Product management is one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative jobs available today. Companies have awoken to the desperate need for product managers to create products that customers love, that integrate design, functionality, and business solutions.

Note that the curriculum has been updated since this video was created and is displayed below.

This is a one-of-a-kind master’s degree, the Online Master of Professional Studies in Product Management (MPPM), that targets the skills and knowledge needed for modern product management across the entire product lifecycle. The Project Management Center of Excellence (PMCoE) and the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) have partnered to create this highly multi-disciplinary degree to help fill the market gap of individuals ready to take on this vital and coveted role.

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So why is this role so coveted? It’s seen today as the launchpad role and training ground for future CEOs and startup founders in technology companies.

The Product Manager (sometimes called Program Managers, depending on the delivery framework) must interface with stakeholders external and internal, including customers, engineering, legal, finance, marketing, and customer service. As a product manager, you own the results of your product’s success by tackling risks early and setting up your teams for success. This is why the MPPM degree moves swiftly through ideation to product-market fit, with a detailed examination of target customers, customer’s underserved needs in its first two terms. Then in the subsequent terms, you’ll learn the skills needed to build the team, design the product, and lead the innovative organization that delivers on those promises throughout the product lifecycle.

What you’ll learn:

• Understand the keys to successfully navigating the roles and responsibilities of being a product manager to champion change with internal and external collaborators and influencers.
• Learn how to truly know your target customer, your customer’s underserved needs, your value proposition, your product feature set, and your user experience, then integrate this knowledge into product and market requirements and positioning plans.
• Translate product ideas into tangible assets by creating wireframes, 3D renderings, prototypes, and minimum viable products (MVPs) to test assumptions and validate customer interests.
• Develop techniques for designing and modeling for fast feedback and idea-sharing, system optimization with open architectures, validating functions and verifying performance, and leveraging and enabling the system designs, platforms, and ecosystems.
• Embrace modern product leadership to form and motivate product teams, and grow organizations that can both discover and deliver products at scale.

The MPS in Product Management combines online experiences with award-winning faculty, self-paced coursework and connections with the University of Maryland community to link innovators from around the world. Offered through the convenience and flexibility of our 100% online learning environment, our program has been specially crafted to offer high-quality, interactive collaboration worldwide.

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The MPPM’s 30-credit, 10-course curriculum can be completed in 15-months, with students enrolling in two 3-credit courses per 12-week term. Our courses allow you to build your skills by simulating the product lifecycle journey, teaching you the key skills you need at each stage along the way:

1. Term I – Customer Discovery
   • Discover if the problem is worth solving by engaging the customer with proven customer discovery and validation techniques.
   • Courses:
     • Fundamentals of Product Management
     • Business Modeling and Customer Validation
2. Term II – Product Discovery
   • Discover a product that customers love, delivers value, and works for the business through rapid prototyping and product discovery techniques.
   • Courses:
     • Strategies for Managing Innovation
     • Data Analysis and Decision Making
3. Term III – Product Delivery
   • Enable business agility using design thinking and DevOps that empowers product teams to scale product innovations, delight customers, and capture market share.
   • Courses:
     • Innovative Thinking
     • Managing Product Development and Production
4. Term IV – Gaining Traction and Influence
   • Gain traction through actively managing the customer journey while influencing stakeholders and negotiating business partnerships that drive growth.
   • Courses:
     • Market Development and Commercialization
     • Negotiating and Problem Solving
5. Term V – Managing Products at Scale
   • Lead product portfolios and innovations at scale with tailored product frameworks, lean budgeting, empowered teams, and aligned objectives and key results.
   • Courses:
     • Financing the Product Life Cycle
     • Building and Leading Innovative Organizations

Learn more

Learn more about the program