17 Best Online Project Management Courses, Schools & Degrees

Do you thrive on trying to make projects come together? Do you live for logistics, schedules, and making sure resources and budgets keep within defined parameters? Do you get bored with monotonous routines and would like to manage different tasks week in and week out? If so, a future as a project manager might be perfect for you!

Project managers supervise every aspect of a project from concept through completion—they solicit and supervise teams so that a product or service will come to fruition, as well as making sure it is ready to be successful. As many businesses, nonprofits, and corporations turn to project-based approaches to complete work, the role and demand of project managers is becoming increasingly important.

If you are interested in learning more about a career in project management, or would like to earn a Master’s degree or take a course in project management, we have gathered the top resources for you.

Project managers oversee the implementation and genesis of a project, setting its timetable, as well as defining a goal for the project. Each project will need a new approach and it’s the duty of the project manager to assess and determine the best possible approach. Unlike other managers, however, project managers usually do not continue with a project after it has been seen through completion.

 

Depending on what kind of project management you may be doing, you can earn anywhere from about $80,000-$90,000 on average, though a highly technical or highly specialized management position can earn you much more. Successful project managers are experts in managing the minutiae of details, technical and general alike, as well being able to plan and articulate a vision, being adaptable, delegating tasks, and working with all sorts of people.

 Project Management Institute: If you are looking for a serious, vetted project management degree or certificate, be sure to look out for programs or courses that are vetted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) or its accrediting program, the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC). PMI is a large not-for-profit membership association for the project, program, and portfolio management profession. As a member of PMI, you will gain access to a huge network of project managers, a wealth of knowledge, and career and professional development resources

 George Washington University: Are you interested in taking courses from one of the best MBA programs in the world? GWU offers an extremely competitive Masters of Science in Project Management that will allow you to gain vital skills and knowledge to take on any challenging or complex project. Offering an innovative course of study that will train you in management principles, advanced project management techniques, and much more. GWU’s PMI approved program is designed to prepare you to immediately step in on any project and effectively lead a team to success. If you want to enhance your leadership abilities, integrate complex challenges, motivate workers to maximize their output, and achieve optimal cost-savings results, then you should seriously consider GWU’s Project Management program.

At GWU you will be working remotely with top faculty, challenging curriculum, supportive career counseling and advising, a successful alumni association, and many other talented students. Covering an array of different management areas, this degree is a diverse option for those that aren’t necessarily set in a particular field, or want to explore different fields of project management. If you know you want to become a proven leader, GWU’s Masters program will start you on your way to tremendous success!

 

 University of Maryland (MSc in Civil Engineering): The University of Maryland offers a unique program that will challenge and prepare you for a career in managing civil engineering projects. As the first engineering program accredited by PMI, Maryland’s Project Management program will be sure to equip you with real world, practical management applications suited for any civil project. Offering the challenging curriculum and an ever-evolving course of study, Maryland’s program is on the cutting edge of teaching project management, which in turn, will give you invaluable skills and experience to help you tackle any problem that you might encounter in the field.

Core courses at Maryland include Project Cost Accounting & Finance, Introduction to Project Management, Legal Aspects of Engineering Design & Construction, Management of Project Teams, and Project Performance Measurement. These courses will prepare you to manage intricate, complex projects, as well as give you the opportunity to demonstrate your aptitudes for handling them. If you are interested in construction, engineering, or building projects, this degree is not to be missed!

 Boston University: Ranked as the #8 best online business program in the 2014 US News & World Report, Boston University’s PMI accredited Master of Science in Project Management program offers a unique and demanding degree that will be sure to prepare you to take on any logistical or complex project management challenge. As logistics and project management demands become increasingly complex, BU’s project management program has kept aligned with innovations and technological evolutions that will help you flourish. BU offers a highly-competitive degree that will allow you to acquire advance planning and analytical skills, as well as the knowledge and mastery of a comprehensive approach to project management.

Working toward a broad range of professional development areas, this degree will be a boon to those seeking to lead in global business, design IT infrastructure, consult on optimization efforts, and many other project areas. If you are interested in being able to see a project through conception to completion, BU’s program has the resources to help you on your way to facilitating large projects. By the time you earn your degree you will have proficiencies in demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of planning, executing, and evaluating applications of projects, as well as basic and advanced knowledge of management tools and techniques, scheduling, communication, and optimization strategies. If you want to take your career to the next level, Boston University can help you succeed.

 Brandeis University: Are you looking to earn a degree from a prestigious university? Do you want to engage in a thorough, difficult degree program that will reap major benefits from all your hard work? Brandeis University offers a competitive Master of Science in Project and Program Management that will be sure to equip you with the preparation and experience needed to take on difficult and complex project work. At Brandeis you’ll master the functions of involved and complex operations management. From understanding the importance of the minutiae of mundane tasks, to top-down approaches of macro-level movements, Brandeis will help you learn and manage the significance of project work.

Accredited by PMI, Brandeis integrates an interdisciplinary approach to project management and incorporates various management, leadership, and technological approaches to enhance your abilities as a comprehensive leader. Working with esteemed, highly-qualified faculty, you will learn hands-on experience and best practices in order to diversify your adaptability in planning different projects and outcomes. If you are interested in furthering your career, be sure to check out Brandeis’ program!

 Penn State World Campus: As business and corporations try to deal with the complexity of modern times, project managers have become increasingly sought after to oversee all aspects of different kinds of projects. At Penn State University World Campus, you can learn the ins and outs of project management at your own convenience. Using an interdisciplinary approach centered around problem solving and analytical learning, PSU World Campus’ project management degree will challenge and train you to take on any organizational, managerial, and logistical task.

