9 Best Product Management Certifications Online in 2024
Are you looking for top-quality product management certification to help you land a great product job in 2024?
If you’ve been in the product management world as long as I have, you know that one of the best ways to expand your knowledge is by attaining a product management certification. Though it’s not a not staunch requirement, and you can build a career without one, you might also be limiting your growth.
The product industry is in constant flux and is ever-changing. As a result, that one online program or training course you did last year probably isn’t as relevant today. This is where certification programs come into play.
After you pass a certification exam, you are certified product management professional. However, almost all certification programs require you to retake exams after a certain period to ensure you’re up to date with the latest developments.
For example, a product manager will constantly be renewing their certifications to learn about developments in product strategy, product launches, and new product ideas. This is how you advance your product management knowledge and career without becoming obsolete.
In this post, I’ll detail the nine best product management certifications you should strive for in 2024.
What’s the Best Product Management Certification?
Product HQ is known to provide some of the most detailed, complete, and insightful certification courses in the product management industry. It has training courses for both industry professionals and newcomers.
PHQ has a wide range of courses on its site that dive deep into new product management, product development, product lifecycle, design thinking, project management, and developing product roadmaps.
The best certifications you will find at PHQ are their Product Management Certification Course and Technical PM Certification Course. They are the ideal product manager certifications for people looking to kickstart a career in product management. However, even successful product managers can learn much by completing the certificate.
Both certification courses consist of individualized parts, and you get access to loads of audio and video interviews with industry experts. After you’re certified, you get access to the world’s first and biggest product manager Slack community. The ever-growing community has more than 7,000 product managers, industry experts, and learning product professionals.
Even though Product HQ’s certifications are great, I have compiled a list below of several options to help you decide for yourself.
9 Top Product Management Certifications Online
Take it from me, having just one certification may be enough to get you moving forward in your career, but it won’t give you all the knowledge you need. A survey of 850 product management team leaders noted that 21% of products fail to meet customer needs. If you want to improve these odds, you’ll need to learn a couple of more skills.
Therefore, I compiled a list of the top product management certification courses you can and should do. I list them according to how much value they provide. If you want to do more than one certification, it’s best to go down the list one by one.
1. Product Management Certification Course by PHQ
Price: $349
Rating: 5/5
Duration: 1 month
Product Manager Certification Course by PHQ is growing to be one of the most wanted certification courses in the United States. It’s a week-long course that dives into the basics of product management.
The entire course focuses on the importance of implementing what you learn. PHQ has made the entire course interactive, and you are encouraged to apply each lesson you learn. You can apply it to your current job, product management project, or through the various activities in the course.
The course has several small video lectures. There are about ten video lectures each day and some extra resources. The resources include exclusive audio and video interviews with renowned product management professionals. You will also find several product management templates such as personas, user experience charts, social media calendars, and product team checklists. Think of the additional resources as an FAQ for the course.
The course’s instructor, Kevin Lee, also goes over several PM frameworks. This includes frameworks for answering product manager interview questions and techniques on how you can build a strong PM resume.
You’ll also learn how to write product specs, develop timelines, and compete with other great products. The course also briefly explains things like wireframing, prototyping, and how you can conduct usability tests.
You can also learn how to craft your product manager case studies and set up entire PM projects.
You also get lifetime access to the Product Manager Certification Course (which means you can take advantage of course updates), a Slack community of over 7,000 product management professionals, and responsive instructors to answer any of your questions.
2. Technical PM Certification Course by PHQ
Price: $399
Rating: 5/5
Duration: 10 weeks
The Technical PM Certification Course is one of the most in-demand certifications for individuals looking to have a successful technical product management career.
The course consists of short video lessons and homework organized into 15 modules.
By enrolling in this certification course, you also receive access to extra resources such as exclusive audio and video interviews with renowned technical product management professionals. You will also find downloadable templates used by professionals on the job.
The Technical PM certification course takes an interactive approach to learning.
Over the course, you get opportunities to implement the new concepts in your current job, product management project, or through the various activities in the lectures.
Dhaval Bhatt, the course instructor, is one of the leading product owners in the world. He has spent over 15 years leading PM teams and directing UC Berkeley’s Data Science program.
You are not required to have experience in product management or technical background to complete this certification course. That makes the course perfect for individuals who want to build a strong foundation for a successful TPM career.
You can check out the course here.
3. Professional Scrum Foundations Training by Scrum (PSM I Certification)
Price: Quoted by Scrum.org
Rating: 4/5
Duration: 2 days
The Professional Scrum Foundations Training program by Scrum is for product managers who want to develop and increase their Scrum knowledge. Scrum is one of the most well-known process frameworks that streamline product development using agile methods.
After completing the course, you get a free attempt at the Professional Scrum Master I Certification Exam. It’s a globally recognized certification bound to put you on the industry’s radar.
The 2-day course consists of theoretical material and team-based exercises. After explaining the concepts, team members work in a series of Sprints to build a product. Including real-world implications, members proceed according to their understanding.
You also access several case studies that can help in software product management. Software product managers tend to prefer this course for this exact reason.
4. Brand and Product Manager Certification Course by Coursera
Price: Free to enroll.
Rating: 4/5
Duration: 13 hours
The Brand and Product Manager Certification by Coursera focuses on the importance of working together on product management and brand management.
