The 25 Best MBA in Project Management Programs

In Washington D.C., George Washington University MBA students can earn a Project Management certificate. This can either be a stand-alone certificate or an addition to any one of the MBA programs which are run through the School of Business. These include the:

• Accelerated MBA,
• Global MBA,
• MBA in Security Technology Transition,
• Part-Time Online Healthcare MBA,
• Part-Time Online MBA, and
• Part-time Professional MBA.

MBA students must be in good academic standing in their School of Business MBA program to enroll in the Project Management Certificate.

The Online MBA program is done mostly through distance learning; however, students do have the option of participating in a four-day residency in Washington, D.C. Classes are typically held synchronously during the rest of the program. This is a part-time program consisting of 46.5 credits.

The certificate in project management is a 12-credit certificate with nine required credits and three electives.

Students must take

• Statistics for Managers or Decision Making and Data Analysis;
• Organization, Management, and Leadership or Organizations and Human Capital; and
• Project Management Principles.

The elective courses for the project management certificate that students can choose from are

• Collaborative Decision Making and Portfolio Optimization,
• Cost Estimation and Control,
• Planning and Scheduling, and
• Risk Measurement and Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 74.06

At the Max M. Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University, MBA students have the option to specialize in consulting and project management as part of the Full-Time MBA program. Students in this Pathway take Project Management as well as Data Analysis and Visualization as the two required courses. They must also take one more course, with options such as

• Applied Data Analytics Projects,
• Field Problems in Logistics,
• Global Applied Projects,
• Leadership Effectiveness through Applied Projects & Team Coaching, and
• Six Sigma Projects.

In total, students in the Consulting & Project Management Pathway must fulfill nine credits. The Full-Time MBA is a two-year program with classes on-campus at OSU’s Columbus, Ohio, campus.

The majority of Full-Time MBA students participate in international consulting projects during the program through the Business Lab Project, the Core Capstone Experience, the Global Applied Project, or the Social Impact Challenge through Fisher.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 76.60

At Pennsylvania State University, students interested in building their talent stack in project management can pursue a concentration in project management as part of the Smeal College of Business Online MBA program. This is a 48-credit program with 39 required credits and nine concentration credits. Courses in the Online MBA in project management are all conducted asynchronously, although there are options for synchronous discussions for those students who want more face-to-face engagement with colleagues and faculty.

The available courses in the project management concentration are

• Cost and Value Management,
• Planning and Resource Management,
• Project Management, and
• Special Topics in Project Management.

Students applying for PSU’s Online MBA do not need to submit either GMAT or GRE scores.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 68.27

In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Lehigh University offers a FLEX MBA program through its College of Business. Students in the FLEX MBA have the opportunity to pursue a concentration in project management.

In this concentration, there are five required courses, which are

• Decision Making and Ethics on Projects​;
• Project Management Fundamentals;
• Project Requirements and Scope Management;
• Project Risk Management, and
• Project Scheduling, Estimating, and Budgeting.

Additionally, students must take five more credits from the following (which are all one credit except for the one to three-credit capstone course):

• Adaptive and Agile Project Management,
• Advanced Scheduling and Scheduling Tools,
• Facilitation and Teamwork for Projects,
• Managing Project Quality,
• Managing Projects for Innovation,
• Project Leadership,
• Project Management Capstone, and
• Project Procurement and Negotiation.

The FLEX MBA in project management is a part-time, hybrid MBA for working professionals. Students can choose whether to attend class on campus or online on any given day based on what works best for their schedule at the moment. For most students, it takes three and half years to complete the FLEX MBA program.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 65.78

The University of Georgia offers a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification through the Terry College of Business to students in its Executive MBA program. Over the course of 18 months, students in the EMBA take 51 credits over 17 courses in addition to the certification courses. Classes are a hybrid of on-campus and distance learning delivery. In addition, students attend two residencies, each a week-long, at the University of Georgia’s Athens campus, plus 21 weekend sessions in Buckhead, GA, and one seven-to-nine-day residency abroad.

The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification is highly student-directed. Students have three days at the start of the certification program for lectures and weekly classes that discuss major LSS themes and include time for students to present updates on their projects. The rest of the time is spent applying learned knowledge to real-world consulting projects in order to earn their certification. Students participate in these consulting projects as part of a team of four to five. This is a semester-long certificate program.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 64.02

At the Robert A. Foisie Business School at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, project management is one specialization option for MBA students in the Online MBA program. This is a two-year program that is entirely online. It is also a tech-focused program with a heavy emphasis on the intersection between business, people, and technology. In addition to the core coursework and the specialization course, students also complete a capstone project, an integrative business foundation course, and two more elective courses. For those interested, students can use those two electives to also declare a second specialization, of which WPI offers 17 other options beyond project management.

