Project Management Certification | PMP | Northwestern SPS - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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.

*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. 

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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