Project Management: Professional accreditation and certification
Image Credit: BCU Assets
The links below take you to the web pages of the Association for Project Management, the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, which has accredited the Masters programme.
There is then a section on project management certification followed by links to employability support resources. It is important for your future to stay in touch with the industry or the sector you are studying. Knowing the latest developments allows you to position yourself in a professional context when applying for placements and jobs.
Association for Project Management (APM)
The university's MSc Project Management is accredited by the APM
APM (Association for Project Management)
Key resources include:
The APM Body of Knowledge, currently in its 7th edition, is a foundational resource, providing the concepts, functions and activities that make up professional project management. The link takes you to the online version of this publication. There are print copies in Curzon Library at 658.404/Ass.
Answering 34 questions on all aspects of project management starting with What is.?
Podcasts on project innovators, interviews from the front line, and a series of crisis talks that shows project managers adapted to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awarded by the APM, the standard is a professional benchmark that demonstrates attainment of a defined level of technical knowledge, professional practice and ethical behaviour.
Project Management certification
A recognised project management certification will make you more attractive to employers, gives you a common language when working in a team, helps you earn more, opens doors to new contacts, provides international recognition and helps to formalise what you already know (Bennett, 2018). Here are the most well-known:
- BCS Agile certifications
BCS professional certification at foundation and professional level. - BVOP (Business Value-Oriented Principles) Certified Project Manager
BVOP is a 21st-century agile methodology that includes project management, product development and people management. Certification is aimed at senior practitioners with experience in both project management and people management. - CompTIA Project+
Gives business professionals the basic concepts to manage small- to medium-sized projects - EC-Council Certified Project Manager
- Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM) project management certifications
These start with the Associate level, progress to Professional and then to Chartered Project Director. The GAQM also offers a range of Scrum/Agile certifications. - IAPM (International Association of Project Managers) Certified Project Manager
Certified Project Manager is one of IAPM's certifications in several project management disciplines. - PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner Certifications
Candidates can take PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile training courses via one of AXELOS's Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) or self-study for all the certification levels. - Project Management Institute (PMI) Certifications - Project Management Professional (PMP)
PMP is often considered the most important project management certification for project managers. The Project Management Institute (PMI) also offers the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) as well as specialist certifications. - Certified SCRUM Master
One of several certifications provided by Scrum Alliance, a non-profit trade association supporting the move to agile working.
Employability Skills Guide
This guide will help with:
- Finding books and journals related to managing your career
- Finding company information for interviews and applications
- Advice on managing your social media presence and on keeping up-to-date with business-relevant information.
It also makes explicit the relationship between information literacy and the employment attributes that you will have developed during your time at the university.