Best Online Master’s in Project Management

Q: MBA or master’s in project management?–

An MBA with concentration in Project Management is an excellent option for students needing a foundation in basic business knowledge. In an online MBA in Project Management, you’ll likely have 9-12 electives (3-4 courses) focused on project management, while the majority of your credits hours are spent on business essentials. A Master’s in Project Management is focused on the specialization of project management. The master’s in project management will give you more time to go deeper into a specialization. If you have a background in business, a focused master’s program in project management may be right for you.

Badge for BEST ONLINE MASTER'S IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

By Dr. James Barham

Published: Jul 7, 2021
Updated: Nov 22, 2023

Find top-ranked online master’s in project management degree programs for students wanting to gain employment as project managers, project administrators, and associate project managers.

Top 10 Online Project Management Master's Degrees

University of Southern California
Boston University
Brandeis University
Saint Louis University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Golden Gate University
University of Texas at Dallas
Southern New Hampshire University
Central Michigan University
Missouri State University

University of Southern California
Boston University
Brandeis University
Saint Louis University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Texas at Dallas
Liberty University
Northern Arizona University
Montclair State University

New England College 100%
Liberty University 99%
The Citadel 99%
Thomas College 97%
Southern New Hampshire University 96%
University of North Alabama 96%
Troy University 95%
Missouri State University 93%
Montclair State University 91%
Thomas Jefferson University 89%

University of Texas at Dallas 27 to 1
Purdue Global 26 to 1
Thomas College 23 to 1
Southern New Hampshire University 22 to 1
Lamar University 20 to 1
Northern Arizona University 20 to 1
Missouri State University 19 to 1
University of North Alabama 18 to 1
Liberty University 18 to 1
Central Michigan University 17 to 1

University of Southern California $64,726
Boston University $62,360
Brandeis University $62,322
Stevens Institute of Technology $58,624
Saint Louis University $50,644
Thomas Jefferson University $44,350
New England College $41,518
Thomas College $29,996
Maryville University $27,166
Liberty University $22,511

University of Southern California $63,468
Boston University $61,050
Brandeis University $55,104
Stevens Institute of Technology $39,408
Thomas College $28,954
Thomas Jefferson University $22,509
Saint Louis University $22,500
Golden Gate University $19,620
Southern New Hampshire University $18,900
Central Michigan University $15,942

Thomas College
The Citadel
Maryville University
Western Carolina University
Purdue Global
Lindenwood University
Troy University
University of North Alabama
New England College
Montclair State University

Thomas College
Maryville University
Lindenwood University
Purdue Global
New England College
University of North Alabama
Western Carolina University
The Citadel
Troy University
Lamar University

University of Southern California 12%
Boston University 14%
Brandeis University 39%
Stevens Institute of Technology 46%
Lindenwood University 74%
Central Michigan University 79%
Northern Arizona University 80%
Lamar University 84%
Western Carolina University 85%
Morgan State University 85%

New England College 7 to 1
University of Southern California 9 to 1
Saint Louis University 9 to 1
Brandeis University 10 to 1
Boston University 11 to 1
Stevens Institute of Technology 11 to 1
The Citadel 11 to 1
Golden Gate University 13 to 1
Thomas Jefferson University 13 to 1
Lindenwood University 13 to 1

Western Carolina University $1,000
Morgan State University $5,477
Lamar University $6,228
Missouri State University $7,476
The Citadel $8,356
Troy University $9,312
Purdue Global $10,080
University of North Alabama $10,200
Northern Arizona University $10,644
Golden Gate University $11,088

Western Carolina University $4,435
Missouri State University $5,994
Lamar University $6,471
University of North Alabama $6,600
Liberty University $7,893
Morgan State University $8,190
Lindenwood University $8,475
Troy University $8,550
Purdue Global $9,472
The Citadel $10,740

Table of Contents

Learn to plan, analyze, measure, maintain and adapt projects from beginning to end with this specialized online MBA that you can earn in 1 year from Southern New Hampshire University. No GRE/GMAT required. Courses include: Project Management, Human Behavior in Organizations, Leading in an Organization and Economics for Business. Request degree information now.

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Project Management Degrees

An MBA with concentration in Project Management is an excellent option for students needing a foundation in basic business knowledge. In an online MBA in Project Management, you’ll likely have 9-12 electives (3-4 courses) focused on project management, while the majority of your credits hours are spent on business essentials. A Master’s in Project Management is focused on the specialization of project management. The master’s in project management will give you more time to go deeper into a specialization. If you have a background in business, a focused master’s program in project management may be right for you.

