Admission Criteria

Candidates must be able to satisfy the general admission requirements of the University of the West of Scotland as specified in Chapter 2 of the University Regulatory Framework together with the following programme requirements:

Appropriate Undergraduate Qualification

Other Required Qualifications/Experience

Non-standard Entry: entry to the postgraduate course (other than Masters direct) may be open to holders of an HND or DipHE award in an appropriate discipline, or a professional qualification accepted as of equivalent status and usually at least three years’ relevant experience at a management level. Candidates without formal qualifications who possess extensive professional experience deemed to equip the applicant with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully complete the course (normally at least eight years at a management level) may also be admitted to the postgraduate programme. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Guidelines will be followed.


All students with non-standard entry may be interviewed by one or more members of the course committee. During the interview, evidence of relevant experience will be required to determine if the applicant has the range of knowledge and ability to lead in to the postgraduate programme. International student applications are reviewed by the programme leader, references checked and transcripts considered to ensure the applicant’s qualifications and background are suitable for the programme.

Applicants may also be considered with other academic, vocational or professional qualifications deemed to be equivalent.

We welcome applications from international students with equivalency of qualifications. Scholarships may be available on application.

Where English is not first language, applicants must be able to satisfy the University of their competence in English in line with Regulation 2.12, by having an IELTS score of 6.0 or above (with a minimum of 5.5. in each component) or equivalent.
Details are available at the UWS website https://www.uws.ac.uk/international/english-language-requirements/.

Further desirable skills pre-application

It is desirable that all entrants to SCQF level 11 have skills in the following areas: numeracy, communication (including report writing and presentation) and investigation techniques.

General Overview

This programme examines current practices, issues and trends in the field of project management and provides students with specialist knowledge to enable them to manage projects to a successful conclusion. The programme is structured around a number of core taught modules namely, Project Management Fundamentals; Projects in Practice; Change Management and Leadership; Risk Management; Case Studies in Project Management; Strategic Project Management and Sustainability and the MSc Project. The delivery of these modules is designed to suit part-time students, full-time students and DL students.

The programme not only develops technical knowledge in project management but also employability skills such as critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, communication, research and ICT skills.

The programme has been designed with reference to the Benchmarking statements for Masters Degrees in Business and Management (2007) and the Association for Project Management's Body of Knowledge. It is accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM).

The key academic aims of the programme are to:

•              Produce graduates with the necessary skills and confidence to guide and manage  projects to a successful completion.

 •              To produce graduates with key skills for employment in the field of, and  associated fields of, project management.

 •              To produce graduates with an enquiring, analytical and creative approach to managing projects.

 •              To develop and encourage independent judgement and critical awareness in managing projects.

 •              To guide the student in developing an independent approach to investigating and presenting findings on a research topic at postgraduate level.

The programme takes 12 months full-time and 24 part-time to complete.

Maximum registration period is 2 years full-time and 3 years part-time.

The programme is delivered: Face to Face/Blended learning and by Distance Learning.

Students not attending campus delivery should be equipped with their own laptop and licenced copy of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project or suitable similar free licensed software.

The Professional Practice module is not available for LUBM franchised delivery. Currently APM award accreditation is not applied to LUBM franchise.

The School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences offers a range of opportunities for further study such as progression to MPhil and PhD as well as offering other relevant Masters programmes.

Graduate Attributes, Employability & Personal Development Planning

The programme is designed with employability as a priority. All modules encourage and develop these skills in order that the graduate has skills to equip them for employment in the 21^st century. Such skills include critical thought, analysis and problem solving, communication, team building, research and ICT.

On completion of the Project Management programme, you will gain the following Graduate Attributes:

• You will be a critical thinker working collaboratively with colleagues on research-minded projects
• You will be an amibitious, motivated work ready professional, able to show future employers you are a problem solver and an effective communicator
• Your research will be innovative and creative producing resilient solutions to our project management challenges.

The University is committed to providing the opportunity to engage with an e-portfolio-based model of (Personal Development Plan) PDP for all students enrolled on University programmes. The process is based upon self review by students at all stages of their study and developing individual learning plans. More specifically students enrolled onto the MSc Project Management will be encouraged to engage in PDP supported through the Virutal Learning Environment (VLE), induction, the module Change Management and Leadership and the personal tutor system. PDP is further supported through presentations and seminar attendance by the professional bodies such as the APM.

Students will also be encouraged to join the Association for Project Management(APM)giving them access to materials and events in this field.

Work Based Learning/Placement Details

There is no placement associated with the programme. However, work related learning opportunities for face-to-face students are delivered through field trips, case studies and a 'live' audit at the postgraduate diploma level.

For Distance Learning (DL) students, the entire programme will be carried out in the workplace. DL students, if appropriate will have a mentor in the workplace, and there will be agreed contact points between the company and UWS.

Invited speakers from the profession will also enhance the learning for the student at all levels and all modes of delivery.

All students will be encouraged to carry out their dissertation with a company or in an area that is deemed useful to industry.

All students will be encouraged to join the Association for Project Management (APM) as student members. The APM provides the opportunity for networking, access to resources and information on project management.

Engagement and Attendance

In line with the Academic Engagement and Attendance Procedure, Students are defined as academically engaged if they are regularly engaged with timetabled teaching sessions, course-related learning resources including those in the Library and on Moodle, and complete assessments and submit these on time.

For the purposes of this programme, this equates to the following:

For the purposes of this programme, this equates to the following:
On campus students are expected to attend all timetabled sessions and to engage with all formative and summative assessment elements of all the modules that are included in the programme specification as core modules as well as any optional module when applicable.

On-line students are expected to engage via Moodle and video conferences as well as engaging with all formative and summative assessment elements of all the modules that are included in the programme specification as core modules as well as any optional module when applicable.

Equality and Diversity

The University's Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Procedure can be accessed at the following link: UWS Equality and Diversity Policy

Knowledge and Understanding

Practice - Applied Knowledge and Understanding

Communication, ICT and Numeracy Skills

Generic Cognitive Skills - Problem Solving, Analysis, Evaluation

Autonomy, Accountability and Working With Others

Knowledge and Understanding

Practice - Applied Knowledge and Understanding

Communication, ICT and Numeracy Skills

Generic Cognitive Skills - Problem Solving, Analysis, Evaluation

Autonomy, Accountability and Working With Others

Knowledge and Understanding

Practice - Applied Knowledge and Understanding

Communication, ICT and Numeracy Skills

Generic Cognitive Skills - Problem Solving, Analysis, Evaluation

Autonomy, Accountability and Working With Others

Regulations of Assessment

Candidates will be bound by the general assessment regulations of the University as specified in the University Regulatory Framework .

An overview of the assessment details is provided in the Student Handbook and the assessment criteria for each module is provided in the module descriptor which forms part of the module pack issued to students. For further details on assessment please refer to Chapter 3 of the Regulatory Framework.

To qualify for an award of the University, students must complete all the programme requirements and must meet the credit minima detailed in Chapter 1 of the Regulatory Framework.