While earning your degree, you will learn how to effectively plan, manage, and execute strategies designed to optimize profit, lower costs, and proactively engage workers and systems. PSU’s program also allows you to focus on an area of specialization in Advanced Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Architecture, SAP Software, or an independent track of study of your own choosing. If you are looking to bolster your knowledge, credentials, and experience, PSU’s program will help you on your way to becoming a successful, expert project manager.

 Northeastern University: The successes of a business depends on many variables, though hard work, a comprehensive plan, adaptability, and astute management often are a determining factor. Northeastern offers a highly-competitive Masters of Science in Project Management that approaches project management in a holistic way, that is, through teaching thorough, practical skills designed to prepare you for the challenges of success and failure.

Accredited by PMI, Northeastern’s program will effectively prepare you to take on multiple, complex projects, implement enterprise-level management strategies, develop effective optimization efforts, and allow you to become a proven leader. If you are interested in boosting your career or want to thrive on efficiently seeing through projects through completion, Northeastern offers an amazing course of study that will prepare you to take on projects in all sorts of economic fields; whether you want to run logistics, consult, or be in charge of projects for major companies, a degree with Northeastern will give you the experience and tools to take on anything.

 

 

 Learning Tree: Are you looking professional certification in project management from the Project Management Institute? Are you looking to gain useful and invaluable skills that will help you lead your team to success? Learning Tree International offers incredible online classes designed to teach you how to effectively and comprehensively manage projects for optimal results. Gain a little swagger in your confidence by learning how to influence your workers without using any direct authority, or learn how to manage risk in your projects, operations or programs. Learning Tree has amazing, inspirational instructors that will help you learn to reach your leadership potential as well as teach you the basics of empowering your workers through emboldened leadership and direction. These classes are not to be missed!

 

 Udemy: Are you looking to take a project management course but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for it? Udemy offers free and affordable courses taught by experts. These compact, short courses pack a punch—all of the top courses we have gathered include hours of lectures sure to teach you important knowledge and effective management techniques you can use to expand your business, leadership, or entrepreneurial skills in no time! Join thousands of people who have already signed up for these amazing courses and learn how you can take your career to the next level!

 

 American Management Association: In addition to being an excellent business management association and resource, the American Management Association (AMA) offers highly-effective and comprehensive courses that will teach you the ins and outs of project management. Offering many courses aligned within the PMI framework for project management courses, AMA offers an alternative to university courses with the same rigor and difficulty that will help you succeed. If you are looking to get a certificate or learn new professional leadership and project management tools and techniques, AMA’s fantastic courses will help you on your way to developing an understanding of successful project management skills and knowledge.

 Lynda.com: Are you looking for high-quality video tutorials that can help you learn new management and operational skills and knowledge? Lynda.com offers many excellent tutorials taught be project management professionals that can teach you how to manage projects from multiple perspectives, learn how to effectively manage people, and lead a team to success, as well as many other useful skills you may acquire. These courses are an affordable way to learn invaluable techniques that can help you and your business prosper. If you have any interest in taking on greater responsibilities, targeting bigger profit margins, or simply want to become a more effective leader, these tutorials will help you step up your game!

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 MIT OpenCourseWare: Project management can be a hard topic to effectively teach. MIT’s Sloan School of Business has made learning project management techniques much easier for you, for free. Offering over 60 archived courses (50 graduate-level, 10 undergraduate-level) that cover specific issues and specializations in project management, MIT OpenCourseWare is one of the best online course providers for a reason. Ranked as one of the top schools in the world, MIT’s courses will be sure to teach you a tremendous amount of information, as well as prepare you to effectively lead. These amazing courses are taken by industry leaders and will be certain to help you no matter where you are in your career. We’ve gathered a few of the best courses, but be sure to check out all of MIT’s project management courses!

 

 Open2Study: Are you looking to advance your career or move into a management position? Open2Study can help you learn what it takes to run complex business systems. Offering a variety of project management classes that increase in specificity, Open2Study provides an incredible foundation to help you become a successful and knowledgeable leader. Taught through leading Australian universities, these course are taught by professionals with years of real-world experience. They will teach you the details of what it takes to become a successful businessperson, as well as a stoic and effective leader.

 

 Canvas.net: Are you looking for a quick online course that will introduce you to the concepts, techniques, and principles of project management? Project Management for Business Professionals will be sure to prepare you to comprehensively manage large, complex projects. By the end of this course you will be able to plan, schedule, budget, estimate, control, and monitor any kind of project. This course follows PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide, which will allow you to demonstrate, proven and effective leadership skills. Additionally, for a fee, you may earn a certificate of completion after finishing this course.

 Open University: Open University provides a comprehensive education while drawing from open source materials. Offering a problem-based approach to learning about project management, Open University will engage your critical thinking skills, as well as your ability to assess tough, difficult scenarios. By preparing a project, or at least learning how to take on projects, these courses will allow you to focus on every aspect of managing a project from start to finish, as well as any problem that could arise along the way. Drawing from proven, vetted materials, these courses often teach the same coursework as university courses. If you are interested and committed to learning about project management, these courses may be perfect for you!

 

 Saylor Academy: Are you looking for a self-directed, free, and comprehensive management program? Saylor Academy has compiled various open source lectures from top universities, as well as course materials that will be sure to challenge and equip you with useful business management skills. If you are interested in becoming an expert in the tips and trades of professional project managers, this 23 course program of study will springboard your management trajectory and allow you to lead by example.

 

 UNEOpen: Are you looking to learn the basics of project management and equip yourself with the tools to become an effective and efficient organizer? The University of New England in Australia offers a 14-week course that will help you on your way to successfully overseeing all kinds of projects and allowing you to show off your new found leadership abilities. With this course, you will be able to adapt to any problems a project throws at you, as well as manage any kind of project through completion. Not a course to be missed!