Online Project Management Courses from the UK

It depends on the type and level of course. For example, short online courses can focus on a specific area of project management. These courses can last a few hours to a few weeks.

If you want to gain an online MSc in project management, you will need to plan for one year of full-time study or 2 to 5 years of part-time study, depending on the university and how much time you have available.

Yes, you can take a wide range of project management courses online, from short courses to master’s degrees. Gaining project management skills while working full-time is achievable and a popular way to achieve certification. Online courses provide a flexible way to study at your own pace.

You can take intense project management courses that cover the key topics of building a foundation to become an effective project manager.

Project management courses can cover a wide range of topics. Some studies will highlight a specific area, such as agile techniques, while others aim to give a thorough understanding of the process and concepts to deliver projects successfully.

This list covers the main areas you commonly find in project management courses.

• Creating a Business Case.
• Project Phases.
• Project Processes.
• Resource Allocation
• Project Prioritisation and Selection.
• Managing Stakeholders.
• Managing Change.
• Agile Project Management.
• Knowledge Management.
• Effective Communication
• Negotiation.
• Scheduling and Time Management.
• Risk Management.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.
• Project Management Principles.

Project management skills can help teams organise, track and have a better chance of achieving and completing goals on time and on budget.

A project management course can help you work smarter and be more efficient and productive. Being more organised, having the skills and techniques to break down a goal into steps, and communicating clearly are crucial to delivering projects successfully.

You have two main options for project management qualifications- academic and professional. For academic certificates, you can find a number of UK universities offering undergraduate and postgraduate project management qualifications. These courses are mapped to the UK qualification levels framework and are internationally recognised. Furthermore, UK nationals can access the government student loan scheme for funding.

For project management training, private bodies and professional associations award professional project management certification. These programmes are not generally mapped to the UK qualification framework and are shorter in length.

• PRINCE2 Qualifications– Projects in controlled environments was a method pioneered by the UK government in the 1980s. Since then, it has become a popular project management qualification and is recognised globally.
• APM Qualifications– Association for Project Management is a chartered body in the UK that offers a wide range of courses for beginners to advanced project managers.
• PMI Qualifications– The project management institute offers certification ideal for beginner to intermediate project managers. Their exams are made up of 150 multiple-choice questions.
• CSM Qualifications– Certified Scrum Master certificates originated from agile software development methods, but it is now widely used in many sectors outside of tech.
• IAPM Qualifications– The International Association of Project Manager award the Certifed Project Manager qualification. It is a globally recognised certificate that offers two disciplines, agile project management and traditional project management.
• Six Sigma Qualifications– The sigma Six System focuses on improving a process to make it cheaper and reducing errors. It was initially designed in the 80s by a team at Motorola. There are three levels for sigma Siz, Yellow, green and Black Belt. Many private education and training providers are registered to deliver Sigma Six training.
• PPM Qualifications– The professional in Project management certification is awarded by the Global Association for Quality Management. Their certificates are aimed and mid to senior project managers looking to refresh and advance their practice.

When researching courses, you will often find project management degrees accredited by one or more of the professional bodies listed above. Taking an accredited course means that students are awarded membership or a professional certificate alongside their degree qualification when they graduate.

Project management can be broken down into five phases or stages.

1. Initiation– define the project goals and stakeholders and create a business case.
2. Planning– define the scope, budget, roles and responsibilities.
3. Execution– allocate and manage the project resources & meet regularly to build or create the process or product.
4. Monitoring and Controlling– measure, track and monitor the effort, costs and progress.
5. Closure – deliver the product or results, review and document learnings.

While having a business or project management degree can be helpful, you do not need a dedicated project management degree to start in project management. For Project management roles in IT or engineering that require a certain level of specialist knowledge having a related undergraduate degree is desirable. If you have a completely unrelated undergraduate degree taking a postgraduate-level course can be a pathway to a successful career in project management.

There are no set pathways to becoming a successful project manager, but once you have experience managing projects or working in a project management environment, gaining professional certification or professional body membership will help boost your career progression as a project management professional.