Students who have chosen to pursue the MBA in project management must take two courses from the following options:

• Leading Change
• Managing Creativity in Knowledge Intensive Organizations
• Managing Technological Innovation
• Negotiations
• Teaming and Organizing for Innovation

There is no GRE or GMAT score required to apply to WPI’s Online MBA program.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 56.77

The Professional MBA program at Saint Louis University offers a project management concentration. This concentration requires students to take Project Management as a required course in addition to course options such as Operations Management, Supply Chain Sourcing & Strategy, New Venture Initiation, and Corporate Entrepreneurship to fulfill the nine required credits.

Run through Saint Louis University’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, the PMBA is aimed at working professionals. While courses are in-person on weeknights, there are a number of classes also available online. Most students earn their MBA in project management degree in two and half years, although for those who need it, it is possible to take up to five years to complete the PMBA program. This is a 36- to 48-credit program. In addition to the core coursework and the concentration credits, students also participate in teams on consulting projects for local organizations, both for- and non-profit.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 54.84

In Tampa, the University of South Florida offers a concentration in Project and Process Management for students in the Muma College of Business Professional MBA program. The PMBA has two delivery formats available for students. The Evening PMBA has classes on weeknight evenings at the Tampa campus. Typically students attend the Evening PMBA part-time while continuing to work.

The Weekend PMBA program is a hybrid with in-person classes on Saturday each month at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. In between these in-person classes, students use distance learning to continue to move through the program while balancing their other career and life obligations. While the PMBA can be completed in as few as 12 months, most students take two to three years to earn their degrees, depending on their enrollment credits. While most students enroll part-time, given the program is aimed at working professionals, any student has the option of full-time enrollment, which is nine credits per semester.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 52.45

Based in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Stevens Institute of Technology offers a project management concentration for students in both its MBA and Online MBA programs through its School of Business. The Online MBA program is an almost fully online program. Students in the Online MBA do participate in two immersions in the Greater New York City area in addition to the distance learning that makes up the bulk of the part-time program. These are both tech-centric MBA programs, and students can choose to enroll in a dual degree program and earn both their MBA and another graduate degree at the same time.

Students in either the Online MBA or the Stevens MBA who are following the project management concentration take the following four courses:

• Advanced Project Management,
• Leading Across Projects,
• Project Management Fundamentals, and
• Strategic Perspectives on Project Management.

At the end of both the MBA and the Online MBA, students take a three-credit capstone course working as a team on a consulting project.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 51.35

Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, offers a project management concentration for students enrolled in its MBA program, both the in-person and online formats. The MBA in project management program, run by the School of Business Administration, offers classes in the evenings, through weekend intensives, or with online summer courses, hybrid courses, or asynchronous distance learning. Students can enroll as full-time MBA students and earn their degrees in 12 to 15 months. Or they may choose part-time enrollment and complete their degrees in two to three years.

This is a 12-credit concentration with eight core credits and four elective credits. The core courses are

• Applied Project Management,
• Communications Management,
• Foundations of Project Management, and
• Risk Management.

Some of the elective course options for the project management concentration include

• Agile Project Management,
• Contract Management & Procurement,
• Decision Making for Managers,
• Global Project Management,
• Managing Complex Projects, and
• Quality Management.

Students may also choose to participate in an internship or a team-building intensive as part of this concentration.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 51.22

At San Diego State University, project management is one of the specializations offered through the Fowler College of Business MBA program. Twenty of the courses in this program are core courses. The remaining courses are

• foundation courses (which can be waived for those with prior coursework completed with a B or better in the past seven years),
• nine to 15 credits of electives (of which the project management specialization count towards), and
• one to three credits for the program’s culminating experience.

For the culminating experience, students may choose to write a thesis, participate in a real-world consulting project on a team, or complete a business strategy simulation. In the simulation, students work both as individuals and as part of a team.

While a specialization is not required for SDSU’s MBA program, pursuing the project management specialization is a great way for students to build their talent stack. The following three courses are required for the project management specialization:

• Business Systems Analysis and Design,
• Project Planning and Development, and
• Strategic Project Management.

Additionally, students must choose one more course from the following options:

• Business Analytics,
• Electronic Business and Big Data Infrastructures,
• Fundamentals of Cybersecurity Management,
• Information Systems Security Management, and
• Product Innovation Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 49.61

In Rolla, Missouri, the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development at Missouri University of Science and Technology offers certificates in Business Project Management and Information System Project Management for MBA students. Additionally, students enrolled in the Distance Education MBA program can earn a certificate in Business Project Management as well.

The MBA program can be completed either at the Missouri S&T campus or online. Either way, the program takes 18 to 24 months to complete for students enrolled in a full-time capacity. For those enrolled as part-time students, the program takes 24 to 36 months to complete. The Distance Education MBA is a 24- to 36-month program as well.

