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Best Project Management Courses

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Project management training courses help professionals gain valuable insight into the best practices of project management. Certain courses are also specifically designed to help project managers pass PMI’s highly regarded Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. To help you make the best decision, we spent many hours reviewing dozens of project management courses to bring you an in-depth review of the best ones. After careful consideration, we determined that Simplilearn is the best project management course for most, due to its clear expertise and reliable guarantees in the PMP certification area.

The Best Project Management Course for Most

Simplilearn logo

Simplilearn

Best for Most

Simplilearn’s PMP Certification Course covers all the bases for experienced project managers--and with both a 99.99% pass rate and a 100% money-back guarantee, you literally can’t lose by taking it.

If you want to get the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate, Simplilearn’s PMP Certification Course is hands down the best option on the market. This training course has helped over 73,000 participants earn their qualification, with a 99.99% pass rate. We’re going to say that again: a 99.99% pass rate. If you take this course, you pass the PMP exam and get the certification. It’s that simple.

And Simplilearn is so confident in those numbers that they offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t pass. If that’s not a win-win scenario, we don’t know what is. For the majority of people seeking project management courses, Simplilearn’s course is where to start. 

The Best Project Management Course Options to Consider

  1. PMP Certification Course by Simplilearn – Best for Most
  2. Introduction to Project Management by PMI – Best for Beginners
  3. BrainBOK – Best PMP Certification Prep Course
  4. The Complete Agile Project Manager by PMI – Best for Learning Agile Methodology
  5. Professional in Project Management by GAQM – Best Alternative to PMP

When It Makes Sense to Invest Into A Project Management Course

If you’re looking to fill a role specific to project management, to advance in your project management career, or simply to perform your project management role more effectively, investing in continuing education like a project management course is never a bad idea.

Specifically, it might be time to invest in a project management course if:

  • You’re making (or seriously considering) a career change into project management
  • You need project management knowledge, experience, and/or certification to be considered for a promotion within the next year
  • Project management has been identified as your weak area in a recent performance review
  • You took the PMP Certification exam but didn’t pass
  • Project management has been added to your job duties recently and you need to get up to speed quickly

Depending on your level of experience, you may decide to reach for the world’s leading project management certification–the Project Management Professional (PMP). This certification requires a bunch of prerequisites and is designed for project managers who’ve been in the field for a few years at least.

If this doesn’t sound like you, don’t leave yet! We’ll also suggest other great project management courses to suit any level. 

#1 – PMP Certification Course by Simplilearn — The Best for Most

Simplilearn logo

PMP Certification Course

Best for Most

Simplilearn’s PMP Certification Course covers all the bases for experienced project managers--and with both a 99.99% pass rate and a 100% money-back guarantee, you literally can’t lose by taking it.

Simplilearn began as a project management blog in 2009 and  has since become a leading online training provider in a range of topics, including project management. It combines online courses, virtual live instructor-led classes, and 24/7 training support to create a well-rounded learning experience for students. 

Simplilearn’s PMP Certification Training Course is considered one of the world’s number one online bootcamps for PMP Certification preparation. In fact, it boasts a 99.99% pass rate and offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t pass the exam the first time. 

The PMP course covers new trends, emerging practices, and core competencies required of a project management professional. It ticks all the boxes to be recognized by the Project Management Institute, including the 35 contact hours required for taking the PMP Exam. The course is also closely aligned with the latest version of PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

The skills covered in this course include:

  • Work breakdown structure
  • Resource allocation
  • Gantt charts
  • Project cost estimating
  • Cost management
  • Leadership

Throughout the course you’ll have access to digital materials from PMI, as well as four simulation test papers to get you well and truly prepared for the PMP Exam. 

Simplilearn’s course will set you back $1,399, which is steep, but think of it as an investment with a great potential return. Reports suggest that passing the PMP Exam can help project managers earn up to 20% more than those without the credential. 

It’s important to note that this course is not suitable for beginners. Simplilearn recommends course participants to have a secondary degree (high school diploma or equivalent) with 7,500 hours of hands-on project experience or a four-year degree with 4,500 hours of hands-on experience along with some existing project management education. 

