A Complete Guide to Project Management College Degrees

by Alex Morgan · April 23, 2023

Wondering how to get a degree in project management? Let’s help guide you for this career.

Project management has been one of the leading career choices in the past few years. A lot of people like it because it’s versatile and allows one to work in virtually any industry that they wish. The concept of project management is increasing, and around 46% of companies regularly use proven project management methods.

Now, these methods are implemented by industry experts and those who have attended project management schools or colleges. So, is this a good career choice? And what do you need to get into a project management career?

In this article, we’ll answer those questions and also explore what business management degree you need to be a project manager. So, let’s get started.

What is a Project Management Degree?

A project management degree is an educational program presented by universities to teach students the basics of project management. Universities today offer this degree in both master’s and bachelor’s programs, with some offering online or on-campus associate certifications.

The degree teaches the basics of leadership in workplaces and the intricacies of handling a team, managing teamwork, managing workload, and ensuring the timely completion of specific tasks. The basics of a project management degree may include the following:

Managing and handling projects;
Strategizing projects and analyzing outcomes;
Understanding the main project objective and goal;
Coordinating project-level tasks between relevant people;
Managing teamwork and handling skills of team members;
And assessing the project in its entirety.

This degree is usually four years and around 120 credit hours—but that might vary depending on the university. Then you have the master’s program, which might vary from 30-60 credit hours, but that too depends on the institution you enroll into.

There are a few unaccredited universities in the U.S. that offer degrees that aren’t according to the acceptable master’s or bachelor’s degree hours/standards. That’s why it’s suggested that you enroll only in an accredited project management university, as it won’t only help your cause of becoming a project manager but also make it easier to find jobs.

Is a Project Management Degree Worthwhile?

Project management is one of the best degrees that high school students can enroll in. This isn’t just a bold claim; it is the truth. As mentioned before, every industry requires project management, and it’s handled by people who have experience in it or are formally educated in project management.

However, that may not answer the question. So, what exactly makes a project management degree worthwhile? First off, let us look at the job outlook for this particular field. According to Project Management Institute, project management jobs will multiply by a whopping 22 million before 2027.

That is around 5.5 million jobs every year now. In other words, you can expect 33% more jobs by the end of 2027, and that would be right around the time you graduate if you enroll in a project management degree right now.

However, let’s narrow it down to the three major reasons you should be considering a project management bachelor or masters:

It’s an ever-growing field and offers continuous job opportunities;
An outstanding job outlook and continued growth in new jobs;
And cause around $208 billion of GDP growth by 2030.

As mentioned before, you can expect an abundance of jobs in the next 5-10 years. But if you look closely at the core of project management, you can expect jobs in almost all industries. According to Post University, the following are the industries that are best for project management degree holders:

Advertisement and marketing;
Information Technology and services;
Healthcare administration;
Finance and insurance services;
Construction and engineering;
And government sectors.

That’s why you might find a construction project management degree online, as well as accelerated project management degree programs. These degrees allow candidates to pursue their ideal career in the industry that they prefer the most.

Now to sum it up, it allows you to pursue any industry and find managerial-level jobs. Besides that, you can find employment anywhere in the world—not just in the United States. And lastly, a 2005 study indicated that people with leadership qualities akin to a project manager are most likely to become entrepreneurs.

That’s why project managers have a lot of opportunities and one of the best claims at finding the right job for them. So, does it answer the question? Yes, it does, and the answer is; a project management school degree is worth it and then some.

Project Management Employment Rate and Salaries

We have already explored the potential of jobs for project management degree holders around the globe. Now, let’s narrow it down to the USA and understand the opportunities presented to this college degree aspirants in the United States.

According to Glassdoor, project management offers around $85,000 per year— one of the highest salaries at entry-level experience. Here’s how Glassdoor breaks it down into tiers:

Entry-level project managers earn around $85,000 per year
Mid-level project managers earn around $90,000 per year
Senior-level project managers earn around $125,000 per year.

Now, this is Glassdoor data, and they gather it through specific employers, industries, etc. For a bird’s eye view on this matter, let’s refer to the data gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to BLS, there are around 781,000 project managers working in the United States right now.

BLS also mentions that the job outlook for this industry is projected to grow 7% by the end of 2031—and there are around 70,000 job openings each year across the United States. So, what does BLS say about the pay scale for this job? They put it above Glassdoor’s projections.

