According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, project management specialists should show an increase around 7%. So, no matter if you want to become a project manager or if you’re already one but you’re looking to increase your skills, you may want to know a bit more about the best project management certification programs online.

Within this article, we’re also going to tell you a bit more about the best online project management certificate as well as about good project management courses that may help you with the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. After all, and in case you don’t know, professionals with this accreditation can earn 16% higher annually.

What is Project Management?

Simply put, project management is a term that is a mix of skills, techniques, and tools that you can use to comply with a project plan. According to some, the current PM involves 5 different things: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing the project.

But to solve problems that arise with any project, you may then use different philosophies to answer them. Two of the most commonly used are Agile and Waterfall. Agile is a new strategy and is very flexible in terms of the answers to the problems. On the other hand, Waterfall is an older approach to solve issues including specific team roles within a project and uses a single timeline. The main difference between the two is that while with Agile the product can be delivered in phases,with Waterfall it needs to be delivered completely at the due date.

You probably already heard about Scrum and Kanban. Simply put, these two methodologies come out of Agile. While the first one is more popular since it uses the so-called sprints (fixed and short periods of time where the task needs to be completed), Kanban can be seen as a strategy that offers an incentive to streamline and organize tasks.

What is the Best PMP Certification?

Top project management certificate programs are just courses that you can take to learn everything about PM. You can take these at home, at your own pace and you’ll learn all the processes and skills necessary to become a good professional.

One of the things that you need to know about the role of project managers is that they are needed in all organizations and companies to ensure they can complete the different projects successfully and on time.

As you can imagine, there are top PMP certification programs for everyone: best project management courses for beginners but also top PMP programs for those who are already project managers but want to improve skills and gain new ones. More than learning with these training, they also serve as a preparation for the certifications.

But what is the best PMP certification? Which PMP certification is best for you?

We completely understand that you may be wondering about the top PMP certification training you should receive. But more important than this is to keep in mind the best credentials you should try to obtain.These include:

• The Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam, by the PMI (Project Management Institute.
• The PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• The Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• The Program Management Professional (PgMP) certificate, only available for project managers who already have 8 or more years of experience.

The Best Online Course for Project Management - 6 Options

#1: Google’s Project Management Certificate Program:

The first certificate program that we have to show you is from Google. These classes are made available through Coursera and will take you more than 6 months, with up to 10 hours a week. The way you organize your time during the day is up to you.

This is a free online course and is one of the best project management training programs for beginners since it starts with the basics of PM while adding some Google’s own practices.

In case you’re interested, you don’t need to have any specific college degree or even prior experience in the area. It’s also important that you understand that this program complies with the PMP exam since it has the hour requirements.

Price: $49 per month (approximately $147–$294 to complete)

#2: Brain Sensei's PMP Exam Prep Course:

If you’re looking for the best online PMP certification prep course, you need to consider Brain Sensei's. This course takes 1 year to complete but you would have answered more than 1,500 exam questions to practice.

This training is meant for those who are already project managers but want to expand their knowledge and skills.

Price: $499.99

#3: Pace University's Project Management Essentials Certificate Program:

Pace University's Project Management Essentials is a certificate that will take you three to four weeks to complete and can be taken by any level.

This course covers the fundamentals, tools, and methodologies of project management. However, it’s important to keep in mind that while it doesn’t prepare you for PMP certification, you can certainly benefit from it in terms of additional skills you can gain.

Price: $1,850

#4: eCornell’s Project Management Certificate Program:

The Cornell University course is led by an instructor and is meant for less than 35 students. This means that you’ll get almost like a one-on-one teacher for yourself, making this one the best PMP certification course.

This online training will take you 50 hours and may not only help you get new skills as it also serves as a preparation for the PMP certification exam.

Price: $3,900

#5: Alison Diploma in Project Management Program:

The Alison Diploma in Project Management Program is a great training if you’re looking to apply for a project manager job. It will take between 8 to 10 hours to complete and you can learn all about the different project management theories and situations that you’ll find in real life afterward.

One of the things that we like about Alison Diploma in Project Management Program is that you’ll learn about Gantt charts, Scrum, Agile, among many others. However, it doesn’t serve as preparation for taking the certification exam.

Price: Free

#6: Project Management Basics: PMI

If you’re looking for the best pmp certification training online for CAPM, you should take a closer look at Project Management Basics: PMI. With pricing starting at $350, you’ll learn a wide range of techniques and concepts but also leadership and communication skills.

Price: From $350

How to Choose The Best Online PMP Certification Course

The truth is that you have so many online courses that are seen as the best project management training courses online that it makes it a bit difficult to choose the right one for you. This is why it’s important to keep some key factors in mind:

#1: The Program Length:

One of the best things about the best PM courses is that you can take them at your own pace. Even though you may take 1 year when you could take a training in a few weeks, this is the only option for people who are already working and don’t have a lot of free time.

#2: The Cost:

As with any training in any field, you’ll find some project management certification courses free and others paid. However, we have to say that the best project management training is usually paid. But it doesn’t mean that you need to pick the most expensive one either.

Ultimately, you need to look at these courses as an opportunity and an investment in your future. Notice that you may also need to pay for the PMP exam as well.

#3: Talk To Your Network:

There are many certification programs and courses online. And, as you can imagine, many of them are paying affiliates to promote them. So, nothing better than talking to your network and figure out the best project management training online for you and your industry. Ask about peer collaboration, access to instructors, and workload, for example.

4: Think About Your Career:

Deciding on the best project management classes for you is probably different than deciding about the best project management education for someone else. You need to know where you stand and what you want to do with your career. It’s different if you’re just starting or if you are already doing the work of a PM leader looking to develop more skills.

Put Your Skills to Work with Lua CRM

Learning project management is one thing—actually managing them is another. That’s where Lua CRM can help. It’s a tool that makes handling tasks, deadlines, and teamwork easier. If you're figuring out Agile, planning with Gantt charts, or organizing work with Kanban boards, you can use Lua CRM to apply what you’ve learned. It keeps everything in one place, so you don’t have to juggle different apps just to keep a project on track.

If you’re taking a course to boost your project management skills, having a solid tool to support you can make a big difference. Lua CRM gives you the space to plan, collaborate, and keep things moving—without the usual chaos. Plus, it includes a free trial with full capabilities, making it super easy to test how to organize and plan your projects.