Recent graduates and professionals in the field can earn their master’s in project management online or on campus. This advanced degree program will prepare students to plan, manage, and execute plans in a variety of industries, including business, construction, technology, and engineering.

Graduate students will take courses like Agile Fundamentals, Applying Project Management Principles in IT, Transforming Organizations, Analytical Tools for Strategic Decision-Making, and Six Sigma Quality Management.

Most 30-credit programs can be completed in about two years, and graduates can then sit for the PMP certification exam.

Most students will go on to gain employment as project managers, project administrators, and associate project managers.

Learn more about what you can do with a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

How do we determine the best online project management master's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Best Online Master’s and MBAs in Project Management Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Project Management Degree

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Project Management

Degree Level: Master's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $9,251
Avg. Expenses*: $16,084
Avg. Starting Salary*: $77,404
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $95,349
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 4 years
Job Growth: 4.65%
Number of Jobs: 2,209,500
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	4.07%	$142,020
Financial Managers	15.97%	$125,312
Natural Sciences Managers	4.87%	$122,066
Human Resources Managers	5.22%	$115,604
Actuaries	23.00%	$114,920
Training and Development Managers	6.54%	$111,455
Industrial Production Managers	1.62%	$106,425
Managers, All Other	3.35%	$106,040
Fundraising Managers	5.04%	$103,968
Medical and Health Services Managers	28.40%	$103,928

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$61,256	$101,258	$167,569

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 New York	5% higher than average	$130,153
#3 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$136,924
#4 Delaware	2% higher than average	$121,136
#5 Virginia	5% higher than average	$111,651
#6 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$103,634
#7 Michigan	15% higher than average	$99,104
#8 Texas	10% higher than average	$103,706
#9 Ohio	14% higher than average	$97,688
#10 Georgia	13% higher than average	$98,348
#11 Colorado	3% higher than average	$115,266
#12 Missouri	16% higher than average	$93,776
#13 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$103,442
#14 Washington	7% higher than average	$117,574
#15 Illinois	7% higher than average	$102,175
#16 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$104,492
#17 Kansas	9% higher than average	$97,981
#18 Alabama	13% higher than average	$92,491
#19 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$131,495
#20 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$97,815
#21 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$100,581
#22 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$118,084
#23 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$89,363
#24 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$91,818
#25 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$95,830
#26 California	26% higher than average	$129,266
#27 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$87,401
#28 Arizona	5% higher than average	$96,938
#29 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$91,749
#30 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$87,583
#31 Utah	4% higher than average	$95,707
#32 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$119,117
#33 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$90,374
#34 Florida	6% higher than average	$92,215
#35 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$81,445
#36 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$79,430
#37 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$90,008
#38 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$113,224
#39 Iowa	9% higher than average	$87,130
#40 Maryland	18% higher than average	$112,468
#41 North Dakota	average	$95,032
#42 Indiana	11% higher than average	$82,602
#43 Oregon	11% higher than average	$102,447
#44 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$89,166
#45 Montana	3% higher than average	$87,119
#46 Maine	9% higher than average	$96,109
#47 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$130,995
#48 Idaho	7% higher than average	$81,282
#49 Vermont	13% higher than average	$98,491
#50 Nevada	5% higher than average	$90,126
#51 Alaska	23% higher than average	$103,536
#52 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$96,792

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$142,020
Financial Managers	$125,312
Natural Sciences Managers	$122,066
Human Resources Managers	$115,604
Actuaries	$114,920
Training and Development Managers	$111,455
Industrial Production Managers	$106,425
Managers, All Other	$106,040
Fundraising Managers	$103,968
Medical and Health Services Managers	$103,928

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.

And in many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Online Master’s in Project Management

Top 10 Online Project Management Master's Degrees

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Project Management Degrees

MBA or master’s in project management?

Why get a master’s in project management?

What kind of courses are needed to get a master’s in project management?

How long does it take to get a master’s in project management?

What can you do with a master’s in project management?

Best Online Master’s and MBAs in Project Management Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at University of Southern California

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Boston University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Brandeis University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Saint Louis University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Stevens Institute of Technology

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Golden Gate University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at University of Texas at Dallas

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Central Michigan University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Missouri State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Morgan State University

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Liberty University

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Northern Arizona University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Lamar University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Thomas Jefferson University

Online Degrees

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Concentrations

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Montclair State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at New England College

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at University of North Alabama

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Troy University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Lindenwood University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Online Degrees

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Concentrations

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Western Carolina University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Maryville University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at The Citadel

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Project Management degree at Thomas College