Curriculum

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• Coursework Overview
• Core Courses
• Elective Courses

Coursework Overview

The two-year schedule of courses is given below. 

Note that there are four required core courses - PROJ_MGT 467, 469, 471, and 473 - designated by an asterisk (*). The remaining eight elective courses needed to complete the degree can be selected from the other EMDC offerings or from one of the options described further below.

Northwestern University operates on a quarter system.  Quarters are ten weeks long and span the following periods: mid-September to early December, early January to mid-March, and late March to early June; no courses are taught during the summer quarter. 

Since twelve courses are required for the degree and most students take two courses per quarter, completion of this 12-course program will normally take 21 months (six academic quarters plus the intervening summer quarter).

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EMDC Course Offerings

2022-23

Quarter	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4
Fall	* PROJ_MGT 471: Leadership and Organization Eric Odderstol and Joel Sensenig Thurs 6:30-8pm CST Sept 15-Nov 17, 2022	PROJ_MGT 474: Design Management Tom Mitoraj Wed 6:30-8pm CST Sep 14-Nov 16, 2022	PROJ_MGT 495: Chicago Lessons in Land Use Juliane Kelly Mon 6:30-8pm CST Sept 12-Nov 14, 2022
Winter	PROJ_MGT 461: Advanced Business Strategy Cy Rangel and Brad Benhart Tues 6:30-8pm CST Jan 3-Mar 7, 2023	PROJ_MGT 446: Systems Thinking for Sustainable Design Helen Kessler and Michelle Halle Stern Mon 6:30-8pm CST Jan 2-Mar 6, 2023	PROJ_MGT 464: Alternative Dispute Resolution Half-credit course (5 weeks) Karen Layng Thurs 6:30-8pm CST Jan 5-Feb 2, 2023	PROJ_MGT 479: Business Strategy for Design Firms Half-credit course (5 weeks) Tim Tracey Thurs 6:30-8pm CST Feb 9-Mar 9, 2023
Spring	* PROJ_MGT 467: Human Resource Management Patrick McGowan Wed 6:30-8pm CST Mar 29-May 31, 2023	PROJ_MGT 470: Facilities Management Joel Sensenig and Eric Odderstol Thurs 6:30-8pm CST Mar 30-Jun 1, 2023	PROJ_MGT 478: Ethics in Construction and Engineering Half-credit course (5 weeks) Karen Layng Tues 6:30-8pm CST Mar 28-Apr 25, 2023	PROJ_MGT 476: Creating a Firm-Ambassador Culture Half-credit course (5 weeks) Jackie Loewe Tues 6:30-8pm CST May 2-30, 2023

2023-24

Quarter	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4
Fall	* PROJ_MGT 469: Finance and Accounting for Executives Mel Meyer Wed 6:30-8pm CST Sept 13-Nov 15, 2023	PROJ_MGT 434: Lean Construction Rich Seiler Thurs 6:30-8pm CST (Sec 21) Sept 14-Nov 16, 2023	PROJ_MGT 477: Public Works Administration Half-credit course (5 weeks) Rodney Worden Mon 6:30-8pm CST Sept 11-Oct 9, 2023	PROJ_MGT 475: Project Finance Half-credit course (5 weeks) Kevin Croke  Mon 6:30-8pm CST Oct 16-Nov 13, 2023
Winter	PROJ_MGT 463: Construction Law and Risk Management Kenneth Roberts Thurs 6:30-8pm CST Jan 11-Mar 14, 2024	PROJ_MGT 468: Commercial Real Estate Investment and Development Joseph and Carlo Santucci Wed 6:30-8pm CST Jan 10-Mar 14, 2024	PROJ_MGT 472: Information Systems in Construction Christian Burger Mon 6:30-8pm CST Jan 8-Mar 11, 2024
Spring	* PROJ_MGT 473: Communication and Negotiation Karl Keller Mon 6:30-8pm CST Apr 1-June 3, 2024	PROJ_MGT 466: Strategy for Corporate Sustainability Lois Vitt Sale Wed 6:30-8pm CST Apr 3-June 3, 2024	PROJ_MGT 465: Due Diligence Considerations for Engineering Firms Half-credit course (5 weeks) Karen Layng Tues 6:30-8pm CST Apr 2-30, 2024	PROJ_MGT 476: Creating a Firm-Ambassador Culture Half-credit course (5 weeks) Jackie Loewe Tues 6:30-8pm CST May 7-June 4, 2024

