Project Management
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies offers a variety of project management courses that meet the professional education needs of today’s project managers, including those seeking professional development units (PDUs) and education hours for certification or recertification. Students will learn from industry expert practicing project managers the best practices to manage predictive (waterfall), hybrid (Disciplined Agile), or agile projects.
The goal of our program is to make our students best-in-class project managers, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and tools to meet the challenges of the role. We have designed our three certificate tracks to align with different career goals and project types so that you will find a project management certification program that is a match. We offer weekday, weeknight, and online project management training to fit your needs so you can improve your project management skill set.
Project Management Tracks
We offer three different certificate tracks. The track you choose will depend on your level of experience, interests, and learning goals. Compare programs to learn more.
Essentials of Project Management | Applied Project Management | Certificate in Agile Practices | |
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Course Length | 24 hours | 35 hours | 24 hours |
On Campus/ |
Online (asynchronous), remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom), and on campus | Online (asynchronous) and remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom) | Remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom) |
Audience | Choose this track if you are new to project management or have fewer than 3 years of experience managing projects. | Choose this track if you have at least 5 years of experience managing projects and manage projects as your full-time role. | Choose this track if you are an experienced project manager who is interested in adopting agile principles and practices or if you manage agile teams. |
Way of Working | Predictive, hybrid | Predictive, hybrid | Agile |
Core Course | PROJ_PMI 401 Essentials of Project Management | PROJ_PMI 402 Applied Project Management | PROJ_PMI 403 Agile for Practitioners |
Electives | Two required*
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None | Two required*
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*Students pursuing a Certificate in Essentials of Project Management are welcome to take Agile elective courses, however, this is not recommended. Core courses (PROJ_PMI 401, PROJ_PMI 402, and PROJ_PMI 403) may not be taken as elective courses.
Elective courses may not be applied to more than one certificate.
Spring 2024 | Registration deadline: |
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PROJ_PMI 211-0 Soft Skills for Project Managers (Remote) | June 2, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 315-DL Risk Management (Online) | April 20, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 401-0 Essentials of Project Management (On-Campus) | May 14, 2024 |
Summer 2024 | Registration deadline: |
PROJ_PMI 204-0 Developing People and Teams (Remote) | June 28, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 225-0 Power Excel Skills for Project Managers (Remote) | June 28, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 345-DL Practical Project Planning (Online) | June 28, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 401-0 Essentials of Project Management (Remote) | June 28, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 401-DL Essentials of Project Management (Online) | May 31, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 402-0 Applied Project Management (Remote) | May 31, 2024 |
PROJ_PMI 402-DL Applied Project Management (Online) | May 31, 2024 |
About the Project Management Certificate Programs
- Program Goals
- Courses
- Applied Project Management Track
- Essentials of Project Management Track
- Agile Practices Track
- Project Management Certificate Attribution
- Tuition and Financial Aid for Project Management Certificate Programs
- Project Management Faculty
- Careers in Project Management
- Find out more about Northwestern's Certificate in Project Management
- Contact an Enrollment Adviser
- Project Management Course List
Program Goals
Students who take our courses will increase their ability to:
- Demonstrate the value of project management
- Apply the right approach for a predictive, hybrid, or agile environment
- Assemble, motivate, and lead the project team
- Ensure the project scope delivers the expected value, desired outcome, and quality
- Implement the proper mechanisms to prevent, minimize, and respond to risks
- Effectively communicate with project sponsors, stakeholders, and team members
- Assess project health and address project changes and disruptions
Courses
Explore all the Project Management Program Courses for details on course offerings.
Applied Project Management Track
Choose this track if you have at least five years of experience managing projects and/or manage projects as your full-time role.
- Suitable for people managing predictive and/or hybrid projects
- Course length: 10 weeks (35 PDUs)
- Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer
- Currently offered online (asynchronous) and remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom)
You can earn a Northwestern University Applied Project Management Certificate from this single course.
All of our courses provide PDUs or professional education hours that can be used for certification or re-certification, but they are not strictly test-prep courses. Our instructors are able to provide guidance to students on how best to prepare for the PMP® or other PMI certification exams, but students should still plan for additional certification test preparation activities.
