Masters in Project Management (NUS)

[chill_lax]

Hi anybody out there currently taking or took this masters before? any comments? I am currently looking at this and am wondering if it will have any value-add to my future career prospects. Thanks!

 

[XiaoZen]

Hi anybody out there currently taking or took this masters before? any comments? I am currently looking at this and am wondering if it will have any value-add to my future career prospects. Thanks!

u in civil or building industry?

 

[chill_lax]

u in civil or building industry?

issit relevant in the building industry? my industry is more incline to building

 

[XiaoZen]

issit relevant in the building industry? my industry is more incline to building

erhmmm... the MSc is offer by department of building, school of design and environment.. =.=

 

[Ah_keong]

Would recommend if u are in the civil / building related industry.
If not, I would recommend PMP

 

[chill_lax]

erhmmm... the MSc is offer by department of building, school of design and environment.. =.=

haha..ok..did u take this before? hoping to hear feedbacks from ppl here on the course.. tinking of taking a masters, but not sure which one..

 

[chill_lax]

Would recommend if u are in the civil / building related industry.
If not, I would recommend PMP

oh ya..whats the diff between this and PMP?? which is more beneficial? can a person take both? or is one sufficient? which one has more value?

 

[darka2000]

PMP is generic framework. You can intelligently adapt the knowledge to various trades, including IT software.

If you already have competency in one, I reckon you can score with the other easily, it is more a waste of your time (repeat) rather than value add.

 

[XiaoZen]

oh ya..whats the diff between this and PMP?? which is more beneficial? can a person take both? or is one sufficient? which one has more value?

in ur resume, you put PMP under your certification or accreditation.
MSc - you put in ur education.

 

[Antz621]

issit relevant in the building industry? my industry is more incline to building

NUS's MSc PM is not industry-specific

 

[Ah_keong]

oh ya..whats the diff between this and PMP?? which is more beneficial? can a person take both? or is one sufficient? which one has more value?

Ca, you can take both. I have a friend taking the MSc course now.
From his notes, the examples and case studies are geared towards civil / building but of course one can adapt the knowledge gained to different fields

one is a education (MSc) and the other is a certification? (PMP)
In my opinion, I believe PMP is more worth it

 

[chill_lax]

Ca, you can take both. I have a friend taking the MSc course now.
From his notes, the examples and case studies are geared towards civil / building but of course one can adapt the knowledge gained to different fields

one is a education (MSc) and the other is a certification? (PMP)
In my opinion, I believe PMP is more worth it

ic..any idea what ur fren thinks bout the course? y PMP more worth it leh?
understand tat one can take the masters after 2 yrs of working experience but the PMPA requires a four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education. Sounds like not tat easy uh..

 

[Antz621]

ic..any idea what ur fren thinks bout the course? y PMP more worth it leh?
understand tat one can take the masters after 2 yrs of working experience but the PMPA requires a four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education. Sounds like not tat easy uh..

My colleague was offered admission last year. He also possessed a diverse range of PM experience in Petchem, Animation, IT and now O&G. His backgrd is Mech from NTU. He asked Prof Willie Tan (Course coordinator) the same qn as you did. The reply was: "ARE YOU NUTS? OF CSE MSc PM IS BETTER!". Ok. He would be dumb not to say so

35hrs of PM education can be met by taking the NUS's MSc PM course or the Ngee Ann Adelaide's MPM course. These are accredited with PMI. Having attained the Masters qualification deemed you having met the 35hrs of PM education required (although in actual fact you probably did 5-6x more by finishing the Masters!). Else, just attend any of those accredited training centre and clock the 35 hrs. IDA will reimburse you 75 or 80% of the course fees you paid if you can clear your PMP exam within a year from the date of completing the 35hrs course

4,500hrs of PM experience is relatively easy to clock if you are managing projects full-time in your job. 8hrs a day, 240hrs a month makes 2,880 hrs a year. So within 2-3 years you can easily clock the quota. You shouldn't find this criteria daunting at all. In fact, when I applied for my PMP eligibility, I declared 6,000+ hours when in actual fact I amassed 20,000 over hours in my 8.5 years of PM. Why I under-declared? Because you have to list down every single project details that you have done and the hours in each of the 5 domains that they specified. My eyes will go blur typing away what I did for the last 20,000 hrs!! So if you have been handling projects as part of your rice-bowl, I don't see any problems at all other than trying to pass the PMP at first go.

Good Luck!!

