Programme and Project Management MSc
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Programme and Project Management MSc
Fees and Funding 2027/28 Entry
Full UK Fee: TBC
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050 (subject to Parliamentary approval, along with 2026/27 fees) Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: TBC
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
ADDITIONAL COSTS
TBC
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Modules Overview 2026/27
Modules
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
Year one
LD7163 -
Financial and Contractual Management (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn the various financial and contractual models popular for the effective and efficient delivery of programmes and projects. Specifically the module will examine a broad range of applicable tools relating to financial decision-making in the pre-project environment, during the project’s implementation and for post-project review. It will consider the key contractual considerations in the formation of an effective contract strategy; the formation of contracts, their discharge or termination, the control of change and dispute resolution.
Overall, this module assists in defining the levels of responsibility and accountability of a project manager. The module will cover the following key subjects, such as:
• The project’s economic environment: general economic theory; financial reporting, ratio analysis, determinants for solvency, business case appraisals, methods of project finance, and evaluating project portfolios.
• The Professional economic environment; general economic theory; resourcing, forecasting (risk and uncertainty), cash flow and professional services marketing.
• The Contracting economic environment: efficient risk allocation, contract formation, budgeting and cost management, contract administration, assessing delays and earned value analysis. Social Economic environments: public and private sector distinctions in procurement.
LD7165 -
Leading Change, Risk and Opportunities (Core,20 Credits)
This module is designed to help you lead change initiatives in a project management context.
Specifically the module will develop your critical appreciation of key theories and practices that inform the steering of projects for the delivery of benefits and how they enable you to respond to the challenges of managing organisational change initiatives.
Furthermore, the module integrates several topics under each of the competencies within relevant Project Management Bodies of Knowledge: Contextual, Behavioural and Technical.
Specifically you will learn to:
• ensure that the benefits of change are understood and pursued through reliable decision-making
• promote effective identification and management of risks and opportunities throughout the life-cycle of projects
• enable processes that capture and assess potential changes to project scope through effective baselines
• Identify and customise governance frameworks that successfully integrate stakeholders behaviours and expectations
• recognise the Interpersonal skills required to motivate and coordinate people to achieve specified objectives throughout the change process.
LD7167 -
Leading People and Teams (Core,20 Credits)
A Programme or Project Manager needs to be able to lead themselves, people and teams. The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and understanding of the personal and professional attributes required to succeed in a dynamic project focused organisation. Specifically, we will consider the National Occupational Standards for Leadership and Management and the behavioural competences of the Association for Project Management:
The module will engage you in a process of analysing yourself as an existing or aspiring leader in a project environment; involving you in a detailed self-analysis and a personal development planning process.
The module considers contemporary leadership and team theory from the perspective of leadership and team behaviours that are effective in developing your project leadership approach. You will engage in a number of individual diagnostic activities using tools provided by the teaching team that will consider the role of personality preference, team behaiours, values. critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence and feedback from others in relation to your leadership and team impact.
You will also consider your identity as a leader; exploring your values, motives and goals and thereby develop intra and interpersonal awareness through critical reflection.
In summary, the module draw from themes such as:
• Understanding Self
• Self- Perception and Identity
• Making sense of your Leadership and Identity
• Understanding teams, including virtual teams
• Understanding your roles in project teams
• Understanding your role as a leader of project teams
The overarching aim is to equip and empower you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to lead projects and participate in and virtual project-orientated teams. To further enable your development as a leader and project manager this module will include a leadership residential and team working event.
LD7231 -
Professional Practice Project with Academic, Employability Skills and Research Methods Development (Core,60 Credits)
This module is a 60-credit module which will be delivered across your programme (3 semesters) and is designed to provides a process which will enable you to use and extend the knowledge and skills you have acquired during your programme of study. Using appropriate research methodologies and data collection methods, you will critically synthesise a body of knowledge relevant to the taught programme and apply this to an area relevant to your continued career development in the area of project management.
