School of Business Management and Finance

Master of Business Administration

(Project Management)

November 2008
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

Master of Business Administration

Project Management

1. PROGRAMME INFORMATION
This Part-time MBA programme prepares students for leading project teams, setting priorities, and
assessing the costs, time needed, and resources required for the successful completion of a
variety of corporate projects. Graduates with these skills will find themselves in high demand as
quality assurance specialists and project managers. It is mainly designed to cater for the growing
need of infrastructural development associated with the fast expanding economy. The Programme
instills skills and knowledge required to be a successful Project Manager who must simultaneously
manage four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money, and most importantly, scope. All
these elements must be managed together if the project, and the project manager, is to be a
success.
Resources - People, equipment, material
Time - Task durations, dependencies, critical path
Money - Costs, contingencies, profit
Scope - Project size, goals, requirements

The specialised MBA in Project Management is designed to foster the strategies required to
manage projects of various scopes and sizes. The programme is also meant to develop techniques
and best practices on how to avoid project pitfalls while you put your newfound project
management skills to work in real-world exercises. The MBA combines a blend of modules in
fundamental management discipline as well as in the specialised area of project management. The
programme emphasises communication and interpersonal skills as well as the conceptual and
technical skills critical to managerial careers and are intended primarily to meet the needs of
people of the managerial community.

This MBA programme comprises of 11 modules and an applied project. Each module carries a
weight of 10 credits and the project carries a weight of 30 credits. One credit represents 7.5 hours
of student work, meaning that a 10 credit module represents 75 hours of study including formal
teaching, independent study, revision, and the preparation of assessments. The MBA degree
requires the successful completion of 140 credits, 110 of which represent taught modules, and 30
of which include the successful completion of the project. Case study analysis combined with
written and oral presentation will be used extensively.

2. PROGRAMME AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The full time MBA programme aims and objectives are to provide:

A systematic understanding of organisations, their management, and the changing external

environment in which they operate;
A theoretical and practical grounding in the key disciplines of modern business and their
application to project management;
And develop key cognitive, problem solving, qualitative, quantitative, computing, inter

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 2 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

personal, group working and research skills;

A critical awareness, informed by the latest theory and practice, of project management, and
the changing external environment in which they operate;
A practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to
enhance theory and practice in relation to the management of project and contracts;
To develop critical thinking and communications skills, thereby allowing our graduates to
conduct research independently and to be able to evaluate the work of others;
Professional and personal growth of the student in a challenging and friendly atmosphere;
The opportunity for course members to study a series of self-contained intensive modules and
to learn through action taking and through teamwork;

PART I
REGULATIONS

3. GENERAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

As per UTM’S Admission Regulations, and ‘Admission to Programmes of Study at Masters

Degree Level’.

4. PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS

Admission decisions will be made by the School of Business Management and Finance on
a case to case basis.

Candidates must either be:

Graduates of a recognised university or other institutions of higher education with at least a

second class honours degree or holders of an approved professional qualification deemed
equivalent to an honours degree.

Or
Other honours graduates or holders of an equivalent qualification may be admitted if they
produce evidence which satisfies the School Board of their competence to pursue the
programme;

Or
Applicants who do not satisfy any of the requirements as per Regulations 3 or the above
but who submit satisfactory evidence of having passed examinations or have acquired
managerial experience which are deemed by the Academic Council to be equivalent to any
of those listed.

Overseas Candidates
Overseas candidates whose first language is not English and who do not hold a degree or
equivalent professional qualification taught in English will be required to produce evidence of
their competence in English.
MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing
Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
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 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

5 PROGRAMME DURATION

Part Time: 2 years, comprising 4 Semesters

6. SELF-LEARNING AND TUTORIAL

Students are expected to spend one hour weekly on self-learning and seek for tutorial
assistance.