 

[chill_lax]

My colleague was offered admission last year. He also possessed a diverse range of PM experience in Petchem, Animation, IT and now O&G. His backgrd is Mech from NTU. He asked Prof Willie Tan (Course coordinator) the same qn as you did. The reply was: "ARE YOU NUTS? OF CSE MSc PM IS BETTER!". Ok. He would be dumb not to say so

35hrs of PM education can be met by taking the NUS's MSc PM course or the Ngee Ann Adelaide's MPM course. These are accredited with PMI. Having attained the Masters qualification deemed you having met the 35hrs of PM education required (although in actual fact you probably did 5-6x more by finishing the Masters!). Else, just attend any of those accredited training centre and clock the 35 hrs. IDA will reimburse you 75 or 80% of the course fees you paid if you can clear your PMP exam within a year from the date of completing the 35hrs course

4,500hrs of PM experience is relatively easy to clock if you are managing projects full-time in your job. 8hrs a day, 240hrs a month makes 2,880 hrs a year. So within 2-3 years you can easily clock the quota. You shouldn't find this criteria daunting at all. In fact, when I applied for my PMP eligibility, I declared 6,000+ hours when in actual fact I amassed 20,000 over hours in my 8.5 years of PM. Why I under-declared? Because you have to list down every single project details that you have done and the hours in each of the 5 domains that they specified. My eyes will go blur typing away what I did for the last 20,000 hrs!! So if you have been handling projects as part of your rice-bowl, I don't see any problems at all other than trying to pass the PMP at first go.

Good Luck!!

Thanks alot for your informative post! u r taking PMP now? have u taken the MSc PM before? So it is more advisable to take the MSc PM first then proceed on to PMP (if one ever want to take it)? what is the cohort size per intake? i understand that there is an interview before you are admitted into the course right?

Does taking the MSc PM or PMP really help in ur career? as in does employers really recognize the masters and u have an edge over the rest? i heard from others that having a masters may or may not necessary aid u in your career, in fact employers may prefer a person with a normal degree cos they r not obliged to pay him more.

sorry for my barrage of questions..just trying to understand more from ppl who r more experienced here..

 

[Antz621]

Thanks alot for your informative post! u r taking PMP now? have u taken the MSc PM before? So it is more advisable to take the MSc PM first then proceed on to PMP (if one ever want to take it)? what is the cohort size per intake? i understand that there is an interview before you are admitted into the course right?

Does taking the MSc PM or PMP really help in ur career? as in does employers really recognize the masters and u have an edge over the rest? i heard from others that having a masters may or may not necessary aid u in your career, in fact employers may prefer a person with a normal degree cos they r not obliged to pay him more.

sorry for my barrage of questions..just trying to understand more from ppl who r more experienced here..

Taken my PMP last May. I went with Adelaide's MPM instead of NUS because I was frequently outstationed in my prev job and hence unable to afford courses with regular classes. NUS's MSc PM intakes 30 students per 1/2 yearly and has a specific ratio to the quota of local students it will take. Interview wise I am not sure; but pretty competitive to get in because its fee is not much of a deterrence at all as compared to Adelaide's MPM.

With regards to your question on the priority between MSc and PMP, there is no hard and fast rule to the priority. But frankly, a PMP is a more sought after criteria rather than a Post Grad.

Having a Post Grad sets you aside from other potential candidates. Top it up with a PMP almost guarantees you an interview opportunity. BUT your working experience still counts in the qualifying stage so if you are a PMP + MSc with zero experience, you probably get yourself into the reserve list; although that may eventually place you at the top spot of it... Application of the theories during the interview will certainly helps so it's up to your own performance in the interview. My own personal experience is the MPM opens the door for me to move into another industry altogether and the interviewing sessions were not walkovers but somehow I managed to get past that stage. It may or may not applies to your case. End of the day, your working experience matters more than these 2 certifications

 

[chill_lax]

Taken my PMP last May. I went with Adelaide's MPM instead of NUS because I was frequently outstationed in my prev job and hence unable to afford courses with regular classes. NUS's MSc PM intakes 30 students per 1/2 yearly and has a specific ratio to the quota of local students it will take. Interview wise I am not sure; but pretty competitive to get in because its fee is not much of a deterrence at all as compared to Adelaide's MPM.

With regards to your question on the priority between MSc and PMP, there is no hard and fast rule to the priority. But frankly, a PMP is a more sought after criteria rather than a Post Grad.

Having a Post Grad sets you aside from other potential candidates. Top it up with a PMP almost guarantees you an interview opportunity. BUT your working experience still counts in the qualifying stage so if you are a PMP + MSc with zero experience, you probably get yourself into the reserve list; although that may eventually place you at the top spot of it... Application of the theories during the interview will certainly helps so it's up to your own performance in the interview. My own personal experience is the MPM opens the door for me to move into another industry altogether and the interviewing sessions were not walkovers but somehow I managed to get past that stage. It may or may not applies to your case. End of the day, your working experience matters more than these 2 certifications

Woah, can see the list of degrees and certifications you have got, impressive! hope to achieve half of what you had some day. haha. Do you mind sharing what are you doing now and how having MSc PM and PMP aided you in your job (and of cos increasing your pay).

I have a degree in engineering and have about 1-2 yrs of experience. Currently exploring my options on how to further improve myself. However, i hope to take something that is not so technical and specific and yet versatile so that I can move on to other industry with ease, if I ever want to. Other than courses like MBA or CFA, which are totally for another industry, I can only think of MSc PM which may be more versatile, are there any others out there?

