Project and Program Management

The discipline of project and program management can make or break the success of any initiative, and leaders in the field know there are proven ways to get the job done right. Unlike other degree programs, our 100% online curriculum is designed to build your skill and employment credentials in the actual application of cutting-edge project management best practices, going beyond a singular focus on the theoretical concepts required by PMI testing.  At Brandeis, you will gain confident, credentialed expertise in balancing the hard and soft skills of project management, strategic alignment and stakeholder communication alongside no more than 20 peers in our small seminar-style classes. And since Brandeis University is consistently ranked a top national university by US News & World Report, you can be confident that you have earned a degree from one of the best universities in the country. The program will equip you to:  Successfully lead and manage projects across all phases of the project lifecycle. Align project objectives with strategic goals while managing risks. Manage communications and expectations of project stakeholders.

The 30-credit part-time, online master's degree has seven required courses and three electives. 

Complete your degree within one year. Learn more about our new full-time option. View the course sequence options.

The 30-credit Project and Program Management program has seven required courses and three electives.

Sample Fall 2020 curriculum 

Required courses

• Communication for Effective Leadership
• Foundations of Project Management 
• Project Scheduling and Cost Management 
• Risk Management in Projects and Programs 
• Negotiating and Conflict Resolution
• Program Management: Theory and Practice
• The Human Side of Project Leadership 

Sample electives

• Business Requirements Analysis
• Organizational Leadership and Decision Making
• Challenges in Project Management
• Procurement and Contract Management
• Demystifying Agile Project Management 
• Special Topics in Project and Program Management
• Foundations of Data Science and Analytics
• Project Management for Analytics

The program curriculum, which is consistent with (though not bound by) the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), helps provide you with a competitive edge that could help you advance into the field of project management.

View a complete list of program requirements.

View tuition and financing options.

Learn more about our new full-time option.

According to the Project and Program Management Institute and the Anderson Economic Group, by 2027 employers will need 87.7 million individuals working in project management-oriented roles.* As the global economy has become more project-oriented the demand for project and program management skilled individuals expands across several industries including healthcare, manufacturing and construction, information services and publishing, finance and insurance, utilities, management and professional services and oil and gas. 

_{*https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/job-growth}

The program is 33% male and 67% female. 

355 students have graduates from the program since it launched in 2003.

87 students are currently working toward their Project and Program Management degree. 

“As an online learner at Brandeis GPS, I found the coursework and support resources convenient and accommodating. In fact, I rarely felt as though my studies were an interruption. What I learned was immediately applicable, and I continue every day to benefit from the understanding the courses gave me.”
— Scott Paddock, GPS Student

Learn more about some of our Project and Program Management faculty

• Kevan Kivlan, MS '10 is a Director for the US General Services Administration in New England. He is responsible for the overall regional stakeholder program management where he oversees a team who provides program, project and acquisition advice to federal, state and local governments. Kevan was a real estate account and project manager working with almost all branches of government. He received a MS in Project and Program Management from Brandeis University in 2010, and an undergraduate degree from Assumption College in Worcester, MA in 2002.
• Simon Cleveland, MS, PhD was awarded a PhD in Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University and also has a Master of Science degree in Project Management from The George Washington University. Dr. Cleveland and has been in the IT industry for two decades managing projects for NASA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, MD Anderson cancer Center, Accenture, Avanade, General Dynamics and AOL. He is a certified PMP, CSM, Six Sigma Black Belt, and ITIL expert. Dr. Cleveland is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Dr. Harold Kerzner Scholarship awarded by the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation.

• Vicki Beltran, MS '15  has been focusing her project management skills in the IT arena for the last 25 years in a manufacturing setting. The advent of use of a methodology at her company to manage work has become a passion - helping to set up a PMO there, and completing her MS in Project and Program Management at Brandeis in 2015. Ms. Beltran has been a Business Relationship Manager for the Finance and Treasury departments and worked closely with those teams to leverage project management methodology to recognize value in the work being undertaken. Recently, she has moved into an IT leadership role, introducing Project Management methodology and practice in IT, marketing and manufacturing.

Visit the Rabb School faculty directory for a full list of Brandeis GPS faculty.