MSc (Project Management & Innovation)

Study with us

• Studying an MSc in Project Management & Innovation at Strathclyde Business School will prepare graduates from any background with the fundamentals of project management. You'll learn at a pioneering internationally-renowned academic organisation that develops the business minds of tomorrow.

An award-winning institution, we're the only institution to have won the Times Higher Education University of the Year award twice (2012/2019).

• Develop the skills to manage complex technology and innovation projects
• Be prepared for a career in industries ranging from manufacturing and services to the public sector
• Opportunity to work on a live issue for a business client

Why this course?

• This course is designed for people who lack any project management knowledge or experience to prepare for a career in this field. A 2023 study by the Project Management Institute identified that 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill roles in the sector expected to open by 2030. This talent gap means that anyone taking this programme will be in a great position to apply for and secure project management vacancies.
• Combining an analytical and hands-on approach to projects aimed at addressing real-world issues critically and pragmatically, this course will fully prepare you for career opportunities in management and policy-making positions in all sectors ranging from private firms in corporate and entrepreneurial settings (manufacturing, services, etc) to public organisations (government, health care, etc).

Distinctive features of the course include:

• A highly practical, career-focused programme, addressing a global skills gap for effective project managers
• Core project management classes enhanced and embedded by professional development and project management in practice modules
• Studying technological and socio-economic trends and the role of innovation and projects for transformative change
• A Consulting in Practice module, which provides an opportunity to put into practice all that you've learned from the programme and allows you, as part of a small team, to work on a live issue for a client organisation
• Collaboration and engagement with the University’s Technology & Innovation Centre and associated companies

What you'll study

• Based in the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship in Strathclyde Business School, the programme draws on the contributions of leading academic experts across key, relevant disciplines – project management, innovation, strategy and organisation – as well as from Strathclyde's Technology & Innovation Centre.

On completion of the programme you'll have gained:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of key issues in managing technology and innovation
• Understanding of the role of projects in delivering innovation and change in products, processes and services
• Practical skills for managing projects with a high uncertainty and innovation content and/or which have innovation and change as a main target

Strathclyde Business School

• Strathclyde Business School (SBS) was founded in 1948 and is a pioneering, internationally-renowned academic organisation with a reputation for research excellence. One of four faculties forming the University of Strathclyde, SBS has held triple accreditation from the three main business school accreditation bodies – AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB – since 2004. Our subject departments and specialist centres collaborate to provide a dynamic, fully-rounded and varied programme of specialist and cross-disciplinary courses.

Course content
The programme is centred on three core areas:

• Project management
• Innovation and technology management
• Management skills

These are designed to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills critical for our graduates' future careers in project management and innovation. We place great emphasis on your ability to work effectively in complex, dynamic and uncertain environments, and to recognise the challenges that these circumstances pose.

Our teaching and learning methods are designed so that you develop skills in recognition of challenges, opportunities and can develop strategies for change. Simultaneously, the project management in practice and personal development modules provide you with leadership, project management and professional communication skills that are essential for career progression into project leadership roles, as well as experience of working with clients and putting theory into practice.

Many of our classes offer you the opportunity to pursue your individual interests and further develop specialised skills by focusing your work on industries and technologies relevant to your preferred career paths.

Semester 1

• Project & Programme Management
• Technology & Organisational Change
• Business Operations
• Business Strategy
• Strategic Innovation Management
• Issues & Trends in Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology

Semester 2

• Project Portfolio Management
• Global Innovation Lab
• Project management body of knowledge
• Commercial management in projects

Semester 3

• Consultancy in Practice
• Project

Careers

• The majority of graduates choose to pursue careers in project management and/or consultancy. They have worked across a range of industries including automotive, banking and finance, public sector, technology and construction, as well as in SMEs. 

Specifically, we have graduates working as project managers, project analysts, business technology analysts and senior consultants/consultants at companies including:

• Shell
• Accenture
• Capgemini
• LG
• Volkswagen
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• NHS
• Beats by Dr Dre
• EY