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Breaking News in the Project Management World
Thursday, April 10, 2008
New MSc in Major Programme Management begins recruiting at Oxford's BT Centre for Major Programme Management
Reported by Miles Shepherd in the UK
The first degree programme to be offered by the BT Centre for Major Programme Management at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford has begun recruiting students for the inaugural programme. The new MSc in Major Programme Management will be offered, beginning in October 2008.
Janet Smart, Director of the BT Centre, said: ‘Major programmes are distinguished from major projects both in scale and in that they achieve transformation. This may be a nation’s IT infrastructure, its transport or any number of significant initiatives. Many of the things that we citizens feel strongly about – such as the digital economy, carbon rationing or new energy infrastructures – will require a major programme to transform the way we live and manage our resources. In the media, we frequently hear of major programmes which are late, over budget or not fit for purpose, and of the serious consequences of such failure.’
‘We don’t have second chances with many of these programmes, so it is essential that we urgently develop and disseminate best-practice in major programme management. One of the ways we are doing that at Oxford is through the new MSc programme and I am delighted that the course is ready to be launched and we can begin welcoming applicants to join it.’
‘This is a completely innovative and exciting course. It is the first such programme in the world to be delivered by a leading business school and we believe it meets a pressing and significant need among practitioners. Major programme management is a rapidly emerging and increasingly professional discipline, but one which lacks formal development opportunities for its practitioners. This new programme will address this and will help shape best practice, and build much needed networks in the specialism.’
The MSc is a part-time modular masters-level degree programme, designed to allow programme managers to join the course without significant interruption to their working lives. The MSc consists of ten, week-long residential modules delivered over a two-year period, with periods of private study between modules.
The programme has been developed after careful consultation with a number of major programme practitioners to ensure its relevance for working professionals.
Dr Smart explains: ‘As you would expect from Oxford, the programme is very intellectually rigorous but in designing it, we were also keen to ensure its practical relevance. We spoke to a number of representatives from major programme management internationally, to ensure that the shape of the course, its delivery and its content were all aligned with the industry’s requirements’.
Visiting speakers representing practice in a wide range of sectors will contribute to the teaching of the programme. Oxford will also draw on its unparalleled pool of influential alumni involved in this field as speakers and advisors.
Because major programme management is an evolving discipline, the curriculum for the MSc will be informed by current research. The Centre’s research activity will feed directly into the teaching on the new MSc programme, enabling participants to benefit from the latest understanding of best practice in the area and more broadly within business studies.
Professor Colin Mayer, Dean of Saïd Business School said: ‘It is wonderful to see the work of the BT Centre beginning and that this innovative and much-needed programme is now recruiting. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming the first group of programme managers to the programme.
Dr Patrick O'Connell, Co-Director of the BT Centre and Managing Director of BT Major Programmes Group said: 'This will become a flagship course for those looking to acquire the skills and methodologies to successfully initiate and deliver major programmes. There is global recognition that major programmes will be increasingly predominant in diverse sectors and the future leaders of these programmes will require the innovative and interdisciplinary approach fostered by the MSc. The involvement of senior major programme practitioners and the varied experience of other participants will also ensure that co-production of ideas and knowledge sharing will be integral to the experience of the course.’
The MSc in Major Programme Management is made up of eight core courses which help participants develop a critical and reflexive approach to their professional work:
Two electives chosen from the Oxford MBA, EMBA or MSc in Financial Economics will help participants develop their individual skills and specialisations. Finally, participants will complete a 10,000-word dissertation. A range of innovative and stimulating teaching methods will be used to encourage the students to contribute to discussion, such as mini-projects, extended reports, role-playing, site visits and panel discussions.
The BT Centre for Major Programme Management is the world’s first research centre for major programme management. It will carry out a programme of leading-edge and multi-disciplinary research, drawing together the expertise within the Saïd Business School and the broader University of Oxford (within departments such as engineering, computer science and law) and eminent practitioners from the global business community. The Centre will consolidate knowledge around this emerging and dynamic field, which has considerable significance economically and often politically, and will foster a practical approach to the effective management of large scale programmes. The BT Centre will create a community of knowledge and will provide a resource for practitioners to locate the latest thinking on specialist topics. As well as carrying out research in this field, the Centre will also develop a ground-breaking teaching programme.
