What can you do with a master’s degree in project management?
Results-oriented management styles are increasingly becoming popular in the business world. Leaders and managers are encouraging innovation and creativity to solve business problems and encouraging their employees to collaborate with each other.
Owing to the increasing specialisation in corporate roles and functions, company operations are being broken down into smaller projects with individual managers handling them.
Project management has become one of the most in-demand corporate skills, and there is a huge career scope of project management. In fact, according to the Project Management Institute, the demand for project managers will outstrip the supply in the next 10 years.
It is, therefore, the right time to consider a career in project management. A project management background can allow you to ensure that the projects allotted to you are completed with utmost quality within the allotted time. With the demand for able project managers spanning different industries, a relevant course can also promise career diversity.
Here are a few fascinating career options that you can target with a master’s degree in project management under your belt.
- Project associate
This is an entry-level position so you have the option to begin immediately after your graduation. Project associates report directly to project managers and overlook different aspects of the project. They also learn to provide administrative and technical support to complete the projects within the allotted time and budget.
According to Glassdoor.ie, a project associate or assistant can earn around €24,886 per year in Berlin.
- Quality assurance tester
With so many apps and tools being released in the software market each month, there is a constant demand for quality assurance testers who can ensure that these apps are designed according to specifications and meet user requirements.
The role requires you to work closely with the project lead/ manager to create test cases and ensure the quality of the app or tool being released. According to Indeed.com, a quality assurance tester can earn around €31,292 annually in Germany.
- Assistant event planner
Different events like conferences, parties or concerts can also be thought of as projects, with the end product being the event. Therefore, you need ample project management skills to begin your career in the event management industry as an assistant event planner.
Event planners have to coordinate with different vendors and clients to ensure client satisfaction within the allotted time and budget. The role can teach you a lot about different project management aspects such as coordination, scheduling, budgeting and logistics management.
As per data released by Payscale.com, assistant event planners can earn around €28,010 annually in Berlin.
- Business communication analyst
Ensuring collaboration and communication between different teams associated with a project is an essential responsibility for a project manager. The role of a business communication analyst makes this project management aspect into a specialisation.
These professionals facilitate the communication between team members or the development team with the end-users. The role of a business communication analyst can be especially important for technical products where users and the development team have difficulties understanding each other’s expectations.
Payscale.com reports that business communication analysts in Germany make around €38,815 every year.
- User liaison
User liaisons play an important role in most project management teams. They act as a customer representative in project meetings and communications to ensure that the end product meets the expectations and requirements of the target audience.
Although this is a specialised role in MNCs, user liaisons can take up additional responsibilities like business communications and agile product management in smaller companies.
According to Glassdoor.com, user liaisons in Germany can make around €66,276 each year.
Other suitable project management careers include sales managers, office managers, logistics coordinators, marketing analysts and senior project managers.
A master’s degree in project management can provide relevant transferable skills like time management and leadership that can be useful even if you wish to switch careers later. If you are unwilling to invest in an advanced course like a master’s programme outright, you can start with a diploma and work your way up to the advanced course.
The MSc Project Management offered at GISMA Business School in Berlin is awarded by The University of Law Business School, and should be on your radar if you are looking for appropriate project management courses. This project management programme will help you pick up the relevant project management skills and techniques for handling huge company projects using lean and agile principles.
Know more about the Project Management course
– This article was written by Sweha Hazari.