Essentials of Project Management Track
Choose this track if you are a new project manager, manage projects as part of your role, and/or are interested in understanding the project management profession.
- Suitable for people managing predictive and/or hybrid projects
- Course length: 8 weeks (24 PDUs) online or 3 days on campus
- Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer
- Currently offered online (asynchronous), remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom), and on campus
Choose an additional two electives to earn a Certificate in Essentials of Project Management from Northwestern University. These electives are offered on a rotating basis. Check the course schedule for current offerings. Electives may not be applied to multiple certificates.
All of our courses provide PDUs or professional education hours that can be used for certification or re-certification, but they are not strictly test-prep courses. Our instructors are able to provide guidance to students on how best to prepare for the CAPM®, PMP®, or other PMI® certification exams, but students should still plan for additional certification test preparation activities.
Agile Practices Track
Choose this track if you are a project manager who is interested in adopting Agile principles and practices and/or if you manage an Agile team.
- Suitable for people managing Agile projects or those who want to learn Agile ways of working
- Course length: 4 weeks (21 PDUs)
- Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer
- Currently offered remotely via Zoom (virtual classroom)
Complete an additional two electives to earn a Certificate in Agile Practices from Northwestern University. Choose from Agile-specific or general project management electives. These electives are offered on a rotating basis. Check the course schedule for current offerings. Electives may not be applied to multiple certificates.
While our Agile courses provide PDUs that can be used to apply for the PMI-ACP® certification examination, they are not strictly test-prep courses. Our instructors are able to provide guidance to students on how best to prepare for the PMI-ACP® exam, but students should still plan for additional certification test preparation activities.
Project Management Certificate Attribution
Obtaining and maintaining a certification from a global organization such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) is an important aspect of demonstrating your proficiency as a project manager. Our courses cover many of the principles and best practices defined by PMI, including those of Disciplined Agile. Our courses also satisfy the current project management training hours required to sit for PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, and Project Management for Professional (PMP)® certification exams. We also offer electives for professional development units (PDUs) toward maintaining those certifications.
Read more about PMI certification eligibility requirements here.
PMI, PMP, CAPM, and PMI-ACP are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
Tuition and Financial Aid for Project Management Certificate Programs
Complete details can be found on the Tuition and Financial Aid for Project Management section of our website.
Project Management Faculty
Instructors for this program have a range of expertise, specializations and work experience. Read about their qualifications on our Project Management Faculty page.
Careers in Project Management
Read more on the Project Management Careers page.
Find out more about Northwestern's Certificate in Project Management
Contact an Enrollment Adviser
An Enrollment Adviser at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies can help with any inquiries regarding our certificate programs.
Project Management Course List
Core Courses: | Course Detail |
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Essentials of Project Management (Remote) <> PROJ_PMI 401-0 | This course is designed for project team members and project managers/professionals who are new to project management, or who are managing projects as one part of their job. In this course we will take a look at the fundamental processes of project management. Using readings, videos, discussions, and case study activities, you will learn how to apply the standard project management process to successfully initiate, plan, direct, and close a project. Course Objectives
You will leave this course with:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 23 (Technical: 17; Leadership: 3; Strategic: 3)
Course materials: Project Management from Start to Finish, 1st Edition. Barnes, Lisa-Ann. Access Alliance for Education, 2020. eText ISBN: 9781685649494 Students may purchase this digital textbook from any retailer where it is available. Additional course materials will be provided via the online course site.
