Professional Management
Professional Management Department
Hagen Hall 211, (218) 477-2104
Co-Chairs: Pam McGee and Scott Seltveit
Program Coordinator Construction Management: Rachel Axness
Program Coordinator Operations and Project Management: Pam McGee
Faculty: Norma Anderson, Rachel Axness, Joshua Behl, Pam McGee, Atif Osmani, Scott Seltveit
The Department of Professional Management offers majors and minors in Construction Management, Operations Management, and Project Management. Certificates in Project Management and Lean-Quality Management are also offered.
Construction Management Mission Statement:
- To maintain a nationally accredited construction management program, which will produce graduates who will have the technical, managerial and general knowledge necessary to enter and advance professionally in the construction industry.
- Provide an environment, which encourages students and faculty to engage in professional development, critical thinking, and creative endeavors.
- Promote continuous improvement of teaching, learning and program curriculum.
Construction Management Career Information
Construction Management (CM) is a professional program that specifically trains graduates to manage, coordinate, and supervise the construction process from conceptual development through final construction on a timely and economical basis. Throughout the program, students learn the responsibilities of coordinating and managing people, materials, processes, budgets, schedules, and contracts, as well as the safety of employees and the general public.
Construction Managers hold a variety of job titles, such as project manager, field engineer, estimator, scheduler, or construction manager. On large projects construction managers may work for a general contractor – the firm with the overall responsibility of all construction activities on the job. They oversee the completion of all construction processes in accordance with the engineers or architect’s drawings and specification. From 2000 through 2010, CM graduates experienced excellent job placement and average starting salaries often exceeding $50,000.
The Construction Management program has a laptop requirement. All CM majors who enroll in CM 230, Estimating I, are required to purchase and utilize a laptop computer in the subsequent CM coursework. CM 230 is the beginning of a sequence of courses where laptops will be integrated into the learning process. Freshman and sophomore level CM courses are exempt from this requirement unless students enroll in the estimating sequence their sophomore year.
Construction Management Program Assessment
The Construction Management (CM) program at MSU Moorhead is accredited by the American Council of Construction Education (ACCE), which establishes standards and criteria for excellence in construction education.
Assessment of the Construction Management program must satisfy two entities. First and foremost, assessment is a requirement of the ACCE and the CM program must meet or exceed those standards. ACCE requires a comprehensive assessment plan including program outcomes and student performance outcomes, which are outlined below. In addition, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) requires that all degree-granting programs have a student outcomes assessment plan. This assessment plan is designed to satisfy both entities.
Operations Management and Project Management Program Mission Statement:
To transform lives by providing rigorous and applied education for technical and non-technical students.
Operations Management Program Overview
The Operations Management (OM) degree is specifically designed for transfer students who have earned an Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Science, or a Diploma in a field from an accredited institution in a field of study related to Industrial Technology. The technical courses coupled with the upper division technical management courses provide the Operations Management graduate with a unique advantage in today’s job market. This “Fast Track” BS degree is appropriate for recent technical college graduates as well as persons in the incumbent workforce seeking an applied educational experience to enhance their competitive advantage and promotional opportunities.
Students identifying Operation Management as their intended major at MSUM may transfer up to 48 technical credits. A minimum of 30 technical credits will be applied to the technical portion of the OM major. Any remaining technical area credits may be transferred and designated as “free electives” counting toward graduation requirements. The AAS degree transfer may not exceed 64 semester hours including 16 to 22 semester hours in Liberal Studies. All university graduation requirements apply for the 2+2 transfer degree. The program is structured so that a student may complete the degree with two additional years of study. The Operations Management 2+2 BS program, the first approved by MnSCU for a block credit transfer, recognizes the technical courses as a cohesive set of courses with stated and verified educational outcomes.
Operations Management Career Information
Operations Management (OM) is a professional program that specifically trains graduates to manage, coordinate, and supervise the operations management process in a variety of industries. Throughout the program, students learn the responsibilities of management, general business, leadership, lean, safety, quality, risk, and production inventory management, allowing them to coordinate and manage people, processes, projects, materials, budgets, schedules, and logistics.
Operations Managers hold a variety of job titles, such as Operations Manager, Technical Sales and Marketing, Quality Assurance Specialists, Design Expert, Information Management, Production Management, Materials Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Purchasing, Logistics, Process Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Continuous Improvement Manger, etc. The Operations Management program is offered fully on line, on campus and off campus in the Twin Cities.
Operations Management Program Assessment
The Operations Management (OM) program at MSU Moorhead is accredited by the Association of Technical Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), which establishes standards and criteria for excellence in Industrial Technology.
Assessment of the Operations Management program must satisfy two entities. First and foremost, assessment is a requirement of the ATMAE and the OM program must meet or exceed those standards. ATMAE requires a comprehensive assessment plan including program outcomes and student performance outcomes, which are outlined below. In addition, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) requires that all degree-granting programs have a student outcomes assessment plan. This assessment plan is designed to satisfy both entities.
Internship Requirement
Students will be required to fulfill an internship as part of their graduation requirements. The student will participate in various activities with Career Services to ensure they have a proper resume, cover letter and job search strategy. The student is responsible for finding their own internship. There are three types of internships that qualify: 1) If the student is gainfully employed in an Industrial Technology job setting, they can work with their manager and take their internship at their current place of employment. The manager, faculty advisor and student will outline the specific objectives of the internship to ensure there is a proper amount of Operations Management related objectives. 2) The student may attend various job fairs, work with industries interested in Operations Management interns, and/or search companies of interest and find an internship position. Once the student has interviewed and been offered a position as intern, the University paperwork will coincide with the requirements of the employer. 3) The student may launch a full scale job search in the Operations Management field and treat their first Operations Management position as their internship. All types of internships must meet the program and university requirements.
Project Management Program Overview
Businesses are recognizing the value of project management beyond its traditional use in information technology. This degree is designed to offer the core business knowledge and project management skills needed to apply for many cross-departmental initiatives in many different industries. These include health care, information technology, manufacturing, retail, government and nonprofit agencies. It is built around the competencies in "A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK guide), which is a globally recognized standard for project management. People who choose a career in Project Management are often interested in pursuing project leads, project management or coordinator positions in corporations, consulting firms, government and nonprofit agencies.
Project Management Career Information
Job opportunities in project management include project analyst, risk manager, helpdesk manager, project consultant, project manager, business development, IT project manager, IT director, operations manager, project coordinator, software manager, and non-profit manager.
Project oriented job openings are expected to increase annually by 1.2 million through 2016. This job growth is expected in both private and public industry in a managerial-type setting. The annual median salary of all entry-level project managers were between $53,991-$72,460, with the expected median entry level project manager salary at $62,019. With additional on the job training and a PMP (Project Management professional) certification, project manager salaries can increase to $81,364-$104,801 annually.
Job opportunities in project management include project analyst, risk manager, helpdesk manager, project consultant, project manager, business development, IT project manager, IT director, operations manager, project coordinator, software manager, and non-profit manager.
Want Job security? While national economies will fluctuate in the years ahead—some expanding, others contracting—they will share one constant: a strong demand for project managers. From 2010 to 2020, recent study shows that 15.7 million new roles will be added in seven project-intensive industries. That is a projected growth of US$6.61 trillion!* PMI Institute, June 2016