Construction/Project Management Graduate Certificate

Hey Guys, 

I wanted to ask if any of you have acquired or ever looked into a Graduate Certificate Program? more specifically for Project Management or Construction Management.  For those who don't know what it is, Its pretty much a watered down version of a Master's degree but with 4-5 classes instead of the full Master's Degree curriculum. To give you guys a little background, I am a Civil Engineer with a BS and 5 years of experience. I am looking to take my PE next year. Along with my PE, I wanted to pursue getting my PMP and CCM in the future.  I wanted to see if you guys think that going for a Graduate Certificate in Project Management or Construction Management is worth the trouble? 

Here is an example of what I'm talking about: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/project-management-certificate/overview

Thanks  

I don't think it is worth your money. Experience in construction is king. 

NYCProjectEngineer PE PMP said:

I don't think it is worth your money. Experience in construction is king. 

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Agreed. Unless your company is paying for the certifications.

You can easily get PMP without spending all that money. Seriously a $50 book is all you need to pass the PMP. Compared to the $12k program that you are considering.

I don't think this will help you in construction. Literally no one will care that you have a graduate certificate (which isn't an actual degree, usually about 1/3 or less of masters degree). If your goal is to get a masters degree, go do that, but a certificate is nearly pointless. Also be careful with these Project Management degrees, many of them aren't actually accredited because they are so new.

Also, why wait on the PMP? If you want to do it, you likely qualify if you have been working in construction for 5 years.

I don't think the PMP has much value in the construction industry (especially private contractors). I have had my PMP for two years and it has not helped at all  when applying to jobs/getting offers from what I can tell. 

If your company will pay for it, then I would get as much training as possible on their dime.  My company has a $5,000 per year educational allowance for "formal education".  In addition they will also pay for you to get various  certifications (LEED, PMP, CCM, CEM, HERS Rater, Six Sigma, etc.) and pay for conferences for CEU's/PDH's if your manager approves it.  I have always approved my employees getting more certifications on the companies dime, especially since our company has been less generous on bonuses/raises since 2008).

If your company pays for it and you want to do it, go for it.  However, don't expect to be entitled and get a raise/promotion/"Grand Poohba Award" because you have attained an extra degree/certification while your company pays for it.  I have employees who feel a sense of entitlement and want a raise/promotion because of their achievement while I feel their entitlement is they had someone else foot the bill.

If you are paying for it out of my pocket, then I would probably would go a different route.

ruggercsc said:

If your company will pay for it, then I would get as much training as possible on their dime.  My company has a $5,000 per year educational allowance for "formal education".  In addition they will also pay for you to get various  certifications (LEED, PMP, CCM, CEM, HERS Rater, Six Sigma, etc.) and pay for conferences for CEU's/PDH's if your manager approves it.  I have always approved my employees getting more certifications on the companies dime, especially since our company has been less generous on bonuses/raises since 2008).If your company pays for it and you want to do it, go for it.  However, don't expect to be entitled and get a raise/promotion/"Grand Poohba Award" because you have attained an extra degree/certification while your company pays for it.  I have employees who feel a sense of entitlement and want a raise/promotion because of their achievement while I feel their entitlement is they had someone else foot the bill.

If you are paying for it out of my pocket, then I would probably would go a different route.

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****! $5k/year!? That's impressive.

It would be nice if we as an industry could put an end to some of these worthless "certifications" like CCM, PMP, etc....

Road Guy said:

It would be nice if we as an industry could put an end to some of these worthless "certifications" like CCM, PMP, etc....

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I like that it lets you know immediately if somebody cares enough about their career to spend time getting the cert. But I have met plenty of people who are certified and are worthless. It certainly isn't an end all be all. 

I don't mean to drag up an old topic, but it seems like there is some erroneous comparison of worthless "certificates" with "graduate certificates" .  A graduate certificate is something you get for completing a certain number of graduate-level college courses (varying between 4 and 6).  That is all.  It is not a certification, it is education.  I think that for many, there is more value to the education approach than the simple pay - test - certify garbage.  Most people, I think, who take a graduate level course get quite a bit out of it, due to the amount of time and work it requires.  They actually learn something new.  A certificate, on the other hand, is basically just the result of you paying someone else to verify what you have already learned.  New knowledge vs. old and/or superficial knowledge; pretty different in my mind.

So that said, any consideration of a graduate certificate should be centered on what additional knowledge you think would be beneficial to you - same as if you were considering a masters degree.  A project management or construction management program might be beneficial in that it can give you an edge over people who only have experience, because you will have experience, too, but also a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the principles of the practice.  I personally have only project management experience, with little to no formal project management education. The few engineers I know with project/construction management education seem to have a better grasp on management principles, while the vast majority of PMPs I know don't seem any better than I am, and several are actually a lot worse because they're not even engineers.