We will build your confidence as researchers through a mix of research tutored, research oriented and research led activities using the professional and academic knowledge of the teaching team and encourage you to a process of research-based learning to apply your learning. In addition to the taught sessions and tutorials you will also gain access to a wide range of e-learning materials including video and podcast to enable you to study at a place and pace most suitable to you.
Semester 1 and 2
Academic and Employability Skills
The main purpose of this strand is to develop your academic confidence including using the wide range of learning resources available to you, academic reading, writing and study effectiveness. You will also develop your ability to analyse and use the source material and develop your language and communication skills to a higher level. In addition, through the learning tasks, a number of employability skills are developed, including life-long learning, professional and career development, communication skills, intercultural competence, collaboration, teamworking, digital and information literacy, critical thinking, ethical practice, reflection, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, planning and organising.
Indicative topics and skills
• Professional and career development
• Using Northumbria Learning Resources
• Critical thinking and writing
• Time management (when studying and beyond)
• Reflective thinking and writing
• Communicating through e-mail / messenger
• Critical approaches to reading
• Selecting suitable information and notetaking
• Incorporating information from sources (paraphrasing and summarising)
• Acknowledging sources (citations and references)
• Developing an appropriate academic style
• Report writing
• Presentation skills
• Citing and referencing in presentations and posters
• Effective teamworking
• Advanced search skills
• Ethical use of sources
• Selecting and using digital reference management tools
• Synthesising information from multiple sources
You will also develop employability skills (based on 7i graduate outcomes) and be encouraged to attend additional careers and employability workshops organised by our Careers Team.
Semester 2:
Research Methods
The research methods strand will develop your knowledge and understanding of learning about identifying a project management problem, undertaking a critical literature review, designing appropriate research methodology and developing a research proposal that will lead into the dissertation stage.
Indicative topics
• Understanding project management research and problems,
• Defining a research problem and smart research objectives,
• Ethics in research and data protection laws.
• Undertaking a critical analysis of existing and up-to-date literature from a range of reliable academic and professional sources.
• Research methodology for project management (quantitative and qualitative, etc.)
• Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous research methodology and methodologies (quantitative and qualitative, etc.) to your chosen research. Instrument development and testing.
• Hypotheses testing and other data analysis for computing.
• Application of statistical package or similar for data analysis.
• Dissertation proposal writing (developing topic and scope, purpose, structure and content of literature review / methodology sections)
Semester 3
This will be a culmination of your knowledge and understanding of your Master's degree in your chosen discipline. Specifically, you will work alongside an academic tutor to complete a major research project. This will include attending individual and group project supervision and guidance sessions in which you will develop further the skill required to complete a project management-related research enquiry. This strand provides a process which will enable you to use and extend the knowledge and skills you have acquired during your programme of study. Using appropriate research methodologies and data collection methods, you will critically synthesise a body of knowledge relevant to the taught programme and apply this to an area relevant to your continued career development in the area of project management.
Indicative topics covered include:
• Identification and justification for the choice of topic to research
• The rationale of a research
• Defining a research problem and smart research objectives,
• Ethics in research and data protection laws.
• Undertaking a critical analysis of existing and up-to-date literature from a range of reliable academic and professional sources
• Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous research methodology and methodologies (quantitative and qualitative, etc.) to your chosen research
• Using reliable valid research instruments
• Justification of chosen tools and technologies to produce practical solution to the problem
• Collect and analyse data/ information from a range of primary and secondary data and professionally present the findings of the research
• Demonstrate understanding of data analysis software tools such as SPSS or similar, etc
• Critical analysis and discussion of the findings
• Explicit links between the analysis and the conclusions supported by critical argument
• Evidence of original work or thought for example in the form or context of the data collected, analytical process or application of findings
• Develop and write a professional academic report
LD7232 -
Applied Technologies for Project Management (Core,20 Credits)
Recognising the important role technology and IT plays in project management this module will develop your knowledge and skills of a range of emerging technologies and essential IT skills required for effective project management in contemporary organizational environments. It also provides you with practical knowledge and hands-on experience in utilizing various computing technologies, including data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and collaboration tools, to enhance project planning, execution, and monitoring.
