Are you a natural-born multitasker? Do you have what it takes to lead a team to success? Check out best online project management degree programs!
Whether you have a background in project management or you’re looking to change careers, an online degree in project management will benefit you. From managing teams to communicating effectively, you’ll learn all the secrets to success as a project manager.
Being well-versed in project management principles allows you to work in many industries:
- Government
- Healthcare
- Education
- Law Enforcement
- Public Relations
Likewise, getting a degree in this field helps you develop critical skills. You’ll learn how to juggle deadlines and manage budgets. You’ll perfect your ability to work with many different stakeholders and subcontractors. You’ll even learn how to manage teams of workers to achieve goals quickly and efficiently.
In other words, if you have big projects in mind, a degree in project management is for you!
What is a Project Management Degree?
From healthcare and agriculture to manufacturing and construction, nearly every industry requires creative project managers to assist in getting initiatives off the ground. A project management degree trains you to adequately initiate, plan, and execute projects. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to control and close out projects. A project management degree furthers your leadership and advocacy skills. It also instills confidence in you moving forward.
Most of the programs listed below are between 120-180 credit hours. The number of credits depends on the amount of experience you need beforehand. Depending on the school, you might enroll as a full-time or part-time student.
If you’re not sure this is the right field for you, a similar, broader program to consider is a Business Administration degree. Alternatively, if you’ve already done your undergraduate degree in project management, you might consider getting an online master’s degree in project management.
How Much Can You Earn With a Project Management Degree?
With a bachelor’s degree in project management, your salary will vary depending on the industry you choose to work in.
For example, a Project Manager at a major bank can make upwards of $105,000 per year. Construction Managers can make upwards of $91,000 per year. However, the annual median salary for project management specialists is $98,420 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Of course, your earning potential is dependent upon your education and your area of expertise. The industry you work in and the geographic area in which you choose to work also factor in to your potential earnings. You also have to consider the cost of living in the area in which you work. While you might earn more money working in a large urban area like New York City or Los Angeles, the cost of living in these locations is far higher than rural areas of the country.
What is Required for a Project Management Degree?
Many of the below programs require applicants to have either an associate’s degree or some work experience in project management. Others require applicants to be at least 22 years of age. Several prerequisite skills are also desired by most colleges. For example, you might need to demonstrate better-than-average:
- Communication skills
- The ability to work within a team
- The ability to multitask
Some of the programs below also require learners to complete a capstone or final project. These projects serve as a detailed learning and growth opportunity. Typically, capstone projects occur in the final year or semester of undergraduate studies. They involve a central research question or project, and require many hours of real-world research and work to complete. You must present your capstone project to a panel of professors, kind of like defending a master’s thesis. It’s the final step you need to complete before getting your project management degree.
Many online bachelor’s degrees on this list can be completed in 3-4 years. The timeframe required to complete your studies depends on many factors. Primarily, your status as a part-time or full-time student will have the greatest impact on how long you need to complete your degree.
What are the Best Project Management Degrees?
OSR uses six data points to determine the best project management degrees. These points include three school-wide criteria and three program-specific criteria.
For school-wide criteria, OSR uses
- Student Satisfaction
- Admission Rates
- The number of programs the school offers online
For program-specific criteria, OSR checks the:
- Median Debt of graduates from that program
- How many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department
- What percentage of students at that school graduated from that department
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education.
A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on our methodology page.
See also: Cheapest Online Bachelor’s in Construction Management and Best Online Master’s in Management Information Systems.
Now, let’s get to our list of the best online schools for project management!