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 401-0 Sections |
Essentials of Project Management (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 401-DL | This course is designed for project team members and project managers/professionals who are new to project management, or who are managing projects as one part of their job. In this course we will take a look at the fundamental processes of project management. Using readings, videos, discussions, and case study activities, you will learn how to apply the standard project management process to successfully initiate, plan, direct, and close a project. Course Objectives
You will leave this course with:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 23 (Technical: 17; Leadership: 3; Strategic: 3) Course materials:
Students may purchase this digital textbook from any retailer where it is available. Additional course materials will be provided via the online course site. Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 401-DL Sections |
Applied Project Management (Remote) <> PROJ_PMI 402-0 | This course is designed for project managers / professionals who have four or more years of work and project experience. Through course readings and videos, students review fundamental concepts, learn standard processes and best practices, and explore advanced techniques. Participants apply this knowledge to various case studies through discussions, individual activities, and group exercises.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 35 (Technical: 15.75; Leadership: 10.5; Strategic: 8.75) Recommended Course Materials: Schwalbe, Kathy. An Introduction to Project Management, Seventh Edition: Predictive, Agile, and Hybrid Approaches. © 2021, Schwalbe Publishing. ISBN-13: 979-8695713459 Students may purchase these books from any retailer where they are available, in any format. Optional Course Materials: Project Management Institute, Inc. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition and The Standard for Project Management. Published August 2021. ISBN: 9781628256642 Access to optional course materials is provided to students enrolled in this course through the online course site. Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 402-0 Sections |
Applied Project Management (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 402-DL | This course is designed for project managers / professionals who have four or more years of work and project experience. Through course readings and videos, students review fundamental concepts, learn standard processes and best practices, and explore advanced techniques. Participants apply this knowledge to various case studies through discussions, individual activities, and group exercises. By the end of the course, participants have reviewed project management processes, and explored the core aspects of integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, and risk. This course includes an emphasis on determining how to adapt project management processes to meet the needs of the project team, stakeholders, and customers/clients. Leadership, communication, and team-building skills for projects area also discussed. After completing this course, students are able to demonstrate the following:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 35 (Technical: 15.75; Leadership: 10.5; Strategic: 8.75)
Recommended Course Materials:
Students may purchase these books from any retailer where they are available, in any format. Optional Course Materials:
Access to optional course materials is provided to students enrolled in this course through the online course site. Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 402-DL Sections |
Agile for Practitioners <> PROJ_PMI 403-0 | Since the software development industry first adopted the term Agile in 2001, it has quickly become a popular buzzword that has spread beyond software development. Unfortunately, the term agile has come to mean many things to many people. This course is an in-depth, workshop-style course that will teach participants the principles and values of Agile, the most popular agile frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, Lean Software Development and Extreme Programming (XP), and help them apply Agile practices and techniques to their current projects. This course qualifies as education contact hours for the Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam. Note that in order to sit for the PMI-ACP® exam, students must meet additional requirements set forth by PMI that can be found on their website. Course Learning Goals By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 26 (Technical: 20; Leadership: 6) Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 403-0 Sections |
Elective Courses: | Course Detail |
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Developing People and Teams <> PROJ_PMI 204-0 | Organizational leaders do not achieve their goals by themselves. Effective leaders develop people in a way that promotes individual growth while improving business outcomes. Students will learn about their own strengths and focus on how to bring out the best in others through coaching and feedback. They will gain an understanding of team development and learn skills to address team dysfunction. Participants will also have the opportunity to assess their personal style of conflict management and explore the benefits of engaging in and facilitating positive conflict.
Course Objectives By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 13 (Leadership: 13)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 204-0 Sections |
Soft Skills for Project Managers <> PROJ_PMI 211-0 | The effective project manager possesses deep interpersonal skills and is able to use their skills to lead their project teams to deliver results. This 2-week workshop, designed for project managers and team leaders, will help you improve the essential skills needed to be an effective project manager. Using lectures, case studies, discussions and individual and group exercises, you will learn how to improve your capabilities in communication, relationship-management, conflict resolution, decision-making, and team motivation.
Course Objectives By the end of this course, you will be able to:
You will leave this course with:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 12 (Technical: 1; Leadership: 9; Strategic: 2)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 211-0 Sections |
Power Excel Skills for Project Managers <> PROJ_PMI 225-0 | The Executive Team is counting on you to commit a project completion date. Mistakes will be costly due to penalties if there is any delay. Your project team is counting on you to guide their effort so the critical tasks are identified and prioritized. You are buried in a ton of project information arriving to you daily. How do you collect and organize it? How do you make sense of it? How do you use it to make the best decisions for the project? From committing to a project completion date based on the organization's risk tolerance to creating compelling reports and charts that can drive actions from your organization to address critical issues to keep your project on track, Excel is one of the best and more flexible tools available for Project Managers to simplify tasks related to managing information and also to help on daily decision making on many levels. Students will learn advanced excel skills through this hands-on workshop that will help them to create analytical tools, formulas, charts, graphs and macros that will support them on making critical project management decisions. Real-world experiences from project initiation to project completion will be used so students will leave each day of the training with the ability to apply what they have learned in their workplace.
