Top Project Management courses for 2024

he rapid expansion of AI has accelerated all facets of modern business and Project Management is no exception.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just aspiring to enter the field, industry-recognised Project Management certifications attest you have the skills to lead successful projects, help you create a common language with stakeholders, and boost your confidence too.

Let's take a look at the top 10 Project Management certification courses for 2024.

1. AXELOS PRINCE2® 7th Edition 

PRINCE2®, which stands for PRojects IN Controlled Environments, is one of the most well-known and respected Project Management methodologies. In addition, it's also one of the most accessible courses, as there are no prerequisites—anyone who would like to enhance their Project Management skills, whether they have professional experience or not, can take the PRINCE2® Foundation course and attempt the certification exam.

The PRINCE2® Practitioner course builds on that knowledge, showing you how to apply and tailor relevant aspects of PRINCE2® practices in context, including effective people management and a focus on sustainability.

The latest version of these certifications is PRINCE2®7. At Firebrand, the accelerated PRINCE2®7 Foundation & Practitioner 7th Edition course takes only 3 days. Find out more.

2. PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)®

Similar to PRINCE2®, the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is recognised as one of the best frameworks for successfully delivering effective projects and programmes across all industries.

Unlike PRINCE2®, this certification is designed for experienced Project Managers who want to validate their expertise and gain new insights. (If you're new to Project Management, you may prefer to attend the PMI CAPM® course—see number 9 on this list.) 

PMI PMP® helps you develop the skills you need to build and lead a team, empower, collaborate and mentor stakeholders, assess and manage risks, and plan and manage project scope and schedule.

At Firebrand, we offer 12 months of PMI membership as part of your course, including access to PMI Standards+ and various other resources. Find out more.

3. AXELOS Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) 5th edition

Used to organise the London Olympics 2012, the MSP® certification developed by AXELOS has been adopted by many organisations from both the public and private sectors as one of the best Project Management courses in the world. MSP® is currently on its 5th edition.

MSP® sits as the highest level of AXELOS management courses. This certification is ideal for experienced Project Managers who wish to specialise in organising, managing, accommodating, and controlling change to guarantee successful results.

At Firebrand, the accelerated MSP® Foundation and MSP® Practitioner certification courses take only 3 days. At the end of the course, you will be able to take both exams and return to work certified. Find out more.
 

4. APMG Agile Project Management (AgilePM®)

If you're a practising Project Manager looking to specialise in Agile, the Agile Project Management (AgilePM®) certification developed by APMG can be very useful.

There are no prerequisites to attend this course. The Foundation section of this course takes you through the philosophy, principles, and lifecycle of an Agile project, while the Practitioner part teaches you to apply a variety of agile practices to a project, the MoSCoW technique to define project priorities, iterative development and modelling, and more.

At Firebrand, you can take this combined course in just 3 days and return to work certified. Find out more.  

5. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt™ ICGB™ IASSC® Certified

Originally developed by Motorola USA in 1986, Six Sigma is a business management strategy that seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimising variability in manufacturing and business processes.

This course is excellent for those who have a specific interest in business process improvement. If you're an Operational Line Manager, Team Manager, Programme Manager, or work in IT, HR, or Finance Management, this certification can be very helpful.

No Project Management experience is needed to take this course; however, to make the most of this course, we recommend that you consider completing the IASSC® Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt™ ICYB™ prior to moving on to the Green. Find out more.

6. Scrum.org's Professional Scrum Master™

Scrum is a popular agile collaboration framework used in software development and other industries. If you are familiar with Project Management and would like to specialise in rapid software development processes, the Professional Scrum Master™ certification from Scrum.org is a must.

Also known as PSM I®, this comprehensive course attests a fundamental level of Scrum mastery. It helps you understand the theory and principles behind Scrum and empiricism, applying Scrum in Scrum Teams, and more. 

At Firebrand, we can prepare you for the official Scrum Master® I  exam through a hands-on, accelerated course that takes only 2 days. Find out more.

7. PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)®

If you have substantial knowledge of Risk Management, this certification could be within your reach and well-worth your time: the industry-recognised Risk Management Professional certification developed by PMI, also known as PMI-RMP®.

This comprehensive course takes you through the PMI-RMP® Risk Management Framework, principles, concepts, and Risk Management Planning. You’ll learn to perform qualitative and quantitative risk analysis that’ll help you scrutinise the risks within Project Management, covering the principles and frameworks that are at the foundations of Risk Management. At Firebrand, the entire course takes only 3 days. Find out more.

8. APMG Change Management (PCM®)

If you're familiar with the basic concepts and functions of Change Management within an organisation, the APMG Change Management certification, also known as PCM®, is ideal to have in your arsenal.

This certification complements process-driven methods like PRINCE2® and MSP® (see numbers 2 and 3 on this list), providing you with up-to-date practice guidance and tools to improve the management of change within your organisation, including how to face adversity and encourage your team to work together.

APMG PCM® is ideal for Project, Programme, Change, Department, and Operational Managers involved in organisational change. At Firebrand, this course takes only 2 days. Find out more.

9. PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®

Designed for entry-level Project Managers, the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) certification by PMI helps you develop the skills to initiate a project, create a Project Management plan, schedules, cost estimates, and budgets, analyse risk, and effectively close your projects.

If you're also interested in taking the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification (see number 2 on this list), passing the CAPM® certification helps you meet the exam requirements and achieve PMP® faster. Find out more.

10. CompTIA Project+

Developed by one of the top names in tech, CompTIA, the Project+ certification is designed for entry-level Project Managers or those who manage smaller-scale projects. This vendor-neutral certification draws on multiple frameworks to provide a general Project Management competency.

The course covers resource management, the project life cycle, project constraints, documentation protocols, communication best practices, and coordinating stakeholders. Aside from entry- and intermediate-level Project Managers, this certification can be very useful to Senior Programmers and Software Architects.

Passing the Project+ exam attests that you have mastered the foundation-level concepts applicable to IT and traditional projects, certifying knowledge mastery equivalent to 2,000+ hours of Project Management experience. See the full course spec.