Masters Degree in Project Management

I was searching for an affordable, online master's degree program that offered project management and/or leadership. Granite State College is that place! I have been enrolled for just under a year, and I love the programs offered. I am enrolled in the MSLD with a focus in Project Management and I wouldn't change a thing. The director of the program is wonderful and very attentive to the students' needs. The classes are fun and interactive even though they are all online. I am highly looking forward to graduating this coming December!

- Jana

After years of dead-end jobs, I decided to get my degree so that I could advance and do something that I loved. Granite State College has given my that opportunity. I am almost done with my degree in psychology with a minor in business. I have done all my coursework online and have absolutely loved every minute of it. The instructors have been the best, as have been my fellow students. Next in store for me is my master's degree in project management, of course to be done here at good ol' GSC!!

- Jay

I lost my job in 2011 and don’t remember how many job interviews I have been on. It really takes a toll on your self-esteem. I am now enrolled in the master's degree program for Project Management. Granite State College has helped restore my self-esteem and improve my resume. I take classes online which helps my budget and being in the Project Management program has substantially improved my professional network. The job interviews I am going on now are much more positive and I am certain I will be working soon.

- Louise

GSC has been so perfect for my hectic lifestyle since I have become a mom. I love being able to get my degree online at my own pace and on my own schedule. With only a few classes left until finishing my bachelor's degree, I am already looking into getting my master's degree in project management - I would miss GSC if I had to leave!

- Tali

I was 36 years old and working in a manufacturing environment with really no idea what I wanted to do next in life. I had been in the US Navy for over 9 years, had built and sold my successful company that I owned for 7 years, and had relocated to NH to my wife's hometown. The Quality Manager that I worked for encouraged me to go to college and get my degree. My response was, "I will be 40 years old before I could finish my degree!" The Quality Manager looked me in the eye and said, "you can turn 40 with or without a degree, the choice is yours and no one is promised tomorrow." I began my college adventure at Granite State College and graduated at the age of 40 with a 3.98 GPA with a B.S. in Business Management.

At the age of 40 I applied for a Naval Officer program that would require me to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS). A couple months later, I received the call saying that I was selected as one of the eleven candidates out of 109 that had applied that month. I graduated from OCS at the age of 41 and, just barely making the maximum age limit. I have been back in the US Navy over three years now and have one of the best jobs you could hope for. At the ripe age now of 44 I have returned to Granite State College once again, this time to complete my M.S. in Project Management.

I have been fortunate enough to do some really neat things in life, like being stationed onboard a nuclear ballistic missile submarine, being a Navy Diver and locking out of submarines, building a successful company, and now the honor to be a Naval Officer. I would not be a Naval Officer today if it were't for Granite State College. I am grateful every day that I get up just to have the opportunity to still wear the uniform.

I am not sure where the master's degree will take me when it's all done, but what I do know is that I am ready for the adventure that it brings next. Thank you to the staff and to Granite State College for opening so many doors for Amy and me. Life isn't perfect, but Life is Good!

- Scottie

When Granite State College offered the Master of Science Program in Project Management in an online setting at an affordable rate, I jumped at the opportunity. I had been looking for a Master's Degree Program specifically in my career field as a Project Manager, and this provided me the opportunity to go back to school while maintaining an extremely busy work and home schedule. The instructors are knowledgeable, engaging, and encouraging, and the cirriculum is extremely relevant for today's project managers. I would highly recommend this program to other individuals.

- Brenda

Occasionally, I meet up with a potential graduate student who has a touch of anxiety about writing their statement of intent, one of the application components for Granite State College's Master's Degree Programs. I gently explain that it is 500-1000 word statement which includes professional goals and aspirations, motivation for applying for the degree, and relevant formal or informal experiences. I suggest that they start by predicting their career future. Where do they see themselves in a few years? What narrative can they bring to the program? Review the course descriptions carefully, envision the skills taught in GSC graduate classes, and apply them personally and professionally. Review the Granite State College practitioner based graduate faculty. Where do they work? What can you gain from their real world experience? After these brief suggestions to the applicant, I sense relief on their part.

The greatest presumed anxiety on graduate essay writing is marketed to the upper tier and ivy b-school applicants. You can hire an editor, work with a coach, or just purchase one. I found a multitude of options on the internet. What is most alarming is that, if you think you are darn good enough for an elite school, one would hope that penning the perfect picture of your business acumen would be YOU. A well thought out and perfectly written statement about YOU can only come from YOU.

