction to R
This course presents fundamental knowledge and skills for applying business analytics to managerial decision-making in corporate environments. Topics include descriptive analytics (techniques for categorizing, characterizing, consolidating, and classifying data for conversion into useful information for the purposes of understanding and analyzing business performance), predictive analytics (techniques for detection of hidden patterns in large quantities of data to segment and group data into coherent sets in order to predict behavior and trends), prescriptive analytics (techniques for identification of best alternatives for maximizing or minimizing business objectives). Students will learn how to use data effectively to drive rapid, precise, and profitable analytics-based decisions. The framework of using interlinked data inputs, analytics models, and decision-support tools will be applied within a proprietary business analytics shell and demonstrated with examples from different functional areas of the enterprise. R, SQL, and Power BI software are used in this course. [4 credits]\
METAD632 Financial Concepts
Introduction to the concepts, methods and problems of accounting and financial analysis. Includes accounting principles, measurement and disclosure issues, financial statement analysis, time value of money, cash flow projection and analysis, capital budgeting and project evaluation, bond and equity valuation, cost of capital and capital structure. 4 cr. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking. [4 credits]\
METAD644 Project Risk and Cost Management
Prereq: MET PM100
This course introduces students to macro and micro approaches to project cost estimation. Case studies of both pre-project and in- process estimating examine some of the more common perils of human irrationality associated with project estimation to help develop more sensible, achievable project outcomes. Students learn how to manage both project cost and schedule objectives throughout their projects using the Earned Value and Earned Schedule Measurement Systems. Students then study risk management through an examination of both individual and overall project risk and apply their learnings using advanced risk management software in an actual case study. Students also study project quality management, procurement/contract management, and project ethics and professional conduct using case study scenarios. [4 credits]\
METAD646 Portfolio and Program Management
Prereq PM 100, PM200
The course focuses on the relationship among portfolios, programs, and projects, and the important strategic objectives of each endeavor. The course is designed to assist students in developing a program management framework, policy, and organizational structure. Students will develop skills and techniques for chartering constituent projects, directing and managing program execution, and managing the program team and stakeholders. The global legal, economic, cultural, and political environments in which projects operate will be contrasted, and mechanisms for resolving conflicts will be addressed. [4 credits]\
METAD647 Project and Program Governance
Prereq: MET AD642
This is a comprehensive course on project and program monitoring, evaluation, and governance. Students will also understand enterprise wide-project interdependencies and determine the optimal pacing for a program to enable appropriate planning, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling of the projects within a program in the future. It covers governance and evaluation methods that will be useful at various levels of large projects, including government and nonprofit organizations. This course will help project and program managers, analysts, consultants, educators, and managers in government, nonprofit, and private institutions to assess program results and identify ways to improve program performance. Other topics include: evaluation for small nonprofit organizations; assessing and improving planning, implementation and effectiveness; governance methodology and models; using evaluation tools and applications to assess factors linking projects under one program and provide the best allotment of resources between those projects; monitor complex, multi-project programs, and drill into current project details; enable collaboration and stakeholder alignment throughout a project life-cycle. Other topics include: creating a transparent and accountable organization with well-defined roles and one that is based on transparency, resource allocation and decision making and enterprise project management. [4 credits]\
METAD649 Agile Project Management
Prereq: MET PM100
The course provides an understanding of how new Agile principles and practices are changing the landscape of project management. The course is designed to give project managers fresh new insight into how to successfully blend Agile and traditional project management principles and practices in the right proportions to fit any business and project situation. The course provides a deep understanding of Agile project management principles and practices in order to see them as complementary rather than competitive to traditional project management. Topics include: Agile fundamentals, principles, and practices; roots of Agile in TQM and Lean Manufacturing; adapting an Agile approach to fit a business environment; planning and managing an enterprise- level Agile transformation; scaling agile to an enterprise level using enterprise-level Agile frameworks and Agile Project Management tools. 4cr. [4 credits]\
METAD680 Global Supply Chains
This course covers the quantitative analysis tools to support operations management for a supply chain that is geographically dispersed and culturally diverse. The tools necessary to assure that the products/services are delivered/provided in the quality and timely manner include demand forecasting, inventory and capacity buffer optimization, delayed differentiation, statistical risk pooling, and stochastic inventory optimization. These tools are applied to decisions such as offshoring, multi-country outsourcing, push-pull, reverse supply chains, and risk mitigation. Particular attention is given to sustainability, information technology and digitalization, and creating resiliency. [4 credits]\
METAD782 Project Value Strategies
Prereq AD642
This course will introduce students to Project Value - - a unique perspective on classical Project Management that is focused on assuring that a project delivers value that is aligned with the mission, vision, and values of an organization. This increasingly popular framework with which to view projects and project management is derived from current research, standards, and thought leadership from PMI and other international bodies . Students will learn how to create value in projects even in today's disruptive, turbulent environment. They will learn how to apply the conceptual framework of benefits realization management (BRM) and to use tools to manage a portfolio of programs and projects strategically with an aim of sustainable project value. Value in Agile projects will be discussed. The element of the Triple Bottom Line and a focus on sustainability is part of the subject matter. Case studies and real life experiences, illustrated with guest lectures, will be intertwined with current research in project management. [4 credits]\
Elective Courses
(Two courses/8 credits)
Select two additional Administrative Sciences graduate-level courses (8 credits) with an advisor’s approval. Graduate-level courses may also be selected from other Metropolitan College departments or other Boston University schools and colleges, with an advisor’s approval.
Vijay Kanabar, PMP
Associate Professor, Computer Science and Administrative Sciences; Director, Project Management
PhD, University of Manitoba; MS, Florida Institute of Technology; MBA, Webber College; BS, University of Madras, India; PMP (Project Management Professional), Project Management Institute
Virginia A. Greiman, PMP
Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
JD, Suffolk University Law School; LLM, Boston University School of Law; MEd, Boston University; BS, Pennsylvania State University; PMP (Project Management Professional), Project Management Institute
Richard Maltzman
Senior Lecturer
MS, Purdue University; BSEE, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
James Hannon
PhD, Capella University; MBA, Framingham State University; BS, Suffolk University
Getting Started
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Master of Science