As for PMP, there are a few places to go for the course, am i right? After finishing the 5 day course, I can apply separately to take the exam? i read from one of the website running the PMP Prep 5 day course, it states that the 35hrs pre-requisite of project management can be fulfilled by the 5 day course itself? how is the passing rate for PMP? Are there anywhere where I can take a look at the course syllabus and materials and also the past yr exam questions to have a feel of what PMP is about?

Sorry for all the questions again. I seriously hope ppl like you with vast experience out there can help and provide info for ppl like me and others browsing this thread to learn more.

 

[usukmordanidoo]

Woah, can see the list of degrees and certifications you have got, impressive! hope to achieve half of what you had some day. haha. Do you mind sharing what are you doing now and how having MSc PM and PMP aided you in your job (and of cos increasing your pay).

I have a degree in engineering and have about 1-2 yrs of experience. Currently exploring my options on how to further improve myself. However, i hope to take something that is not so technical and specific and yet versatile so that I can move on to other industry with ease, if I ever want to. Other than courses like MBA or CFA, which are totally for another industry, I can only think of MSc PM which may be more versatile, are there any others out there?

As for PMP, there are a few places to go for the course, am i right? After finishing the 5 day course, I can apply separately to take the exam? i read from one of the website running the PMP Prep 5 day course, it states that the 35hrs pre-requisite of project management can be fulfilled by the 5 day course itself? how is the passing rate for PMP? Are there anywhere where I can take a look at the course syllabus and materials and also the past yr exam questions to have a feel of what PMP is about?

Sorry for all the questions again. I seriously hope ppl like you with vast experience out there can help and provide info for ppl like me and others browsing this thread to learn more.

Have you considered applying a job as a Project Officer for the researchers in NUS or NTU? You can clock a decent pay (about 40-50 a year), do research for your thesis and get to know the professors.

That way, you can get paid, and get a proper sensing on what you want in your thesis, and score points with the professors.

That's what I heard from a friend who's in NTU.

 

[Antz621]

Woah, can see the list of degrees and certifications you have got, impressive! hope to achieve half of what you had some day. haha. Do you mind sharing what are you doing now and how having MSc PM and PMP aided you in your job (and of cos increasing your pay).

I have a degree in engineering and have about 1-2 yrs of experience. Currently exploring my options on how to further improve myself. However, i hope to take something that is not so technical and specific and yet versatile so that I can move on to other industry with ease, if I ever want to. Other than courses like MBA or CFA, which are totally for another industry, I can only think of MSc PM which may be more versatile, are there any others out there?

As for PMP, there are a few places to go for the course, am i right? After finishing the 5 day course, I can apply separately to take the exam? i read from one of the website running the PMP Prep 5 day course, it states that the 35hrs pre-requisite of project management can be fulfilled by the 5 day course itself? how is the passing rate for PMP? Are there anywhere where I can take a look at the course syllabus and materials and also the past yr exam questions to have a feel of what PMP is about?

Sorry for all the questions again. I seriously hope ppl like you with vast experience out there can help and provide info for ppl like me and others browsing this thread to learn more.

Sorry for the late reply pal... Currently working as a PM in the O&G industry. Being a US MNC, my co is very staunched about us having a PMP but in any case I pass my PMP 1 week before I start work in my current job so it wasn't the main factor in securing this job...

There are many more professional courses that you can undertake; but best is tailor to your field of study & work. Afterall, 行行出状元

There are a lot of PMP training centers in Singapore. And yes, either a 5 days full time class or a 5 weeks part-time class. PMP is not easy to pass; so if you are hoping to walk out of the exam hall with minimal effort, you either has to be damned lucky; or you are a solid practitioner. You can check out those PMP Exam Prep books available readily online or in Kinokuniya. Alternatively, if you undertake PMP trg, the provider should at least bundle some texts to go along with sample test questions included. One good book is by Rita Mulcahy. Unfortunately she passed away last year due to Breast Cancer so her latest prep book is still referencing to 4th Ed. The current PMBOK is already into its 5th Ed. Regardless, I find her text and practice questions on similar standard to the actual PMP exam. So you may wana check her book out. In addition, I also purchased a 800 practice questions book online and it helps quite a bit in aligning my understanding and thoughts on the PMP questions.

Don't do PMP for the sake of doing it. PMP exam cannot be possible if you do not have enough PM experience to qualify for it. And a PMP certification without the relevant PM skills/experiences to back it up is just another A4 sized paper for you to hang on the wall.

Have a good thought about it and Good Luck!~

 

[shearmanlee]

I have submitted my application, now waiting for nominate.

 

[chill_lax]

I have submitted my application, now waiting for nominate.

woo..all the best..hope you can get it..i m still thinking if i should take this masters..or take another masters and take PMP nx time..