Indictive topics covered include:
• Emerging computing technologies in project management
• Collaboration Tools and Techniques
• Data collection, analysis, and visualisation for Project Management
• Applications of AI technologies in project planning, risk assessment, and resource allocation
• Low-code platform for work-flow automation
• Professional, ethical, societal and legal considerations in the use of emerging technologies for project management
LD7239 -
Part Time pre-dissertation (Academic and Employability Skills) (Core,0 Credits)
The main purpose of this strand is to develop your academic confidence including using the wide range of learning resources available to you, academic reading, writing and study effectiveness. You will also develop your ability to analyse and use the source material and develop your language and communication skills to a higher level. In addition, through the learning tasks, a number of employability skills are developed, including life-long learning, professional and career development, communication skills, intercultural competence, collaboration, teamworking, digital and information literacy, critical thinking, ethical practice, reflection, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, planning and organising.
Indicative topics and skills
• Professional and career development
• Using Northumbria Learning Resources
• Critical thinking and writing
• Time management (when studying and beyond)
• Reflective thinking and writing
• Communicating through e-mail / messenger
• Critical approaches to reading
• Selecting suitable information and notetaking
• Incorporating information from sources (paraphrasing and summarising)
• Acknowledging sources (citations and references)
• Developing an appropriate academic style
• Report writing
• Presentation skills
• Citing and referencing in presentations and posters
• Effective teamworking
• Advanced search skills
• Ethical use of sources
• Selecting and using digital reference management tools
• Synthesising information from multiple sources
You will also develop employability skills (based on 7i graduate outcomes) and be encouraged to attend additional careers and employability workshops organised by our Careers Team.
Year two
LD7160 -
Managing Programmes and Projects (Core,20 Credits)
This module will develop your critical and conceptual understanding of of the strategic aspects of programme and project management and its role in adding competitive advantage to your organisation. Specifically you will gain a firm grounding in the principles, processes, tools and techniques that underpin programme and project management, but also be encouraged to challenge traditional thinking in the field.
This will include develop knowledge and understanding of project, programme and portfolio management concepts, Bodies of knowledge and methodologies, life cycle, principles and processes, business case and investment appraisal, scheduling, budgeting and cash flow, earned value management, project and programme organisation structures and roles, risk management, cultural management and role of the project / programme support office.
You will be able to critically evaluate through the lens of a framework of project management knowledge and competencies, reflect on lessons from project case studies, as well as the processes, methods and technologies used by project managers and Project Management Offices (PMO’s) in P3 management. You will also embrace the relevant ethical and professional standards associated with the management of P3.
LD7161 -
Strategic Management (Core,20 Credits)
Organisations are increasingly structured strategically through a series of projects, programmes, and portfolios, which enables them to focus clearly on specific objectives and manage resources effectively to achieve them. As a result, there is increasing demand for qualified Programme and Project Managers who can develop, lead and deliver strategic outcomes for their organisation.
Strategic management is the continuous planning, monitoring, analysis and assessment of all that is necessary for an organization to meet its goals and objectives. This module enables students to critically assess aspects of strategic management in a programme and project management context. Organisations have to choose where they focus their resources and what they hope to achieve. Strategic management introduces the key principles of strategy and students will have the opportunity to understand how 3P (Project, Programme and Portfolio Management) relates to Strategic Management.
The module introduces the key tools and techniques required to develop business objectives within the context of business strategy. Essential management skills such as strategic capability, culture, methods, evaluation, development, organising, resources, and managing change will be explored in the context of strategic management and the relationship to projects, programmes and portfolios. Specifically you will be encouraged to evaluate organisational strategies through case studies both in lectures and coursework.
LD7231 -
Professional Practice Project with Academic, Employability Skills and Research Methods Development (Core,60 Credits)
This module is a 60-credit module which will be delivered across your programme (3 semesters) and is designed to provides a process which will enable you to use and extend the knowledge and skills you have acquired during your programme of study. Using appropriate research methodologies and data collection methods, you will critically synthesise a body of knowledge relevant to the taught programme and apply this to an area relevant to your continued career development in the area of project management.