Established in 1996 the Saïd Business School is one of Europe’s youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School already has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The school is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. In the Financial Times ranking of MBA programmes (Jan 08), Saïd is ranked 19th in the world. This achievement follows the School’s success in HM Treasury’s 2005 ranking of the top 50 MBA programmes in the world, where it finished number one out of all the UK business schools. The University of Oxford also ranked top for business studies in The Times report published in August 2007. For more information, see www.sbs.ox.ac.uk.
Source: Said Business School press release, dated April 1, 2008.
The first degree programme to be offered by the BT Centre for Major Programme Management at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford has begun recruiting students for the inaugural programme. The new MSc in Major Programme Management will be offered, beginning in October 2008.
‘We don’t have second chances with many of these programmes, so it is essential that we urgently develop and disseminate best-practice in major programme management. One of the ways we are doing that at Oxford is through the new MSc programme and I am delighted that the course is ready to be launched and we can begin welcoming applicants to join it.’
‘This is a completely innovative and exciting course. It is the first such programme in the world to be delivered by a leading business school and we believe it meets a pressing and significant need among practitioners. Major programme management is a rapidly emerging and increasingly professional discipline, but one which lacks formal development opportunities for its practitioners. This new programme will address this and will help shape best practice, and build much needed networks in the specialism.’
The MSc is a part-time modular masters-level degree programme, designed to allow programme managers to join the course without significant interruption to their working lives. The MSc consists of ten, week-long residential modules delivered over a two-year period, with periods of private study between modules.
The programme has been developed after careful consultation with a number of major programme practitioners to ensure its relevance for working professionals.
Dr Smart explains: ‘As you would expect from Oxford, the programme is very intellectually rigorous but in designing it, we were also keen to ensure its practical relevance. We spoke to a number of representatives from major programme management internationally, to ensure that the shape of the course, its delivery and its content were all aligned with the industry’s requirements’.
Because major programme management is an evolving discipline, the curriculum for the MSc will be informed by current research. The Centre’s research activity will feed directly into the teaching on the new MSc programme, enabling participants to benefit from the latest understanding of best practice in the area and more broadly within business studies.
Professor Colin Mayer, Dean of Saïd Business School said: ‘It is wonderful to see the work of the BT Centre beginning and that this innovative and much-needed programme is now recruiting. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming the first group of programme managers to the programme.
Dr Patrick O'Connell, Co-Director of the BT Centre and Managing Director of BT Major Programmes Group said: 'This will become a flagship course for those looking to acquire the skills and methodologies to successfully initiate and deliver major programmes. There is global recognition that major programmes will be increasingly predominant in diverse sectors and the future leaders of these programmes will require the innovative and interdisciplinary approach fostered by the MSc. The involvement of senior major programme practitioners and the varied experience of other participants will also ensure that co-production of ideas and knowledge sharing will be integral to the experience of the course.’
- Induction “Gateway” (half course)
- Designing and managing successful programmes
- Systems engineering
- Financial management
- Managing performance
- Research methods
- Contract management
- Globalization and major programmes
- Conclusion “Capstone” (half course)
Two electives chosen from the Oxford MBA, EMBA or MSc in Financial Economics will help participants develop their individual skills and specialisations. Finally, participants will complete a 10,000-word dissertation. A range of innovative and stimulating teaching methods will be used to encourage the students to contribute to discussion, such as mini-projects, extended reports, role-playing, site visits and panel discussions.
The BT Centre for Major Programme Management is the world’s first research centre for major programme management. It will carry out a programme of leading-edge and multi-disciplinary research, drawing together the expertise within the Saïd Business School and the broader University of Oxford (within departments such as engineering, computer science and law) and eminent practitioners from the global business community. The Centre will consolidate knowledge around this emerging and dynamic field, which has considerable significance economically and often politically, and will foster a practical approach to the effective management of large scale programmes. The BT Centre will create a community of knowledge and will provide a resource for practitioners to locate the latest thinking on specialist topics. As well as carrying out research in this field, the Centre will also develop a ground-breaking teaching programme.
Established in 1996 the Saïd Business School is one of Europe’s youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School already has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The school is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. In the Financial Times ranking of MBA programmes (Jan 08), Saïd is ranked 19th in the world. This achievement follows the School’s success in HM Treasury’s 2005 ranking of the top 50 MBA programmes in the world, where it finished number one out of all the UK business schools. The University of Oxford also ranked top for business studies in The Times report published in August 2007. For more information, see www.sbs.ox.ac.uk.
Source: Said Business School press release, dated April 1, 2008.
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