Build your project management certificate

To earn a project management certificate, students must successfully complete the following courses depending on which track of study they choose:

  1. Applied Project Management Certificate: complete the Core Course (PROJ_PMI 402-0 or PROJ_PMI 402-DL) only.
  2. Essentials of Project Management Certificate: complete the Core Course (PROJ_PMI 401-0 or PROJ_PMI 401-DL) and two Elective Courses.

Elective Courses

Click on "Register" button below to view course schedule. Tip: Click on any course title for more information, then use the "Add to Cart" button to register.

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Course Spotlight

Power Excel and AI Skills for Project Managers

Managing Distributed Teams

Power Excel and AI Skills for Project Managers (PROJ_PMI 225-0)—updated for summer 2026—equips project managers to combine Excel analytics, AI tools, and professional judgment to support better decision-making.

According to Forbes, organizations are increasingly rethinking how work is structured as AI reshapes workflows and productivity across teams. This shift is accelerating demand for practical, applied skills that integrate data analysis tools with AI-enabled reasoning.

In this course, students learn to use Excel as a lightweight decision-support system while applying AI to forecasting, risk analysis, reporting, and workflow automation. The course also emphasizes responsible AI use, including how to evaluate and validate AI-generated insights.

Attribution

PMI, PMBOK, CAPM, PMI-ACP, and PMP are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Course Registration


 
**IMPORTANT REGISTRATION UPDATE**

If you are not a current Northwestern student or employee, you will need to obtain a Northwestern NetID BEFORE you will able to register for any courses. To request a NetID, please complete an activation request form and email it to pdp-reg@northwestern.edu. You will receive your NetID and registration instructions within two business days of submitting the form.

Current Northwestern University students and employees: ensure you are connected to your GlobalProtect VPN, then click on the course title to register.

PDP courses are offered online, remotely, and on-campus. Please refer to the Schedule Notes for course delivery information.

Tips for Troubleshooting Registration


IMPORTANT: The registration process for all professional development (PDP) courses requires you to register for your course and update your emergency contact information in CAESAR, Northwestern University's Student Enterprise System.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is required to access Northwestern University systems used in PDP courses, including CAESAR and Canvas, Northwestern's Learning Management System.

Northwestern uses the DUO Mobile app for MFA. Instructions to install the DUO Mobile App can be found here.

New students should begin this process immediately after receiving their NetID via email. The Identity Verification Process for DUO Enrollment for new students can take up to 5 business days.

Important Note:

It is a student's responsibility to ensure access to Northwestern systems after registering for a PDP course. If you do not have a smartphone capable of downloading and using the DUO Mobile app, you may want to consider a YubiKey that can be purchased from several online retailers.

Please contact pdp@northwestern.edu with any questions.

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