Every company has projects which need managers. So, it’s a no-brainer that Project Management is an excellent recession-proof career option. And the paychecks are greener too. Project Management Institute’s 11th edition salary survey reports these figures: But the most compelling thing is, you can pursue the industry of your interest. No matter the size, every industry waits for good project managers to join their teams.
Who are Project Managers?
Project Managers are the lifelines of any corporate. They are versatile individuals who oversee a project’s start to its completion. These people are excellent problem-solvers, terrific communicators, and team leaders at heart. Simply put, a project manager is the first person to be blamed on or congratulated if a project fails or succeeds, respectively. So, without any further ado, let’s start to check out the best online courses to crown you as an eminent project manager.
Google Project Management: Professional Certificate
This project management course by Coursera targets beginners. It has six courses bundled as one that you can also take separately. This six-month-long Google Project Management segment covers:
Foundations of Project ManagementProject Initiation, Planning, and ExecutionAgile Project ManagementHands-On Project
But the best thing apart from the branding is that the instructors are Google Project Managers themselves. Finally, you can earn a professional certificate after successful completion.
Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization
This University of California’s project management offering is also an introductory module. The four segments that are stitched together as this five-month-long curriculum are:
Initiating and PlanningBudgeting and SchedulingManaging Project Risks and ChangesCapstone Project for practice
And like the previous course, you can also take these modules individually. Conclusively this comes with a shareable certificate for the successful candidates.
Project Management: The Basics for Success
Basics for Success will take you just eight hours to complete. And this has the prestigious tag of the University of California, like the predecessor. The syllabus includes:
Foundational Project Management ElementsWork Breakdown StructurePlanning and SchedulingProject Leadership, Teamwork, and Dealing with Difficult People
And like all Coursera courses, this has a paid shareable certificate and flexible deadlines.
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
This project planning and management course is only 8 hours of tutorials. The major topics of this beginner-friendly syllabus are:
Definition of the project. Its objectives, stakeholders, reasons for failure, etc.Project planning with sequencing project tasks, dependencies, critical path, etc.Risk factors, Delays, Budgets.Project execution that includes monitoring, controlling progress, etc.
The instructor of this online module is an associate professor at the University of Virginia. The course is delivered on the Coursera platform.
Project Management Professional Certificate
This is a premium online project management course offered by UCI. An ideal candidate should be having 3-5 years of professional experience. The syllabus is divided into four parts:
Launching Your ProjectProject PlanningProject ExecutionPractical Sessions
You can also sign-up for any segment separately if you aren’t interested in earning the professional certificate. The last segment, Practical Sessions, is a peer-reviewed exercise that also includes expert feedback. Unlike other Coursera courses, this one is paid from the onset. However, it has a flexible schedule with a total length of 6 months.
Edureka PMP Certification Training Course
This live training course can prepare you for the PMP certification exam. The curriculum which is based on the PMBOK guide entails:
Introduction to PMP CertificationCreating High Performing TeamsProject Initiation and ExecutionMonitoring and Performance Control
The complete training course offered by Edureka has eight instructor-led sessions of 4.5 hours each. This premium module is subsidized if you opt for PMI membership. Just keep in mind to check for your eligibility for the PMP certification exam before signing up for this module.
Simplilearn PMP Certification Training Course
Like the one from Edureka, this training module by Simplilearn is also meant to prepare you for the PMP certification exam. And the course curriculum is also similar since it’s also based on the PMBOK guide. In over 200 online sessions, you’ll be in the good company of certified PMP instructors. This is also a premium course with a flexible learning schedule and a global peer network.
The Project Management Course: Beginner to Project Manager
You can take this entry-level course in Project Management if you have access to Microsoft Office. This course, offered by Udemy has 19 segments of 100 lectures totaling about 7.5 hours. The syllabus broadly covers:
Fundamentals of Project ManagementProject Management Tools and TemplatesMS Excel TutorialsSCRUM based Agile and Waterfall Project ManagementCase Study
You will be learning from a PMP-certified professional instructor. This course comes with full-lifetime access and a certificate of completion.
Become a Project Manager
You can take this Become a Project Manager project management course on LinkedIn. It has ten segments wrapped up as one, which is 12 hours of video training combined. The curriculum sheds light on:
Basics of Project management.Project management ethics, requirements, schedules, budgets, etc.Project teams and communication strategies.Risk and Stakeholders management.
This course also allows enrolling in individual segments. Finally, you can showcase a badge on your LinkedIn profile after successful completion.
Certificate Program in Project Management
Adding to the list of premium project management courses, this certificate program is offered by Berkeley Extension. The curriculum broadly covers:
Introduction to Project ManagementProject Leadership and High Performing TeamsProject InitiationExecution and progress controlAgile Principles, Project Scope, and Quality ManagementProject Schedule and Risk ManagementBudget and Procurement Management
It’s the costliest option on this list which an average candidate takes two years to complete. This program has modules under required, electives, and additional elective categories. And a candidate is required to take a set number of segments to complete this certificate program.
Online Project Management Certificate Program
This four-month self-paced online certificate course comes from the extended campus of the University of Texas. Preferably, you should have some exposure to project management to join this module. You will learn about:
Role of a Project ManagerProject Management StrategiesDefining project manager’s role and preparing charterBudget and Procurement PlanningRisk and Contract ManagementManaging conflicts, changes, and overall executionMonitoring and ControllingProject Closeout
You can apply for a scholarship which will cover around 80% of this program cost. Besides, you can also take a free demo to check the compatibility.
Introduction to Project Management
This is a six-weeks self-paced edX course that covers the basics of project management. The University of Adelaide has set no minimum eligibility requirements for this module. This curriculum is focussed on:
Knowledge and skills for Project ManagementEssential Communication SkillsComplexities in present-day projects
It’s a free course except for the graded assignments and exams, which are paid for.
MicroMasters® Program in Project Management
This is a package of four graduate-level courses offered by the online division of Rochester Institute of Technology, RITx via edX. The individual courses in this program are:
Project Management Life-CycleBest Practices for Project Management SuccessInternational Project ManagementProject Management MicroMasters Capstone Exam
It will take around eight months to complete if you invest 8-12 hours per week. Besides, you are allowed to take the modules individually. And like the previous course, it’s free of cost, excluding the exams and certification.
Introduction to Project Management
This entry-level course is from the home of project management-The Project Management Institute (PMI). The module is based on the PMBOK guide. Some of the topics included in the curriculum are:
Project Management IntroductionProject Initiation and planningValidation and ControllingBudget Planning and Procurement ManagementRisk Management and Creating WBS
This is just one instance; PMI has numerous other courses that you can check out at their online course portal.
Conclusion
All the listed courses are from reputed sources that have helped scores of students worldwide. You can take these courses even if you’re a practicing project manager. And this might be the perfect time to upskill if you think your career is stalling. Also, don’t forget to check out these popular project management software.