The GSC Office of Graduate Studies understands that you are who you are. You want to succeed and we're here to see that you do. Our degrees are concise, focused, and applicable to numerous businesses and industries.

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. It’s a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals - and thus, better compete in their markets--according to the Project Management Institute (PMI).

The Master of Science in Leadership program focuses on an action-learning approach, intended to leverage the interdisciplinary backgrounds of participants and help build leadership competencies. We believe that the principles of leadership, when mastered, are applicable in any environment – whether commerce, education, health care, government, or social services.

To find out more about GSC's programs, give us a call at 603.513.1135 or visit www.granite.edu. And, relax about writing our essay, we know you can do it.

You can run, but you can’t hide—in online.

If you have never taken an online course, or have free floating anxiety about logging into a classroom, please read on. Some of the potential students I meet in information sessions, graduate school fairs, or speak with on the phone, have a huge block of fear when it comes to learning this way. At Granite State College (GSC), we offer two master’s degree programs: an M.S. in Leadership and M.S. in Project Management. We do offer a few graduate courses in Concord, Portsmouth, and Manchester - however, the majority of the Master of Science classes are often online.

Laura was an adult Granite State College student for several years, furiously working towards completing her baccalaureate degree while taking part time classes. She was a professional HR director, and GSC helped her get to where she wanted to be. She loved taking courses at GSC, and had taken them in all delivery methods - hybrid, weekend, evening, and online courses. I was delighted to meet Laura at a conference recently - her enthusiasm for lifelong learning was infectious. I thought she would be a great master's candidate for either the Project Management or Leadership program.

As she was nearing the end of her undergraduate career, the last course she needed to complete was Interpersonal Communication. It was a course offered online and she had every intention of taking it, even with its ironic online delivery. While telling me her story, I flashed back to my undergraduate days. I took Interpersonal Communication in a decade when online learning was not available. I quickly assumed it could only be a classroom course, learning the art and science of successful communication. I paused in my thoughts and was preparing for the worst. How could a college create this online? I prepared for a sympathetic reply.

As she continued her enthusiasm for (what I thought) was a pedagogical mish mash of course delivery gone wrong, I started to listen closer. Her family and friends thought she was making an error in judgment.  "Don’t do it," they said. "You’re crazy." She took the course successfully and told me it was the best course she ever took. The posts were lively, deep, and thoughtful. She made friends with a number of people in the virtual classroom. “You can’t hide in an online learning platform. Students who are shy in a classroom can’t hide in online learning. You can also think about your posts, edit, and get your point across clearly.” Her sales pitch was right on queue. And, I know she is correct.

This brief encounter with Laura gives me more fuel and intelligence for the GSC graduate programs. I have chatted with potential students who feel the same way Laura’s friends and family did. The anxiety about getting a graduate degree online can be eradicated when you listen to Laura's story. She preferred her online courses. It was her time. She’d get up at 5:00 a.m. and start her coursework before the day got away from her. Laura is now applying to Master of Science in Leadership, and is very excited about the incredibly flexible, affordable, and relevant program. “It’s time to do it. And, I love that I can take it online.”

 

This week the Nashua Telegraph published this special feature:

Image source:  nashuatelegraph.com
 

What we think is especially compelling is the section that profiles the business leaders of the next 20 years. We were proud to read about Nashua Community College's President, Lucille Jordan, and honored that GSC was mentioned as part of her story:

"Forty percent of [NCC] students transfer to four-year institutions to earn their bachelor's degree.

Making that easier is this year is the fact that Granite State College, part of the University System of New Hampshire, is now 'co-located' at NCC."
 

We are new to Nashua and this feature served as a great inspiration for what we can accomplish with their community. For example...

We have the opportunity to provide a convenient pathway for NCC students to expand their education goals and pursue a bachelor's degree with GSC

We can help business leaders retain their best employees with our master's degree programs like the M.S. in Leadership and M.S. in Project Management

We can engage with the healthcare community through our RN to BSN degree program

K-12 educators can pursue teacher certifications in the critical shortage areas in education and help to make a difference in the Nashua School District

These are just a few of our current goals in Nashua and we can't wait to lay our roots deep and explore the possibilities.

