University of Winchester’s MSc Project Management Programme Achieves Accreditation and Student Success

The University of Winchester‘s MSc Project Management programme has secured accreditation from the Association for Project Management (APM), the world’s sole chartered membership organisation for the project profession.

This accreditation grants Winchester graduates a significant advantage in pursuing Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) status via the Recognised Assessment route. All students will also receive complimentary membership of the APM, gaining access to their extensive resources.

The University welcomes the accreditation, which facilitates access to industry leaders and strengthens links with professionals in the field. The one-year programme, led by Caroline Tite, has proven popular with graduates from diverse disciplines, including arts subjects.

“The course offers students a wide range of possibilities and provides a valuable opportunity to enter this growing field,” said Ms. Tite.

Project management skills are increasingly sought-after in today’s digital age, not just in traditional sectors like manufacturing, construction, and engineering, but also in healthcare, education, tourism, and any organisation undergoing change. The APM describes project management as a “golden thread” that drives quality, efficiency, and effective strategic change across all sectors.

Their research shows the UK project management sector generated a substantial £156.5 billion of the UK’s annual gross value added (GVA) in 2019, representing 8.9% of the total.

Winchester Students Shine in APM Project Management Challenge

Further demonstrating the programme’s success, a team of four MSc students, self-styled as “The AI-nsteins,” secured second place in the Wessex APM Challenge, achieving the top university entry.

This year’s challenge focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Winchester quartet, comprising Holly Tate, Molly Hamilton, Owain Lloyd, and Annie Ogle, organised a well-received AI Symposium at the University’s West Downs Centre in February.

During the finals held last week at Southampton’s Grand Harbour Hotel, they presented their project overview to a panel of judges and a live audience.

The AI-nsteins competed against teams from businesses and other universities, finishing second behind BAE Systems, who presented an AI board game concept, and ahead of rivals from the universities of Southampton, Portsmouth, and Bournemouth.

“The AI-nsteins Team have done so well and we are pleased to celebrate their success. Our students were runners up in the APM Project Management Challenge, beaten only by a team from BAE Systems.  

“This is a great success in that we recognise the students in BAE Systems work as trainee project managers, while our students have managed this challenge in their own time in addition to their studies on the Masters programme, and to their own personal commitments.  

“Our team finished ahead of Universities in the Wessex region including Bournemouth University, the University of Southampton and the University of Portsmouth. This success will help to further raise the profile of our programme, and we hope to attract more students who may take part in future APM Project Management competitions to represent the University of Winchester.” 

Team member Holly Tate said: “We were all absolutely delighted placing second and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to present our project to the panel of judges and 100-plus  audience members. It was quite nerve-wracking but we enjoyed ourselves and our lecturers came along to support us, which was lovely.  

“Overall, it has been an amazing experience and developed our project management skills greatly. Most of all, we are very happy we got to run the project and see our initial idea come to life.  

“The evening was a great experience and there was a lovely sense of camaraderie amongst all the young project professionals. I have made some great connections and got a chance to practice my project management.”

To learn more about the MSc Project Management programme, visit the University of Winchester website.