Project management courses and certifications , project management certificate programs and lists

Top Project Management Courses and Certification Programs to look for in 2024

Project Management Courses – Project management is a technique, which a manager uses in order to complete a project on time. Now let us define a ‘project’. A project is a short-term or long-term task that is given to a team. The project has to be completed in a specified time and with accuracy. It is then delivered to the client. Many problems may occur while accomplishing the project and the manager has to tackle the obstacles and guide and motivate the team to complete the project on time. This is the place where project management is needed. In this article, we will review the top project management courses and certificate programs for both beginners and experts. We will provide a top project management certifications list.



What is Project Management?

Project management is a technique or a set of processes, which has to be applied to complete a project on time and within budget. There are many skills, tools, and techniques, which a project manager needs for a project.

The following processes are included in managing a project:

  •         Initiating
  •         Planning
  •         Executing
  •         Monitoring and Controlling
  •         Closing

The project manager should also have knowledge of the following fields so that the project can be managed easily. These knowledge areas are

  •         Integration
  •         Scope
  •         Time
  •         Cost
  •         Quality
  •         Procurement
  •         Human resources
  •         Communications
  •         Risk management
  •         Stakeholder management

Before reviewing the list of Project Management Courses and certifications and certificate programs, let’s talk about the future of project management.

Future of Project Management

Project management is a career field that needs various types of skill sets along with knowledge of resolving different types of problems related to a project.  The surveys conducted for the future of project management career gave the following results.

  • Project managers are in high demand and there seem to be millions of demands for project managers in the future.
  • There are many industries in which different types of projects are going on and new projects also will be initiated. Thus, project managers will be needed in each industry.
  • Project managers get high salaries especially if they have done any course. The most prestigious of them is PMP certification that enhances the managerial skills of an individual and stands him out.
  • Since each industry needs a project manager for its projects so project managers will be hired and a high salary will be given to them.



Top Project Management Courses & Certifications for a Project Manager

There are many project management courses and certificate programs, which a candidate should pursue in order to become a project manager. Here is a list of project management certifications.

1. CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management)

Certified Associate in Project Management or CAPM is an exam, which is considered as a foundation stone for those who want to pursue PMP exam. CAPM is an entry-level exam, which can be taken by project practitioners who have little or no project management experience.

The candidate should have completed a high school diploma along with either 1,500 hours of job experience or 23 hours of project management classroom training. The IT professionals interested in the entry-level exam can choose CAPM and learn well from its preparation tips.

The validity of this exam is five years. It means that each CAPM holder has to take this exam every five years. CAPM will help in a project management job only if the candidate has made a place between junior and senior-level project managers.

The candidate has to take only one exam in which 150 questions are to be answered in three hours. There are 15 questions for which no score is given. Students can take the exam online or center-based test format.

2. PMP (Project Management Professional)

Project Management Professional or PMP certification is an exam, which covers everything related to project management. The exam covers all the processes related to project management and the candidates have to do a lot of hard work to pass the exam successfully. The prerequisites of the exam include a four-year degree course along with 4,500 hours of experience and project management education of 35 hours. The second option is a high school diploma along with project management experience of five years, an experience of 7,500 hours in leading and directing projects, and a project management education of 35 hours.

Undoubtedly, PMP-certified professionals earn a handsome amount of salary. Recommended Article: How to Become a PMP

3. CSM (Certified ScrumMaster)

Certified ScrumMaster or CSM is an exam that is based on Scrum and Agile practices. There are around 450,000 professionals who have taken this certification and are working in the whole world. IT professionals also take this exam and become IT practitioners. These IT practitioners have the capability of managing various types of projects.

Scrum practitioners get support from the Scrum Alliance which includes virtual communication, scrum gatherings, coaching, online training, and many other types of support. There are various types of certifications provided by the Scrum Alliance and these include:

  •         Foundation
  •         Advanced
  •         Elevated
  •         Leadership

The prerequisites of this exam are that the candidate has to complete a two-day CSM course whose price varies according to the training providers. Only one exam is conducted in which there are 35 questions.

Candidates are required to answer at least 24 answers correctly.



4. CSSBB (Certified Six Sigma Black Belt)

Certified Six Sigma Black Belt or CSSBB is an exam, which is the highest Six Sigma credential from ASQ. The exam should be taken by those persons who have got an understanding of Six Sigma methodologies, systems, tools, and philosophies.

The candidates who take this exam can manage the team and the project and can accept various types of roles and responsibilities.

After passing the exam, the candidates also have to complete two projects which are directly related to Six Sigma tools and processes. The candidates also require an affidavit that will confirm that the projects have been done by them.

The candidates who already have experience in the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge have to complete only one project. The exam is valid only for three years and the candidate has to retake the exam after three years.

There is only one exam which can be taken on a computer or paper. If the candidate is taking the exam on a computer then he has to answer 165 questions in 4.5 hours. If the exam is being given on paper, then the number of questions is 150 and the time is four hours.

5. CompTIA Project+

This is an entry-level certification and it can be taken by those candidates who want to handle less complex projects but have project management skills. The exam covers many essential concepts related to project management.

The candidate will have the knowledge of:

  •         Managing the project life cycle
  •         Communicating appropriately
  •         Managing stakeholders and resources
  •         Maintenance of project documentation

There are no prerequisites for this exam but it is advantageous if the candidate has one year of working experience.

6. Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner

The candidate has to give two exams one is the foundation and the other is the practitioner. The foundation exam will test the candidate on the basis of project management basics and practitioner one will test the candidate for advanced project management topics.

The prerequisite of the foundation exam is that the candidate requires a Prince2 foundation course while the practitioner test requires PMP, CAPM, or IPMA certification.



7. CPMP (Certified Project Management Practitioner)

Certified Project Management Practitioner or CPMP is an exam which is meant for those project managers who want to have good experience in using various techniques and tools which can be used to handle different kinds of projects.

The exam is conducted by EC-Council and there are no prerequisites for the exam. If the candidate attends a three-day preparation course, it will be beneficial for him.

Which Courses or Certification Programs are Best for Project Management?

There are many project management courses and certifications, which candidates can pursue to become a good project manager and get a good salary. The exams are available from entry-level to advanced level and it depends on the candidate which type of exam he should give and which types of projects he should handle.

Some exams need mandatory prerequisites while for others it’s optional. The mandatory prerequisites must be fulfilled because if they will not be so, the candidate will not be eligible for the exam.

In this article, we review project management courses and certifications and provided a top project management certifications list. We hope that these project management courses will be useful for the candidates who seek to build up a career as a project manager.

See Also

Project Management Trends

PMP Exam Simulator

PMP Exam Preparation

PgMP

Cost Benefit Analysis Example

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