The Technology Division's Technology Project Management program was recently re-accredited by the Global Accreditation Committee of the Project Management Institute (PMI), reinforcing and affirming the University of Houston's dedication to global excellence and the Cullen College of Engineering's mission to educate the next generation of engineering and industry leaders.
This accreditation not only places the university a cut above the rest for hosting the only accredited Houston-area project management program, but it reinforces the university as a competitive player in education worldwide. In the process of re-accreditation, the program also received a "Distinguished" evaluation grade for its faculty and staff.
"According to the virtual visit chairperson, a grade of Distinguished is very rare in GAC evaluations," said Professor of Technology Project Management Dennis Sherman. "This in itself is a monumental achievement that benefits both the Cullen College of Engineering Technology Division and the University of Houston, as it speaks of the quality of our faculty and staff.”
Per the visit guidelines, the qualifications for awarding a Distinguished evaluation grade are "practices that go beyond expectation; represent excellence, creativity, and innovation; and contribution to sustainable best practices."
"The Global Accreditation Committee certifies institutions of higher education by ensuring that our agenda, curriculum and programs are all aligned with the best practices of project management worldwide, so it's extremely important that we maintain this accreditation," Sherman said. "The recertification activity is quite extensive. We are required to provide quite a bit of documentation, including the syllabi from all of our courses, as well as any continuous improvement initiatives that we make in our courses, how our program compares to other programs and other similar documents."
Recertification typically includes an on-site visit, but in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's visit was conducted virtually. All requirements, including interviews with faculty members and department chairs as well as students and alumni, were met via computer rather than face-to-face.
"It's a very extensive three-day operation," Sherman said.
The effort and organization required to complete the process, however, is more than worth it.
"Our alignment with PMI provides us a unique opportunity to show the world that we have an excellent program here at UH. PMI is a global institution, and this allows us to stand on that global stage and be compared to other programs and universities worldwide," Sherman said.