Masters Degree In Project Management

Q: Anybody out there with a Masters in PM? I've got 11 years experience and I'm thinking about enrolling in the on line program at Western Carolina University. How much recognition does this degree have? I feel that the material would be more relevant to my interests and career objectives than an MBA, but I'm concerned that it would have next to zero recognition next to an MB

A: Any thoughts?

A:Might be helpful, but primarily as a badge. I'd note that I successfully transitioned into IT project management from a Project Coordinator position simply by asking for the opportunity. This was when I worked within a large IT organization. I was told that my M.

A: helped, even though it had no relationship whatsoever to either IT or PM (it was in social psychology). It makes very little sense, but evidently having any advanced degree apparently is given some value in that equation. I think the biggest factor is simply showing initiative and asking for the chance. It seems that we build MAs, MBAs, etc around almost anything these days. Universities and Colleges, after all, are big businesses big on credentials ... and to large extent they are right. But competency in Project Management is less a function of degrees and more a function of experience. It

is what I refer to as a "field of dreams" skill ... "if you build it, they will come." If you get a project done on time, on budget and with all stakeholders happy, then you will be called again. Stay in contact with other PMs, take on more and more diverse types of projects, and do all these things well and you will have no problems. Here's the website for the Western Carolina University distance learning program (Internet based) http://cess.wcu.edu/cobmpm/index.html I don't see any mention of an off campus version of the GWU project management program. They offer off campus MBA and engineering management masters degrees among others but not a masters in PM.