In an era defined by rapid technological transformation, global complexity, and AI-driven innovation, today’s project leaders must be adaptive strategists, data-informed decision-makers, and skilled collaborators who can navigate uncertainty while keeping human insight at the center.
That was one of the key takeaways of Smarter Projects & Stronger Leaders in the Age of AI, a recent event celebrating the launch of the new M.S. in Project Management program at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. The evening brought together program leadership and faculty to explore how project management is transforming across industries, and how the new program is designed to prepare professionals for the future.
“This program represents the next evolution of our highly respected M.S. in Construction Administration,” said Steve Cohen, senior vice dean and director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program, in his opening remarks. “As we looked to the future, we recognized that the principles of project management extend far beyond the construction site. They’re now central to how organizations in every sector turn strategy into action.”
A Program Built for the Future
Moderated by Evangelia Ieronymaki, the M.S. in Project Management program director and a professional civil engineer with more than 15 years of academic and industry experience, the panel discussion featured leaders from each of the program’s four concentration areas: Construction, Sports Management, Sustainability Management, and Technology Management. The program also offers a general track for students seeking a broader, customizable approach.
Ieronymaki framed the program’s vision clearly: “Project managers today must be more than schedulers and budget keepers. They must be adaptive leaders, capable of managing people, risk, change, and, increasingly, data and digital tools.”
The Construction concentration, offered in partnership with Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, combines the long-standing expertise of Columbia Engineering with the M.S. in Construction Administration. Ibrahim Odeh, chair of the Engineering and Construction Management Program, at the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, emphasized the field’s unique position: Construction is “the second-least digitized industry in the world. A few years ago, I looked at that as [a problem]. With time, I started to see a lot of opportunities flying in the air with the intersection between construction, technology, legal, and every single discipline you can think of.”
Collaborations with existing SPS master’s programs ensure that each concentration benefits from deep industry expertise. Scott Rosner, director of the M.S. in Sports Management program, described how project management plays a critical role in mega sporting events like the World Cup and Olympics, as well as in the $27 billion of future stadium and arena projects already committed to through 2026 and beyond.
Shahryar Shaghaghi, director of the M.S. in Technology Management program, underscored the cross-industry nature of modern project work. Organizations do not simply operate within four walls, he said. It’s “really important for a project manager to understand how to go across different industries, and then a specialization is really getting deep into the areas that the core competency of the project requires,” he noted, adding that future project managers must also be equipped to work with AI agents.
Watch a recording of the full event below:
Technology Reshaping Project Delivery
While the event title highlighted artificial intelligence, the panelists were careful to contextualize AI as one of many transformative tools reshaping project management, not a replacement for human leadership, but a catalyst for new ways of working. Project leaders, they said, must be adaptable, open-minded, and data-driven.
“Data is the new oil,” said Odeh. “To be able to understand how to integrate information coming from data into the actual discipline you are in is key.”
Cohen emphasized the importance of imagination and agility. “We don’t really know what’s coming next, and we have to get used to this instability. We have an incredible array of tools for getting data and acting on the world, but the key limitation is our own brainpower. How much can we absorb?”
Focusing on developments in his area of expertise, sustainability management, Cohen pointed to innovations in environmental observation and waste management. “Measuring the planet is expensive, and we know much more about the human body than the planet we live on. The use of drones and remote technology has been transformative.” He also predicted that robotics and AI would eventually enable large-scale mining of waste streams for resources, shifting away from traditional landfills.
Odeh discussed the rise of digital twins in construction, integrated systems that connect design, construction, and operations phases. He also noted the growing adoption of modular construction, wearable technologies in the field, and drone-based project monitoring. “It’s not about the technology itself,” he cautioned. “It’s about the mindset of the people that create the culture of the industry and the companies that will take these technologies into action.”
Within sports management, Rosner pointed to project coordination software like Bluebeam, real-time construction imaging tools, and the emergence of modular stadiums that can be disassembled and rebuilt for different events. He cited the example of a modular cricket stadium used for the T20 World Cup on Long Island, which was later shipped across the country and reconfigured for a Formula One race in Las Vegas.
