Alumnus uses SBMI course to earn PMP Credential

Alumnus Michael Martin, MS ’19 earned his Project Management Professional (PMP)® Credential in fall 2020. Martin earned the 35 hours of required project management education needed for the PMP certification after completing SBMI’s System Analysis and Project Management course during his MS program.

While the PMP certification is not required for all people who hold the title of project manager, U.S. News and World Report notes that it is “an essential benchmark of your knowledge in the field and will help you advance in your career.” Additionally, the median salary for PMP holders in the U.S. is 25% higher than those without the PMP certification, according to Project Management Institute’s most recent Project Management Salary Survey. Martin echoes similar sentiments when discussing the importance of earning a PMP.

“The PMP, with my degree from SBMI, will open more doors for me to transition into a field I care about and a career I am proud of,” says Martin. “Now that I have earned the certification, I hope to lead larger projects and teams, and my mentor is working to help me achieve my goals by advocating on my behalf.”

One of the PMP certification requirements is completing 35 hours of project management education. The other qualifications include a four-year degree and 36 months of experience leading projects. If an individual does not have a four-year degree, she or he must have a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent) and 60 months of experience leading projects. Once these requirements are met, project managers can apply to take the PMP Exam, just as Martin did.

Martin has extensive project management experience in his background and an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. He has held various positions including lab tech, corporate analyst, and process improvement engineer. He is currently an analyst with Consilio, LLC, which is a legal consulting firm that works with law departments to reduce their legal spend and operate more efficiently.  In his role, he has led various client implementations and integrations. In the past, Martin worked for CenterPoint Energy where he led projects that allowed employees to increase efficiency while also improving processes and workflows.

Martin added, “My changes in careers and positions have constantly led me to qualify for more roles as I have explored various industries to try and leverage what knowledge and experience I have gained over the years.”

Martin took SBMI’s System Analysis and Project Management to meet the PMP education requirement but the school also offers a self-paced, PMP Continuing Education course for individuals not enrolled in a graduate program at SBMI. Both courses, which are taught by Assistant Professor Angela Ross, DNP, MPH, PMP, help students grasp the importance of working on a clinical project team. Martin noted, “Within the project management course, Dr. Ross does an excellent job of progressing through the PMBOK [Project Management Body of Knowledge] and uses similar PMP exam questions on class assignments, quizzes and tests.”

To learn more about SBMI’s courses that meet the PMP educational requirement, visit our website at sbmi.uth.edu.