Being in the backend of any industry requires more hard work and a stronger technical skill base.
The same could be said for product managers.
If you are feeling stuck and want to move your career 10 steps forward, a product manager certification might be just the push you are looking for.
And you are in exactly the right place at the right time!
We have compiled the top product manager certifications and how they can help you grow in your career.
Let us jump right in!
Table of Contents
What Does it Take to Be a Product Manager?
A product manager is the master of a product and its delivery.
Right from the basic skills required to develop a product, irrespective of the industry, to thorough analysis and backend research, a product manager has to be a jack of all trades.
As a product manager, you need to understand the customer’s needs on a micro level and correlate the objectives of the product with the requirements of the client and gel them together.
Sounds easy? It definitely is not.
Apart from the various facets of product development and project management, a product manager needs the skills necessary to drive the vision to reality.
Product management is the concoction of creativity with technical capabilities and exemplary social/people skills.
It can be a lot to take on without relevant education and experience. To become a product manager, you need to check your eligibility with the right certification course and register for the exam.
If you feel like you have got what it takes, then hold your horses while we enlighten you on the top 10 product manager certification courses.
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How a Product Manager Certification Can Help You
With the ever-changing product management industry, staying on track with new updates and improvements is the assured way to excel in your career as a product manager.
Every product management certification ensures that the product management course covers these important aspects.
Even if you are certified, you might have to retake the exam every few years or months.
Almost every certification program requires you to learn about new developments and retake the exam. This ensures that you stay up to date with each new change in the industry.
It is the norm for high-standard industry professionals in the product management market to stay on top of trends and update their product management strategies regularly. Certification allows you to be professionally adept and on par with industry standards.
Taking the product manager exam is also the best way to keep sharp and learn about the vast field of product management.
If you think a product management certification is all theory, you are in the dark.
By investing in this course you will be able to understand how to grow and scale a company right from its inception. Hands-on practical skills also form an essential component of the product management certification course.
Apart from the diverse knowledge and relevant practical know-how here are some of the life skills gained from a product management certification that could help you both professionally and personally:
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- Stand out from the crowd: With a massive amount of DIY courses and tutorials, anyone could claim to be a product manager Ut what could professionally set apart is certification from a reputed product management course.
- Become an expert in real-life task management: A product management certification can open up new avenues and help you expand your knowledge base, especially in the interim of tackling care tasks and real-life situations. Within a short period of time, you will be able to understand how to efficiently manage tasks aligned with key time management skills and strategic planning that can help when you enter the industry.
- Boost your credibility and self-image: This certification also gives you more credibility which employers would find more lucrative than basic product management skills. While this course prepares you for the necessary project management skills, it also gives you an insight into how to handle difficult and critical situations which will come in handy when you enter the real world.
Now that we know what the course entails and how to prepare yourself, the following section covers the top courses you need to consider while pursuing a product management certification.
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Top 8 Product Manager Certifications For Career Growth
The product management industry is very volatile with constant updates and new techniques to approach the field. Without having an appropriate certification, your efforts to become a product manager will be futile.
To save a lot of time researching, we have combed through the internet and gathered the best product manager certification courses in 2023.
Based on the content, reviews, and industry potential, we have carefully evaluated these courses.
Take a look.
#1. Certified Product Manager – AIPMM
Primary objective
The certified project management course offered by AIPMM aims to educate you on the core of product marketing and its many functions. This certification is equipped with a real-time practical syllabus to help you find success in the real-world product market scene.
Course coverage
- Strategic planning through the lifecycle of a product
- How to create an executable market plan for a product
- Management of deliverables and scheduling of a series of products at once
- Get equipped with techniques to create marketing campaigns that drive customer growth and scale the company.
Eligibility requirements
While anyone can undergo this specialized product management certification, it would be advisable for someone to take this exam with relevant product management and marketing background.
An experience of at least 3 years and above would be much more beneficial while taking the certification than a lesser real-world work product management experience.
How long is the course?
This is a short-term course of 15-20 hours with modules divided accordingly where you can spend anywhere from 2 hours to 3 hours per day.
Course fee
- This course requires an AIPMM membership which starts at $125 per year
- An additional $395 is required for self-study with all course materials
Our two cents about the course
AIPMM which stands for The Association of International Product Marketing & Management is a well-renowned and established certifier that offers a range of courses in management certifications.
If you are already a product marketing professional and are looking to expand your skill set, this certification would be the perfect choice for you.
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#2. Product Manager Certification – Product School
Primary objective
This course is a detailed course for beginners who are just starting out their product management venture. From the basics of assessing your target opportunities to building a successful product campaign, this course endorses everything you need to know about product management.
