What Are The Best Project Management Courses In South Africa?
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In choosing the project management course that is best for you, the first consideration is the selection of a reputable institution.
It is also important to note the difference between degree courses in project management and project management training courses. The training courses (which include both short courses and more comprehensive certificate courses) are normally of shorter duration than degree courses and focus more on practical skills development and on the application of practical methods in the workplace. Training courses generally do not have an extensive final examination. Some universities teach both formal degree programmes in project management and project management training courses. At these universities, training courses benefit much from the degree courses. Research done by the lecturers at these universities also drastically improve the quality of their training courses.
Training courses in project management that lead to a certificate of successful completion are normally more valuable than courses that lead to a certificate of attendance. The blog “ What is a project management course ” provides further information.
Criteria for institutions that offer project management courses
- the institution must have a good reputation
- they should also offer project management degree courses and
- award certificates of successful completion
The second consideration when choosing a course is the choice between class attendance and an online .
Benefits of studying online
Online project management courses are becoming increasingly popular, and are especially convenient for senior managers, entrepreneurs and others who cannot afford to spend time away from work, or who live in a remote area.
As no venue or catering is involved, online training courses are typically cheaper than courses that require class attendance. Another advantage of online project management courses is flexibility; you work whenever and wherever it suits you. This gives the learner a sense of freedom and control. If you are not comfortable that you have grasped some aspect of an online lecture, you can watch it (or part of it) again. Anyone planning to enrol on an online project management course must however be aware that studying online requires more discipline.
Courses that require face-to-face attendance have the obvious advantage of more “real” interaction and networking.
Reputable PM Course Institutions
The value of any training course is determined by the standing of the institution that awards the certificate. Several South African universities are highly ranked internationally and, apart from the overall ranking of a university, one should also consider the credibility of the unit of the university that is responsible for their project management courses.
The University of Pretoria is a reputable university and evidence exists that this institution has been teaching post-graduate project management courses as far back as 1981. The Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) of the University of Pretoria claims to be the “undisputable leaders in project management training, education, and research.” In addition to being registered as an Authorized Training Partner of the international PMI (Project Management Institute), this school teaches Africa’s only masters’ degree in project management (MPM) that is accredited by the Global Accreditation Centre of the PMI. Hundreds of students have graduated with masters’ degrees since the MPM started in 1999, and several PhD (Project Management) degrees have also been awarded by the GSTM. Lecturers employed by the GSTM have been publishing extensively, both locally and internationally on project management. These publications include project management textbooks, conference papers and journal papers.
All continuing education courses of the GSTM are administered by Enterprises University of Pretoria (EUP) which is fully owned by the University of Pretoria. The Programme in Project Management (PPM) is well known in the industry as thousands of people have completed it since its inception in 1997. The PPM (course in Project Management) is offered in three alternative ways, (a) fully online, (b) the “Weekender” option that is taught in class on 8 Fridays and 8 Saturdays, and (c) the “Midweek” option that is taught in class in 4 blocks of 5 weekdays each.
Project Management Online Courses
The first module of the PPM can be studied as a stand-alone short course online called Project Management Principles, Practices and Scheduling that is offered at a competitive course fee. A whole variety of other online and face-to-face project management courses, including Exam Preparation for the PMI Exam, are also on offer at EUP.
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a very reputable university. Their Department of Information Systems is an Authorized Training Partner of the PMI and offers an online Project Management Foundations short course via GetSmarter.
The Stellenbosch University is another highly regarded institution that teaches a 2-year MBA Project Management with some digital class attendance in the second year. They also teach a 2-year post-graduate diploma in project management. Several people have attended their online short course in project management.
The Wits Business School offers an 8-week online short course comprising of 6 modules in project management via MasterStart.
Several colleges also offer project management courses. The following are some examples:
- MANCOSA
- MSC Business College
- Damelin College
- Skills Academy
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