Master of Science in Project Management

AIM

 To equip students with knowledge and skills in the field of Project Management and pedagogy, and further develop their competences in order to prepare them to handle projects of various magnitude and complexity in any career field such as construction, information technology, livelihood, and capacity building, among others.

RATIONALE

In the recent past, Zambia, like many other developing countries, has experienced a growth in developmental projects across the country, including the road construction sector, building, information technology, NGOs’ project delivery in the communities, and many others. The Government’s intention of opening up the country through road accessibility, building of provincial and district headquarters, hospitals and clinics and the opening of new universities has turned the country into a hub of construction. Most of the projects are undertaken by foreign companies with little participation by local ones. The lack of participation in these and other projects has largely been blamed on the lack of skills by indigenous Zambians to ably undertake and manage projects of this nature. The Master of Science in Project Management (MPM) programme has been mooted with this in mind and is meant to produce qualified project and programme managers who can effectively participate in various developmental projects.

The demand for qualified project managers is also noted to have been accelerated by the number of donor projects that Zambia and Africa at large are receiving. The critical shortage of skilled Project and Programme Managers has meant that many projects have ended up being mismanaged, thus leading to huge resources being lost and some projects being abandoned.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the programme, candidates should be able to:

• Demonstrate a thorough grounding in the fundamental theories, concepts, principles and practices of Project Management.

• Demonstrate critical abilities of analysis, interpretation, evaluation and judgement in the field of project management.

• Apply the knowledge and key skills acquired to successfully manage projects and portfolios of projects.

• Challenge and extend their knowledge and practice in this business–critical profession.

• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage project resources, anticipate and mitigate risks, monitor, evaluate and report on project performance.

• Recognise the diversity and complexity of projects, programmes and portfolios in organisations outside the traditional “project management” sectors.

ELIGIBILITY

The following shall be eligible to apply for admission to the Master of Science in Project Management degree:

• Graduates of degree programmes who have been admitted to the appropriate degree of Bachelor with at least a credit.

• Graduates of recognised universities who have been admitted to the appropriate degree of Bachelor with at least Second Class (Upper Division) Honours.

• Graduates of a sufficiently adequate standard who shall have demonstrated competence to undertake this postgraduate programme.

• Applicants with sufficient requisite working experience and in exceptional circumstances, are  holders of a pass degree or its equivalent will be considered for admission on the MPM

• Holders of full professional qualifications such as ACCA, CIMA, ZICA, CIPS, CIM.

REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE AWARD OF MSc DEGREE

Duration of study

The course of study for the award of the MPM degree shall be completed in a period of not less than 18 months and not more than three years.

Student progression

The Programme of study shall be taken in the sequence approved by the ZCAS-U Senate.