7. SEMESTER

12 weeks (Excluding Exam Period). As far as possible, lectures will be conducted on

Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

8. CREDIT SYSTEM

1 module = 10 credits

9. DISSERTATION/APPLIED PROJECT
Candidates should compulsorily submit a business related project at the end of the final
semester of the programme. The scope of the research will be assessed and approved
through a project proposal that will be due after completion of Research Methods &
Techniques, which is a non-examinable module. The project will mainly involve real
business problems solving situation or will be on business administration themes as
approved by the post graduate dissertation committee. The project should be around
15000-20000 words and may have to be defended in a viva-voce.

10. STUDENT PROGRESS AND ASSESSMENT

All modules will carry 100 marks and will be assessed as follows (unless otherwise
specified):
 Assessment will be based on a written examination of three hours and a continuous
assessment carrying between 30% and 50% of the total marks. However, some
modules may be assessed through 100% coursework.
 The continuous assessment may include class tests, assignments or class
seminars.
 .A minimum of 50% should be attained in each of Continuous Assessment and
Written Examination, with an overall total of 50% for a candidate to pass a module
unless otherwise agreed by the Board of Examiners.

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
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 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

Grading

Grade Marks x[%]

A x 70
- 65 x < 70
A
B 60 x < 65
- 55 x < 60
B
C 50 x < 55
FAIL X < 50

11. EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE

The percentage mark contributes a 100 percent weighting towards the degree
classification.

12. DEGREE AWARD CLASSIFICATION

Overall weighted mark y (%) Classification
y 70 MBA with Distinction
60 y 70 MBA with Merit
50 y 60 MBA
y 50 No Award

Minimum Credits Required for the Award of:

MBA Degree (Project Management): 140

Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (Project Management): 110

(excluding applied project)

Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration (General): 80

(excluding applied project)

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 5 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

Part II – PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND PLAN

Master of Business Administration
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE and PLAN

Semester 1

Code Modules Hrs/Wk Credits

MBA xxxx Economics for Managers 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Financial & Managerial Accounting 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Operations Research 2+1 10
MBA 1408 Business Information Technology 2+1 10

Specialisation Modules:

Semester 2

Code Modules Hrs/Wk Credits

Organisation Behaviour and Human Resource
MBA 1409 2+1 10
Management
MBA xxxx Project Management I 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Law & Ethics in Engineering 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Engineering Risk Management 2+1 10

Semester 3

Code Modules Hrs/Wk Credits

MBA xxxx Project Management II 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Strategic Management 2+1 10
MBA xxxx Negotiation, Amicable Settlement & Arbitration 2+1 10
Business Research Methods**

Semester 4

Code Modules Hrs/Wk Credits

MBA xxxx Dissertation/Applied Project 30
Workshops/Seminars
** This module is non-examinable and comprises FIVE (i.e. 15 hours) lectures leading to
the submission of a project proposal for approval to continue with the APPLIED PROJECT
in semester 4. Attendance is compulsory.

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 6 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

Part III

OUTLINE SYLLABUS

YEAR 1 , SEMESTER 1

MBA CODE Economics for Managers (10 credits)

The module presents the foundation to understanding how the economy works, covering
microeconomic descriptions of business applications as well as some macroeconomic issues.

Content: pricing for profit maximisation, price elasticity, market structures and modelling of
businesses in varying economic climates. Demand analysis and forecasting, production and costs,
cost benefit analysis. Government role in the market and business strategies. Inflation, economic
growth, National Accounts and international trade, Fiscal policy, Monetary policy, Foreign
exchange policy. Foreign exchange markets.

Financial and Managerial Accounting (10 credits)

Accounting is the primary channel for communicating the economics of any business. Managers
must understand the concepts and language of accounting in order to use this critical tool
effectively for communication, monitoring, and resource allocation. This module provides a broad
view of how accounting contributes to an organisation and how managers can make the best use
of accounting information, accounting records, and systems, and accountants as internal resources
for the purpose of making effective financial decisions.

Content: financial reporting, interpretation and analysis of financial statements. Contribution

analysis and relevant costing techniques. CVP analysis and capital Budgeting. Case study
analysis.