According to BLS, here’s what project managers earn in each sector:

Finance and insurance project managers earn around $101,000
Professional, scientific, and technical services project managers earn around 99,000
Manufacturing and agriculture project managers earn around 96,000
Administrative and support services project managers earn around 90,000
Construction and building project managers earn around 81,000

In the same article, BLS also mentions that the low 10 percentile earns around $50,000 while the upper echelon or the top 10 percentile earns around 159,000. Moreover, among all the states, Texas pays the most on average at around $86,000 median pay.

That’s why a project management college degree in Texas would be a great idea for residents of the Lone Star state. The other states close to that number are California, New York, Florida, and Ohio—making them five of the best states to work as a project manager.

5 Best University Programs For Project Management Degrees

If you wish to gain all the benefits of being a project manager, then you need to get the best bachelor project management program online or otherwise. To help you with that, we have compiled a list of five of the best universities and the programs that they offer.

This includes online project management degrees, as well as on-campus bachelor’s and master’s degrees. So, if you are wondering what degree you need to be a project manager, here are a few of the best options:

1. City University of Seattle – Seattle, Washington

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The City University of Seattle is one of the best and foremost universities in the state of Washington. People from all over the state prefer to enroll in this particular school because of its various great programs, and one of them is the project management bachelor’s degree.

However, the university offers two degree programs in project management:

The BS in Project Management is one of the best programs that you can find anywhere in the United States, and the reason it stands out is the outstanding curriculum featured in it. It features courses such as:

Introduction to Project Management
Project Scheduling and Cost Management
Project Risk and Change Management
Communicating with Data
Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making

Then you have the master’s degree program, which is yet another great option with an outstanding curriculum. Now, both of these programs are great, and it comes down to your preference. Besides that, it also counts whether you are a graduate or an undergraduate student.

2. Saint Louis University – St. Louis, Missouri

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Saint Louis University is located in the heart of the city of the same name, and this private Jesuit University is another remarkable option. It has many great programs stretched across various departments, and two of those programs are:

The BS in Project Management is perhaps one of the most versatile programs across the universities that offer this program. The reason it stands out is the unique curriculum, which offers outstanding courses such as:

Project Selection and Scope
Communication-Stakeholder & Quality Management
Project Data Analysis
Time, Cost, and Risk Management
Project Management Leadership Ethics

And those who have already graduated can enroll in the master’s program, which also offers a great curriculum. Therefore, both these programs offer just the right roadmap for either graduate or undergraduate students.

3. University of Kansas – Lawrence, Kansas

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The University of Kansas is another great option and one of the best at providing project management degrees. Much like the earlier options, this university also offers both bachelors and masters programs in project management, and they are called:

This Bachelor of Science in Project Management program is one of the best options and offers one of the most interesting and diversified project management curricula in all of the United States. Some of the courses in this program are:

Foundations of Project Management
Effective Project Team Leadership
Project Scheduling and Control
Project Stakeholder Engagement

After that, you can continue on this path in the same university with the help of their Master of Engineering or Master of Science in Project Management program(s).

4. Arizona State University – Tempe, Arizona

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Arizona State University is hands down the best university for any program in the state of Arizona. Located in Tempe, which is in the heart of Arizona, this university attracts many people from all across the states, and that’s because of programs like these:

The Bachelor of Applied Science in Project Management or BAS in project management is one of the best project management school programs you can enroll in today. It’s available in both sorts, including online and on-campus.

It has an incredible curriculum, and it also allows you to enroll directly into the Master of Project Management program later. However, you don’t necessarily need to be a project management graduate to pursue a master’s at ASU.

5. Southern New Hampshire University – Manchester, New Hampshire

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Southern New Hampshire is one of the best universities in the United States for online programs. This university has programs for most people who wish to pursue major industries, and the right programs for project management here are:

Now, the online B.S. in Project Management is actually a Business Administration degree with a concentration on project management. That’s why it focuses on key aspects of project management, such as:

Inventory and Quality control
Logistics and Production planning
Management of demand forecasting
Supply chain management

These courses make it perhaps the best online project management program currently in the U.S., And if you’re a graduate, you can always opt for the M.S. in Project Management. That is an extensive graduate program featuring a noteworthy curriculum, which is ideal for those who make a shift from other majors/concentrations to project management.

Conclusion

This is your guide to becoming a project manager in any industry that you wish for. Now, it’s important to understand that there are some additional project management courses that you can find out on your own, such as an accelerated project management degree or the better option between a project management degree vs. certification. Therefore, do your research and find the nearest university for you according to the guidelines laid out in this article.