Reflections on developing a project management doctorate

The history and development of a globally offered on-line professional doctorate in project management (the DPM) is discussed from its inception in 1998/1999 to the end of 2007. Insights are provided into (1) the identified initial perceived need for the program and its rationale, (2) its development, and (3) its continued evolution over the past 6 years of its delivery.The DPM at RMIT is a vibrant doctoral program with eight completions (as on December 2007) and a further 20+ candidates in the pipeline. The program is highly intensive for both candidates and supervisory staff with identified challenges needing to be overcome situated across administrative, internal academic-political, resource provision, candidate recruitment and support mechanism dimensions. The DPM is a niche academic program that faces a number of challenges that need to be considered when contemplating scaling up the program elsewhere. Lessons learnt from this paper provide useful insights to any education providers contemplating initiating such an academic program.Project management practitioners may find the paper stimulating a desire in them to consider the value of undertaking a practice-based doctoral research degree similar to that described.