Course Objectives By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 10 (Technical: 7; Leadership: 3)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 225-0 Sections |
Managing Distributed Teams <> PROJ_PMI 300-0 | One of the critical challenges facing project managers today is managing a team that is distributed locally or globally. Distributed teams consist of project team members who work together on a project but are not located in the same physical location. Collaborating remotely is now part of daily work for many project team members. Distributed teams must develop adaptive ways of working in a virtual setup to work productively from any location with well-defined rules of engagement. This 4-week course, designed for project managers and project team members, addresses challenges associated with distributed teams and provides innovative solutions to minimize project disruptions. Using lectures, HBR articles, discussions, and group exercises, students learn how to effectively project manage a distributed team using communication protocols and collaboration tools, roles and responsibilities, decision rights and influence, and business knowledge and judgement capabilities. View PROJ_PMI 300-0 Sections |
Risk Management (On Campus) <> PROJ_PMI 315-0 | You are the project manager for a multi-million dollar project, and there can be no mistakes. Your Executive Team is depending on you to manage successfully! What do you need to do know to assess risk so you can deliver against stakeholder expectations? Through this course, students will gain an in-depth understanding of types of risks that threaten projects and the use of various techniques for assessing and managing risk and approaches to reduce project risk. Particular emphasis is placed on areas of risk identification, analysis, response planning and monitoring and control. Use of case studies will help illustrate how risk management is used successfully and will allow the students to develop practical skills for use in the workplace.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 15 (Technical: 11; Leadership: 4)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 315-0 Sections |
Risk Management (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 315-DL | You are the project manager for a multi-million dollar project, and there can be no mistakes. Your Executive Team is depending on you to manage successfully! What do you need to do know to assess risk so you can deliver against stakeholder expectations? Through this course, students will gain an in-depth understanding of types of risks that threaten projects and the use of various techniques for assessing and managing risk and approaches to reduce project risk. Particular emphasis is placed on areas of risk identification, analysis, response planning and monitoring and control. Use of case studies will help illustrate how risk management is used successfully and will allow the students to develop practical skills for use in the workplace.
Course Objectives
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 15 (Technical: 11; Leadership: 4)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 315-DL Sections |
Practical Project Planning (On Campus) <> PROJ_PMI 345-0 | The effective project manager is able to create an effective set
of project plans that communicate the work, assignments,
decision-making flows, and risks to the project sponsor,
stakeholders, and team members. These plans must be at the level
appropriate to manage the risk of the project, and at the same time
be understandable by the project team, and easy-to-maintain as the
project progresses. During this three-day workshop, designed for
project managers, you will complete a comprehensive set of project
plans, learning and applying practical techniques. Using hands-on
activities, case studies, and your own projects, you will improve
your capabilities completing the project charter, the project
participation matrix, communication plan, and risk management plan.
You will also learn practical techniques for establishing project
ground rules, meeting cadences, and collaboration tools.
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 345-0 Sections |
Practical Project Planning (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 345-DL | The effective project manager is able to create an effective set of project plans that communicate the work, assignments, decision-making flows, and risks to the project sponsor, stakeholders, and team members. These plans must be at the level appropriate to manage the risk of the project, and at the same time be understandable by the project team, and easy to maintain as the project progresses. During this 5-week course, designed for project managers, you will complete a comprehensive set of project plans, learning and applying practical techniques. Using hands-on activities, case studies, and your own projects, you will improve your planning capabilities.