As a field that is deeply integrated with technology from the outset, technology management deals with helping people integrate technology into their work. Shaghaghi pointed out that AI demands unique needs, including understanding of business applications enabled by AI and data centers with required characteristics to power AI, as the underlying infrastructure. “We go across industries, we can work in health care, we can work in financial services. … But as it relates to core competency and domain expertise, our project managers … have to understand how to fully make the right IT infrastructure.”
Real-World Learning and Career Pathways
The panelists also spoke broadly about how the program prepares students for their industries by emphasizing experiential learning that bridges theory and practice. Odeh described how students in his classes travel internationally to visit active construction sites, studying challenges and extracting lessons learned. “In the last 15 years, we’ve been traveling to different countries, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy, Thailand, India, China, to visit ongoing construction projects.”
Students in the Sports Management program’s Facilities and Event Management course attend game days at MetLife Stadium with Professor Bill Squires, arriving before the athletes to observe everything from parking logistics to security technology. “There’s nothing that replaces critical thinking and common sense,” he said, suggesting also that there are many parts to the whole management picture: “You can get down on the floor and see how the technology comes together, but you still have to understand the business part of it.”
Shaghaghi highlighted the real-world capstone projects in Technology Management with industry sponsors like Deloitte, and explained that many courses are project-based, taking students through the full life cycle from strategy and requirements through design and implementation.
Career pathways vary by concentration. In construction, graduates can pursue roles as assistant project managers, construction managers, or project managers in active projects or corporate offices. There are also growing opportunities in construction technology start-ups. In sports, opportunities abound in mega event management and facility construction. In sustainability, graduates often move into operations roles focused on customer-facing initiatives. And in technology management, career paths range from leading digital transformation and innovation initiatives to advancing through CIO and CTO tracks.
Human-Centered Project Leadership
Despite irreversible and game-changing technological advancements, project management across industries remains fundamentally about people.
Rosner emphasized three essential skill sets: technical chops, strategic thinking that fits a project into the bigger picture, and the interpersonal. “You still are working with people, and you still have to be able to manage [them], know how to motivate them, know how to keep them happy. If you don’t have the combination of all three, somewhere along the way you’re going to reach a peak” prematurely.
Odeh stressed the rising importance of soft skills, suggesting that the intersection of technology and people makes communication and integration with technology more important than ever. AI isn’t going to replace construction managers, he said, “but construction managers with AI skills and knowledge will replace construction people [who don’t have them].”
When asked about AI’s impact on leadership, Cohen noted that AI will raise expectations and require greater agility but underscored that humans will need to provide judgment and creativity. In group settings where people bring different lived experiences, humans will be the ones to interpret information generated by AI “and can produce innovative and creative solutions to vexing problems.”
“The key skill in sustainability management is to be the translator,” Cohen said, elaborating, “the person who moves from the construction expert to the technology expert to the sports expert and explains the environmental impact and cost of whatever it is we’re doing.”
In closing, Ieronymaki summarized: “Tomorrow’s leaders need more than just technical skills. They need adaptability, cross-industry fluency, digital awareness, and, above all, the ability to lead with clarity and purpose in a rapidly evolving world.”
About the Program
The Columbia University Master of Science in Project Management program equips individuals with the strategic, analytical, and leadership skills essential for a successful career managing complex projects across industries and borders.
Available full-time or part-time, the M.S. in Project Management is designed for professionals who want to advance into leadership roles or formalize their project management experience with a strong academic and practical foundation. Students can opt for the general Project Management program or choose from one of the four specialized concentrations: Construction, Sports Management, Sustainability Management, and Technology Management.
Taught by scholar-practitioners and enhanced by Columbia’s location in New York City, the curriculum integrates emerging digital tools and AI-driven practices to help graduates make data-informed decisions and improve operational efficiency. Graduates will be prepared to lead high-stakes projects with confidence and clarity, and return to the job market with a competitive edge.
The priority application deadline for the M.S. in Project Management program is February 15, with a final deadline of June 1. Learn more about the program here.
