Updated in 2023
As you start to look for product management jobs, you might find that the background required does not completely match your experiences. A lot of people transition into this type of role, and in order to stand out from the competition, additional education or certificates can be very helpful.
Whether you are looking to learn the industry from scratch, need to brush up on your skills, or want to gain a certificate, these product management courses can help.
Product management courses
1. Product School
Product School is a bootcamp with online and on-campus options meant to teach the skills necessary to become a product manager. Students can choose which type of certificate they want to pursue in the program. The first option is the Product Management Certificate (PMC). The second is the Full Stack Product Management Certificate (FPMC). Both of these take 40 hours to complete. Meanwhile, the Product Leadership Certificate (PLC) takes 20 hours. The PMC program costs $3,999, the FPMC program costs $6,999, and the PLC program costs $9,999. The courses cover how to build software products, including best practices for product management like scrum, A/B testing, and agile management. Students also get weekly mentorship and career support from the instructors.
2. Udemy
Udemy is an online platform with 1,000 product management courses in a variety of topics, including general project management, scrum and agile management, design thinking, and others. Courses range in length, experience level, features, and price. Therefore, users can filter based on these variables. For people looking to start from scratch, the product management 101 course on Udemy is 4.5 hours long and $19.99. On the other hand, the complete product management course is a more in depth version, which is 6 hours long and $199.99.
The courses include pre-recorded videos as well as related articles and resources to help students understand what they are learning. At the end, students are given a certificate of completion. Courses on Udemy range in price, from around $50 to $200, though they often have coupons available online as well as large discounts, often bringing the price down for courses to $9.99.
3. Coursera
When looking to learn about product management on Coursera, students can choose between 260 courses, 52 specializations, 3 certificates, 2 degrees, and 1 MasterTrack certificates. Courses are a mix of recorded video lectures, assignments, and community discussion forums, which teach a new skill, like digital or software product management, in 4-6 weeks. Students finish these with a digital, shareable certificate.
Specializations are more rigorous and focused on career-specific skills. Students participate in a variety of courses on the subject over 4-6 months and tackle a hands-on project. Similar to the courses track, they receive a Specialization certificate. The certificate and degree tracks are all accredited or sponsored by companies, like IBM, Rutgers, and Google Cloud. These require even more commitment.
4. edX
edX is a nonprofit massive open online course (MOOC) with almost 300 courses on product management. They have partnerships with major universities around the world, including UC Berkeley, UPenn, UChicago, the Sorbonne, and Oxford. Students can choose to take courses or spend more time in a program to gain an accredited certificate or even a Master’s degree. As the courses grow in commitment, the price increases, as well. Learn more about edX in our review.
5. General Assembly
General Assembly teaches technical skills for a variety of topics. Students can attend on campus or online. Their product management course can be taken part-time in 10 weeks or full-time in 1 week. Students learn the fundamentals of product management, tools they will need to master for the role, and then work on a real-world problem so that they can put their skills to work and grow their portfolio. The program costs $3,950. Learn more about General Assembly in our review.
6. Udacity
There is a product manager nanodegree program on Udacity where participants work 10 hours per week for 4 months. There are no prerequisites needed for people to join the program. The course covers product strategy, design, development, and launch. Students get the opportunity to work on projects for their resumes and interact with technical and career mentors. This program costs $255 per month (down from $339 per month). Learn more about Udacity in our review.
If you are looking to take the next step towards a career in product management, these tools can help you get the necessary background you need to succeed.
Or maybe you are already ready to find a great job as a product manager, Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. If you want to work with our industry and career mentors to get help with your job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