Course Objectives By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 16 (Technical: 12; Leadership: 2; Strategic: 2) Course materials: Course materials will be provided via the online course site. Some course materials require a Northwestern student email address to access. Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 345-DL Sections |
Leading and Coaching Agile Teams <> PROJ_PMI 350-0 | Agile frameworks empower teams with flexible tools to manage timelines, deliverables and budgets, and still meet stakeholder needs. This overview course will provide leaders and coaches insights into how to support Agile teams. Participants will learn the mindset, culture, values, and principles that make Agile techniques work. They will also learn some of the key differences between traditional and Agile approaches. Finally, participants will learn and practice the key leadership and coaching skills needed to provide an environment for Agile teams to thrive.
This course uses "experiential learning", meaning that students will learn new skills and practice them in the course. Students will use exercises and case studies to gain hands-on experience with various Agile techniques and leadership tools.
Please note: This class is best suited for individuals who have some experience working in teams.
Total PDUs: 14 (Technical: 7; Leadership: 7)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 350-0 Sections |
Agile Estimating and Planning <> PROJ_PMI 360-0 | As Agile methods and tools continue to grow in popularity, people are interested in how to leverage Agile to improve their projects. Contrary to what some people think, planning in Agile projects is more rigorous and disciplined than it is in traditional projects. The purpose of this course is to provide project managers, Scrum Masters, product owners, functional managers and Agile team members with an in-depth understanding of how to plan for Agile projects.
Agile estimating and planning helps to get a project off on solid footing. Working together in teams, participants will select a product to use for their case study and will apply the planning and estimation techniques for the course on that product.
Planning for Agile projects starts with the big picture of product roadmaps and release plans, and drills down into the work that an Agile team will do within an iteration. Participants will learn how to plan for iterative and incremental solution development, and how to address change in a plan.
The course also looks at the two types of estimates used on Agile projects, relative estimates in story points and absolute estimates in ideal days. Participants will learn when to use each of these, and how to include the entire team for more accurate estimates that team members will support.
Please note: This course will be helpful to those who are familiar with estimating and planning traditional projects or who have an agile background but want additional detail on how to effectively plan agile projects. This course is not recommended as an elective for those in the Essentials of Project Management track This course qualifies as education contact hours for the Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam. Note that in order to sit for the PMI-ACP® exam, students must meet additional requirements set forth by PMI that can be found on their website.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 14 (Technical: 14)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 360-0 Sections |
Supporting an Agile Transformation <> PROJ_PMI 365-0 | The use of Agile frameworks and approaches are quickly becoming the new norm. In fact, a 2015 Hewlett Packard survey showed that Agile has become the primary approach for technology projects.
The purpose of this course is to provide managers, project managers, agile practitioners and other leaders a broad understanding of popular agile methods, how Agile relates to culture, how organizational change succeeds, and how to support an organization undertaking a transformation from traditional development to agile development.
Whether you are an agile novice or experienced agile practitioner, this course will provide you with a basic understanding of what an Agile Transformation means, how to assess the cultural fit for Agile, and success patterns that other organizations have used to introduce and sustain Agile. Participants will learn the 8-stage model of leading change based on the work of John P. Kotter. Participants will use instruments to assess the culture of their own organization, to determine the receptiveness for Agile, and to assess the risk and readiness for an Agile initiative. Finally, participants will develop their own custom transformation roadmap based on patterns that others have found useful.
This course qualifies as education contact hours for the Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) exam. Note that in order to sit for the PMI-ACP® exam, students must meet additional requirements set forth by PMI that can be found on their website. Please note: This is an advanced class which is best suited for those who have some previous training or experience with Agile frameworks. It is not recommended as an elective for students in the Essentials of Project Management track.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 14 (Technical: 4; Leadership: 10)
Registered students can access their online course site here. An activated NetID and password is required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered students to be added to the online course platform. View PROJ_PMI 365-0 Sections |
Managing Product Backlogs PROJ_PMI 370-0 | The Managing Product Backlogs course is designed for individuals who work closely with agile teams and have the responsibility to manage or update product backlogs. The two-week course provides an in-depth understanding and hands-on practice with establishing, prioritizing and refining backlogs to optimize the delivery of business value. View PROJ_PMI 370-0 Sections |