CTU becomes one of fewer than 20 institutions throughout the world accredited by PMI® GAC to offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in project management

Colorado Springs, CO (EMWNews) July 25, 2008 — Colorado Technical University Online recently became one of fewer than 20 institutions in the world that offer university-level programs in project management fully accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (GAC), the world’s leading association for project management professionals. The not-for-profit PMI has more than 270,000 members around the world, providing global leadership and developing standards of practice for PM professionals.

After a rigorous period of evaluation, PMI’s Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (PMI-GAC), whose stated mission is to serve “two fundamental purposes – to ensure the quality of academic degree programs in project management and to assist faculty and universities in the improvement of degree programs,” accredited three CTU Online project management programs. Having their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs recognized by the world’s most respected body in the PM profession, means that CTU has joined the ranks of only a handful of institutions throughout the world that are recognized by the PMI-GAC as fully meeting their standards for the profession. The newly accredited degree programs include:

• BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management (BSBA-PM)
• MS in Management with a concentration in Project Management (MSM-PM)
• MS in Management with a concentration in Technology Management (MSM-ITM)

Project management practitioners are utilized in a wide variety of industries. Commonly found in the engineering and construction management industries where PM professionals strive to keep multi-billion dollar mega projects with dozens, or even hundreds, of subcontractors and vendors on time and on budget, project managers are utilized on projects of all sizes, in a wide variety of industries. Information technology is a perfect example. Today’s IT projects can be huge in scale and require professional project management expertise to keep them on track and within budget. Whatever the industry or the size of the project, though, the goal of PM professionals is to keep all the “spinning plates” in the air, bringing each one down at exactly the right moment. Without crashing, of course.

CTU’s programs, delivered via the Web and accessed through a user-friendly “Virtual Campus,” have been found by the PMI-GAC to be relevant to project management and consistent with the knowledge and process areas described in the PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide – Third Edition). Individuals studying in the CTU programs will, while earning their degrees, simultaneously earn highly sought-after academic certificates.

Dr. Wallace Pond, chancellor of CTU Online, stated “this newly-conferred honor for our programs in project management places CTU in good company. CTU, and only a few other universities in the world with programs accredited by the PMI – Boston University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Québec – to name three, are the only institutions where one can study and earn a degree recognized as superior, not only by professional peers, but also by the industry’s most respected professional association. CTU Online’s programs have been shown to meet the very highest professional standards.”

Dr. Richard Kettner-Polley, CTU’s dean of management, commented that “a lot of people worked very hard to develop these programs and insure their consistency with the Project Management Institute’s standards for the profession. The accreditation is the result of working closely with the PMI-GAC site visit team and the accreditation board to demonstrate the rigor of CTU’s programs. We are more than a little bit pleased that Colorado Technical University has been recognized as offering gold-standard, world-class programs in Project Management.”

Individuals who complete a CTU program earn 1,500 hours of project management experience towards the requirements that are needed to sit for the PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) Credential Examination. Currently, applicants with a bachelor’s degree (or higher) must document 4,500 hours spent leading and directing project tasks. If the applicant documents that he or she graduated from a GAC accredited program, then only 3,000 hours of work experience need to be presented to fulfill this requirement.

The PMI Educational Foundation has also established a scholarship program to assist qualified students in obtaining degrees from accredited academic institutions of higher learning. They are available for study in the project management field or in fields that are related and that regularly make use of project management professionals. For additional information on the scholarships available for study at CTU, please visit http://www.pmi.org/pmief/scholarship/scholarships.asp.

About Colorado Technical University and CTU Online

Since 1965, Colorado Technical University (CTU) – an institution of higher learning that provides career-oriented education by teaching applied industry-current programs, has given students a pathway towards personal, academic, and professional advancement. CTU offers degree-track programs at the Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels in a wide range of fields of study. For more information on CTU, visit www.coloradotech.edu. Through its web-based virtual campus, CTU Online, the university offers 100% online degree programs. For more information on CTU Online, please visit www.ctuonline.edu. Colorado Technical University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

CTU is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of colleges, universities and schools.

About the Project Management Institute

With more than 270,000 members in 170 plus countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) is the leading membership association for the project management profession and the largest association dedicated to project management in the world. As the leading advocate for the profession, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards, providing a professional career path for project managers and maintaining a family of professional credentials: Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®), Project Management Professional (PMP®), Program Management Professional (PgMP)® and PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)SM. The PMP, held by more than 267,000 project managers worldwide, is the only project management credential that is globally transferable. PMI provides members with access to the knowledge, skills, educational support and networking opportunities needed to drive business results through project management, program management and portfolio management. The Institute is highly regarded for its extensive research capabilities and its program to accredit colleges and universities and Registered Education Providers to teach PMI approved project management courses. PMI was founded in 1969. Please visit PMI.org for more information.

CONTACTS:

For Inquiries from the Media

Michael Foley

Telephone: 847-851-7093

[email protected]

For Inquiries about the Programs

Dr. Richard Kettner-Polley

Telephone: 719- 590-6890

[email protected]