We will build your confidence as researchers through a mix of research tutored, research oriented and research led activities using the professional and academic knowledge of the teaching team and encourage you to a process of research-based learning to apply your learning. In addition to the taught sessions and tutorials you will also gain access to a wide range of e-learning materials including video and podcast to enable you to study at a place and pace most suitable to you.
Semester 1 and 2
Academic and Employability Skills
The main purpose of this strand is to develop your academic confidence including using the wide range of learning resources available to you, academic reading, writing and study effectiveness. You will also develop your ability to analyse and use the source material and develop your language and communication skills to a higher level. In addition, through the learning tasks, a number of employability skills are developed, including life-long learning, professional and career development, communication skills, intercultural competence, collaboration, teamworking, digital and information literacy, critical thinking, ethical practice, reflection, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, planning and organising.
Indicative topics and skills
• Professional and career development
• Using Northumbria Learning Resources
• Critical thinking and writing
• Time management (when studying and beyond)
• Reflective thinking and writing
• Communicating through e-mail / messenger
• Critical approaches to reading
• Selecting suitable information and notetaking
• Incorporating information from sources (paraphrasing and summarising)
• Acknowledging sources (citations and references)
• Developing an appropriate academic style
• Report writing
• Presentation skills
• Citing and referencing in presentations and posters
• Effective teamworking
• Advanced search skills
• Ethical use of sources
• Selecting and using digital reference management tools
• Synthesising information from multiple sources
You will also develop employability skills (based on 7i graduate outcomes) and be encouraged to attend additional careers and employability workshops organised by our Careers Team.
Semester 2:
Research Methods
The research methods strand will develop your knowledge and understanding of learning about identifying a project management problem, undertaking a critical literature review, designing appropriate research methodology and developing a research proposal that will lead into the dissertation stage.
Indicative topics
• Understanding project management research and problems,
• Defining a research problem and smart research objectives,
• Ethics in research and data protection laws.
• Undertaking a critical analysis of existing and up-to-date literature from a range of reliable academic and professional sources.
• Research methodology for project management (quantitative and qualitative, etc.)
• Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous research methodology and methodologies (quantitative and qualitative, etc.) to your chosen research. Instrument development and testing.
• Hypotheses testing and other data analysis for computing.
• Application of statistical package or similar for data analysis.
• Dissertation proposal writing (developing topic and scope, purpose, structure and content of literature review / methodology sections)
Semester 3
This will be a culmination of your knowledge and understanding of your Master's degree in your chosen discipline. Specifically, you will work alongside an academic tutor to complete a major research project. This will include attending individual and group project supervision and guidance sessions in which you will develop further the skill required to complete a project management-related research enquiry. This strand provides a process which will enable you to use and extend the knowledge and skills you have acquired during your programme of study. Using appropriate research methodologies and data collection methods, you will critically synthesise a body of knowledge relevant to the taught programme and apply this to an area relevant to your continued career development in the area of project management.
Indicative topics covered include:
• Identification and justification for the choice of topic to research
• The rationale of a research
• Defining a research problem and smart research objectives,
• Ethics in research and data protection laws.
• Undertaking a critical analysis of existing and up-to-date literature from a range of reliable academic and professional sources
• Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous research methodology and methodologies (quantitative and qualitative, etc.) to your chosen research
• Using reliable valid research instruments
• Justification of chosen tools and technologies to produce practical solution to the problem
• Collect and analyse data/ information from a range of primary and secondary data and professionally present the findings of the research
• Demonstrate understanding of data analysis software tools such as SPSS or similar, etc
• Critical analysis and discussion of the findings
• Explicit links between the analysis and the conclusions supported by critical argument
• Evidence of original work or thought for example in the form or context of the data collected, analytical process or application of findings
• Develop and write a professional academic report
Any Questions?
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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