Course coverage
- Basics of product management and assessing target opportunities on a beginner level
- Get equipped with technical abilities in carrying a product from scratch
- This course is focussed on digital products and the management of software.
- Has a featured training module to prepare students for present-day product management challenges
Eligibility requirements
This course is specially built for beginner-level product managers looking to start out in the first of product management. The core of the course is primarily in the digital realm of the field and focuses on software products and management.
Anyone with a relevant technical background with a basic understanding of digital products can undergo this course.
How long is the course?
The duration of this course is 8 weeks with weekly modules divided according to different levels.
Course fee
The course fee is $4,199 and is inclusive of all study materials.
Our two cents about the course
The product management certification course offered by the product school is an excellent course for beginners who have a relevant technical or software background.
Equipped with a well-experienced faculty with years of on-field experience, this course is an ideal choice for those who want to gain hands-on experience in the field.
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#3. Agile Certified Product Manager and Product Owner – AIPMM
Primary objective
The Agile certified product manager program offered by AIPMM focuses on the concepts and techniques involved in AGile methodology and the challenges involved.
Agile techniques are a tactical approach that is very useful in real-world product strategy and challenges.
Course coverage
- Devising strategic business plans based on real-world challenges
- Analyzing competitive aspects and formulating market plans
- Project planning through every phase of the life cycle of a product
- Implementing plans leading to the product launch
Eligibility requirements
Since this course is specific to Agile techniques and product management, it would be ideal for a person with an experience of 3+ years in the product management industry or a relevant MBA to take this course.
How long is the course?
This is a crash course of 15-20 hours with modules divided accordingly where you can spend anywhere from 2 hours to 3 hours per week/day.
Course fee
- This course requires an AIPMM membership which starts at $125 per year
- The course itself is priced at $395 inclusive of all study material
Our two cents about the course
This crash course offered by AIPMM is ideal for people who have already experience in product management and wish to expand their skill set.
This certification combined with experience will make you an expert in handling complex situations and be able to target customers in a refined manner.
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#4. Digital Product Management (Micromasters) – Boston University and EdX
Primary objective
This course is offered as part of the master’s and is known as a micro master’s and is offered by Boston university and Edx(Online).
The core concepts of the course are revolving the technical aspects of product management such as lifecycle management, market, and competitor analysis, and growth/scaling techniques
The course also covers the fundamentals of digital innovation and social media as well as business analytics.
Course coverage
- Step-by-step guidance through various phases of product development and management
- Key techniques of product management such as road mapping ad lifecycle management
- Learn the basics of social media marketing and digital innovation strategies
Eligibility requirements
Due to the specialized and focused nature of the syllabus, it is recommended that this course is pursued by those who already have a management or product management background.
This is a professional course hence a technical background in product management is required to successfully complete the course
How long is the course?
The total span of the course is 8 months with each module/class timing at 4-7 hours per week.
Course fee
- This course is priced at $1995 inclusive of all materials.
Our two cents about the course
This course offers certified professionals a fast forward in their career with a micro master’s degree and practical training ( part of Boston university).
The curriculum is ideal for product management professionals with a relevant background and is considered a substitute for a master’s.
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#5. Product Management Program – Berkeley Executive Education
Primary objective
The product management program offered by Berkley combines all the advanced core concepts of product management into one module and helps you directly enter the field of product management with just this certification.
The curriculum itself is fixated on product delivery and customer environments and various approaches to scale the product and the company.
Course coverage
- Learn how to carry a product from inception till delivery
- Team management is a core concept in this program
- Learn how to deal with various customer environments and challenges faced
- Learn techniques to develop product management tools such as pricing tools and how to scale a product
Eligibility requirements
Due to the advanced nature of the core concepts, this course is Ideal for product management professionals looking to expand their knowledge base and skill set.
On-field product management experience combined with this program will make a candidate unbeatable in the corporate world.
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How long is the course?
The course is covered over 5 days with 3 hours per day.
Course fee
The program and the study material are covered within a fee structure of $7,950.
Our two cents about the course
The program is the professional direction to advance your career as a product management professional. The core concepts covered in this course involve optimizing and scaling a product and how to deliver a product in various customer situations.
As this is a professional program, it would be ideal if you already have a strong product management background and are looking to strengthen your fundamentals as a product manager.
The program also covers approaches to putting together a team and optimally managing the team based on real-time customer data.
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#6. Software Product Management – University of Alberta
Primary objective
This specialized software product manager course is focussed on the software aspect of product management.
The concept of using various software tools to promote your products and increase efficiency is one of the prime factors coveted in this program offered by the University of Alberta.