MBA CODE Operations Research (10 credits)

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of fundamental principles of
management science. It is geared to develop skills in formulating basic mathematical models and
familiarise students with the main algorithms used in management science. The module also
addresses the use of IT and quantitative methods for managing performance in organisations.

Content: Linear programming, decision analysis, the SIMPLEX method, duality and sensitivity
analysis, transportation model and its variants, network models, goal programming, Forecasting
models, Queuing systems, inventory models, simulation modelling.

MBA CODE Business Information Technology

This module deals with the relevant issues pertaining to the effective management of information
services and the strategic alignment of business objectives with information technology.

Content: Information technology as a competitive Potential, Business Drivers, Strategic Alignment,

Developing IT Competitive Strategy, Information Architecture, Disruptive Technology and Strategy,
Strategy and Operating Models, Business Models, Case Studies in Information Systems.

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 7 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

YEAR 1, SEMESTER 2

MBA CODE Organisation Behaviour & Human Resource Management (10 credits)
The objective of this subject is to familiarize the student with management concepts and behavioral
processes in the organization which lead to a better grasp of functional human resource
management issues.

Content: Managerial Processes, Functions, skills, and roles in an organization - an overview.

Evolution of management theories, Organization structure, Motivation, Interpersonal
communication, Group Dynamics, Leadership and influence process, Conflict Management. HRM-
Concept and Philosophy, HRM functions, HRD Instruments, Processes and Outcomes, Human
Resource Planning – Concept, Quantitative and Qualitative dimensions, HRM in the changing
environment, Recruitment and Selection, Job Analysis, Induction and orientation, Training and
Development, Performance and potential appraisal, Rewards Management, Industrial Relations,
Collective Bargaining, Grievance and Dispute, Employee Empowerment.

MBA CODE Project Management I (10 credits)

This module aims to develop a sound knowledge of the many and varied types of projects utilised
in organisations today and the stages involved in the conception and implementation of projects.
Skills in writing project briefs, executing feasibility studies, and organising and managing project
teams are developed, with reference to the role of project management within the organisation,
finance, coordination of consultants, contractual arrangements and project supervision.
Participants are encouraged to apply material studied in other units of the program to the specific
problems of managing projects.

Content: Essential features of a project, appropriate strategies to ensure a successful project

outcome, effective management of projects and project staff, planning and control tools for project
managers, factors determining success or failure of a project, management of project risk
throughout the project life cycle, effective information and stakeholder management and project
success, emerging project management issues.

MBA CODE Law and Ethics in Engineering (10 credits)

This module encompasses legal aspects and ethical concerns regarding engineering
management. The module focuses on law related aspects, methods of critical legal analysis, and
ethical principles as they impact on engineering management.
Content: Ethics: Definition and Analysis; Engineers as Employees; Honesty, Integrity, and
Reliability; Morality and Social Policy, Engineers and the Environment. Law: Legal Systems;
Contract Law; Tort law; Property Rights; Commercial Law; Corporate Law; contemporary topics in
Law.

MBA CODE Engineering Risk Management (10 credits)

This module is intended to provide a broad treatment of engineering risk management techniques
comprising decisions, risk assessments, and reliability. The module emphasises on (1) the
modelling of engineering problems and evaluation of systems performance under conditions of
uncertainty; (2) risk-based approach to life-cycle management of engineering systems; (3)
systematic development of design criteria, explicitly taking into account the significance of
uncertainty; and (4) logical framework for risk assessment and risk-benefit tradeoffs in decision
making. Note, fundamental mathematical concepts are developed in the context of engineering
problems.

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 8 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

Content: Overview of risks associated with engineering activities, fundamentals of risk

identification, measurement and control, hazard identification and risk management strategies,
usefulness, applicability and limitations of risk assessment, safety and environmental management
systems, corporate engineering risk management programs, issues in risk perception and risk
communication.

YEAR 2, SEMESTER 3

MBA CODE Project Management II (10 credits)

This module builds on the concepts explored in Project Management I, with a particular emphasis
on the complexities involved in managing high-risk technology projects. It covers both the technical
and the human side of advanced project management.

