MSc in Programme and Project Management

Companies are often strategically organised through a series of projects, programmes, and portfolios, which enables them to focus clearly on specific objectives and manage resources effectively to achieve them.

Highlights and benefits

• The course is accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM), which is the Chartered body for project management professionals.
• Become a specialist in the strategic management of projects and programmes, a highly complex and growing area of demand.
• Strong links with industry and professional bodies, providing you with the opportunity to gain real-world insight. Guest speakers from a range of programme and project management roles contribute within the interactive learning environment.
• An applied and experiential learning style, consisting of simulations, group work, case studies and practical exercises to prepare you for your future career.

Overview

• The MSc in Programme and Project Management at Warwick is designed for graduates who want to move into project management, either in their current technical and business field, or into a new field of expertise.
• The course will provide you with a broad set of skills which have wide application. During the course of the year, you’ll gain practical experience through applied syndicate activities and current case studies, delivered by professionals in the field.
• You will develop a methodical approach to the management of financial aspects of projects and programmes and will learn about the strategic management of people in organisations and how this relates to the wider business strategy.
• You will learn the methodologies, tools, principles and philosophies to effectively contribute to the development and management of small and large scale projects, multiple projects and programmes.

What you'll learn
Modules

• Project Planning Management and Control opens in a new window
• Managing the Multi-Project & Programme Environment opens in a new window
• Programme and Project Strategy opens in a new window
• Management of Change opens in a new window
• Project Financial Management opens in a new window
• Collaborative Project Working Link opens in a new window (from 2025)
• Study, Professional and Analytical Skills

Elective choice

Alongside your core modules, you will be required to select one elective module. Elective module options will be provided to you at the start of the academic year, but an illustrative list can be found below. These options may be subject to changes.

• Project Management in Practice: Applications and ImplementationLink opens in a new window
• Organisations, People and Performance opens in a new window
• Leadership opens in a new window
• Global Marketing Strategy

Project

• The dissertation project is worth 33% of your MSc credits and your final grade. It is a major individual project, which will develop your research and analytical skills and enable you to specialise in an aspect of particular interest to you. It will be submitted in the form of a dissertation at the end of the year.
• You are expected to devote an appropriate portion of your time and intellectual effort to the project during the course i.e. approximately 600 hours over the course of the academic year.
• For Programme and Project Management the project can be related to projects in a number of different industrial sectors and can address many different aspects of project or programme management.

Learning style and assessment

• This course has two components – a taught component accounting for two-thirds of your time and effort, and a research component (dissertation) accounting for one-third.
• A taught module typically consists of a combination of lectures, seminars, simulations, case studies, group exercises, reflective practices, on-line learning and self-study. The majority of modules are taught in small classes to facilitate and encourage interaction. Others practice large-scale lectures, which are then supported by smaller class seminars and group or workshop activities. Module leaders are experts in their fields and are often supported by external speakers from industry or academia who bring real-world perspective into the classroom.
• Each module is nominally 150 hours of learning which includes your class attendance, independent study, and assessments. Modules are delivered in a four-week learning block, allowing you to focus on one module at a time and engage deeply with the subject material*.
• The Study, Professional and Analytical Skills module is a programme wide module, taught across the year, and primarily delivered online.
• Modules are predominantly assessed by way of written assignments, but assessment can also be in other formats. In addition to the main assessment, you may have assessed presentations, online tests, self-reflection, and a range of other assessment methods during each module.
• Your project will be assessed by your Project Supervisor plus an independent assessor. As part of the assessment, you may be required to present your research project and answer questions at a poster session.

Careers

• As a graduate of the MSc in Programme and Project Management, you will be highly employable. A lot of companies look for candidates with excellent project management skills and many organisations have specific roles in Project Management, Project Planning, Programme Planning and Management, or as a Project Lead, Project Engineer, or Project Officer.

Of course, the industry you go on to work in will often depend on your background studies or experience before your Master’s, and your own individual interests. We have seen our Warwick PPM graduates move into a range of project management roles within very diverse sectors, a few examples of which are listed below:

• Architecture and Design (Reliance, Architectural Services Dept, Arup)
• Construction (Pick Everard, Chongqing International Construction Corporation)
• Consultancy (Deloitte, KPMG, PWC, Reed)
• Consumer goods (Unilever, Helen of Troy Ltd)
• Education (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
• Engineering (BAE Systems, Renault, Jaguar Land Rover)
• Finance (HSBC, Bank of China, Central Bank of Oman)
• Food and Drink (Whitbread Plc, Bakkavor)
• Government (UK Civil Service, Cambodia National Assembly)
• Healthcare (IMS Health, Legato Health Technologies)
• Information technology (Dell, IBM)
• Manufacturing (Siemens, Whirlpool)
• NGOs (World Food Programme)
• Oil and Gas (ExxonMobil, Shell)
• Telecommunications (BT, Ericsson)
• Theatre, Arts and Media (Vogue, Disney)

Graduates from this course often also go on to secure other management-level positions, for example within HR, Consultancy, Risk Management, or Business Intelligence. The PPM modules ensure you acquire the right theoretical base and skills to be a proficient Project Manager, and through your dissertation you’ll focus on your own specialisation or area of interest.