(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – July 22, 2015) SUNY Empire State College’s MBA programs, through its Advanced Graduate Certificate in Project Management, has again been recognized as a Registered Education Provider by the Project Management Institute.

As an R.E.P., the college’s graduate certificate meets PMI’s rigorous quality criteria for course content, instructor qualification and instructional design.

The 12-credit graduate certificate comprises four online courses and may be earned as an individual credential or incorporated into a related master's degree for those meeting the program admission requirements.

“As I look at the job market, project managers, especially those who are certified, have a bright future,” said Warren Montgomery, a student who recently completed the certificate. “I have worked in a number of organizations as a project manager, and frequently as a program manager, but I had only taken an introductory course to project management as part of my MBA. I enrolled in SUNY Empire’s project management certificate program to help develop my skills, and keep my ‘saw’ sharp. I also plan to take the PMI’s project management professional certification exam and the graduate certificate in project management will help me prepare for the exam.”

“A globally recognized project management certification demonstrates to employers that SUNY Empire’s MBA graduates, and those who have completed the graduate certificate, have the competencies and knowledge to effectively drive and lead business and project team success,” said Merodie A. Hancock, president of the college.

"With the growing need for project leaders across all employment sectors, including not-for-profit and government, the advanced certificate in project management appeals to a broad range of students and fits into a number of master's degree programs," said Tai Arnold, dean of the college’s School for Graduate Studies.

“The Advanced Graduate Certificate in Project Management meets the strict PMI standards and criteria reflecting current skills, knowledge and best practices,” said Alan Belasen, professor and chair of the School for Graduate Studies Business, Management and Leadership Programs. “The PMI certification ensures that our curriculum is continuously updated and current, which means our graduates are able to meet the needs of employers in the global marketplace.”

According to a PMI survey, nearly 75 percent of executives believe their company's performance could improve if their employees gained certain key skills. PMI emphasizes that project management, one of the key skills identified in the survey, can enhance individuals’ marketability and provide them with the flexibility to move across projects, organizations, industries and geography.

PMI further states that project managers are in demand around the world and an average of 1.2 million project management positions will need to be filled each year for the next decade.

About the Project Management Institute

PMI is the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession, and delivers value for more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research.

About SUNY Empire State College

Empire State College, the nontraditional, open college of the SUNY system, educates more than 20,000 students worldwide at eight international sites, more than 35 locations in the state of New York, online, as well as face to face and through a blend of both, at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s levels.

The average age of an undergraduate student at the college is 35 and graduate students’ average age is 40.

Most Empire State College students are working adults. Many are raising families and meeting civic commitments in the communities where they live, while studying part time.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each undergraduate student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career.

Working with their mentors, students design an individual degree program and engage in guided independent study and course work onsite, online or through a combination of both, which provides the flexibility for students to choose where, when and how to learn.

Students have the opportunity to enroll five times during the year.

The college’s 73,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more.

The college was first established in 1971 by the SUNY Board of Trustees with the encouragement of the late Ernest L. Boyer, chancellor of the SUNY system from 1970 to 1977.

Boyer also served as United States commissioner of education during the administration of President Jimmy Carter and then as president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

More information about the college is available at www.esc.edu.

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Media contact: David Henahan, director of communications

518-587-2100, ext. 2918

David.Henahan@esc.edu

518-321-7038 (after hours and on weekends)