The mastermind behind the course is Luis Rodriguez Baptista, a professor at IE University and Marketing Consultant. The concise course explains the product lifecycle and how employees can deliver the brand promises.
By the end of the course, you will be able to create activity plans, define success metrics, and understand how to develop product strategies.
The course will also have you complete graded assessments at different intervals. If you pass all of them, you’ll earn the completion certificate that you can showcase on various platforms, such as LinkedIn.
Honorable Mentions
5. Product Management Certification by Product School
Price: $4,199
Rating: 5/5
Duration: 8 weeks
The Product Management Certification by Product School is a shortcut to becoming a PM expert. You can get the certificate online or at any of the 20 locations worldwide.
The course has 40 hours of classes and 16 hours of guest lectures spread across eight weeks. It also has several interactive projects that will require extra time outside the time spent in ‘class.’
The course instructors work at top companies and organizations such as Amazon, Airbnb, and UC Berkeley.
The Product Management Certification is best for new product managers, product owners, and professionals. However, you can also find certifications for advanced professionals on the Product School’s website.
6. Digital Transformational Leadership by EdX and Boston University
Price: $1,995
Rating: 4/5
Duration: Depends on your class dates
The Digital Product Management program by EdX and Boston University is a MicroMaster degree. It includes several next-level graduate courses from Boston University.
The certification focuses on digital product management based on lean, agile, and system design thinking. It also dives deep into platform product strategy, digital innovation, business analytics, and social media marketing of products.
It provides product management training on conducting user research, creating products, and refining them through rapid iteration.
The best part about it is that after you receive your certification, you can apply to Boston University’s MSDi program without taking any tests.
You will have to put aside at least 5-10 hours weekly for about two months to complete the program. However, you’ll have access to several instructors, exposing you to different backgrounds and perspectives.
The program is best for established product management experts who want to formalize their experience using a certification from a renowned institution.
7. Product Strategy by Northwestern | Kellogg School of Management
Price: $2,600
Rating: 3/5
Duration: 2 months
The Product Strategy certification by the Northwestern | Kellogg School of Management is one of the few product management certifications focused only on product strategy.
The program explains how to develop and manage product strategies and leverage technology such as machine learning.
It helps identify loopholes in product lifecycles and helps you understand different business models. It also teaches you how to create buyer personas and optimize your sales funnel.
You also get tools to target customers, design messages, and develop channels to reach out to prospects.
It’s best to dedicate at least 4 to 6 hours to the program every week since you’ll only receive your certification if you complete the program with a score of 80% or above.
8. Product Management Program by Berkeley Executive Education
Price: $7,950
Rating: 3/5
Duration: 5 days
The Product Management Program by Berkeley Executive Education is designed to summarize the fundamentals and advanced concepts of product management.
The program focuses on helping you understand the customer environment and experiences and how you can increase your product team’s performance.
The instructor, Dr. Sara Beckman, is there to help resolve any queries throughout the program. The program also includes customized reading material and video lectures. It provides exercises, colleague surveys, and a simulation game.
You will also learn how to create pricing tools and systems to optimize product and product-line profitability. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to manage your team, as well as how to make informed product decisions.
You can discuss ideas, problems, and the courses with classmates since they will also be PM experts. The program is excellent for established PM professionals looking to add another certification to their resumes. The only bad thing about the program is its price tag. However, there are assistance programs to help pay that amount off.
9. Agile Certified Product Manager Credentials (CPM) by AIPMM
Price: $125 for one-year AIPMM Membership and $1,495 for the exam and certification.
Rating: 3/5
Duration: Self-paced – the exam may take around 15-20 hours
The Certified Product Manager Credentials certification by AIPMM is a testament to your product management expertise.
Created by the AIPMM Certifying Board, the course provides a step-by-step guide to launching and championing new products.
It aims to help you develop a diverse skill set that can help plan and carry out internal activities and product plans. You’ll learn how to write entire business plans and develop strategies at different product development stages.
Furthermore, you’ll be polishing skills such as market planning, competitive analysis, and product launch plans. After, you will take the AIPMM CPM certification exam, which has 18 modules.
Become a Certified Product Manager Today
The aforementioned certifications are the best options to become a product manager.
They’re the most sought certifications and programs; not everyone can pass them. Completing these certifications helps others realize your drive to become better product management professionals.
Any decent product manager will recognize the value of continually pursuing knowledge through certified courses and certifications. They would want to be surrounded by industry experts and constantly try to learn about industry changes.
It’s always better to acquire new skills in different product management fields. For example, you might learn how to become a product consultant or how you can excel at being a technical product manager.
You can also find learning material through platforms such as Udemy. Furthermore, you can complete various product management courses online.
There are lots of ways you can advance your product management knowledge and your career, in general. However, converting all that knowledge into certification is always better.
I recommend you start with the Product Manager Certification Course by PMHQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions asked about product management certifications:
What is a product management certificate?
A product management certificate is proof of your knowledge from a product management training program that you can use to show prospective employers that you have the required skills to perform on the job.
How do I get product management certification?
There are many ways to become certified as a product manager, but one of the most common is taking an online course.
Is a product manager certification worth it?
A product management certification is worth it if you want to certify as a product manager. Suppose you get your certificate before getting a job as a product manager at a company that offers higher salaries. In that case, you can often expect a higher salary than without a certificate.
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