Strategic Project Management

Course content

Overview Edinburgh Business School's MSc Strategic Project Management is designed and taught by experts in strategy, management, and organisational performance. It will equip you with the skills to become a successful leader in a global project-based environment. Our MSc Strategic Project Management offers you the opportunity to develop subject knowledge and skills across strategic management to formulate and implement appropriate organisation strategy and project management for the successful delivery of complex and transformative business strategies. The programme introduces project management and strategic management to those who have not yet studied the subject in-depth and is therefore suitable, regardless of the discipline you studied at undergraduate level. Our industry-focused masters will equip you with the best tools, techniques, and expertise to strengthen your practice of strategic project management across all industries. You’ll develop detailed knowledge of contemporary and pervasive issues in strategic project management, from both academic and professional perspectives. You’ll gain a critical understanding of emerging concepts within business strategy projects, including project portfolio management, programme management and project governance. You’ll examine sustainable competitive advantage and explore ways in which corporate vision is communicated and formulated into the business strategy. You’ll develop knowledge in establishing and monitoring quality within projects and gain the ability to apply leadership in strategy development and implantation. You’ll develop professional competence in project management and project programme management, which will make you highly sought after by employers upon graduation. Beyond the taught skills and knowledge, you’ll gain key transferrable skills which will set you up for your professional career. You’ll gain crucial written and verbal communication, leadership, teamwork, negotiation, conflict resolution and presentation skills which will allow for your continued professional development and transition to the workplace. You’ll be equipped with the ability to think critically, identify problems, evaluate options, and communicate solutions which will enable you to effectively implement your specialist knowledge to any project management issues you may face in your career. Throughout your studies, you’ll gain familiarity with standard software such as MS Word, Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, Visio and research databases and develop quantitative techniques in project management, quality management, procurement management and statistical analysis. You’ll have the opportunity to specialise and choose four optional courses – from competitive strategy, strategic innovation management, operations management, strategic change, organisational behaviour, managing diversity in business, green and sustainable logistics, international marketing, quality management, systems thinking and analysis, finance, and business start-up – to customise your learning and develop your specific interest. Your strategic project management dissertation will allow you to further build on these subject interests, by presenting you the opportunity to carry out an original research project at the forefront of knowledge. The knowledge base, subject and transferable skills you will gain will prepare you for lifelong learning and personal development. Our Expertise Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics whose work contributes to the Centre for Logistics and Sustainability which has fed into the UK Government’s carbon policy and the logistics operations of organisations such as: Tesco Coca-Cola John Lewis DHL Sainsbury’s Heriot-Watt University stands at the forefront of logistics research and specialises in the study of management, integration, reform, impact, and modelling of logistics activity, particularly from an environmental and sustainability perspective.

You’ll learn from academics, whose work provides government, industry, commercial and other sectors with insight into logistical trends, transport benchmarking and road use throughout the UK and Europe. Much of our research output is transformed into practical management guides, tools, and techniques.

The MSc Strategic Project Management programme is taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and group work allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your peers, the teaching staff and academics.

Outside of the classroom, you can join Heriot-Watt’s Business Society which holds regular social events and provides networking opportunities and insights into relevant career prospects.

You’ll learn from the core four courses, with the choice of four optional courses to explore the area of strategic project management that interests you the most. This gives you the opportunity to customise your degree to match your specific interests or career pathway by selecting a specialist course option.

In semester three, you’ll explore in-depth your chosen area of Strategic Project Management through your dissertation. You will be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from the analysis of valuable primary research.

You can choose whether to study the programme full-time, part-time, or by course. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle. The full-time course will last 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. If you decide to study part-time, you register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of your second year.

You may have the opportunity to Go Global on our Inter-Campus Transfer. Opportunities for postgraduate study abroad are assessed on a case-by-case basis and if you are interested in studying at our Dubai campus or Malaysia campus for a semester or longer, you should contact the Go Global Team .