Western Carolina University is also featured in our ranking Top 25 Online Master’s in Project Management Degree Programs.
Online Project Management Degree at Western Carolina University
Students at Western Carolina University may earn a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Project Management, which is a program that requires completion of 30 to 36 credit hours and two years of previous work experience in project management. Some students may qualify for course waivers based on previous work experience and classes. The College of Business at the university offers this post-baccalaureate certificate, which is considered the first master’s degree in project management at an accredited institution of higher learning. The certificate is also the first such program to receive accreditation from the Project Management Institute. The entire faculty for the program possesses doctoral degrees, as well as PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.
In addition to relevant work experience in project management, applicants must also possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and submit materials like an updated resume, a statement of goals and professional aspirations, and a letter of recommendation from a past or current employer. The program’s application deadlines are July 15th for students interested in the fall semester and November 15th for students interested in the spring semester. Students who have served in the military will be given extra consideration when they apply, and the more years an applicant has served, the better their chances will be of gaining successful admission to the program. Additionally, students who have served in the military may also be eligible for special discounts on tuition and fees for this project management degree program.
Classes in the program include Fundamentals of Project Management, Project Selection and Initiation, Project Planning, and Project Plan and Implementation. Students will also complete Project Execution and Closeout, as well as Advanced Project Management Practices. Each of these classes is six credits and is designed to be completed over a semester. Students must achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 in all classes taken in pursuit of their project management major. The mission of the program is to advance careers for project management professionals and help students understand the relationship between the practice of and theories used in project management. Students will also enjoy an online program designed to provide the same educational experience as one delivered via on-campus and in-classroom learning. Throughout the program, students will conduct research to expand their knowledge of the best practices used within project management.
About Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is part of the state’s university system and is the fifth-oldest college in the system. The university was founded in 1889 to provide instruction to people in the mountainous area of the state and has grown to offer classes to students from 48 states and 35 different countries. At its inception, the school was known as Cullowhee Academy and was a secondary school that eventually became Cullowhee High School a few years after it opened. There are over 11,000 students attending classes at the university, which sits on a campus of 589 acres in a rural valley of the state. The nickname of the sports teams at the university is the Catamounts, and the school’s official colors are purple and gold. The school has 16 varsity teams playing in NCAA Division I games.
Western Carolina University Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has accredited Western Carolina University to award college degrees at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels. There are also many programs and schools within the university that are accredited by various agencies. For example, there are three programs offered by the College of Engineering and Technology that are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET. The American Council for Construction Education has accredited the undergraduate construction management program offered through the university, and the program in clinical mental health counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Program. The program in project management is accredited by the Global Accrediting Council of the Project Management Institute.
Western Carolina University Application Requirements
Admission to undergraduate programs at Western Carolina University requires that students complete their high school education having taken a specific curriculum that includes four years of English, two years of social studies, four years of mathematics, three years of science, and two years of a foreign language. Application success may also depend on a student’s rank in his or her graduating class, as well as the overall GPA the student earned while in high school. Applicants must also submit SAT or ACT scores, submit to a background check if required by the student’s program, and have access to a personal computer. Acceptance to graduate school requires that students complete the online application, have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and submit transcripts with the application. Some programs may also require students to submit standardized test scores for the GRE or GMAT.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for in-state students at Western Carolina University is $3,403.88 per semester and tuition for out-of-state students is $5,403.00 per semester. Some programs require other fees that range from $7.50 for participation in the Honors College Program to $350.00 for the Emergency Medical Care Program. Students who live in residence halls at the university will pay between $3,115.00 to $3,726.00 for a single-occupancy room or between $2,398.00 to $3,080.00 for a double-occupancy room. Meal plans at the university cost between $668.75 and $2,352.93 per semester. Graduate students will pay between $4,974.38 per semester to $7,374.38 per semester if they live in the state or between $10,477.88 per semester and $12,577.88 per semester for tuition if they are out-of-state students.
Tuition for distance learning ranges between $53.88 per semester hour and $844.96 per semester hour and depends on the program in which a student is enrolled and his or her residency status. As an accredited university, Western Carolina University helps its students qualify for a variety of financial aid types, from federal student loans to private scholarships. Options for financial aid at the university include grants, scholarships, loans, work-study, and assistance for members of the military, as well as graduate student aid in the form of fellowships, awards, and teaching assistantships. Students should submit their FAFSA form on time to ensure they receive an award letter with financial aid details from Western Carolina University.