Unfortunately, Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) did not provide any information about its system for demonstrating academic and practical achievement, specifically regarding the format and details of the exams in the Master in Project Management program, in response to an email sent on March 22 and 23, 2023.  It is understood that CSU Global does not conduct proctored exams.  Instead, as evidenced by posts on relevant Internet forums (e.g., GradReports n.d.; Yelp n.d.; OnlineU 2023), at CSU Global course credit is earned in only a few courses through tests and typically six to seven seminar papers per course (GradReports n.d, see posts by “Ethan McCord” on January 17, 2022, “Mommabear” on April 15, 2022, “IT Student” on April 26, 2022, “Michael” on August 15, 2022, “Anna”* on September 29, 2022, “PJ” on January 22, 2023, and “JAALLEN85”* on January 24, 2023; yelp undated, see posts by “Leanna P.” on July 2, 2017).  CSU Global’s Master of Project Management is aligned with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and prepares students to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam; graduates of GAC**-accredited programs such as the Master in Project Management can count the coursework as a significant portion of the required practical experience when applying for PMI certification (CSU Global n.d.).

Capella University follows an approach called competency-based education; the idea is to acquire professional skills for use in a practical, real-world work environment, i.e., directly application-oriented (Capella University n.d. a).  This means that in the Master of Business Administration in Project Management program, Capella University does not rely on traditional exams as proof of skill acquisition (Anonymous 2025), but rather on application-based and, where appropriate, project-oriented tasks in which knowledge is measured and evaluated through practical application, such as creating a business case or making recommendations based on a company’s quarterly reports (Capella University n.d. a).

“Competency-based education involves defining what success looks like in a particular field and then developing the most direct educational path to that success.  To develop an academic program, Capella’s scholar-practitioner faculty determine the knowledge and professional standards and guidelines for curriculum in their discipline, while employers in the sectors Capella serves advise on what is expected from their best employees.  Capella uses these insights to focus its academic programs on specific, measurable expectations called learning outcomes.  The university outcomes are aligned to the program outcomes which are aligned to course competencies and scoring guide criteria […].” (Capella University n.d. b).

Capella University does not offer the PMI-PMP*** exam, but they do partner with the Project Management Institute (PMI) so the MBA in Project Management is aligned with the relevant content of the PMI-PMP (Anonymous 2025).