Certificate Program in Project Management

"The practice of project management will be the activity that makes or breaks many global companies in this economic environment."
—Rich Karlgaard, publisher, Forbes

Effective project management involves meeting deadlines, staying within budget, coordinating diverse groups of people, solving problems and achieving results. Gain the knowledge to successfully manage any type of project, regardless of scope or industry. Whether you manage complex information technology projects or a single public relations campaign, this program enables you to manage your projects more efficiently and effectively. Projections indicate that there will be 1.2 million new project management jobs during the next 10 years and that by 2016 $4 trillion will be at risk due to a lack of skilled project managers.

Completion of this certificate gives you the knowledge to prepare for the PMI^® Project Management Professional (PMP^®) Certification exam. Project managers with PMP^® certification often earn more than $100,000 a year. Courses are offered conveniently online.

Gain practical knowledge that matters

• Gain the ability to analyze projects for cost, time, scope, risk and quality.
• Apply quality management methods to effectively organize, staff and lead project teams.
• Learn the essentials of contract negotiation and administration.
• Prepare for the Project Management Institute's Project Management Professional^® Certification exam. PMI^® certification is:
  • Internationally recognized and globally accredited
  • Created by project managers for project managers
  • Transferable between methodologies, standards and industries
  • A valid and reliable way to assess and maintain competence

Designed for professionals like you

This program is for professionals who plan, manage and control projects and anyone interested in gaining project management ability in tune with the best practices in the field. The interactive, project-oriented approach in many of these classes enables you to fine tune and formalize the diverse and varied skills this profession commands.

Requirements to earn the certificate

Candidates for the certificate must successfully complete a total of 20.5 units of coursework with grades of "C" or better. Fundamentals of Project Management and Project Integration and Scope Management are prerequisites for all other core courses in this program, and Advanced Project Management Topics is the final core course to be taken. Tuition for the entire Project Management Certificate Program is approximately $7,250 to $7,695, depending on when you enroll. The certificate application fee ($45), textbooks and parking are not included in the tuition fee. Please call (530) 757-8895 for more information.

Classes are listed in the recommended sequence.

Quarterly schedule of courses

		UNITS	F	W	SP	SU
REQUIRED COURSES	Fundamentals of Project Management	2
	Project Integration and Scope Management	2.5
	Project Time Management	2
	Project Cost Management	2
	Project Quality Management	2.5
	Project Communications and Human Resource Management	3
	Project Risk Management	2
	Project Procurement Management	2
	Advanced Project Management Topics	2.5
F=Fall W=Winter SP=Spring SU=Summer; Schedules subject to change Online Learning format

Required Courses

Fundamentals of Project Management

2 quarter units academic credit, X455.30. 20 PDU Hours

Explore the nine project management knowledge areas: project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, risk and procurement management. Being an effective project leader requires a clear understanding of the essential elements of the project management framework and processes. 

Using the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK^® Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge , learn the basic characteristics of projects and project management, with emphasis on the five process groups of initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing. Understand the terminology needed as well as how all the project management processes link together. Explore the key areas of expertise, and discover the significance of project stakeholders and organizational influences.

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Integration and Scope Management

2.5 quarter units academic credit, X455.31. 25 PDU Hours

Build on your knowledge of the project management framework and processes. Successful project outcomes depend on an effective project management plan, development and execution, as well as adherence to a scope management process. They also need to begin with the proper integration of related project elements across project process groups and knowledge areas. 