* = Required Core Course

NOTE: The dates given in the foregoing tables designate the start-and-end dates for the actual classes taught in a typical 10-week course.  The Northwestern system provides for an 11^th class period to be used at the discretion of the instructor for testing and evaluation; no new material will be presented during this time.  If this period will be used, the instructor will inform the class within the first few meetings so that appropriate plans can be made.  No such situation exists for half-courses, which are completed in five weeks.

Electives Outside of the EMDC Course Offerings

In addition to the EMDC elective courses, the following four options are provided to enable you, if desired, to choose alternative elective courses that better complement your background and are more compatible with your career objectives.

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Option 1: The School of Professional Studies

The first option is certain approved online courses offered through the School of Professional Studies (SPS) at Northwestern University.  If you would like to take one of these courses, please contact Professor Ahmad Hadavi at least 10 business days prior to the course start date to facilitate your registration in the course. However, due to SPS policies and limited class space for non-SPS students, it is important that you submit your request as soon as possible. Since your registration cannot be confirmed until the week prior to the first class day, please have an alternative course selected, if possible, in case registration for your chosen course is not approved by SPS.

NOTE: SPS courses will occasionally change during the academic year - we suggest clicking on the specific course title to check for the most updated times/days for the SPS course before you plan your proposed EMDC elective curriculum selections for any given quarter.

The School of Professional Studies also sometimes operates on a slightly different academic calendar than the rest of the University, so we encourage you to pay special attention to the start and end dates when considering SPS courses.

SPS Fall 2022 Courses

MSGH 405-DL: Foundations of Global Health
Optional Sync
Tues 7–9:30pm CST
(Neubauer, Leah)

MSGH 454-DL: Global Health Management & Strategy
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Palamountain, Kara)

MPPA 402-DL: Elements of Public Finance and Budgeting
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
Section 55
(Payton, Seth)

Optional Sync
Tue 7–9:30pm CST
Section 56
(Driessen, Grant)

MPPA 403-DL: Fundamentals of Public Administration 
Optional Sync
Tues 7–9:30pm CST
Section 55
(Taylor, Morris)

MPPA 404-DL: Microeconomics for Public Policy & Administration 
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Keightley, Mark)

MPPA 407-DL: Scope and Theory of Public Policy
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Ransom, Pamela)

MPPA 408-DL: Public Organization Theory and Management
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Lester, William)

MPPA 435-DL: Regulatory Policy
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Abolt, William)

MS_IDS 407-DL: Information and Content Strategy
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Budelmann, Kevin)

SPS Winter 2023 Courses

MSGH 405-DL: Foundations of Global Health
Optional Sync
Fri 7–9:30pm CST
(Hawkins, Claudia)

MPPA 402-DL: Elements of Public Finance and Budgeting
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Payton, Seth)

MPPA 403-DL: Fundamentals of Public Administration 
Optional Sync
Tues 7–9:30pm CST
(Taylor, Morris)

MPPA 406-DL: Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Sharma, Andy)

MPPA 407-DL: Scope and Theory of Public Policy
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Ransom, Pamela)

MPPA 408-DL: Public Organization Theory and Management
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Lester, William)

MPPA 417-DL: Public Human Resources
Optional Sync
Tues 7–9:30pm CST
(Lester, William)

MS_IDS 407-DL: Information and Content Strategy
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Budelmann, Kevin)

SPS Spring 2023 Courses

MSGH 405-DL: Foundations of Global Health
Optional Sync
Wed 7–9:30pm CST
(Klein, Kate)

MSGH 454-DL: Global Health Management & Strategy
Optional Sync
TBA 7–9:30pm CST
(Palamountain, Kara)

