Contemplating postgraduate study? Consider Curtin Sarawak’s Project Management programme

Miri – 4 November, 2009 – Talented individuals holding undergraduate degrees wishing to  further their education, increase their skill and knowledge base and advance their careers through postgraduate study might want to consider the distinctive Project Management programme offered by Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus (Curtin Sarawak).

Curtin Sarawak offers Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master of Science degree courses in Project Management which help students gain the understanding, knowledge and skills necessary for becoming effective project managers.

By offering a generic approach to the discipline, Curtin Sarawak makes the qualifications applicable to a wide range of industries, including construction, engineering, education, health, commerce, information technology, and research and development.

Furthermore, the programme’s teaching staff have extensive professional experience in Project Management and offer practical relevancy to student learning.

“Project management might be a distinct professional discipline, with its own body of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques, but our programme’s unique generic approach makes them applicable to a variety of industries. Our project management courses are in fact among the first to be generic rather than industry-specific, and are furthermore endorsed by the Australian Institute of Project Management and approved by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education,” says Vice Pro-Chancellor Professor Dr. John Evans.

He adds that the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training has predicted that project management will be the fastest-growing occupation by 2010, and Curtin Sarawak is offering its programmes to help meet the growing global demand for project management professionals.

In the Graduate Certificate in Project Management course, students will examine project management and its processes, including history, definitions, attributes, body of knowledge, objectives and success. They will explore the characteristics and activities of the project life cycle, along with the functions of planning, organisation and control, as well as consider cost and value management processes within a project environment, including methods and techniques of estimating, budgeting and controlling. Time management is also a focus of this course, covering time programming and scheduling, line of balance, time estimating, constraints, resources, control monitoring, analysis and reporting.

Their studies will be supported by an exploration of organisational development and the design of organisational structures, including perceptions, personality, motivation, leadership, group processes, performance appraisal, conflict and work redesign.

The structure of this course varies depending on which semester students commence their studies in.

Entering the Graduate Certificate in Project Management course requires an appropriate Bachelor degree from a recognised tertiary institution and a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience, or a minimum of five years’ relevant management experience.

The Graduate Diploma in Project Management course, meanwhile, requires an appropriate Bachelor degree from a recognised tertiary institution and a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience, or a Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

The course builds on the curriculum of the graduate certificate to include topics in project quality, risk and procurement management and managerial effectiveness. Students will explore the application of quality management to projects, including planning, assurance, certification, audits, control, training, benchmarking and best practice. They will identify types of risks and learn risk analysis techniques. The function of contracting and procurement, and the acquisition process and contract administration are also examined.

In addition, they will develop skills effective managers use in order to carry out the people-oriented tasks of management.

For both these courses, applications for recognition of prior learning are assessed on an individual basis. The fee-paying courses are for one-year part-time study.

The Master of Science (Project Management) course builds on the curriculum of the graduate diploma to incorporate studies in strategic planning, stakeholder management, communication management and project management information systems. Students will also prepare and develop an individual research project report under the guidance of experienced academic staff.

The prerequisite for entry to the Master of Science (Project Management) course is an appropriate Bachelor degree from a recognised tertiary institution and a minimum two years’ relevant work experience, or a Graduate Certificate in Project Management. Applications for recognition of prior learning are assessed on an individual basis.

Postgraduate study at Curtin Sarawak is growing rapidly as the university gains wider recognition as a leading provider of business education in the region. At Curtin Sarawak, you can choose to complete a range of postgraduate programmes such Business (including Master of Business Administration and Master of Accounting) and Engineering (Master of Engineering and Master of Science), as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme, besides the Project Management programme.

A key factor attracting students worldwide to the university is its internationally-recognised Curtin qualifications, which are accredited by numerous international as well as national professional associations and governmental agencies, attesting to their quality and giving them much added value. Indeed, every aspect of academic programmes at Curtin Sarawak are identical to those offered at Curtin’s main campus in Perth.

In addition, the quality of the teaching and learning environment, the reputation of its academics and the application of up-to-date teaching and learning methodologies and technologies allow students to gain an exceptional learning experience.

Curtin Sarawak was established in 1999 as the first offshore campus of Western Australia’s Curtin University of Technology at the invitation of the Sarawak State Government, which recognised the need for a tertiary institution of international calibre to match Miri’s tremendous growth.

In a matter of ten years hence, Curtin Sarawak has become one of the leading international universities in Malaysia, attracting students from all over the world to its state-of-the-art campus amidst a beautiful garden setting in Miri. Currently, there are some 2,800 students from throughout Malaysia and over 40 other countries studying at Curtin Sarawak.

For more information of Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my. To enquire specifically about its Project Management programmes, e-mail PG.enquiry@curtin.edu.my or contact its Student Recruitment Department at +60 85 443939.

Curtin Sarawak’s scenic garden campus in Miri, Sarawak.