Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person components of this program have either been paused, rescheduled, or moved into a virtual format until further notice.

 

Please email recruiter.global@sdsu.edu or call (619) 594-7700 to learn how these changes affect your program. SDSU will continue to monitor the situation and follow the guidance of our local and federal health agencies.

 

The Professional Certificates in Contract Management are designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the key concepts associated with the pursuit and management of contracts. Several elective courses offered through the certificate program enables students to explore a number of these key contract management concepts at a deeper level.

Estimated Cost Estimated Cost
$4,490
Advanced: $6,286
Completion Time Completion Time
7 Months
Advanced: 1 Year
Course Format Course Format
Online

Are you an SDSU Alumni Lifetime Member? If so, click here to learn more about how you can receive 20% off registration for this program.

 

National Contract Management Association siteEndorsed by the National Contract Management Association.
The contract management certificate program is offered in cooperation with the San Diego Chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), which will prepare students for the CPCM, CFCM, CCCM Certification exams. NCMA certifications are the industry standard of professional excellence in contract management. Our Advisory Board, comprised of industry experts, has updated topics of interest to both federal and commercial practitioners. More than one contract management course may be taken at a time.

San Diego has long enjoyed a strong presence of large federal contractors. Our region has also experienced a rapid growth of telecommunication and biotech firms serving a wide array of commercial markets. The work brought to the area has created abundant opportunities for smaller subcontractors as well. Regardless of the specific industries that these companies serve, they all generate revenue through contracts awarded by their clients. Contracts are the vehicles through which all essential work is performed. A keen understanding of the contracting process and the ability to effectively work within it is paramount to the success of every organization.

Our instructors have a vast amount of real-world experience and will help students:

  • Develop an understanding of contract types, effective contracting methodologies, and contract law.
  • Gain knowledge related to ethical and regulatory aspects of contracting, intellectual property, teaming, and international contracting considerations.
  • Learn how to develop proposals that will be responsive to your customer's requirements, negotiate contracts that will contribute to your company's success, and effectively manage contracts through completion.
  • Increase understanding related to subcontracting such as acquisition planning, solicitation development, sourcing, and cost/price analysis.

Contract Management Certificate Requirements
To earn the Professional Certificate in Contract Management, students must take six core and four elective courses. The affiliated Advanced Certificate is earned by taking four additional electives. The course offerings and curriculum are reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure that the information remains current and relevant.

Contract Management for Spring, Summer, and Fall 2023

Click the course names below to read the course description.

Core Courses (complete all 6) Hours Cost Spring Summer Fall
CM 0001 Introduction to Contract Management: Principles of the Acquisition Process
Recommended first course
18 $449

3/7-4/25

 

8/16-9/20

CM 0002 Contract Types and Effective Contracting Methodologies 18 $449    

10/20-11/24

CM 0003 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques - Level I 18 $449  

5/3-6/7

 
CM 0004 Essential Contract Management Techniques 18 $449   6/20-8/1
(no class on 7/4)
 
CM 0005 Effective Proposal Writing and Communication 18 $449    

9/18-10/23

CM 0006 Legal Aspects of Contracts 18 $449    

8/3-9/7

Elective Courses (choose 4 for basic & 8 for advanced) Hours Cost Spring Summer Fall
CM 0010 Teaming, Partnering and Subcontracting 18 $449

1/23-2/27

   
CM 0012 Sourcing and Cost/Price Analysis 18 $449

 

5/8–6/16  
CM 0013 Intellectual Property and Licensing 18 $449   5/1-6/19
(no class on 5/29)
 
CM 0014 Ethics and Compliance 18 $449

3/20-4/17

   
CM 0016 Financial Management of Government Contracts 18 $449    

10/12-11/16

CM 0017 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques - Level II
Prerequisite: CM 0003
18 $449  

6/22-7/27

 
CM 0019 Fundamentals of the FAR 18 $449    

11/13-12/18

CM 0020: NCMA Exam Preparation 21 $549  

6/5-7/10

 
PM 05 Procurement 18 $549  

5/25-6/29

8/24-9/28

PM 0015 Earned Value Management (Asynchronous) 15 $449 4/3-5/1   10/16-11/13

This schedule is tentative and dates subject to change. Courses meet one night a week, 6-9pm.

 

Labor Analysis
Contract Administrator — Nationwide

Job Postings
Job Postings
Last 12 months
32,996

Projected Growth
Projected Growth
Over 10 years
-5.60%

Salary Range
Salary Range
Average
$52,000-$84,000

 

Enrolling in the Program
Enroll in the program at any time, even before registering for a course. It’s free, and offers many benefits:

  • Secure your curriculum (should the requirements change in the future).
  • See upcoming courses when you log into your student account.
  • Track your progress.

Enrolling in a program doesn’t mean you’re registered for courses. You still must register and pay for each course you wish to take.

 

Location of Classes
SDSU Extended Studies/Gateway Centers, Hardy Avenue entrance. Classes can also be offered at your company site.

For more information, email recruiter.global@sdsu.edu or call (619) 594-7700.