The course covers software product management from the basics and takes you through the various stages of software product management.
Course coverage
- Fundamentals of software product management
- Agile techniques for product management
- Planning involved in agile software product management
- Software processes involved in product management and product development
Eligibility requirements
This course is a beginner-level course and can be pursued by anyone with an interest in the software side of product development.
Since there is a heavy load of software techniques involved, anyone with a novice-level software background can pursue this program.
How long is the course?
The course and all its modules are covered in a span of 24 weeks.
Course fee
- The pricing varies per semester and it would be best to approach the university itself for pricing details
- Financial aid is also offered for this course.
Our two cents about the course
The core of the course is focused on software development and software product management and is an excellent choice for those looking into starting in the software product management field.
Since the course covers the basics and takes you through all the aspects of software product development, it is a fitting choice for someone with a strong technical background.
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#7. Brand and Product Management – Coursera
Primary objective
The brand and product manager certification offered by Coursera is a popular choice in the product management industry.
Brand management is an important aspect of product management and it forms the core module of this course. The course covers how to manage the branding aspect of a product and other areas of brand-focused concepts of product management.
The majority of the course is focused on the after part of a product launch and entails performing performance analysis to track and optimize the product.
Course coverage
- Strategic brand management and advanced planning
- analyzing and optimizing a product after its launch
- Product management concepts involving a product after it has made its way to the market
- Brand-focussed concepts of product management.
Eligibility requirements
The course is optimal for product management professionals already in the field looking to advance their knowledge of brand management and product management.
There are no prerequisites as such but is most suitable for product management professionals with years of experience.
How long is the course?
The course is short-term and can be completed within a span of 13 hours.
Course fee
The course is free and is available on Coursera
Our two cents about the course
The brand and product manager certification is quite popular in the industry, especially with newcomers, and rightfully so.
The course covers all aspects of post-production and brand management which are key factors.
The course also focuses on specific skills such as creative product management, analyzing performance metrics, and strategizing plans to optimize product performance.
The certification has assessments and you receive a certification upon completion.
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#8. Technical Product Manager – Product Manager HQ
Primary objective
The technical product manager certification is an apt program for technical product managers looking to expand their technical abilities and start with their own projects.
It is curated by one of the leading product managers, Dhaval Bhatt who has over 15 years of PM experience.
This certification gives an extra edge to already experienced product managers and equips you with technical skills such as product analysis, security framework, software architecture, and prototyping. It also gives insight into soft skills such as how to answer complex PM interview questions.
Course coverage
- Technical methodologies and techniques compiled into one crash course
- Important concepts of data privacy and security framework
- Software architecture and design along with important case studies
- Product management and skills needed to set up your own projects and team
- Softskills needed to tackle complex interview/client questions
Eligibility requirements
A technical background is not necessary for this course, but it is recommended that a previous experience in product management and related fields be considered.
This program is ideal for product managers looking to advance their technical skills and transition to a technical role within their existing establishment or a new venture.
How long is the course?
The technical project manager certification can be completed within a week.
The syllabus is divided into 140 lectures spanning up to 6 hours of content.
Course fee
This course is priced at $399 with all lecture materials.
Our two cents about the course
The program is more suitable for product managers with at least two years of experience who wish to transition into a more technical role within the field. As the course covers critical technical skills and core abilities, it equips you to handle complex technical situations on the field.
Along with the technical aspects, the course also teaches you important soft skills such as handling complex PM interview questions which are essential for the role.
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Bonus: Common FAQs Answered
How valuable is a product management certification?
The product management field is ever evolving with new updates in technology and techniques happening almost weekly. With a certification, you will be able to keep up with the updates and advances and refresh your knowledge regularly.
A Product management certification will also help you stay fresh with PM core concepts.
Appropriate certification will also give you an edge over your colleagues in a competitive setting.
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How long does it take to get a product management certification?
As you can see from the descriptive courses above, the duration can be from a couple of hours to months depending on the course and syllabus.
However, the length of the certification does not directly imply the quality of the course.
What are some core competencies covered by the majority of the PM courses?
While the exact curriculum might vary, most product management courses cover the fundamental and technical concepts of product management. Here are a few core concepts covered by most PM certifications:
- Analyzing product success metrics
- Devising a product marketing plan
- Understanding and managing the life cycle of a product
- Roadmapping and product testing
- Software development and management
- Technical skills related to product development
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Launch Your Product Manager Career Now!
A product management certification can be a great addition to your resume and give you a much-needed career boost.
Choosing the right course for you through hundreds if not thousands of courses available offline and online can be an arduous task.
We hope the info we’ve provided offers some guidance for you in selecting the right course and prodigy it.
Good luck!
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