Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admissions Requirements for Graduate Degrees.
- Acceptance to the MS PM is offered to applicants who provide sufficient evidence that they meet the requirements for study at an advanced level. Applicants must meet the minimum UAA graduate admissions requirements. In addition, an entering master’s degree student will have:
- Earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
- Submitted three letters of recommendation from professors or former or current employers or supervisors who are familiar with the candidate’s work experience.
- Provided a statement of professional career objectives related to the study of project management including a description of relevant project management experience.
The faculty reserves the right, where warranted by evaluation of a student’s progress and demonstrated knowledge, to require additional coursework or other preparation to ensure the degree candidate possesses adequate professional skills and capabilities. This includes the ability to reason and communicate both effectively and quantitatively, orally, and in writing.
Any requirements stipulated in the Graduate Admission Recommendation Form (GARF) associated with a student’s acceptance to the MS PM must be completed within one year for a full-time student, and two years for a part-time graduate student. Failure to satisfy any requirement listed in the GARF will result in a formal departmental review and potential removal from the program.
Application of Undergraduate Courses to MS PM Credit Requirements
Students seeking admission into the MS PM are not eligible to enroll in PM A401 and PM A402. Students that have completed PM A401 and PM A402 during undergraduate studies with a minimum grade of B prior to seeking admission to the MS PM may petition to apply the courses to the graduate degree if the courses were not used to satisfy baccalaureate degree requirements. If those courses were used to complete baccalaureate degree requirements, the student will not be required to repeat PM A601 and PM A602. However, other graduate-level elective courses will be substituted to meet the 33 credit requirement for the MS PM.
Admission Requirements, Accelerated MSPM Option
UAA bachelors degree seeking students interested in pursuing an MSPM degree are encouraged to discuss the Accelerated MSPM Option with their academic advisor(s) and plan on applying for the Accelerated MSPM Option during their junior year. Students admitted to the Accelerated MSPM program are eligible to apply up to nine credits of 400 or 600 level PM coursework towards both their bachelor’s degree and MSPM. Applicants must meet the general Admission Requirements listed for Graduate Degrees and the MSPM degree. Additionally, the Accelerated MSPM applicant must:
- Be a current student enrolled in a UAA bachelor's degree program.
- Have completed 60% of the credits toward their bachelor's degree program requirements.
- Receive approval from their undergraduate academic advisor to include up to nine credits from three approved 400 or 600 level PM courses towards their bachelor's degree program.
- Have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher for all coursework completed at UAA.
- Have completed at least 24 course credits at UAA.
Academic Requirements
Students enrolled in the MS PM must earn a minimum grade of B in all core requirements.
Noncompliance with academic progress expectations will result in probation and possible removal from the program. See Academic Standing in the Graduate Degree Policies for more information.
Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to Candidacy to the MS PM will be granted to students who have:
- Previously been accepted fully or in provisional status and satisfied the specified requirements stated in the GARF.
- Earned a grade of 3.00 (B) or higher in an undergraduate or graduate research methods course or demonstrated evidence of competency in scholarly research.
- Earned a grade of 3.00 (B) or higher in an undergraduate or graduate statistics course that covers descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Completed the first three core Project Management (PM) courses with a minimum grade of B in each and with a successful Phase Gate 1 review. This review is conducted to evaluate a student’s grade performance and completion of requirements. At the discretion of the program, a student may be eligible to repeat courses to satisfy requirements or be removed from the program.
- A Phase Gate 2 review is conducted after completion of PM A686A. Students must receive department approval prior to enrollment in PM A686B after they have successfully completed an advisory committee-approved project management plan and Institutional Review Board review (as appropriate).
PM Continuous Registration Policy
Graduate students must demonstrate continuous progress toward program completion. Students pursuing the MS PM must complete at least one approved program course during any consecutive 12-month period to maintain active status in the program. Students not making continuous progress and not on a Graduate School approved leave of absence will be removed from master’s degree-seeking status. See Leave of Absence in the Graduate Degrees Policies for additional information.
Program Course Delivery Modality and Technology Requirements and Fees
Course Delivery Modality
Students in the MS PM can attend courses in the classroom and/or by state-of-the-art, real-time video capabilities. This format allows students from across the state and around the world to join local students and faculty in real-time, in the classroom, as an active course participant using readily available off-the-shelf technology. This real-time capability also enables students who must travel or work remotely during the semester to join the class via adhoc connections from wherever they may be located (connection speed permitting). Additionally, all class sessions are recorded and posted to the UAA learning management system after the class session is completed so that students can review the material in the event that a class session is missed. This approach provides flexibility for students to begin and complete the program from wherever their work assignments or personal situations may take them.