If you don’t already have this experience up your sleeve, you’re probably not in a position to undertake the PMP Exam anyway. Instead, you could consider one of the below course options for beginners. 

#2 – Introduction to Project Management by PMI — The Best for Beginners

PMI logo

Intro to PM

Best for Beginners

For beginning project managers, PMI’s Intro to Project Management course is the perfect foundation. Not only does it teach you all the basics, it includes detailed self-assessment to make sure you’re ready to use them. And it’s only $350!

Any of the best project management courses require existing knowledge or experience within the project management field to be eligible for the course. If you’re a complete beginner, you may not be ready for these courses, and feel frustrated as to where you’re supposed to start. 

Thankfully, Project Management Institute has created the perfect course for you in its Introduction to Project Management

This online, self-paced course is designed to provide you with well-rounded learning on each knowledge area of the PMBOK Guide. The material is designed to educate an entry-level project manager and breaks down key principles of project management into layman’s terms for easy understanding. 

Some of the key topics you’ll cover in this course include:

  • Project initiation and planning
  • Planning and defining project scope
  • Developing the project schedule
  • Creating a project budget
  • Planning quality management
  • Planning stakeholder engagement
  • Managing and controlling quality

Each module features pre- and post-assessments, allowing you to measure your progress and ensure you’ve grasped the key topics of each. 

PMI’s Introduction to Project Management course is priced at $350 for non-members and $300 for members

#3 – BrainBOK — The Best PMP Certification Prep Course

BrainBOK logo

BrainBOK

Best PMP Prep Course

o get your PMP Certification, you don’t just have to know project management, you need to know the PMP exam. Like the Princeton Review for the SATs, BrainBOK teaches you how to ace the PMP.

BrainBOK approaches exam prep in a completely different way to most project management courses. Rather than covering every aspect of project management in excessive detail, BrainBOK helps project managers learn how to take the PMP Certification exam itself.

Like any exam, the PMP Certification test is looking for examples and answers to be structured in a certain way. Even for an experienced project manager, industry knowledge alone might not be enough to ace the test on the first try. Knowing how the exam itself works will be just as important.

BrainBOK offers students a complete self-study toolkit for PMP exam prep based on PMBOK Guide, bundled with an online study guide, exam simulator, and interactive flashcards covering nearly every term you’ll come across in the exam. It’s also fully optimized for mobile devices and can be run on Windows, Macs, or smartphone browser–perfect for study on-the-go!

You can get started with BrainBOK for free, but the plan lacks all the great features we mentioned above. The three pricing plans on offer include:

  • Premium – $59.99 for 90 days access 
  • Plus – $109.99 for 90 days access
  • Pro – $149.99 for 90 days access

As you can see from the table above, the most inclusive option is the Pro plan, which also provides the 35 contact hours required to take the PMP exam upon completion of the course. 

#4 – The Complete Agile Project Manager by PMI — The Best for Learning Agile Methodology

PMI logo

The Complete Agile PM

Best for Learning Agile

Agile project management is getting more popular every year. If your company is getting on board with agile practices, PMI’s Complete Agile Project Manager is exactly the course you need.

Perhaps your organization has decided to undertake an agile approach to project management and you’ve got no idea where to start. Under these circumstances, the Project Management Institute’s course–The Complete Agile Project Manager–is the one for you. 

In this course, you’ll cover critical topics such as:

  • Agile project management essentials
  • Adopting an agile approach to project management
  • An overview of agile methodologies
  • Agile planning
  • Leading an agile team
  • Managing stakeholder expectations and engagement on an agile project
  • Ensuring delivery of value and quality in agile projects

This course is for experienced project managers, but requires no prior understanding of agile methodologies. Learning is completed online and all units are covered over approximately 17.5 hours of coursework. For PMI non-members, the price is $372, while members will pay $243

#5 – Professional in Project Management by GAQM – The Best Alternative to PMP

GAQM logo

Professional in PM

Best PMP Alternative

PMP isn’t the only project management certificate out there! GAQM’s Professional Project Management certificate is just as comprehensive, but is designed for mid-level project managers ready to leverage their experience and advance.