Explore in depth the processes and activities required to define and coordinate the projects within the project process groups, particularly where individual processes interact, and when competing objectives and alternatives require trade-offs. Examine the processes that ensure all the work, and only the work, required for successful project completion is included within the scope of your projects.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, or Introduction to Project Management

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Time Management

2 quarter units academic credit, X455.34. 20 PDU Hours

Examine time management processes so your projects deliver on time and perform as expected. Explore activity breakdown, estimation, sequencing and scheduling. Gain a better understanding of network diagrams and critical paths, and learn how they can help you manage time better. Learn to develop realistic project schedules and how to efficiently complete projects within a projected time frame. Class discussions, exercises, brainstorming sessions, class projects and reading assignments reinforce concepts presented.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management, or Introduction to Project Management

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Cost Management

2 quarter units academic credit, X455.35. 20 PDU Hours

Learn to plan and budget projects so you achieve project goals within the expenditure allocated. Examine techniques for estimating costs and the relationships among project schedules, Work Breakdown Structures and cost estimates. Discover the differences between project cost estimates and budgets, and learn to use contingency and management reserves. 

You will consider the various factors involved in budget reviews and approvals, and techniques for identifying cost variances and budget baselines. You will also learn to recover cost overruns and explore in-depth the concept of earned value management: how to set up an earned value management system and calculate Estate At Completion project costs using earned value management.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management, Project Time Management, or Introduction to Project Management

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Quality Management

2.5 quarter units academic credit, X455.36. 25 PDU Hours

Enhance your ability to monitor projects so they meet their intended goals. Examine the critical components of project quality: planning, control, assurance and improvement. Learn about the business and technical aspects of project quality management, including determining what assets and resources you need to launch a new program or revitalize existing ones.

Explore quality management processes such as identifying customer requirements, cost-benefit analysis, benchmarking, cause and effect diagrams, flowcharting, control charts, Pareto diagrams and quality audits. Acquire hands-on experience with some of these methods.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management, or Introduction to Project Management

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Communications and Human Resource Management

3 quarter units academic credit, X455.16. 30 PDU Hours

Learn to develop human resource plans and acquire, develop and manage project teams as specified in The Project Management Institute's PMBOK^® Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Acquire the ability to identify stakeholders, plan communications, distribute information, manage stakeholder expectations and report performance. Design the right organizational structure for your projects by analyzing and evaluating responsibilities, authority, reliability and accountability of your team.

Develop the capacity to establish clear project roles and responsibilities, set rules of engagement, and exercise influence within existing power structures and political environments. Become equipped to face the challenges of managing matrix teams and the complexity of virtual teams. Discover processes to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage and ultimate disposition of project information.

Prerequisites:

Introduction to Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management.

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Project Procurement Management

2 quarter units academic credit, X455.32. 20 PDU Hours

Examine integration considerations involved in the different project life cycle phases. Learn how principled negotiation can help you bargain effectively when procuring needed goods and services. A key concern of project managers is project procurement—the process of identifying and acquiring the necessary goods and services to implement and complete project plans. Successful project managers, therefore, must know how to plan, conduct, administer and close the procurement process. 

Emphasis is on The Project Management Institute's PMBOK^® Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge six-step procurement process: plan purchases and acquisitions, plan contracting, request seller responses, selecting sellers, contract administration and contract closure.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management, or Introduction to Project Management

See the course page for currently offered courses

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Project Risk Management

2 quarter units academic credit, X455.33. 20 PDU Hours

Learn processes for identifying, analyzing, planning for and responding to project risks. Gain a thorough understanding of how to maximize the probability and consequences of positive events and minimize the probability and consequences of adverse events to your project objectives. Using The Project Management Institute's PMBOK^® Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, gain the knowledge to develop and plan the risk management aspects of your projects and learn to identify possible threats and opportunities.

Discover how to perform risk analyses and quantify probability and consequences. Learn to plan mitigation and contingency measures and iteratively manage outcomes.

Prerequisites:

Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management, or Introduction to Project Management

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Advanced Project Management Topics

2.5 quarter units academic credit, X455.28. 25 PDU Hours

Build upon and extend your knowledge of the concepts and practices already learned and acquire the ability to successfully manage more challenging projects and to achieve reliability and consistency in project results.

If you’re already a good project manager, but strive to be better, explore project management within the framework of more complex project environments.

Prerequisites:

Project Communications and Human Resource Management, Project Procurement Management, Project Time and Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Risk Management, Introduction to Project Management, Project Integration and Scope Management.

See the course page for currently offered courses

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