Core Courses

2023 Spring2023 Summer2022 Fall2023 Winter
CM 0001 Introduction to Contract Management: Principles of the Acquisition Process
The entire spectrum of the contracting process (market research to contract closeout) at federal, state, commercial, and international levels will be covered. Topics include: past performance, socioeconomic programs, oral proposals, the political process, plus emerging topics. The student will learn the concepts, terminology, and essential rules of contract management. The course will furnish the student with a solid foundation for more advanced studies in contracting.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0005 Effective Proposal Writing and Communication
This course will focus on writing effective proposals (cost and business volumes) and other communication topics encountered in the contracting environment. Topics will include effective solicitation review, proposal writing strategies and techniques, proposal review scenarios, and appropriate communication methods for various proposal and contractual situations. A number of case studies and hands-on exercises involving verbal and written communication scenarios will be utilized to emphasize key concepts.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0002 Contract Types and Effective Contracting Methodologies
Designed to provide a working knowledge of contract types, grants, and effective contracting methodologies. Students will receive an overview of the contract types most frequently used in federal contracting, including factors in the selection of contract types, applicable contract clauses, as well as the basic principles and limitations governing their use. Course topic will also cover how contracts differ from grants.
Course Date(s)

Register
2023 Summer
CM 0003 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques - Level I
Designed to enhance knowledge of negotiations and provide negotiating experience to individuals involved in contract administration, pricing, purchasing, project management, marketing, and engineering. Classes will include a combination of lectures (covering buyer, seller, government, and commercial perspectives) and mock negotiations, seeking to reach agreement on a variety of issues.
Course Date(s)
May 3 - June 7
CM 0006 Legal Aspects of Contracts
This course focuses on those legal and regulatory aspects of the government acquisition process important to the creation and administration of contract formation, interpretation, and performance.
Course Date(s)

Register
2023 Summer
CM 0004 Essential Contract Management Techniques
Students will follow the day-to-day management of government and commercial contracts in this course. This will include the review and execution of new contractual authorizations; coping with daily administration matters; obtaining timely and full payments; dealing with contract changes, modifications and terminations; and issuance of subcontracts.
Course Date(s)
June 20 - August 1

Elective Courses

2023 Spring2023 Summer2022 Fall2023 Winter
2023 Spring
PM 0015 Earned Value Management
Learn the best-known technique for monitoring overall project performance against cost and schedule expectations. Gain a "big-picture" view of how your project is progressing and then drill down to specific problem areas.
Course Date(s)
April 3 - May 1
CM 0014 Ethics and Compliance
This course will discuss the practical aspects and critical requirements of compliance and ethics within any organization. Emphasis will be on compliance and ethical issues relating to contracting, project management, and the statutory and other regulatory requirements of these activities. The course will cover topics such as: creating and maintaining an ethical workplace; how to ensure compliance with laws, rules and regulations; what can go wrong, and the business implications if it does.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0012 Sourcing and Cost/Price Analysis
The emphasis of this course is on how to maximize the use of adequate price competition in the source selection process. It includes how to remove barriers to competition and find qualified, responsible sources, at a fair and reasonable price. In the absence of competition, other price analysis methods and techniques are used to develop contract price objectives and provide a basis for negotiation. Instruction covers the application of cost analysis techniques, when it is performed, and how to analyze specific elements of a suppliers cost. Cost elements include direct material, direct labor, other direct costs, indirect costs, and profit or fee. Using case studies, students will learn about the tools and techniques involved in cost/price analysis.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0016 Financial Management of Government Contracts
What you need to know to establish an accounting system that can be audited for a government contract and financially manage the contract once it is awarded. This course presents an overview of government cost accounting practices, concepts and controls; government audit and contractor interface relationships, FAR cost principles, TINA, role of DCAA/DCMA, and emerging patterns of government financial policy. The course examines financial and administrative issues related to management of government contracts and funding government contracts including various types of direct and indirect costs for different forms of organizations and operations; elements of indirect rates, billing, fee recovery and final settlement; contract cost principles of allowability, advanced agreements, and disallowance of costs; cost accounting standards, rules, regulations, and contract provisions, including administration of accounting changes and noncompliance actions.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0019 Fundamentals of the FAR
The objective of this course is to prepare the student to use the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to solve Federal contract management issues. The course will cover the origin of the FAR System, the organization and arrangement of the FAR, agency implementation and supplementation of the FAR, deviations from the FAR, and the incorporation of clauses and provisions. Students will learn techniques for researching, interpreting, and applying the FAR to real-world contracting scenarios. The emphasis of the course will be on the development of practical skills.
Course Date(s)

Register
2023 Summer
CM 0013 Intellectual Property and Licensing

San Diego is a "hotbed" of high technology with heavy concentrations of biotech, telecommunication, and defense firms. Many contract managers and procurement professionals encounter intellectual property issues on a daily basis. This course will introduce students to the four areas of intellectual property; patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and how they interact with the contracting/procurement profession. One class session will specifically address the licensing of intellectual property and technology. Students in this course will be able to directly apply course information to their job or business.

Course Date(s)
May 1 - June 19
CM 0017 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques - Level II
This course explores advanced negotiation skills that are also applicable to all levels of business interaction. Topics include: multi-levels of communication and their impact on negotiations and business relationships, necessary active listening skills, conflicts due to business disputes and personal interactions, dealing with difficult personalities in negotiations, and the psychological dynamics of how professionals behave and operate to achieve optimal negotiation results. Prerequisite: CM0003 must be successfully completed to be eligible for CM0017. A course registration link will be emailed to students who have met the prerequisite. Please contact dawest@sdsu.edu if you have any questions.
Course Date(s)

Register
CM 0010 Teaming, Partnering and Subcontracting
This course will discuss the strategic and practical aspects of partnering with other companies including the use of a variety of contractual documents to implement these relationships such as teaming agreements, joint ventures, reseller agreements and subcontracts. The applicability of each potential relationship will be addressed along with implementation practices and risks associated in both the government and commercial business sectors. Emphasis will be on strategy and planning necessary for the successful use of each technique, typical negotiation issues and approaches, and keys to successful management of such agreements once established.
Course Date(s)

Register

Courses

2023 Spring2023 Summer2022 Fall2023 Winter