Content: High-risk factors in projects and sources of uncertainty in technology intensive projects,
systematic process to manage project risks, application of ‘systems’ relating to project scope and
contract relationships, management risk related to contract scope, work authorisation and
authority, progress measurement and product performance, degree of definition of a project and
forecasting of cost, commercial considerations involved in business case and tender preparation,
tender evaluation, roles of portfolio and program managers, application of appropriate non-
adversarial contractual relationships.

MBA CODE Strategic Management (10 credits)

The aim of this module is to develop students’ familiarity with the principal concepts, frameworks
and techniques of business policy and strategy. This will involve and evaluation of the impact of the
external operating environment and the need to adopt organizational strategies to ensure effective
business performance.

Content: The strategic management process, Flexible system view of strategic management,
Strategic situations analysis, PEST analysis of competitive environment, Competitive advantage
profile, Industry foresight, strategic-capability analysis-resource audit, value chain analysis,
Comparative analysis, SWOT analysis, Core competencies, Culture and stakeholder expectations.

MBA CODE Negotiation, Amicable Settlement & Arbitration (10 credits)

The aim of this module is to develop academic and professional proficiency in conflict
management, negotiation, dispute avoidance, arbitration, etc. As pre-requisite, students are
expected to successfully complete the module Law and Ethics in Enginneering.

Content: Conflict Management: Conflict definition; Conflict sources. Negotiation: Different forms of
negotiations (i.e. Interest based, Competitive based); Negotiation skills (i.e. problem solving,
Listening, Paraphrasing, Dealing with threats and anger). Amicable Settlement: Definition (i.e.
mediation, fact-finding, advisory award); examples and case studies of amicable settlement.
Arbitration: Definition; Dismissal (i.e. Operational requirements, Misconduct, Incapacity); Interest
issues (Wages, Job grading); Interpretation issues; Arbitration procedures (i.e. Opening
arguments, Narrowing the issues, Examination, Re-examination, Cross-examination,
Interventions); Special Focus on Admissibility of evidence, Assessment of evidence, Dealing with
representation, Dealing with preliminary points. Drafting: Awards; Agreements; Opinions.

NO CODE Business Research Methods (Non-examinable)

Students will have to cover five lectures (i.e. 15 hours) on research methods & techniques in
Semester 3. Note that attendance is compulsory. The aim of this unit is to introduce students to the
practical aspects of management research. It shall expose students to different analytical
techniques and covers aspects such as: foundations of research, sampling, data collection, data
MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing
Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 9 of 10
 Masters of Business Administration in Project Management

analysis and presentation of main findings. Upon completion, students will be able to design and
formulate individual project proposals that will be assessed for the approval of the Applied Project.

YEAR 2, SEMESTER 4

DISS CODE Dissertation/Applied Project (30 credits)

The applied project is a major piece of work required for the fulfilment of an MBA award. Students
are expected to demonstrate rigorous research skills and appropriate methodologies acquired
during the course. The project must involve problem solving research and more details on the
structure of the project will be made available through an MBA Project Guidelines (MPG). Student
is expected to submit a thesis on the key findings at the end of semester 4. Student MAY BE
CALLED UPON TO defend himself/herself through a presentation and viva voce and will be
evaluated on the work done by him/her during the industrial training. The credit assigned to the
project work is equivalent to that of 3 modules. Students are expected to maintain individual
contact with their dissertation supervisor.

Workshops/Seminars
Different workshops/seminars will be conducted in close collaboration with Ministries, Private
Sector, NGOs and other stakeholders with a view to increase awareness on Corporate Social
Responsibility. Upon completion of this unit attendees will be awarded a certificate of attendance.
Seminars will be held on the following topics:
Corporate Governance
Health & Safety
Sustainable Development
Ethics and Social Responsibilities

** Seminar topics may change to reflect emerging issues.

MBA Programme Specifications PT: Mr. B. Nowbutsing

Programme may slightly change
Programme will be offered as much as possible on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Page 10 of 10