How Long Does It Take To Become A Project Manager

This article describes about how much time a you could spend on becoming a project manager while meeting the necessary educational excellence.

TCM Staff

7th September 2020

Before pursuing any career path, you must plan well according to your needs and take up the different education stages. By following the steps we can estimate that it takes about 5 to 9 years long to become a project manager. Let's now study the time distribution for the necessary education.

Bachelor's degree in project management - 4 years

A bachelor’s degree is the fight step towards becoming a project manager which offers 120-128 credits to complete the coursework within 4 years. The first two years include general courses such as english, sociology, history, writing and others. The later two years concentrates on the core courses such as management practices, industry regulations, budget. 

Master’s degree in project management - 2 years

It can take up to 2 to 1.5 years to earn a master’s degree. Students are offered with 30-36 credit hours to complete the coursework. This degree gives benefits to students by training them with skills required for various fields of business with execution, organizing, directing projects and other higher positions. Students can adopt entrepreneurship and soft skills such as communication, leadership, organizing skills while pursuing this degree level. 

Doctoral degree in project management - 3-5 years

A doctoral degree offers 60 credits to complete the advanced coursework but it focuses on the thesis writing, researching and taking up examinations. Students can also choose to tk up the part-time program and earn the degree in the specialization of their choice within  two to three years and conduct research. 

Certification courses

The certification courses in project management can be earned within a few months by gaining education from several hours of class and by gaining specified hours of experience in the relevant field. 

Project management institution(PMI) sponsors certifications such as Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. These differ from each other by the experience criteria. 

  • CAPM- this course can be earned by completing 1,500 hours of work experience or 23 hours of education. It is also possible to earn the certification without gaining experience. 

  • PMP- you are required to complete at least 4,500 hours of experience  (2.5 years) or 35 hours of education. To take up this certification, you are required to earn a bachelor's degree 

Online degree for project management

At certain times while continuously learning and gaining knowledge you might take up a job to manage responsibility and this could stagnate the learning process. Hence an online degree makes way to continue your education while handling other commitments. The online colleges are another source to provide quality education which offers various project management degrees. Students can also choose online degrees in business management to learn at an affordable cost and flexible study schedule in less time. 


Conclusion

With the best programs and education programs available, potential candidates can plan their own career paths according to their needs. One advice we give you is  to choose the degree programs accredited by the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (GAC-PMI) to get better credibility and also increase one’s potential to work well.

As time flies, the education you gain will pay off and help you land on a high paying job as the profession grows over time.

Other Blogs you might be interested in.

How to Become a Project Manager

Project Manager Education Requirements

 

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