Knowledge Areas Taught in Project Management Programs in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States

Abstract

Project management requires various knowledge, skills, techniques, and applications. Project management (PM) degree programs serve a critical role in training future project management workforce. However, literature has provided limited understanding on which knowledge areas (KAs) have been offered and how extensive they are offered in PM education programs. This paper bridges this gap by investigating to what extent different KAs were taught in PM education programs in Australia, UK and USA. Findings from a survey of 39 PM education programs reveal a consistent stronger emphasis on PMBOK KAs, particularly, time, cost and risk management. Surprisingly, project scope and quality had consistently received the least teaching priorities among the PMBOK KAs. Our findings further reveal a move toward the human skills in PM education programs. Evidence is the relative high teaching priorities for KAs such as human resource management, communications management, and leadership and legal/ethical aspects in the surveyed programs. PM educators can use the present findings to benchmark their program offerings and accordingly revise their curricula.