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MSc Strategic Project Management

Key information

Edinburgh Business School's MSc Strategic Project Management is designed and taught by experts in strategy, management, and organisational performance. It will equip you with the skills to become a successful leader in a global project-based environment.

Level
Postgraduate Taught
Delivery type
Full Time, Part Time
Degree qualification
MSc
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September, January

Our MSc Strategic Project Management offers you the opportunity to develop subject knowledge and skills across strategic management to formulate and implement appropriate organisation strategy and project management for the successful delivery of complex and transformative business strategies. The programme introduces project management and strategic management to those who have not yet studied the subject in-depth and is therefore suitable, regardless of the discipline you studied at undergraduate level.  

Our industry-focused masters will equip you with the best tools, techniques, and expertise to strengthen your practice of strategic project management across all industries. You’ll develop detailed knowledge of contemporary and pervasive issues in strategic project management, from both academic and professional perspectives. You’ll gain a critical understanding of emerging concepts within business strategy projects, including project portfolio management, programme management and project governance. You’ll examine sustainable competitive advantage and explore ways in which corporate vision is communicated and formulated into the business strategy. You’ll develop knowledge in establishing and monitoring quality within projects and gain the ability to apply leadership in strategy development and implantation. You’ll develop professional competence in project management and project programme management, which will make you highly sought after by employers upon graduation.  

Beyond the taught skills and knowledge, you’ll gain key transferrable skills which will set you up for your professional career. You’ll gain crucial written and verbal communication, leadership, teamwork, negotiation, conflict resolution and presentation skills which will allow for your continued professional development and transition to the workplace. You’ll be equipped with the ability to think critically, identify problems, evaluate options, and communicate solutions which will enable you to effectively implement your specialist knowledge to any project management issues you may face in your career. Throughout your studies, you’ll gain familiarity with standard software such as MS Word, Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, Visio and research databases and develop quantitative techniques in project management, quality management, procurement management and statistical analysis. 

You’ll have the opportunity to specialise and choose four optional courses – from competitive strategy, strategic innovation management, operations management, strategic change, organisational behaviour, managing diversity in business, green and sustainable logistics, international marketing, quality management, systems thinking and analysis, finance, and business start-up – to customise your learning and develop your specific interest. Your strategic project management dissertation will allow you to further build on these subject interests, by presenting you the opportunity to carry out an original research project at the forefront of knowledge. The knowledge base, subject and transferable skills you will gain will prepare you for lifelong learning and personal development.  

Your student experience

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics whose work contributes to the Centre for Logistics and Sustainability which has fed into the UK Government’s carbon policy and the logistics operations of organisations such as:  

  • Tesco
  • Coca-Cola
  • John Lewis
  • DHL
  • Sainsbury’s

Heriot-Watt University stands at the forefront of logistics research and specialises in the study of management, integration, reform, impact, and modelling of logistics activity, particularly from an environmental and sustainability perspective. 

You’ll learn from academics, whose work provides government, industry, commercial and other sectors with insight into logistical trends, transport benchmarking and road use throughout the UK and Europe. Much of our research output is transformed into practical management guides, tools, and techniques.

Go Global

With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.

Inter-Campus Transfer: Malaysia

Discover new friends and places with an inter-campus transfer to Malaysia.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

Mandatory September

  • Leadership
  • Strategic Project Management

Optional September

  • Competitive Strategy
  • Strategic Innovation Management
  • Operations Management
  • Strategic Change
  • Organisational Behaviour

Mandatory January

  • Research Philosophy and Practice
  • Project Management

Optional January

  • Managing Diversity in Business
  • Green and Sustainable Logistics
  • Quality Management
  • Hacking for MoD (Ministry of Defence)
  • Systems Thinking and Analysis
  • Business Start-up

Mandatory May

  • Strategic Project Management Dissertation

January Intake - Edinburgh

January Semester Mandatory

  • Research Philosophy and Practice
  • Project Management

January Semester Optional

  • Quality Management
  • Green and Sustainable Logistics
  • Managing Diversity in Business
  • Business Start-up
  • Systems Thinking and Analysis

September Semester Mandatory

  • Strategic Project Management
  • Leadership

September Semester Optional

  • Strategic Change
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Operations Management
  • Strategic Innovation Management
  • Organisational Behaviour

Second January Semester Mandatory

  • Strategic Project Management Dissertation

Fees and funding

/ intake tuition fees
StatusFull TimePart Time
UK£12,344£6,172
International£24,176£12,088
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Scholarships and bursaries

Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View details

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in any academic subject provided that it includes evidence of essay writing and use of critical thinking.

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

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