The Business Project Management certificate requires the following courses:

• Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Digital Transformation,
• Case Studies in Project Management,
• Project Management, and
• Supply Chain and Project Management.

For MBA students interested in the Information System Project Management certificate, they must take

• Advanced Information Systems Project Management,
• Case Studies in Project Management,
• Global Project Management, and
• Project Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 46.63

Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business offers an Online MBA program with a concentration in project management. The Online MBA is entirely online, and all of the classes are asynchronous. For most students, it takes two years to earn their degrees with the Online MBA program. This is a broadly applicable program, great for everyone, including mid-level managers pursuing senior-level roles, recent graduates, career pivoters, entrepreneurs, or just working professionals looking to advance in their careers.

The Online MBA in project management program requires 39 total credits, 30 of which come from the core coursework. The remaining nine credits are fulfilled by the project management concentration. Students take the following six classes to earn their project management concentration.

• Advanced Project Management,
• Agile Systems Development Management,
• Contemporary Topics in Project Management,
• Leadership,
• Risk Analysis and Management, and
• Systems Development Life Cycle Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 31.55

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, offers certification in project management that students in the MBA in Aviation program can pursue through its College of Business. The MBA in Aviation is an online MBA program that combines traditional business education with aviation and aerospace. This is a 36-credit program. Students pursuing the project management certificate need to take 12 credits, which are fulfilled through the following four three-credit courses

• Assessing and Managing Project Risk,
• Foundations of Project Management,
• Fundamentals of Project Scope, Schedule, Cost, and Resource Management, and
• Fundamentals of Project Quality, Communication, Stakeholder, Resource, and Procurement Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 27.92

At the College of Business at California State University, Chico, students can build their talent stack with a specialization in project management as part of either the in-person MBA program or the Online MBA program. The MBA program is a 30- to 33-credit program. With the option in project management, students must take Seminar in Project Management as well as Teamwork, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution as the two required courses, plus three of the following class options:

• Business Dynamics,
• Directed Internship,
• Independent Study,
• Practicum in Project Management,
• Project Management,
• Quality Management, and
• Strategic Information System Management.

Students in the Online MBA program also take a Seminar in Project Management as well as Teamwork, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution, in addition to Optimizing Project Goals and Outcomes.

Those who complete the project management specialization will be ready to also sit for either the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exams.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 27.38

Ohio University’s College of Business offers a project management concentration for both its Professional MBA program and its Online MBA program. The project management concentration is a three-course series. Students take Project Management I and II, as well as Change and Risk Management.

The PMBA is a two-year hybrid program with students taking courses both online and on Ohio University’s Dublin campus once a month. The Online MBA is also a two-year program. It does require students to attend one Friday and Saturday at Ohio University’s Athens campus for the Leadership Development Conference. PMBA students are also required to attend this conference. Like the PMBA, the online MBA is a part-time program. For either program, prospective students should have at least two years of professional experience. Both programs also require 35 to 36 credits to complete.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 26.45

The College of Business at Mississippi State University offers a project management minor for both its MBA program and its Online MBA program. To earn the project management minor, students must complete three courses:

• Enterprise Systems Engineering or Production Control Systems I,
• Industrial Quality Control or Process Improvement Engineering, and
• Project Management.

The MBA program is a full-time, three-semester program that takes 12 months to complete. Classes are held on Mississippi State University’s campus in Mississippi State, Mississippi. Additionally, the week before the program begins, MBA students attend Springboard Week, which is an intensive professional development program on campus. During this week, students cover

• Career Management,
• Conflict Negotiation and Team Development,
• Etiquette and Networking,
• Interest Assessments,
• Personal Branding,
• Professional Presentation Skills, and
• A Speaking Competition.

The Online MBA program is a 30-hour program. No GRE or GMAT scores are required to apply for either of the MBA programs.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 25.50

In Melbourne, Florida, at the Florida Institute of Technology, MBA students may earn an MBA in Project Management or an MBA in Project Management in Information Technology. These programs are offered through the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business. Both of these programs are done entirely online.

With the MBA in Project Management, students earn pre-approved contact hours that they can apply toward their eligibility to sit for a PMI credential examination, which is great for those interested in sitting for the PMP exam. Students who currently hold PMI credentials are also pre-approved for professional development units.

In the MBA in Project Management, alongside the core courses, students also take

• Cases in Applied Project Management,
• Mastering Project Management,
• Project Tools and Techniques, and
• Strategic Project Management.

In the MBA in Project Management in Information Technology, students take the following four courses in addition to their core coursework:

• Management of Software Systems,
• Mastering Project Management,
• Project Management for Information Technology, and
• Project Tools and Techniques.

