Project Management (B.A., B.S.)
Project managers are natural interpreters and connectors. They’re gregarious people who are equally comfortable working with a company’s visionary leadership and its on-the-ground doers. They help leadership understand those on-the-ground realities. And they help staff work together toward the company’s shared goals.
A degree in project management can lead to a variety of industries including finance, technology, construction and health care. According to the Project Management Institute, the median U.S. salary for project managers is $116,000.
Nebraska Wesleyan’s program is designed to give you the agility you need to do this complex work—and the adaptability to respond when projects go sideways.
By getting your project management degree from NWU, you will be prepared to take the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam, an industry-recognized professional certification.
Nebraska Wesleyan’s project management program features in-person courses enhanced with a selection of specialized online courses taught by national experts. Below is a list of project management courses required for this degree.
Coursework for Project Management
Academically equivalent, both bachelor of art and bachelor of science degrees will prepare students for a career as a Project Manager.
| Required Courses | 51 hours |
|---|---|
| ACCT 1310 Principles of Accounting I | 3 hours |
| ACCT 1320 Principles of Accounting II | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 1650 Introduction to Project Management* | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 2000 Principles of Marketing | 3 hours |
| ECON 1530 Macroeconomic Principles | 3 hours |
| ECON 1540 Microeconomic Principles | 3 hours |
|
Mathematics course (choose from): |
3-5 hours |
|
Statistics course (choose from:)
|
3 hours |
| BUSAD 2300 Business Communication | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 2500 Principles of Management | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 2550 Project Planning* | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 2700 Business Law I | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 3300 Quantitative Methods | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 3650 Project Execution* | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 3700 Financial Management | 3 hours |
| BUSAD 4600 Business Ethics | 3 hours |
| 3 hours |
| Capstone | 3 hours |
|---|---|
| BUSAD 4800 Strategic Management | 3 hours |
*This course is offered remotely via NWU's partnership with a Consortium. The partnership allows students to earn NWU credit for specific courses. Classes are designed by top academics and industry leaders, vetted by NWU, and taught by experts in the field.
This is an introduction to the basic accounting model and the framework for developing financial statements. The major focus is on the study of generally accepted accounting principles as they apply to the measurement of income and the presentation of a firm's financial position.
(Normally offered each semester.)
The role of accounting in the formation and capitalization of corporations is studied. Other topics include cash flow, analysis and interpretation of financial statements, and basic managerial accounting.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in ACCT 1310 Principles of Accounting I.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course will introduce students to the power of effective project management through two primary frameworks: waterfall and agile. Students will also learn vital project-management concepts applicable to a wider range of industries and occupations. This course is an online class offered through the Lower Cost Models Consortium. The class has optional live sessions.
Students examine the role of marketing in society with an introduction to the fundamentals of strategic marketing planning and the development of the marketing mix. Topics include buyer behavior, market segmentation, distribution, pricing policies, communication strategies, and product development.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics include gathering, organizing, interpreting, and presenting data with emphasis on hypothesis testing as a method for decision making in the fields of business and economics. Procedures include z-tests, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlation, and simple regression.
Cross listed with ECON 2100.
Prerequisite(s): Demonstrated proficiency in high school algebra or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course will review the basics of effective oral and written communication and apply these basics to business writing and presentations. A variety of individual and collaborative projects, including memos, letters, and reports, will emphasize the process of drafting, revising, and editing business communications.
Prerequisite(s): Business Administration, Accounting, Economics, International Business, or Sport Management major.
An introduction to management theory and practice. Students explore the history of management and the environment in which managers operate. Classroom discussion focuses on the basic managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
(Normally offered each semester.)
Any successful project starts with a plan. This course provides students with a deep understanding of project planning. Projects are a series of tradeoffs between scope, cost, and time, so students will need to learn how to balance them to create a realistic and achievable plan. Students will also learn to leverage resources and manage risk, quality, and stakeholder expectations to ensure project success. This course is an online class offered through the Lower Cost Models Consortium. The class has optional live sessions.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in BUSAD 1650 Introduction to Project Management.
An introduction to the law, the courts, torts and contracts. It will also explore the law's application to business. This is a required course for Business Administration and Accounting majors.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course will review modern quantitative methods used in decision making. The intent is to expose the student to various modeling techniques and to apply these techniques using Excel. Topics include productivity and capacity analysis, forecasting, regression analysis, linear programming, PERT/CPM, and statistical process control.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in BUSAD 2100 Business and Economic Statistics, ECON 2100 Business and Economic Statistics, MATH 1300 Statistics, or MATH 3300 Mathematical Statistics I, and one of MATH 1100 College Algebra or MATH 1600 Calculus I, or department chair permission.
(Normally offered each semester.)
In today's fast-paced work environment, no project proceeds from beginning to end without encountering unforeseen challenges, and the changing scope, priorities, or context of a project may require various adjustments. Additionally, project implementation and closure require conviction and trust in established processes and personnel. In either context, these are vital parts of a project's success and reflect how future projects will be managed. This course covers project execution, monitoring/control, implementation/handover, DevOps, and project closure. This course intends to finalize students' preparation for their Project Management Practicum and Internship. This course is an online class offered through the Lower Cost Models Consortium.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in BUSAD 2550 Project Planning.
