The world of product management is constantly evolving.
New trends, ways of working, customer needs, technology… It is always shifting, changing shape, and reimagining itself. There are always new things to learn and new best practices to understand.
Even the most experienced product managers struggle at times.
No matter how on-point your organizational skills are or which prioritization tools you are using, there are times when your to-do list can feel overwhelming.
Sometimes there are just too many tasks that need doing and not enough time to do them.
To stay on top of your game, even the best professionals need to keep up-to-date with the latest techniques and knowledge in their profession.
Product management is no different
What are product management certifications?
A little extra training can sometimes be the difference between massive success and constant headaches.
Having a complete understanding of current best practices, the most up-to-date techniques and strategies, and the best management processes can give you the confidence to handle even the most complicated projects.
So what better way to stay current than with certified courses specifically designed for product managers?
Sure, qualifications and certifications are not mandatory, and all the training in the world won’t guarantee success as a product manager.
But completing certain courses can put the finishing touches on your CV, help you demonstrate your abilities to potential employers, and give you the skills you need to feel in complete control of your projects, whatever they throw at you.
That's why everyone, from newbies to PM stalwarts, can benefit from regular product management training.
To give you an idea of what is out there, we’ve taken a deep dive into the world of product management training and pulled out the 11 best certifications and courses for 2021 and 2022. We’ve organized them by price, from free courses to courses that require a higher investment but are definitely worth the extra money.
So if you want to add a little shine to your CV or just polish your existing skills, take a look below for everything you will need to know about each training option, including pricing, location, and time commitment.
11 of the best product management training courses and certifications for 2022
Free product management courses
Requiring zero financial investment, the following courses are great for PMs on a budget.
Free Product Management training via LinkedIn
LinkedIn Learning offers a range of learning paths, courses, and educational videos — all online and free of charge. And its product management offerings are diverse and excellent.
There’s something for everyone, with classes ranging from Interviewing for Product Management Jobs and Transitioning to Product Management all the way to Product Innovation for Product Managers and Becoming an AI-First Product Leader.
Choose from over 20 full courses and over 150 videos, available for experience levels from beginner to expert. That’s why LinkedIn’s product management training course is a great option to get started with.
Courses and videos are available for free online via LinkedIn Learning and can be completed at your own pace.
Software Product Management Specialization
This Software Product Management Specialization from the University of Alberta is a wonderful intro to Agile software management. It is perfect for team leaders looking to improve their development projects and stakeholder management skills.
Using a simulated environment, students can apply skills and gain practical experience. It’s a fantastic way to build your portfolio and improve your understanding of software products. The Specialization ends with a shareable Certificate of Achievement.
The course is 100% online, and students can learn on their own schedule. The recommended pace is around 3 hours per week, and the course takes approximately six months to complete. Enrollment is completely free.
Find out more on the Coursera website.
Budget-friendly product management courses
Got a little more money to invest in your product management career? Then these courses could be for you...
Product Management A-Z: Excel as a PM & Build Great Products on Udemy
Udemy’s Product Management A-Z is one of the most comprehensive online product management courses around — and great value for money, too! It combines practical case studies, hands-on exercises, and interactive quizzes… so there’s no excuse for snoozing in class!
What’s more, because it’s designed in consultation with product experts from some of the world’s biggest tech firms, this course is a fantastic introduction to the world of product management.
The course covers the full range of product management skills, from ideation and research to developing UX and designing wireframes. It also provides excellent insights into presenting yourself as a candidate and nailing PM job interviews.
The course does not require any previous knowledge or experience, just a willingness to learn. As a fully online course, it can be completed at participants’ convenience, with four and a half hours of video tutorial, six articles, and related practical assignments, culminating in a certificate of completion.
Product Management A-Z is available for $13. To find out more, visit the website.
One Week PM
One Week PM is designed as a crash course for rookie product managers, providing students with the qualifications to land their first PM job. It arms you with everything you need to succeed, from the fundamental skills of product management and building your own projects to nailing interviews with potential employers.
Taking place over seven days, One Week PM is a whistle-stop ride through everything you need to know to get started in product management. The course is highly interactive, and you’ll benefit from free resources and exclusive Q&A Interviews with industry product managers. In the end, you’ll receive a certificate of completion, access to practical templates for daily use, and an invite to the world’s largest product manager Slack community.
The course runs for seven days and requires an hour of class time every day. A complete package costs $197 and is available to buy via the website.
One Week Technical PM by Product Manager HQ
Technical product management offers unique challenges for product managers, and this course helps experienced professionals grow and learn new skills. It provides students with the fundamental skills required to be a more technical PM and offers help and support for job interviews and standing out as a product manager candidate.
With over 140 lectures, more than 15 hours of educational content, and access to downloadable technical templates for day-to-day project use, it is an outstanding resource and also offers great knowledge sharing from industry leaders.
Similar to the One Week course above, this training also requires a daily hour-long slot, for seven days, and costs $297 to buy. To find out more, check out the website.