Technology Requirements
Enrolled students must have access to a computer and, if participating in a class remotely, an Internet connection speed the department finds acceptable. All students are expected to have basic computer and keyboarding skills prior to entry into the program, for example:
- Word processing (preferably Microsoft Word), presentation software (preferably Microsoft PowerPoint), and spreadsheet software (preferably Microsoft Excel).
- Sending and receiving e-mail with attachments.
- Accessing and navigating the Internet.
- Understanding how to use basic computer file formats, software, and peripheral hardware.
Remote (distance) students, defined as those living and/or participating outside the Municipality of Anchorage, are additionally responsible for:
- Any incremental, individual long-distance or high-speed Internet connection costs (refer to the department webpage for details).
- Any additional hardware (such as webcams, headsets, etc.) necessary to facilitate class participation.
- Contacting the distance learning coordinator before classes start to set up and arrange for distance delivery.
Tuition Surcharge
The College of Engineering has a tuition surcharge for undergraduate and graduate courses. Please see Tuition and Fees for more information.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Graduate Degrees.
- Complete the following major requirements. Core Requirements must be completed with a minimum grade of B.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| PM Overview: | ||
| PM A601 | Project Management Fundamentals | 3 |
| PM A602 | Application of Project Management Processes | 3 |
| PM Process Series: | ||
| PM A603 | Project Initiation and Planning | 3 |
| PM A604 | Project Executing, Monitoring and Control | 3 |
| PM A605 | Operational Integration and Project Closure | 3 |
| Capstone Project Demonstration of PM Mastery: | ||
| PM A686A | Capstone Project: Initiating and Planning | 3 |
| PM A686B | Capstone Project: Executing, Controlling and Closing | 3 |
| Complete one of the following options: | 12 | |
| Option 1: Project Management Electives | ||
| Complete 12 credits of graduate-level electives from the PM course list. A student may petition one 3-credit graduate-level elective from outside the program to count toward this requirement. | ||
| Option 2: Leadership Emphasis | ||
| Required courses: | ||
| Business Intelligence and Analytics | ||
| Leadership and Organizational Behavior | ||
| Complete 3 additional credits from the following: | ||
| Change Leadership and Facilitation | ||
| Leadership in the Multicultural Organization | ||
| Executive Leadership | ||
| Complete one 3-credit PM elective. | ||
| Option 3: Business Emphasis | ||
| Complete 9 credits from the following: | ||
| Seminar in Executive Uses of Accounting | ||
| Business Intelligence and Analytics | ||
| Financial Decision Making | ||
| Economics and Public Policy | ||
| Complete one 3-credit PM elective. | ||
| Total | 33 | |
A minimum of 33 credits is required for the degree.
Capstone Project
Three credits of PM A686A and three credits of PM A686B, taken over two semesters, are required for the degree.
All capstone project work must meet the following requirements:
- The work must contribute to the body of knowledge in the student’s graduate field of study.
- A literature search is required to demonstrate how the work is associated with the current state of the art in the student’s graduate field of study.
- The final capstone project report, as judged by the student’s graduate advisory committee, must be of sufficient quality to justify publication in either a peer-reviewed technical conference proceeding or a peer-reviewed journal. Publication of a manuscript in a journal or conference paper is not a requirement for graduation, but submissions are encouraged.
- The work must demonstrate command of knowledge and skills associated with the student’s graduate program of study.
- The project must have sufficient scope to clearly demonstrate the student’s advanced expertise in and mastery of project management.
- The work must require a level of effort consistent with 6 graduate-level credit hours.
- The student must satisfactorily present their capstone project and be evaluated by a panel of faculty and project management practitioners.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes are based on the professional best practices of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Accreditation Center (GAC) standards and guidelines, and UAA paradigms.
PMI GAC Accreditation Standards:
- Technical Expertise: Management of projects to meet needs within constraints with reference to professional standards and guides
- Professional Behavior: Ethical and culturally aware stakeholder engagement, communication, leadership, and teamwork.
- Strategic Awareness: Contextual awareness of strategic and operational drivers required to inform decisions and deliver sustained competitive advantage.
UAA MSPM Program Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the program will:
- TECHNICAL EXPERTISE: Demonstrate the capability to manage end-to-end projects successfully across a broad range of scale, complexity, scope, environments and inherent risks and constraints through appropriate selection, tailoring and application of knowledge, processes, approaches, tools and techniques.
- PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR: Demonstrate ethical, versatile, and culturally aware leadership, stakeholder engagement, change leadership, and communication skills in a broad range of organizational contexts.
- STRATEGIC AWARENESS: Demonstrate ability to enhance success of organizations through alignment of project outcomes with strategic objectives and operational drivers.
- BUSINESS AND PROJECT ANALYTICS: Demonstrate a facility for comprehensive and objective analysis, structured decision-making, process optimization, and problem solving in the project management environment.
- CONTRIBUTION TO BODY OF KNOWLEDGE: Conduct research that contributes to and expands the diverse project management body of knowledge.