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BSc (Hons) - Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship

This programme is designed specifically to enable you to complete the Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship, you will be provided with everything you need to know to successfully deliver projects in a range of business sectors and subject areas.

It maps directly onto the knowledge, skills and behaviours identified in this apprenticeship standard and is also designed to cover the entirety of the Association for Project Management's (APM) Body of Knowledge.

How to Apply / Learn more

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Course Overview

The course content and structure are informed by contemporary research into project management as a discipline in its own right as well as incorporating advice and guidance from employers and the Association for Project Management (APM). The course teaching team were also closely involved in the development of the Degree Apprenticeship standard and thus understand the journey that you will take from joining the programme to successfully graduating as a qualified Project Manager.

You will be awarded a Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) qualification alongside a BSc (Hons) upon completing your degree.

On this course you will...

Develop robust business cases and learn project planning and control, alongside focusing on personal and professional development.
Study stakeholder and communications management.
Learn how to schedule development and management.
Lead and manage teams.
Work with projects, programmes and portfolios.
Manage contract and commercial arrangements.

How to Apply / Learn more

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationCarlisle - Fusehill Street
Online
Work-based
Institute Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership
Delivery StyleOnline and Face to face
Course DurationFull-time: 4 Years
Course Start PointApril
September
AwardBSc (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysCarlisle - Fusehill Street
All

Minimum entry requirements

UCAS Tariff points

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

We will provide a sound academic programme which will give apprentices of all abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to attain a degree level education. We'll provide students with the theoretical knowledge and understanding of project management, and help them develop as critical, reflective thinkers and life-long learners with the ability to recognise the value and place of both and their role in applying principles to practice. Apprentices will be encouraged to see the links between theory and practice in the workplace, and develop knowledge, skills and behaviours progressively against the Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship Standard.

The precise delivery arrangements for any particular cohort of apprentices will be confirmed at a later stage in partnership with employers.

Year one

Project Management Concepts
This module introduces learners to standard terminology used in project management, drawing on the Body of Knowledge from the UK professional body for Project Management (The APM).
Principles of Project Planning
A technical modules that introduces learners to the use of software to develop schedules for the completion of project work.
Projects and organisations
This modules explores why organisations undertake projects, how the work might be tackled and how it might be different to other aspects of work that organisations undertake.
Stakeholders & Communication
A 'soft skills' module that explores the concept of communication and then puts this into the context of stakeholder engagement. Effective communication is an essential aspect if a project is to be successful.
Project Professionalism 1
This module begins the process of self-reflection and the collection of evidence that will ultimately form a portfolio that is an essential element to pass through the gateway assessment on to end point assessment.

Year two

Project Methods and Tools
This module explores the broad range of tools and methods that can be used to deliver projects. Aspects of traditional (linear) and more recent (Agile) approaches will be covered.
Project Teams and Communication
This module continues the development of the 'soft skills' aspect of project management, this time with a focus on teams. Projects are rarely delivered by an individual and will often involve a large team of individuals or organisaitons in their delivery, understanding how to build or work in a team is essential of projects are to be delivered successfully.
Controlling Projects
A technical module that builds on the work done at level 4, the focus in this module being the control of projects once they have been approved and then enter their delivery phase.
Organisational Change
Projects inevitable introduce one or more changes to a working environment. Contemporary project management practice recognises that all projects must consider how their outputs will be used by the organisation as a key part of project scope. Neglecting this important area can lead to projects completing but the outputs that are delivered either go unused or the expected benefits fail to appear.
Project Professionalism 2
Building on the work done in year 1, this module take another look at the portfolio of evidence that must be developed and proivdes an opportunity to reflect on progress that has been made as well as adding to and enhancing the evidence that has been gathered.