Both tracks are 36 credits each, which are fulfilled through 14 courses. Students can earn their MBA degrees in as little as two years. And there are no GRE or GMAT requirements to enroll.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 23.24

The University of New Mexico offers a project management track for its Online MBA program. This is a 43-credit program run through the Anderson School of Management. The program offers students the flexibility of enrolling either full-time or part-time. For those who are full-time, it is possible to complete the program in just 16 months. This is a synchronous program that has a total of 43 credits, of which 31 are core classes and the remaining 12 are electives. The elective requirement is fulfilled through the project management track.

There are six required courses for the project management track, which include:

• Advanced Project Management Techniques,
• Analysis Tools for Managers,
• Innovative Product Development,
• Introduction to Project Management,
• Project in Technology Commercialization, and
• Technology Program Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 22.88

In Maryland, Mount St. Mary’s University offers a certificate in project management as part of its MBA program. This flexible MBA program is offered through the Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business and is available to students in both an in-person and an online format, or they may choose a hybrid option. Students can earn their MBA degrees in one to two years. This is a 12-course program, and most students take one to two classes per eight-week session. For those who wish to participate in in-person classes, courses are offered on the Frederick and Emmitsburg campuses one evening each week.

The project management certificate is a five-course sequence, which includes the following classes:

• Directed Study,
• Introduction to Project Management,
• Project Leadership,
• Project Portfolios, and
• Project Risk Management.

These course credits can be counted towards the prerequisites for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 21.57

The Fermanian School of Business at Point Loma Nazarene University offers a project management concentration as part of the Evening MBA program. This is an in-person program, with classes held at Point Loma’s Mission Valley campus on Monday through Thursday evenings. It is geared towards experienced working professionals. Students can earn their MBA degrees in 24 months. As part of the course work, in addition to the 36 credits of core classes, students take six elective credits, which the project management concentration can fulfil. Designed to teach students how to create a project management plan, this concentration amounts to two project management-focused courses:

• Project Management and Communities
• Project Management Risk, Cost, and Program Analysis

Students may also choose additional concentrations in Innovation and Entrepreneurship or Organizational Leadership to bolster their project management concentration and build up their talent stack. Both of these additional concentrations are also six credits.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 19.15

The School of Arts, Science, and Business at Chatham University offers its MBA students a project management concentration. The courses in this concentration include

• Complex Issues in Project Management,
• Foundations of Project Management, and
• Leading Organizations and Projects.

Chatham’s MBA in project management is an on-campus program with courses on the Shadyside campus in Pittsburgh, which are organized into 15-week sessions each fall. However, some courses do have online components for ease and flexibility. This is a 36-credit program, and students can earn their MBA degrees in two years when enrolled as full-time students. For those who need the option, it is also possible to complete Chatham’s MBA program as a part-time student. Students do not need to complete the GMAT or the GRE to apply for the MBA program.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 17.93

Project management is offered as a certificate for MBA students at East Carolina University. The MBA program is offered through the College of Business. It offers students the flexibility of completing their courses in person at the Greeneville, North Carolina campus, online, or a hybrid. This is a 54-credit program and is a maximum of 18 courses, which are divided between foundation courses, common body of knowledge courses, and electives, which can include the project management certificate.

While the MBA program is offered in a hybrid format, the project management certificate must be completed fully online. The courses in the project management certification are derived from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), which was developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The four courses in this certificate program can be completed over two semesters and include

• Advanced Project Management Topics;
• Project Executing, Monitoring, and Controlling;
• Project Leadership and Communication; and
• Project Management.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 16.93

The Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford offers an MBA program with a project management concentration. This concentration is in harmony with the knowledge areas set by the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK) and the Agile Practice Guide created by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The concentration also sets students up to earn PMI’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certificate or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

There are two tracks for the MBA. The fast track can be completed in 12 months, while the accelerated track takes 24 months. The speed of completion is heavily impacted by whether students choose to enroll as full-time or part-time students. Either way, this is a 12-course MBA in project management program that adds up to 36 credits. Students can choose to complete the University of Hartford’s MBA program in person at its West Hartford, Connecticut campus or fully online.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 15.37

The H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University offers Process Improvement as a major available to its MBA students.

Process Improvement is a STEM-designed major. It includes the following courses in addition to one elective:

• Process Improvement Methods,
• Process Improvement Practicum,
• Project Management, and
• Quality Management.

Completing this major prepares students to sit for several internationally recognized certifications:

• ASQ’s Certified Six Sigma Black Belt,
• PMI’s Project Management Professional, and
• SME’s Lean Bronze.

In addition, Huizenga School of Business also offers Lean Six Sigma certifications to those students who earn at least a 3.0 GPA in core coursework for the Process Improvement major.

The MBA program at Nova Southeastern offers classes online as well as in-person on weekends for those enrolled in the Process Improvement major. Courses in person are held in person on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie, Florida, campus. Online courses are held asynchronously. In total, students must complete 37 to 49 credits to earn their MBA degree, depending on prior undergraduate coursework.

MBA Website

Stacked Score: 15.28

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