Earn Your Project Management Certificate Online

What Can I do with a Project Management Certification?

Projects are a part of almost any role in any industry. Any time you work toward a specific goal with determined beginning and end dates, you are engaging in project work. To effectively work on a project, you need to manage your workload with reliable tools and techniques.

Leading Projects as Part of Your Job

Projects are a common element of many peoples’ workloads. Professionals frequently manage projects within their own teams without holding a project manager title. Understanding the components of a project and knowing how to navigate through the sequence of steps are key to success. With this knowledge, professionals can achieve company goals and progress in their careers.

Project Management as a Career

At the same time, there are experienced project managers who lead projects as their career focus. This skillset is transferable among many industries. People who choose this path typically earn professional certificates or pursue higher education related to project management. Project managers often lead cross-team projects, organization-level projects, and more.

Which Course Will Help Me Succeed?

With the University of Michigan, you can earn your project management certificate online at your pace. You choose the course that best meets your needs. With two courses aligned to the PMI PMBOK and a more technical option for those who already have their certification, you can focus on your specific goals.

Understanding the Basics

If you are completely new to project management—you may have led some simple projects without training or expect to manage projects in the future—consider the Foundations of Project Management course.

In the course, you will learn how to define and develop a project, how to create a project charter and determine scope, how to develop teams, how to schedule project milestones, and how to monitor progress. You will have the ability to utilize your new strategies and skills immediately upon completing the course.

Mastering the Fundamentals

If you lead projects, including cross-functional projects, you may be interested in the Applied Project Management certification course. This course is also appropriate for beginners but goes beyond the topics in the Foundations of Project Management course.

In the course, you will learn everything included in the Foundations course as well as more detailed information necessary to manage cross-functional projects.

This course will launch in the winter of 2025.

Focusing on Technical Challenges

For those in the technical sphere who manage projects that require advanced planning, analytical tools, and intentional leadership, consider Technical Project Management. This certification is appropriate for project managers in technical companies. 

In the course, you will learn business value creation and delivery components, develop advanced technical leadership skills, select projects and strategy to align to organizational culture, conduct advanced stakeholder analysis, engage in advanced risk management, learn to execute projects for global teams, and more. You will be prepared to lead projects on time, within budget, and with desired quality standards after course completion.

This course will launch in 2025.

Who Are the Instructors?

This online project management program is taught by project management experts Pat Hammett, PhD and Nicole Friedberg. Both instructors have extensive project management experience. 

Pat Hammett is the lead faculty member for the Michigan Engineering Six Sigma programs as well as a lecturer in the college. In addition to his work in academia, Pat is also the president of QETools.

Nicole Friedberg is an instructor for the Michigan Engineering Six Sigma programs as well as a lecturer in the college. Project management has been a large focus in Nicole’s career—both in her roles in industry and as an instructor.

When Can I Get Started?

By mid-2025, all three Project Management courses will be live. Currently, the Foundations of Project Management course is open for registration for anyone ready to learn the fundamentals.

For those interested in the Applied Project Management course, registration will open in the fall. Technical Project Management will be available in early 2025.

Whatever your role, industry, or goals, you can benefit from the Project Management program. Explore your course options and take your first step toward leading successful projects.