MSc in Project Management- Smurfit

danoc

Hi,

I'm just wondering have any of you done the MSc in Project Management in Smurfit? If so could you please tell me what you thought of it.

Thanks

TransportCons

danoc wrote: »

Hi,

I'm just wondering have any of you done the MSc in Project Management in Smurfit? If so could you please tell me what you thought of it.

Thanks

I loved it. Coming from an engineering backround, it gave me a much greater appreciation for the business side of projects. The only thing I will say though is that I've heard the part-time option is much better if you have some industry experience. The full time class is generally full of students that are just out of college so the "class discussions" can be a bit poor. Another point to note is that if you go part-time, you are buying into a network of contacts that have already managed projects in their own careers and who can open doors for you if you feel a career change is on the cards.

If you are doing it, be prepared for LOTS of hours of reading and LOTS of group project work which can get stressful if your team members aren't up to your level, or aren't willing to cooperate. I guess it's good training for the real world though. Also be prepared for LOTS of presentations - if you get nervous at presenting this will be excellent training for you. IT is very time-consuming. We were given a bit of a shocking introduction where we were told to give up TV, Hobbies, Days Off, Cinema, Concerts and reading non-course related books. We were also asked to avoid getting sick, having kids, moving house, getting divorced, or getting big promotions during the course. A bit full-on I know, but to be honest, I can see now why they told us these things! Its not easy!

Be careful though about all that is promised to you at the beginning... it doesn't necessarily just appear on your plate. You must put in the work if you want to get anything out of it.

To sum up I would say that the course itself is good in that it balances the practical industry based knowledge with the more academic side. If I could have one criticism I would say that it is a bit far-reaching and not very specific - I guess though it has to be to accommodate all the different backgrounds. However, the biggest thing you could potentially gain from this course is the high achieving network of contacts. If I went back to do it again, I would have put twice the effort into networking.

Best of luck!

danoc

Thanks TransportCons! Your post contained everything I wanted to know. Very helpful!

The group project work sounds nice and practical for the real world. Would the presentations mostly be group or solo ones?

TransportCons

danoc wrote: »

Thanks TransportCons! Your post contained everything I wanted to know. Very helpful!

The group project work sounds nice and practical for the real world. Would the presentations mostly be group or solo ones?

Generally group presentations but obviously you will be speaking solo for a few minutes during those.... You should try to brush up on your powerpoint or prezi skills before you start the course.... and they drill it into you that "a picture paints a thousand words!"

Note also that for the first few months one of the lecturers asks everyone to read up on some relevant journal papers in project management and every week, one person is picked at random to present on a paper they have read so there are potentially a few solo presentations at the start.

To be honest, the presentations were handy enough, the most difficult bit I found was the volume of reading!

danoc

Brilliant, thanks for all the great information! Seems like a great but tough course.
I'm coming from a non business background so it would be between that and the MSc in Management. Thanks again!