Fast-growing Master of Science in Project Management program earns accreditation, gets more space

The University of Alaska Anchorage is dedicated to strengthening Alaska's workforce, and UAA's Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) program is essential to meeting workforce demands in Alaska. The demand for project managers in Alaska is significant and growing. Project managers are critical resources needed in all industry sectors and disciplines across Alaska.
The Master of Science Project Management (MSPM) program is part of the Engineering, Science & Project Management (ESPM) department within UAA's School of Engineering. UAA's MSPM program provides state-of-the-art management and leadership education for technical professionals, including engineers, scientists and project managers working within technology-oriented organizations.  The program, launched in 2004, offers a MS Project Management degree and provides a wide range of project management professional training.  

"We absolutely endorse UAA's MSPM program," said Mark Nelson, president and CEO of ASRC Energy Services.  "Alaska is one of the most challenging work environments in the world, and the state needs a well-educated force of project managers to accomplish the many projects on the horizon, such as the proposed natural gas pipeline.  The MSPM program offers relevant education to help people develop the management skills necessary to effectively accomplish projects."  Mark Nelson is a member of the advisory board for the MSPM program.  

The Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Accreditation Center (GAC), the world's leading not-for-profit association for the project management profession, recently accredited the program.  PMI is recognized for the advocacy programs conducted with governments, organizations and industries around the world as they recognize and embrace project management to achieve business results.  Twelve universities from around the world have received PMI GAC accreditation for master's degree programs in project management.  With this accreditation, UAA is positioned to establish a global leadership position among academic institutions in this critical and new field of academic study.  

In addition, the MSPM program recently expanded its learning space at the University Center to accommodate the rapid growth of the program.  The new space features a state-of-the-art classroom to facilitate education and professional training, with the ability to deliver courses in real-time to students in Anchorage and simultaneously around the globe.   The new space also allows for additional faculty and staff to support program growth.  The space was developed and implemented with sustainability in mind by reusing materials, furnishings and technology from elsewhere at UAA to save money and avoid waste.  

The MSPM program is expanding its geographical presence by offering a customized curriculum to Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees to meet the company's unique needs.  The program recently graduated its first cohort of 10 students in December 2006, and started the second Alaska Airlines cohort of 15 students in August 2007.  The accelerated curriculum allows students to complete coursework in 18 months rather than the traditional two- to three-year time period.  To facilitate the process, UAA professors travel to Seattle every-other-weekend to teach at the Alaska Airlines campus.  

For more information on UAA's MSPM program, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/espm/.