Congratulations to ALL who were honored in the "Nashua 50 and Next 20." Thank you for all that you do!
 

My life has changed so much over the past couple years. The wedding of my daughter, the move to Michigan and my new job--many changes, that is for sure. I am enjoying my new job. Learning has always been my passion. I was in my previous job for almost five years, and it was time for a change. It is such a big change from coming from a business center to a smaller, more contained office.  The atmosphere was very different and the norms were challenging.  Challenging is a good word for the past couple years, but if we don't have that challenge in our life, it can get boring. 

I have had many challenges over the years.  How to manage with four children, how to build a house living in another state, how to finish school when the company transferred me out of state... We all take on challenges every day even if we don't realize it at the moment.  We are challenged in our jobs, our homes, our goals, and our dreams.  I am thinking about taking on that challenge of going back to school for my master's degree. I have thought about it a lot over the past couple of days. Getting a Masters degree in Project Management would be one of the best fields of study I could go into.  Projects are a constant norm where I work, and knowing how to manage a major project would open doors I never thought would be possible.  Maybe I need that challenge....maybe I need to push myself forward!!

I read a recent survey of the cost of a graduate degree—and it got me thinking. Here’s what I am trying to understand: A Mercedes-Benz is expensive. You can find a model for $80K. Yes, it is aesthetically beautiful, comfortable, and prestigious. A Toyota Prius is roughly one-third of the cost of the Benz. The Prius is practical, well-designed, and extremely fuel efficient. However, the most important similarity is that both cars get the driver to the same place.

Fast forward to graduate programs in New Hampshire. There are many choices. Do they get you to the same place? Granite State College’s Master of Science in Leadership and MS in Project Management offer similar curriculum and assessments linked to professional standards as other higher-priced institutions, extremely good student customer service and care, pragmatic skills for an evolving and global marketplace, faculty who are experts in their subject matter, online and in-person course options, and finally, affordability.

If you are interested in looking further into an experience at Granite State College, and into the Master of Science in Leadership and the Master of Science in Project Management—I will be in Durham on Wednesday, August 8, from 12 to 1pm to conduct a drop-in info session at Memorial Union, Theater One. I hope to see you there!

It's official. Our mobile classroom is up and we're ready to enroll students at our new co-location at Nashua Community College for the Fall term!

On Thursday, July 26th, we co-hosted a celebration with NCC to announce our new partnership. The highlight of the event was the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Here's an "action shot" of NCC President Lucille Jordan, Governor John Lynch, Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, and GSC President Todd Leach cutting the ribbon!

The courses offered on NCC's campus are designed so those with an associate degree can easily leverage this experience into an affordable bachelor degree program. We will be featuring classes for the B.S. in Business Management, B.S. in Psycholgoy, B.S. in Applied Studies (Management Option), the B.A. in Individualized Studies, Teacher Certification Courses, and classes in the Masters Degree in Project Management and M.S. in Leadership programs.

Click here to learn more!
 

I had the most amazing weekend and also the most challenging weekend I have had in a long, long time. I was part of the West Michigan Breakaway MS bike event.  I raised money to help the society with research and hopefully, find a cure for MS.  There were so many people at this event. All kinds of people, from all walks of life and all ages.  I rode with a lady I had never met before. She worked for the same company as I did but a different building. We met that evening for the first time when she walked through the door at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. We were staying in the dorm and were linked as roommates by the registration coordinator for the event. We instantly bonded and had great conversation until late that night. We had to get some sleep because we were riding our road bikes in the morning, one hundred miles. Yep, you read that right, a century ride.  I have been training to do the ride for the past couple of months so I had this goal. It wasn't really her goal but she was in as long as I rode with her the following day. So, that was our plan. Ride together at a good pace, make the 75 mile loop by 3:00pm and finish the last 25 before 5ish.  We did it and then there was the next day. I wasn't real keen on riding a century again, but I actually felt better than I thought I would. The following day was another great day, but a tiring 58 mile loop. Going across that finish line both days was spectacular. It was an accomplishment and I had felt the power of doing a century. Going to Granite State College gave me a similar feeling of accomplishment. I accomplished getting my degree later in life. I had the same determination I had riding my bike as I did when I took all those classes to get my BS degree in Business Management. I have often thought about taking Project Management Masters Program courses and may do that someday down the road.  With evening college classes, it would be possible. It is all possible: biking, school etc. You just have to have the drive to succeed to gain that power.  