Product Toolkit
The Product Toolkit is packed full of practical tools designed to kickstart your career in product management. With over 70 lessons and video tutorials, the Toolkit provides vital skills, knowledge, and experience for everyone from aspiring PM’s to C-Suite executives.
As a participant, you’ll learn the fundamentals of product development and creation, while working through real-world example tasks. You’ll also gain access to usable templates to make your job easier and more effective (just like the ones we offer at airfocus!).
The Toolkit is designed to be an antidote to traditional training courses or written resources that prioritize theory over practicality. It gives you actionable skills and experience that lets you level up in your career.
The Product Toolkit can be used at your own pace at whatever time suits you. The kit comes with three levels of access: Starter ($119), Essential ($179), and Premium ($429).
To find out more, check out the website.
Learn Product Management by One Month
One Month’s Learn Product Management course offers a fantastic route into project management for newcomers as well as a refresher course for anyone who’s worked in product for a while but needs an update. It provides access to a range of tools and strategies that let you manage the product development process effectively, as well as insights to help you drive business success.
Four weeks of lectures and practical projects help students understand the roles and responsibilities of a product manager, encourage innovation and inspiration in conceiving product ideas, and improve collaboration, communication, and prioritization skills. The course ends with a professional Product Management Certification.
The course costs $199 for year-long access, and the certification can be completed at any time.
For more information, check out the website.
High investment, high reward product management courses
They say that you get out what you put in.
And if that’s true, then the following product management courses are the ones most likely to help you succeed in 2022.
Fundamentals of Product Management, Stanford University
A heavyweight option for product managers, this course is part of Stanford’s Continuing Studies program.
Fundamentals of Product Management introduces the core skills needed for success in a career in product management and end-to-end product development.
Covering brainstorming, strategy, market research, and roadmap creation, students will hone their existing hard and soft skills and learn how to create compelling product and UX designs.
Offering an introduction to the most common and popular frameworks as well as a deep understanding of analytics, optimization, and agile teamwork, it is the perfect complement to a burgeoning PM career.
The course blends traditional education with practical assignments, as well as a final product design project allowing students to apply their new skills.
The course runs once a year and lasts ten weeks, with course modules available online once a week at your convenience, as well as weekly Zoom seminars. The course costs $765.
Stanford offers a range of excellent product management courses, if you didn’t know already. Check out their course schedule for more information.
Applying Professional SCRUM training
Applying Professional Scrum (APS) provides a hands-on, back-to-basics certification in the essentials of Scrum project management techniques. It takes a highly focused, practical approach using a combination of traditional learning and team-based tasks to provide genuinely useful, applicable outcomes.
APS gives students first-hand experience working with Scrum and demonstrates the benefits of agile techniques over traditional processes.
Students learn new skills and how to apply them effectively, making it a great option both for teams new to agile and veterans looking to hone their abilities.
All APS students are granted two free attempts at the Professional Scrum Master I assessment, the globally-recognized, industry-standard certification. The course also allows participants to claim Project Management Institute (PMI) PDU credit.
The course is taught through a mixture of public and private classes. There are 16 hours of class time which can be taken over several days, depending on the individual course and instructor.
Course costs vary depending on tutor and length, from around $500 to $1,000+. To find out more about Applying Professional Scrum courses, visit the booking page.
Scrum.org is an excellent training resource, and there are a wide variety of courses, classes, and certifications to choose from. Check out the range of qualifications available on their website.
Online Product Management course, General Assembly
General Assembly’s Online Product Management course is set up to formalize your existing skillset and add confidence and credibility to your professional offering.
The course ensures that the most important skills for navigating the product life cycle are embedded in students’ assignments and also uses innovative teaching methods to prepare students for an ever-changing product landscape.
This certification is perfect for participants with a range of experience, from complete beginners to veteran PMs. It will provide a full understanding of agile methodology, stakeholder management, and analytics, as well as the latest tools and software.
You’ll also get the chance to tap into an invaluable professional network of product experts and peers from across the industry.
The course can be taken over ten weeks as evening classes or as a 1-week intensive course. Onsite and remote learning is available. Full tuition costs $3,950, and various financing options and loans are available.
To find out more, visit the website.
Product School
Product School offers a range of courses and certifications tailored to your experience level and career goals, designed for aspiring product managers from any professional background. The courses all empower students to design and build digital products from concept to completion, as well as offering team leadership skills, CV-building support, and advice and guidance on interview techniques.
Product School courses are completed with industry-recognized certifications for product managers, product leaders, and product executives.
The course runs with weekly live video sessions, interviews and lectures from industry leaders, and practical experience with the best product management tools.
The course can be completed on various schedules, from one or two days a week to one-week full time. Product School courses start at $4,199.
See here for more details.
Alright PMs, it’s time to start learning!
That’s our take on the 11 best product management training courses for 2022, designed to take your product management career to the next level.
Each of these certifications and qualifications will add skills to your skillset, tools to your toolkit, and make you more employable to boot. Nice!
Each course offers something different, and everyone has different training needs and preferences, so take a careful look and pick the path that fits you perfectly. With all the options here, you’re sure to find the right course for you.
Malte Scholz
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