There are a lot of prerequisites required by project managers to attain the PMP certification, aside from simply passing the exam. For some, these requirements may seem a long way off or completely impossible, so the thought of achieving further qualifications is put to the side. 

But what if we told you it’s possible to achieve a certificate in Professional Project Management instead? 

The Professional in Project Management (PPM) certification is open to almost all candidates. You don’t need a formal college degree or multiple years of field experience to take this course. 

With this in mind, it’s a great qualification for project management professionals who want to show employers their experience in the field. The certificate is treated as a mid-level project management certification course. 

The course, run by Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM), comprises core topics focusing on how to plan, execute, control, and complete projects. Over the 45 to 50 hours of coursework, you can expect to learn:

  • How to manage project demands
  • How to create project schedules
  • How to develop project measures
  • How to approach project control
  • How to develop, lead, and motivate project teams

The price of the course, including the exam voucher, is $340 and online access is valid for 40 days. 

Methodology for Choosing the Best Project Management Course

There are hundreds of project management courses available, all with differing price points, prerequisites, and certifications attached to them. Deciding which course is the right one for you will depend on many actors. 

Below, we’ll highlight four factors that we’ve discovered to be important in the decision-making process, to help you with your research, and your decision.

Accreditation

It’s true that accredited courses of any topic are usually more pricey than those that aren’t, but accreditation can come with many positives. 

First of all, for a course to be accredited, it has to reach a certain quality standard. This means that you can have confidence that everything you’re learning in the course is genuinely going to contribute to your professional development. 

Secondly, taking an accredited course can open up funding opportunities for future learning, as well as speed up the process of obtaining additional qualifications. 

So unless you are embarking on your chosen course purely for personal learning purposes, finding a course that is accredited, over one that isn’t, should be an important consideration.

Learning Style

Do you prefer to follow a tight learning schedule or to have freedom to learn when it suits you? Perhaps you struggle to learn on your own and need to be face-to-face with your instructor? 

For example, many courses simply provide you with full access to the course material and a deadline to complete the curriculum by. If you prefer to learn in bite-size increments, this method is likely to overwhelm and discourage you. 

Furthermore, if you like to have things explained in detail by another person, over drawing your own conclusions from the course material, face-to-face learning is likely to be more up your alley. 

Although most project management courses are delivered online, it’s still important to take your own learning style into consideration so that you can successfully navigate the course. 

Experience Level

Naturally, if you have none or very little experience in the project management field, you will need to ensure the course of your choosing is beginner friendly. On the other hand, if you have extensive experience and a good understanding of varying project management methods, you can look into courses that are intermediate or above.

Enrolling in a course that assumes a base level of understanding that you don’t have will inevitably be not only frustrating for you, but a waste of time and money too. 

Methodology Type 

Another important consideration to make when deciding which project management course is the best for you is which methodology the course focuses on. 

Although most courses do focus on a traditional approach to project management, there are many courses coming out of the works that can teach you how to enlist specific methodologies such as agile, scrum, Kanban, and waterfall. 

If you’re completely new to project management, it’s definitely best for you to find the course that will give you the best overarching understanding of project management, before diving into methodology-specific learning.  

Simplilearn logo

Simplilearn

Best for Most

Simplilearn’s PMP Certification Course covers all the bases for experienced project managers--and with both a 99.99% pass rate and a 100% money-back guarantee, you literally can’t lose by taking it.

Summary

Which is the best project management course for you? We’d recommend Simplilearn as the best option for most, particularly for those who have already been working in the industry for many years and are looking to take their role to the next level. 

But for complete beginners, PMI’s Introduction to Project Management is a great course to get started with. And for project managers who are missing the required college experience to take the Project Management Professional exam, GAQM’s Professional in Project Management certificate is a great alternative. 

No matter which course you decide to take, make sure you keep our methodology in mind when completing your own research to ensure you’ve considered these key deciding factors in the process. 


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