Project Management Major
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About the Major
Regardless of the industry, project management is the key element that helps organizations achieve strategic goals. Businesses succeed or fail in today’s dynamic environment based on the ability to bring quality products and services to market in a timely manner, on budget and within scope — and skilled project managers are critical to making that happen.
Jobs in Project Management
- Project manager
- Project analyst/estimator
- Project coordinator
- Construction manager
- Agile project manager
Past Elon Project Management Internships
- Marriott International
- Kellogg Supply Company, Inc.
- T. Rowe Price
- Duke Energy
- Kontoor Brands
Related Majors
Real-world application at Elon helped project management grad take on first job
Megan Sassaman didn’t start out in the project management program when she entered Elon in 2019, but she soon realized it was the path that most interested her.
“I was interested more in the business aspect of everything, and I heard a lot of people say there’s so much you can do with project management, so many different career paths you can take and multiple industries to work in,” said Sassaman, who had originally considered engineering as a major but ended up double-majoring in project management and entrepreneurship, graduating from Elon with a degree in business administration in 2022.
There are times in college when you take a class and aren’t able to understand how it will be used in the real world … But I felt that with my project management courses, there were a lot of useful life skills that you could take with you.
How she ended up on the construction side of project management — she’s currently an engineer at Clark Construction Group — can be traced to a class she took the fall semester of her senior year with Professor Matthew Valle. The assignment: Come up with plans to build Valle’s dream house in Colorado. The professor gave students some basic information on what was needed to build the house, and Sassaman and her peers had to create a project plan that included a detailed schedule of costs, scope and deadlines — down to the holidays that contractors would need to work.
She so enjoyed the project that it became her focus as she applied for jobs.
“In both majors, there was a lot of real-world application that I felt was beneficial,” she said. “There are times in college when you take a class and aren’t able to understand how it will be used in the real world, and you question why you had taken it and how or why it applies to your job. But I felt that with my project management courses, there were a lot of useful life skills that you could take with you.”
One example: Elon’s project management majors are required to take a capstone seminar that prepares them for the Certified Associate in Project Management exam. Earning that certification before graduating “is just one more thing that helps you stand out,” Sassaman said.
While Sassaman is grateful for the classroom knowledge and life experiences she was given at Elon, she’s most appreciative of how open the university and its alumni are about connecting after graduation. “No matter where you are, if you reach out to Elon alumni, they are more than willing to help you out,” she said. “That’s something you don’t always get with a big school.”
Talking to alumni with different jobs in project management helped Sassaman find her path; her job at Clark came via an alum who opened her eyes to the possibility of working for a general contractor. Today, she works in preconstruction services estimating and bidding projects and reviewing proposals.
“The one thing that Elon was really helpful with was preparing me to be confident in the workplace,” she said. “I work on very large-scale construction projects, and I would have never pictured myself being able to tackle the tasks that are required, but Elon and my project management courses challenged me and ultimately helped me to gain the confidence I need to be successful in the workplace. A lot of that came from the close relationships with Dr. Valle and my other professors; having their recognition and support helped to instill that sense of confidence.”
Did You Know?
- Elon’s Accelerated 3+1 program gives project management majors the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration as well as a Master of Science in Business Analytics in just four years. The majority of undergraduate coursework is completed in the first three years, with graduate coursework in the fourth year.
- Project management career paths often lead to positions in construction, information technology, health care and government, but organizations in a wide range of fields and industries need project managers.
- There are abundant opportunities for students in project management to learn about their chosen field, including internships and study abroad, business academic honor and fraternal societies, and the Project Management Club, a student-led organization that offers social and professional networking opportunities, career planning and job search assistance.
- Students in the required capstone Seminar in Project Management class have the opportunity to earn the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® credential, an asset that will distinguish them in the job market and enhance their credibility and effectiveness working on project teams.