MPPA 402-DL: Elements of Public Finance and Budgeting
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Payton, Seth)

MPPA 403-DL: Fundamentals of Public Administration 
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Taylor, Morris)

MPPA 404-DL: Microeconomics for Public Policy & Administration 
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Keightley, Mark)

MPPA 406-DL: Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Sharma, Andy)

MPPA 407-DL: Scope and Theory of Public Policy
Optional Sync
Mon 7–9:30pm CST
(Ransom, Pamela)

MPPA 408-DL: Public Organization Theory and Management
Optional Sync
Wed 7–9:30pm CST
(Lester, William)

MS_IDS 407-DL: Information and Content Strategy
Optional Sync
Thurs 7–9:30pm CST
(Budelmann, Kevin)

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Option 2: The Master of Project Management (MPM) Program

The second group of available elective courses is a limited number of specific on-campus courses in the Master of Project Management (MPM) program. These are taught on the Evanston, Illinois campus in the evening (usually 6:30 to 9:20pm CST) once a week. 

 Please check the class descriptions website of the Office of the Registrar for the latest information.

MPM Courses	Fall 2021	Winter 2022	Spring 2022
PROJ_MGT 411: Commercial Land Use and the Regulatory Environment	Tues 6:30-9:20pm Juliane Kelly
PROJ_MGT 412: Project Funding/Global Capital Markets	Thur 6:30-9:20pm Mel Meyer
PROJ_MGT 413: Transaction Management and Risk Mitigation		Thurs 6:30-9:20pm Juliane Kelly
PROJ_MGT 414: Project Feasibility Analysis and Valuation		Mon 6:30-9:20pm Mildred Terzic
PROJ_MGT 415: Asset Management and Strategic Planning			Thurs 6:30-9:20pm Juliane Kelly
PROJ_MGT 443: Sustainability Strategies in Organizations	Tues 6:30-9:20pm Michael Stopka
PROJ_MGT 483: Transportation Economics and Finance			Mon 6:30-9:20pm Graziella Gallucci
PROJ_MGT 485: Intelligent Transportation Systems		Thurs 6:30-9:20pm Marija Ostojic
PROJ_MGT 487: Management of Operations in Transportation			Tues 6:30-9:20pm Laurence Audenaerd
CIV_ENV 436-0: Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution		Mon 6:30-9:20pm Gregory Eichorn

(Note: This schedule is subject to change. Please check the class descriptions website of the Office of the Registrar for the latest updated schedule.)

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Option 3: The Kellogg School of Management

The third option is to select a course from a specific group of courses that Kellogg will make available to non-Kellogg students at Northwestern. The process for selecting and registering for such a course is explained here.  

When the available courses are determined by the Kellogg registrar, they will be listed in a link that will appear in Step 1 under Steps for Registration.  If you are interested in taking one (and only one) of the available courses, complete the approval form accessible in Step 2 and send this form to Professor Ahmad Hadavi.  He will approve the course and return the form to you to upload to the Kellogg registrar.  If you have a secondary elective course from the list of available courses in the event that your primary course is denied, you should include this course under Additional Information on the form that you submit to the Kellogg registrar. 

Then you will have to wait until the week prior to classes starting to ascertain (via CAESAR) whether or not Kellogg has registered you in either your primary or secondary course (if you have selected a secondary course, but not both).  If you are unable to be registered in any Kellogg course, you will need to select another elective course from one of the other options.

Please be aware that this interaction with Kellogg is handled on a “first-come, first served” basis, so don’t delay processing your request expeditiously.  Also, it is helpful to have a non-Kellogg elective course chosen a priori in the event that your Kellogg request is not approved.

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Option 4: Transfer Credits from Another University

And finally, a fourth option is to take courses at another university.  Of the twelve courses required for an MS degree, up to three transferred elective courses will be accepted towards the EMDC degree requirements.  However, prior approval must be obtained from the Director or Associate Director before taking any such course.  When requesting prior approval for a course, please provide, insofar as possible, the course title, course description, course syllabus, text used (if any), university where taught, and certification that it is a graduate level course.

_{Last updated 2/20/2022}