My teen daughter says that she "hates" science. She won't believe me when I tell her that, as Kurt Vonnegut said, "Science is magic that works."

I didn't like science that much when I was in high school either. I think it was because of all the memorizing and rules. It seemed so disjointed and unconnected to my life. It wasn't until I was older that I could appreciate the field better. It's all about the context really and it's too bad more teachers don't present it that way.

Because science is really just a way of figuring out the world, the universe, and life itself-- the mysteries of everything we know. It's like science is Sherlock Holmes and we're the less capable Dr. Watson who serve as simultaneous bystanders and assistants. When you think about it that way, it sounds so much more fun! This is how I started to try to make science more interesting for my daughter, and it does help that Robert Downey, Jr. has made Holmes more current, but she still didn't really buy it.

She is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series though, so I tried to draw a correlation between wizardry and science. Potions class is like Chemistry, Herbology is Botany, Quiddich employs physics, broomstick-flying involves understanding gravity, genetics can be explored to create three-headed dogs and giant spiders, inventing flying cars involves engineering, learning about space took place in Hogwarts' Astronomy Tower, and you can't study the Care of Magical Creatures without Zoology.

Photo credit: http://memoirmode.com

She's starting to come around a little, but I still have some convincing to do. It doesn't help that as a teen, she's naturally inclined to doubt most of what I say.

Eventually though, I hope to foster her curiosity about the world so she continues to want to learn beyond high school and into college. I want her to be personally invested in taking college classes, not just because it's the next step in her life, but because higher education, whether it's through taking weekend college classes in science or online college English classes, connects everything around us and enriches our life experiences. In addition to career advancement education, I want her to be inspired by the joy of learning itself.

Who knows? Maybe she'll eventually find the value in learning science and find herself majoring in psychology or astrophysics. Or maybe she'll find her passion by pursuing a Masters degree in Project Management or English Literature. Whatever path she decides to take, hopefully she'll see it as magical.

It's Christmastime, the decorations are out, the carolers are warming up, the shopping season is in full swing, and it's time to reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of the past year.  If I were making a list, the first item in both the Challenges column and the Accomplishments column would be the pursuit of a Masters Degree in Project Management.  

The challenge lies in the fact that I haven't been a college student in, oh, let's just say, a very long time.  Not only am I enrolled in the very first graduate degree program offered at Granite State College, I am in the very first cohort scheduled to graduate in 2013.  I am so proud and excited to be part of such an illustrious group of bright, dedicated and funny people...I really like this thing called adult higher education!  

In the accomplishment column I proudly include the completion of the first of ten terms in the project management masters program.  This term was made up of two six-week classes - PM 804 Project Management Seminar and PM 804 Leading Teams; both were excellent courses.  My preferred delivery method for instruction is face to face, on the ground at our Manchester NH campus.  Of course, for those of you who would rather operate completely in the digital world, you always have the option of taking any of our adult college courses online. 

It is interesting now that I am immersed in the world of project management...all that we do in life is a project in one way or another.  I see it all around me.  The applications, tools and techniques of project management can be applied to everything from planning a holiday party to putting a man on the moon. 

Now there's a thought...how might I apply what I've learned so far in my project management classes to make my holiday season just a little less stressful and a bit more organized? 

Project Scope:  Just what do I want to accomplish this holiday season?  I certainly don't want to bite off more than I can chew so I had better define exactly what I will and can commit to this year.

Project Team:  My family...who is responsible for what and can we accomplish everything we have identified in our project scope?

Project Planning:  Creating a task list (work breakdown structure in project management speak) that includes all of the typical activities (cards, gifts, parties, decorations, food, etc.) around the holiday would be helpful.

Project Risk:  Have you ever had your heart set on a particular gift for someone only to find the gift is not available, or that the cost exceeds your budget?  Contingency plans are always a good idea.

Project Close:  The holidays are over; now is the time to assess what worked and what didn't...lessons learned are a very valuable tool at the close of any project, but only if you use them.

So as you think about everything you have to do for the holidays, remember these four easy steps to help you along:  plan, execute, manage and close.  Wishing you a very merry and stress free holiday season!


GSC Factoid:  Granite State College offers the most affordable continuing education in the state and is the University System's leading online provider.