Course overview
You gain the skills and knowledge you need to successfully manage IT projects, from planning and execution to monitoring and control. Cover a range of topics including project management, risk management, project scheduling and budgeting.
You learn to manage projects within both traditional and agile environments, as well as how to lead and motivate project teams, manage stakeholders, and communicate effectively with project sponsors and clients.
Take part in practical exercises, simulations and case studies, then apply your skills in a supervised project, taking responsibility for the process from conception to completion.
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
You gain experience of application development utilising an agile development approach. You also take responsibility for determining project aims, objectives, roles, tasks, deliverables, schedules and documentation.
By learning agile principles and applying a specific agile approach (eg SCRUM) in a live simulation of the methodology, the module will help you to prepare for contemporary practice in industry, developing both knowledge and skills in the application of agile principles.
You undertake a major, in-depth, individual study in an aspect of your course. Normally computing master’s projects are drawn from commercial, industrial or research-based problem areas. The project involves you in researching and investigating aspects of your area of study and then producing a major deliverable, for example software package or tool, design, web-site and research findings. You also critically evaluate your major deliverable, including obtaining third party evaluation where appropriate.
The major deliverable(s) are presented via a poster display, and also via a product demonstration or a conference-type presentation of the research and findings. The research, project process and evaluation is reported via a paper in the style of a specified academic conference or journal paper. The written report, the major deliverable and your presentation of the product are assessed.
The project management process affords supported opportunities for goal setting, reflection and critical evaluation of achievement.
Digital transformation is a change process that allows businesses and society to achieve goals such as improving accessibility and quality of digital services, increasing income generation, implementing innovative and generating a collaborative culture through the use of technology. The adoption of emerging technologies is important to businesses and can be fundamental to their survival. But digital transformation is not all about technology.
You gain an in-depth understanding of the context of digital transformation, its challenges and possible future as well as its leadership and management. You gain the skills to develop a digital transformation strategy for an organisation, by engaging in critical assessment of cutting-edge research findings to inform your solution.
Managing Projects with PRINCE2®
This module explores in detail an established and widely recognised governance standard method called PRINCE2®. Students will work on simulated project brief in order to build their understanding and critically review the governance methodology.
The module will focus on the structure, processes, documentation, terminology but also tailoring of the governance method in order to plan for a particular project.
The students will be assessed by two in-course assessment elements (60% and 40%) requiring them to work as part of a team.
PRINCE2® is a registered trademark of AXELOS limited
Project Management Philosophies and Tools
Contemporary project management is an evolving and extensive discipline that has grown substantially to meet the needs of modern project management demands. This module cultivates detailed and critical awareness of this domain and its expanding range of philosophies, tools and frameworks.
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the expanding discipline of project management and familiarise them with modern and contemporary project management modalities and the importance of effective project management to organisational functioning, enterprise growth and development.
You develop the knowledge and skills to understand the research process in the field of computing and gain the necessary skills to undertake your masters project. You learn how to evaluate previous academic research and generate evidence material to justify your research. You learn different methods of data generation and develop an understanding of how these methods fit into your primary research, development lifecycle, evaluation of the end user experience, use of academic research literature and research ethics.
We provide you with an advanced level of study in risk management in projects. You explore a range of tools and techniques used in risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, risk-planning responses, PERT and risk monitoring. You learn about financial risk, project-appraisal methods and the application of a decision tree within a project.
You gain awareness of probability theory that represents the corner stone of risk management. Invited speakers from the industry give an overview of risk management in different projects; for example IT, finance, construction, and oil and gas. You work in groups on project case studies which apply risk management theory. In addition, you gain hands-on experience in applying the @RISK© tool to a variety of scenarios of risk factors. You develop a deep understanding of the systematic process of risk management and application of @RISK© software.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You are supported by experienced staff, who support and guide you. You have opportunities to network with both staff and students, enabling you to work collaboratively and develop your technical skills.
The course length is 30 months, studying one module at a time. However, you can complete your qualification in a shorter time by studying two modules at once followed by the project module, reducing the duration to around 15 months.
How you are assessed
You are assessed continuously throughout your course to support your assessments at the end of each module.
Entry requirements
A UK bachelor’s honours degree (2.2 minimum) or equivalent.
International students will require IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
Employability
Career opportunities
You can take on leadership roles in IT project management and apply your skills in a range of industries and sectors, from software development to healthcare and finance.
Learning platform
Our virtual learning environment (VLE) is the platform you use to access your online course
Teesside University online learning courses are delivered through the Brightspace Learning Environment.
Here are some of the benefits.
- You can use it on your smartphone, tablet and computer.
- And you can use it anytime, so that you can plan your learning to fit your own schedule.
- It's easy to use and navigate.
- Modules are set out by topics and themes. You can use the progress bar to understand where you are in your modules, and appreciate your achievements.
- We support you to become familiar with your VLE, helping you to start learning quickly.
- You get feedback, help and guidance from tutors throughout your course through the VLE, and you can ask questions at any time.
- Our tutors use a live activity feed to keep you updated about your course.
- You can create a student profile, collaborate with other students and take part in online discussion forums.
