Project Management (with Placement) | University of Bedfordshire

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About the course

The management of complex projects can be challenging and requires a multidisciplinary skill set including planning and resource management but also soft skills, such as interpersonal and leadership skills. This course aims to develop this skill set and in particular, the course seeks to develop your:

Enquiry skills through conducting case studies and projects requiring a search for information using a range of sources, to support your learning. For MSc students, a final dissertation will also develop your research skills and problem-solving skills.
Contextual understanding through developing your knowledge and understanding of current project management issues via participation with Placement organisation and via guest lectures. Additionally, you will analyse client requirements in the Project Management Practice unit and Business placement dissertation unit to manage a real project for a client.
Collaboration skills by giving opportunities for you to work in teams to deliver solutions to project management problems and projects and enhance your interpersonal and leadership skills.
Enterprise skills via group work and placement to develop your interpersonal and leadership skills and providing you with real client problems and projects to develop your creative, decision-making and stakeholder management skills.

Find out more about financial support available

What will you study?

Project Management Practice

Project Management is essentially a practical discipline. Whilst the subject incorporates an eclectic mix of theoretical concepts and models from other disciplines, its fundamental nature is one of using models and techniques to achieve concrete outcomes. As such, practice is an essential part of acquiring the skills of project management.

This unit is informed by research-based knowledge and scholarship, emanating from a range of project management practices. It also provides you with that all-important real-life experience. The unit will enable you to learn from your experience of managing a real project by critically assessing a range of project management methodologies/bodies of knowledge, theories, tools and techniques. Project management involves a deliberate and reflective assumption of role, and you will be encouraged to reflect on you own performance as project manager or team member.

The unit aims to:

develop your systematic understanding of project management and its diverse application in a number of contexts;
enable you to evaluate commercially available tools and methodologies for their own applications, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each;
enable you to approach new projects equipped with all the necessary skills to bring projects to successful conclusions;
provide you with an understanding of the dilemmas and issues inherent in managing client projects; and other contemporary project management issues

Risk And Procurement Management

This unit explores the theory and principles of Risk and Procurement Management as well as quality issues in Engineering and Project Management contexts. The emphasis will be on managing the issues (risks, procurement and quality) and problems encountered within any project or operation and the difficulties of delivering projects and programmes within the agreed objectives.
The aim of this unit is to enable you:

To understand and analyse the Risk and Quality Management using necessary tools and techniques to ensure a successful engineering or project management
To understand and evaluate distinguished features of negotiation within contract and procurement management within variety of organisational settings

Performance Achievement Planning

This short course is a professional development course that is designed to support all PG students in the University of Bedfordshire Business School to enhance their employability and develop a professional profile through their journey in the Masters. The specific aims are to:

Enhance students’ professional, personal development and communication skills.
To support students to evidence how their experience at masters level has contributed to the development of their professional profile as required after graduation.
To support students to develop the necessary academic skill required for successful completion of postgraduate research

Leading People In Creative Teams

This unit aims to provide you with a rigorous framework of knowledge and understanding concerning people management and leadership. The unit will have a strong focus on the links between people management practices and organisational/project outcomes. Major contemporary issues in people management will be highlighted to encourage you to engage with key developments in theory and practice.
Creativity and innovative skills are recognised widely as being useful in management and leadership and the unit aims to develop these skills to support enhancing leadership and management practice.
This unit aims to enable you to develop vital skills to become an effective leader of people; to manage others fairly and effectively and to increase levels of engagement, commitment, motivation and performance.

Business Placement Dissertation

Project And Operations Management

Project Management has become increasingly important and is an essential skill in many business related careers today. Operations Management has always been one of the key functions in an organisation since it is concerned with the production and delivery of the organisation’s products and services.

The competitive environment for operations demands new ways of thinking about the way we approach the management of our own organisation and those we network with. Global sourcing and relocation are now commonplace for manufacturing and service organisations.

The unit first seeks to provide a fundamental understanding of operations management. This foundation is then developed into the new ways in which organisations should be managed in the global context.

The unit also explores the theory and principles of project management for a wide range of project types. It will consider the appropriate application of project management tools and techniques.

This unit is informed by research-based knowledge and scholarship, emanating from a range of operations and project management practices.

The aim of this unit is to enable you to:

Evaluate the principles and techniques associated with Project and Operations Management both in manufacturing and service industries in the private and public sectors;
Critically assess the relationship between operations and other functions within an organisation, and the need for integration between marketing, operations and human resources which is essential for modern business to meet customer needs;
Evaluate the implications of taking a global perspective of project/ operations management.
Consider the significance of project management and the role of a project manager in modern businesses.
Select and use appropriate project management tools and techniques to plan a project.

How will you be assessed?

The Course’s Assessment Strategy includes:

A number of different assessment methods will contribute to your development and will enhance your employability. We consider it essential that comprehensive feedback is provided in due time so it is integrated in your learning process. When group work is required, the marks given will be individual following the UoB's regulatory scheme. In some cases, different kind of assessment may be used in combination, making sure however that there are no hidden tasks.

The intensive character of this Course's delivery as it is outlined in its Teaching and Learning philosophy is consistent with the needs of this process in a way that is meaningful and comprehensive. Welcome and induction activities will be followed immediately by a week of intensive direct contact time followed by your own contribution through individual learning, which will take you to your first assessment point. At the end of your six-week block, your final assessment will be due.

The overall underpinning assessment strategy on this course tests the intended learning outcomes through exposing students to a range of assessment types. The aim is to develop both knowledge and skills to support students' entry to employment as confident project managers. The units on this course therefore use varied combination of types of assessments for both formative and summative purposes to enrich the learning experience. The types of assessments for this course includes:

Individual Written Report or Essays: Your knowledge and skills are developed when you undertake the task of writing an individual report and the whole process contributes to your improvement when it comes to conducting postgraduate level research and developing your enterprise. The ability to perform literature informed research, to review and evaluate the relevant sources and to use an appropriate methodology in order to analyze and evaluate the relevant concepts is being assessed.
Reflective Report: Evaluating your own contribution to a team is essential in the context of this course but in the workplace as well.
Masters Practice Project: You will have to produce an individual, independent piece of work. You will be asked to identify the research question or problem under investigation from within the placement organisation, review the relevant literature, and develop a sound methodology in order to explore the problem, proceed with the analysis, discuss your findings and make recommendations. It is the capstone of this course and builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in all Units. It will be one of the most challenging but yet enjoyable and rewarding experiences you will encounter.

The use of a wide range of sources, both academic and other is a requirement for a postgraduate degree. The notions of accountability and academic integrity will be an integral part of your course. You will be supported in developing an understanding of academic integrity on this course. You will be informed about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it during the delivery of each Unit. Where an individual project is required you will be asked to show the different stages of your work or to present it in its entity upon completion. Where collaborative tasks are assigned, an individual reflective report will be necessary to indicate your contribution to the team. All coursework assignments will require a thorough evaluation of the sources used and referencing will be done according to the Harvard Referencing System.

Careers

By completing this MSc course, you will have the skills needed to find career opportunities in the following industries/areas: media; sport and leisure; government; financial services; construction; hospitality; engineering; electronics; IT; telecoms; the health services.

If you wish to continue your studies, you will also be well prepared for further research study at MPhil or PhD level.

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Fees for this course

UK

The fee for this MSc for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £18,500.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Scholarship Available

The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.

We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.