Students are introduced to financial management of proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. Concepts of risk and return, time value of money, and stock and bond valuation are analyzed from a quantitative approach and applied throughout the course. Additional topics covered are the cost of capital as related to discounted cash flow, capital budgeting, and strategic financing decisions. A project consisting of several spreadsheet applications will be utilized in order to expose students to their potential for financial analysis. Topics covered include: basic financial statements, financial ratio analysis, time value of money, valuation and rates of return, the cost of capital, and capital budgeting.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and grades of "C-" or better in ECON 1530 Macroeconomic Principles or ECON 1540 Microeconomic Principles, ACCT 1320 Principles of Accounting II, and a department-approved Math course (MATH 1100 College Algebra, MATH 1400 Pre-Calculus, MATH 1450 Finite Mathematics, MATH 1500 Calculus for Management, Biological, and Social Sciences or MATH 1600 Calculus I), or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course is intended to culminate a student's work in Project Management. Students will work in groups to manage a simulated project from scope to competition, encountering and overcoming challenges and complications along the way. This course will also provide students with an overview of the product life cycle, governance, and other topics to help contextualize project work. This course is an online class offered through the Lower Cost Models Consortium.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in BUSAD 3650 Project Execution.
This course investigates ethical issues and moral dilemmas found in the modern business arena. The conflict between an organization's economic performance and its social obligations are studied. Various economic theories, legal regulations and philosophic doctrines are discussed. Contemporary Western moral philosophy, historic and contemporary Christian ethics, and social theory provide a context for the course. Case studies are integrated throughout the semester.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and a 1000- or 2000-level speaking-instructive course.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
This course integrates all prior accounting, business, and economics courses as final preparation for the student's entry into the business world or graduate studies. Case studies and computer simulations are utilized to enable students to gain an understanding of business operations and the application of business principles.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing Business Administration, Accounting, or Economics majors, grades of "C-" or better in ACCT 1310 Principles of Accounting I, ACCT 1320 Principles of Accounting II, ECON 1530 Macroeconomic Principles, ECON 1540 Microeconomic Principles, and BUSAD 2500 Principles of Management and BUSAD 2000 Principles of Marketing, or permission of the instructor, and a 1000- or 2000-level writing-instructive course.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An examination of the macroeconomic theories, problems, and policies of the U.S. economy. Topics include supply and demand, a description of the main sectors of the economy, and the role of government in stabilizing the economy with monetary and fiscal policies.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An examination of the microeconomic theories, problems, and policies of the U.S. economy. Topics include the theory of the firm, market structures, and current economic issues such as income distribution, antitrust policy, poverty, the farm problem, and international trade.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 1530 Macroeconomic Principles strongly recommended.
(Normally offered each semester.)
See BUSAD 2100 Business and Economic Statistics.
A study of functions from algebraic, graphical, numerical and modeling perspectives. The functions are chosen from among linear, polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic.
Prerequisite(s): Math ACT score of at least 21.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An introduction to statistics concepts with an emphasis on applications. Topics include descriptive statistics, discrete and continuous probability distributions, the central limit theorem, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
A study of elementary functions, their graphs, and applications, including polynomial, rational, algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions.
Prerequisite(s): Math ACT score of at least 24 or grade of "C" or better in MATH 1100 College Algebra.
A survey of specialized mathematical techniques used to solve contemporary problems in business, economics and the social sciences. Topics may include linear regression, mathematical finance, systems of equations, matrix algebra, linear programming, enumeration, probability, and statistics.
Prerequisite(s): Math ACT of at least 24 or a grade of "C "or better in MATH 1100 College Algebra.
(Normally offered each semester.)
A calculus course for non-mathematics majors. Topics include limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration with emphasis on relevant applications.
Prerequisite(s): Math ACT score of at least 24 or grade of "C" or better in MATH 1100 College Algebra.
(Normally offered once a year.)
An introduction to calculus of a single variable. Topics include limits, continuity, differentiation, and beginning integration with applications. Assignments are given that help build proficiency in the use of a computer algebra system.
Prerequisite(s): Math ACT score of at least 27, or a grade of "C" or better in MATH 1470 Trigonometry or MATH 1400 Pre-Calculus, or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An introduction to basic probability and statistics concepts with an emphasis on applications. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, Bayes' Theorem, discrete and continuous probability distributions, joint probability distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C" or better in MATH 1610 Calculus II.
(Normally offered fall of even-numbered years.)
An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics as decision-making guides in psychology and related fields. Topics include organization, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of data with emphasis on the hypothesis testing model of inference. Specific procedures include z-tests, t-tests, analysis of variance, and correlation. A laboratory section is required for computational experience.
Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 1010/PSYCH 1010FYW Introduction to Psychological Science and sophomore standing.
Recommended: College level mathematics course.
(Normally offered each semester.)
In this course students are introduced to descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications to sociological research. Statistical procedures include central tendency measures, variability, t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, regression, and chi square. The course also includes specific training in using SPSS for analysis.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)