Year three

Project, Programme and Portfolio Management
This module explores where projects sit in the wider organisation. Exploring aspects of strcuture, governance, approval and control this module will help project managers appreciate the wider organisational decisions and process that are in place for the delivery of projects.
People and Projects
The final 'soft skills' module on the programme explores how projects, and the change initiatives that they are associated with, can be led. Drawing on well understood leadership theories the module will explore the decisions and actions that are taken by leaders and the impact they have.
Commercial Risk and Contract Management
Projects usually involve the procurement of goods and services as part (or all0 of their delivery. This mdoule explores the commercial arrangements that are often put in place for the delivery of projects, how these are set up, decided and then managed.
Preparing for gateway
The final stage of the programme before end-point assessment. This module requires learners to clearly identify any aspects of their programme which must be completed before they can progress to end point assessment.

Year four

End Point Assessment (PMDA)
The final stage of an apprenticeship programme is the end-point assessment where each learner is required to demonstrate their competence aganist the Knowledge, Skills and behaviours identified for their specific standard. For the Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme, this module not only assesses the apprenticeship standard but it also acts as the Honours element of the degree where learners have to set up and deliver a key peice of independent work.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Apprentices, who are in permanent full-time professional employment, are learning in the workplace in a structured delivery pattern, supported by both the university and the employer. In addition, the programme has been developed with the assistance of a range of local employers to ensure it meets the needs of the region.

Delivery is online - part of the study day each week is live with a tutor and part of the day is guided independent study (individual and group work). As the course is delivered online a stable connection to the Internet and access to a laptop or computer is required. Being online means that geography need not be a barrier to studying and as a student, you are able to study from anywhere that has a stable connection to the internet.

Our online learning sessions are delivered live by our expert tutors, and you are encouraged to contribute your thoughts, knowledge and experience to all the information that is being presented. Interaction continues after the scheduled live sessions with tools embedded into Blackboard, our Virtual Learning Environment.  Between taught sessions you can upload your work, observations and critical reflections to an online journal which your tutor can then read and provide feedback on, allowing you to progress at your own pace and pull out and focus on the aspects of learning that are most appropriate for your context and situation.  Additional discussions can also take place with the teaching team utilising online tools such as Blackboard Collaborate or MS Teams

At end of the apprenticeship programme, successful individuals will gain:

An industry designed apprenticeship programme
An approved project management degree
Eligibility for full membership of APM (MAPM)

We make use of project planning software on the course to enable our apprentices to practise the skills they will need to construct effective project plans. Some of our learners may have Microsoft Project installed on their company laptops, but for those that do not we would recommend Project Plan 365 from Housatonic Software. Project Plan 365 offers planning and scheduling capabilities, intuitive Gantt chart visualisations and reporting options.

How you will be assessed

It is a requirement for the Degree Apprenticeship that apprentices must maintain a portfolio of completed assessed academic work and workplace activities to provide evidence of achievements and capabilities. The building of this portfolio is therefore integral to the degree programme and the end point assessment.

All apprentices must take an independent assessment at the end of their training to confirm that they have achieved occupational competence. Rigorous, robust and independent end-point assessment (EPA) is essential to give employers confidence that apprentices completing an Apprenticeship Standard can actually perform in the occupation and can demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard. The end-point assessment takes place at the end of the apprenticeship after all the on-programme training has been completed and after the ‘gateway’ has been passed.

The End Point Assessment process is described in the plan published by the Institute for Apprenticeships. This consists of two components, a work based project report and a professional review.

Work-Based report project - will comprise 4,000 words (+/- 10% plus references, appendices and abstract). It must draw on appropriate references from academic and professional sources and use Harvard Referencing System to support this. Appendices to the report may be used to provide.
The Professional Review will synoptically assess knowledge, skills and behaviours as detailed in the published standard. The professional review is assessed through a formal presentation followed by an interview. The professional review panel (the panel) will consist of two members, an independent assessor and an industry expert nominated by the apprentice’s employer. The independent assessor will be responsible for the grading of the End Point Assessment.

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Location
Carlisle - Fusehill Street Campus
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BSc (Hons) - Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship