Strategic Project Management - MSc

Next steps

Apply now Find out more

Postgraduate Open Event

Join us at our Canterbury campus on Saturday 1 April from 10:00 - 13:00 (BST). Hear from staff and students about our courses, find out about funding and discover more about our outstanding locations.

Book your place

Are you a transformational leader, with organisational skills and the ability to manage conflicting tasks and pressures?

Overview

Project Management is ever-growing and evolving as it is an imperative function to improve efficiency and transparency in modern businesses. A project manager (PM) is responsible for the day-to-day management of specific projects that have definite outcomes, time limits, and set budgets. The role of the Project Manager is evolving from day-to-day activities but also requires inspirational leadership.

The MSc Strategic Project Management course at Kent Business School is delivered by academic experts and co-developed with industry experts/leaders. You will develop a detailed background of Project Management and strategic theory and the imperative tools and processes project managers use in the business environment. MSc Strategic Project Management also comes with an optional Industrial Placement.

Watch our Postgraduate Placements video here.

Reasons to study MSc Strategic Project Management at Kent

  • Kent Business School is a ‘Triple Crown’ accredited business school placing us in the top 1% of business schools globally to be accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB
  • You’ll be part of a supportive community at our Medway campus, 40 minutes from London
  • You’ll learn from our expert teaching staff, many of which appear in the top 2% of researchers worldwide
  • You can increase your career prospects through an Industrial Placement or In-Company Student Consultancy Project, or even transform your idea into a business through the Business Start-Up Journey with ASPIRE
  • You’ll gain access to employability support from enrolment up to 3 years after graduation at the historic Rochester Cathedral

What you’ll learn

You’ll learn the capstone theories of Project Management including corporate strategy, leadership and change management and areas vital to a career in Project Management such as Risk Management, Agile Project Management and the Project Management Office. You will end your Master's with a detailed report on an independent research project with a dedicated expert supervisor. You will be given the opportunity to apply your expertise in a critical analysis of real data from real businesses.

See the modules you’ll study

“I love the fact that our professors are industry specialists, so they have hands-on experience in what they are teaching.”

~ Sapna Tiwari, Project Management 2021

Featured video

Watch to find out why you should study at Kent.

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK degree, or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification in a variety of subject areas is accepted for entry into this course.

All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications. 

International students

Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.

English language entry requirements

The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree. Certain subjects require a higher level.

For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages. 

Need help with English?

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

Apply now

In the news

Form

Sign up for email updates

Course structure

Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

This programme consists of 10 compulsory modules in Stage 1 with Stage 2 finishing with a piece of project management-related research.

 The MSc Project Management programme is available with an optional industrial placement, which will require you to complete the Industrial Placement Report.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Stage 1

Compulsory modules currently include:

BUSN9128 - Corporate Strategy and Performance Measurement (15 credits)

BUSN9186 - Agile Project Management (15 credits)

BUSN9122 - Leadership and Change Management (15 credits)

BUSN9201 - Research Methods and Consulting Skills (15 credits)

BUSN9125 - Consultancy Skills and Practice (15 credits)

BUSN9113 - Programme and Project Management (15 credits)

BUSN9187 - Project Benefits Management (15 credits)

BUSN9189 - Project Management Office (15 credits)

BUSN9192 - Strategic Portfolio Management (15 credits)

BUSN9191 - Project Risk Management (15 credits)

Stage 2

Compulsory modules currently include:

BUSN9188 - Research Project (30 credits)

Teaching

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

We use a variety of teaching methods, including:

  • lectures
  • small group seminars
  • group projects
  • presentations
  • expert speakers
  • company visits
  • computer-based workshops.

Classroom-based learning is supported by the latest online technologies and learning platforms.

Assessment

Your progress on this course is assessed through a variety of means, including:

  • written examinations
  • essays
  • presentations
  • reports
  • projects
  • computer based quizzes.

Students wishing to undertake the optional industrial placement will be required to successfully complete all stage 1 modules. The Industrial Placement is assessed by the completion of the Industrial Placement Report.

Industrial Placement

Industrial placements are the perfect way for you to enhance your career prospects and deepen your understanding of a specific area of expertise. This MSc programme is available with the option to take an in-company or self-employed industrial placement of up to 12 months (visa dependent), allowing you to gain work experience in the UK or overseas.

Fees

January entry

The annual tuition fees for students starting this course in January 2023 can be found on the Student Finance page.


The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:
  • Home full-time £11700
  • EU full-time £16400
  • International full-time £21900
  • Home part-time N/A
  • EU part-time N/A
  • International part-time N/A

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Additional costs

General additional costs

Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent. 

Funding

Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:

trophy Scholarships

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

Which one's right for you?

Some other similar courses you may be interested in.

Independent rankings

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 80% of our research was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. The school’s environment was judged to be conducive to supporting the development of high calibre research.

Research

Research areas

Kent Business School is a research-led business school. Our research strategy is developed around the core theme of sustainable innovation which cuts across the entire School. This theme can be seen as being divided into two sub-strands of research aimed at answering these main questions:

  • How can innovation that enables sustainable long-term economic growth be created and supported?
  • How can sustainable business practices improve environmental and social conditions?

Kent Business School advances knowledge through constant promotion and support of innovative research. We have an impact on wider society through extensive collaborations with external partners which range from other academic institutions to a variety of local, national and international businesses as well as the NHS. Within this wider context, our main strategic aim has been geared towards establishing ourselves as a leading institution for research in sustainable innovation.

Kent Business School is a global leader in research and develops a wide portfolio of research related activities including workshops, conferences and research seminar series. This has led to a large number of international collaborations and to over 200 co-authored papers with international partners.

Research groups

Accounting

Specialising in public-sector critical accounting and accounting history.

Finance

Looking into a wide array of financial issues from derivatives pricing to real-estate modelling.

Management Science

Innovating in wide-ranging topics such as operational research and systems thinking.

Marketing

Studying issues surrounding consumer behaviours, product development and maintaining value supply chains among others.

People, Management and Organisation

Specialising in improving human resource management, organisational behaviour and leadership.

Strategy and International Business

Helping in the development of innovative business strategies for business all over the world.

Research centres

Centre for Logistics and Heuristic Optimisation

Helping companies to solve complex strategic, tactical and operational problems.

Centre of Productivity and Workplace Performance

Contribute to the productivity debate and drive improvements at all levels; from the national economic output, to changes in the ways SME’s operate.

Centre for Quantitative Finance

Providing quantitative analysis of issues in the financial markets for businesses and policy makers.

TIME

Helping both academics and practitioners tackle the challenges emerging from the rapid development of new digital technologies

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Humanitarian Logistic, European, The International Journal of Project Management, International Journal of Human Resources Management, International Business Review, Journal of Business Research, Technology Forecasting, and Social Change.

Careers

Successful KBS graduates: graduate destinations

Our Project Management graduates find work in project management positions in varying business, in the form of consultancy, freelance and employed work both overseas and in the UK in a wide range of companies and organisations, including:

  • Deloitte 
  • Fujitsu Services Ltd
  • Huawei
  • BP
  • JP Morgan & Chase
  • City Sprint

Many of our students also stay local and find job opportunities regionally in small and medium firms or even set-up their own businesses as well-equipped entrepreneurs.

Embedded employability: developing career-enhancing skills

You gain much more than an academic qualification when you graduate. We enhance your student experience and accelerate your career prospects to help you achieve your ambition. 

From the moment you start with us, our efforts are focused on helping you gain the knowledge, skills and experience you need to thrive in an increasingly competitive workplace. As part of the course, undertake an Industrial Placement or opt for an In-Company Scheme to work on a real business case study. Go on our Business Start-up Journey and transform your idea into a business through ASPIRE. Our qualified careers practitioners provide support for up to three years after graduation. 

Additionally, the Postgraduate Employability Edge programme, available to PGT students at Kent Business School takes place from Welcome Week through to the end of the academic year and is designed to enhance your career prospects further.

Study support

A friendly and supportive environment

Our lively and active postgraduate community is brought about in part by our strong research culture and by the close community between our staff and students. Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books and embed their research in their teaching. 

Students have regular contact with their course and module conveners with staff on hand to answer any questions and to provide helpful and constructive feedback on submitted work. 

You can also get involved with extra-curricular academic and social activities with guest lectures, talks and workshops organised by our academic staff, research centres and the ASPIRE team. You can catch up with our most recent Open for Business Seminar Series.

State-of-the-art facilities

Our Medway campus is full of history and offers a unique experience to our students. We have recently moved to the Pembroke site, our new Medway home. This move puts Kent Business School at the heart of the Medway Campus, a former Royal Naval base combining historic and new buildings. You can find the Drill Hall Library, the Deep End where Kent Union at Medway are based and the Oasis lounge right on campus.  

Off campus, there is lots to do in the historic town of Rochester and nearby Chatham, with cinemas, theatres and good shopping. London is just 40 minutes away by fast train. 

Worldwide partnerships

Kent Business School has close links with: ifs (Institute of Financial Services); dunnhumby, who partners the Consumer Insight Service in the Centre for Value Chain Research; Hong Kong Baptist University, with whom we offer a joint Master’s programme in Operational Research and Finance Business Statistics; University of Castellanza (Italy); Audencia Nantes Business School (France); Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Denmark); Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; University of Ingolstadt, Bayern (Germany); City University of Hong Kong; Renmin University of China, School of Business.

Global Skills Award

All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.

Apply now

Learn more about the application process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.

You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.

Apply for entry to:

Contact us

bubble-text

United Kingdom/EU enquiries

MSc at Medway

Admissions enquiries

Telephone: +44 (0)1227 827726

Fax: +44 (0)1227 761187

Email: kbsadmissions@kent.ac.uk

Book a video chat with a KBS Admissions Expert

earth

International student enquiries

Enquire online

T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

network

School website

Kent Business School