Project management certifications have claimed a place in every top IT certification list for years. That’s because project managers are important to IT operations of all kinds. Whether you are interested in becoming an IT project manager or just want to add project management to your list of soft skills, these five leading certifications will help you add to or boost those skills and, in turn, increase your value.

If there’s a single set of soft skills that’s been fixed on the IT radar for the past decade or so, to the point where it’s become almost as sought after and every bit as valuable as top-level credentials, it must be project management. Thanks in large part to the immensely popular and widely pursued Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), this area has become an incredibly valuable merit badge for IT professionals of all stripes. That’s because it enhances and expands on the value of just about any other kind of technical credential.

Project management has everything to do with planning, scheduling, budgeting for, and then executing and reporting on projects of all shapes and sizes. In fact, anything and everything that IT does can be understood or handled as a project of some kind. It applies to one-of-a-kind activities that happen only once or very seldom (think hardware or OS upgrades or migrating from older to newer platforms or infrastructures). Ditto for a recurring series of activities that repeat regularly (think security patches, software updates or other regular maintenance tasks). Thus, project management is incredibly important and valuable to IT operations across the board.

According to PMI’s Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, 10th Edition [pdf], IT professionals who hold a PMP report median base annual salaries in the U.S. of almost $116,000. The top 25 percent of survey respondents report base salaries of at least $139,000. Depending on such factors as complexity and size of projects, location, fields of expertise (e.g., IT, construction or healthcare), and experience, salaries for some PMP credential holders can be much higher still.

Robert Half’s Technology & IT 2019 Salary Guide lists project management as a hot certification, with salaries varying slightly by technology area. It cites a salary range of $93,000 to $157,500 for project managers in application development environments. Project managers engaged in consulting and system integration roles can expect to earn $96,250 to $163,500 nationwide. This explains nicely why PMP appears in nearly every top 10 list of popular, targeted or most desirable certifications since the early 2000s. It’s no surprise that Robert Half also lists the PMP credential, along with Agile and Scrum certifications, as “highly valued technology certifications” trending up in the IT industry.

To provide you an idea of which project management credentials employers look for in prospective candidates, we conducted a quick survey on some popular job boards. Clearly, the PMP is the overall favorite and remains our No. 1 pick for must-have project management certifications. PMI’s entry-level project management credential, the CAPM, also made our top five. The CSM from Scrum Alliance, along with ASQ’s Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt credentials, round out those picks. It’s also worth noting that job postings for project managers increased by 20 percent from 2018 across all project management certifications.

Job board survey results (in alphabetical order, by certification)

CAPM: Certified Associate in Project Management

CAPM: Certified Associate in Project Management

The same organization behind the more senior Project Management Professional (PMP) credential also backs the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). In fact, the CAPM is properly considered a steppingstone credential for those who wish to attain PMP status by stages, rather than in a single giant leap. That’s why PMI describes the CAPM as a “valuable entry-level certification for project practitioners” that is “designed for those with little or no project experience.”

The PMP requires three to five years of documented on-the-job project management experience, depending on the educational background of each applicant. On the other hand, the CAPM requires only a high school diploma and either 1,500 hours of documented on-the-job experience (about nine months of full-time work) or 23 hours of project management classroom training prior to taking the exam. The education prerequisite can be met by completing PMI’s Project Management Basics online course which costs $350 for PMI members and $400 for non-members.

Nor does the CAPM require continuing education (which PMI calls PDUs, or professional development units) as does the PMP (60 PDUs every three years) to maintain this credential. To recertify, CAPM holders must retake the exam once every five years.

The CAPM is one of a small set of entry-level project management certifications (including the CompTIA Project+) that IT professionals interested in project management might choose to pursue. Remember, though, that it is just a steppingstone to the PMP.

Unless you work in a large organization where a project management team is in place that includes junior as well as senior positions, the CAPM by itself is unlikely to provide a ticket to a project management job. However, it’s ideal for IT professionals for whom project management is a part-time job role or who want to grow into full-time project management.

CAPM facts and figures

CSM: Certified ScrumMaster

As companies seek to deliver more for less, many adopt Agile methodologies to streamline processes, build quality into products and ensure that final builds meet customer requirements. As Agile methodologies have become more popular, it’s no surprise that we see increased demand for IT practitioners qualified to manage projects in Agile environments.

While different Scrum master certifications are available, our pick is the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) from the Scrum Alliance. This nonprofit encourages adoption of Scrum and Agile practices, promotes user groups and learning events, and provides resources for professional development. The organization boasts more than 500,000 certified practitioners worldwide.

The Scrum Alliance provides a support system for Scrum practitioners, including Scrum Gatherings, user groups, virtual communications, coaching, online training and much more. In addition to community and advocacy activities, the Scrum Alliance offers numerous Scrum-related certifications at the foundation, advanced, professional, elevated (guide) and leadership levels. Scrum Alliance certifications are designed for team members engaged in Scrum master, product owners and developer roles. The Scrum master and product owner tracks offer credentials at the foundation, advanced and professional levels which the developer track only offers a foundation and professional level cert.

• Scrum Master Track: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM), and Certified Scrum Professional – Scrum Master (CSP-SM)
• Product Owner Track: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO) and Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP-PO)
• Developer Track: Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) and Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)
• Elevated or guide credentials: Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Certified Team Coach (CTC) and Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC)
• Agile Leadership: The Scrum Alliance also offers the Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) program, a credential based on a combination of education and validated practice. There are two credentials – the Certified Agile Leadership I and Certified Agile Leadership II.

For project managers getting started as Scrum practitioners, the CSM makes an excellent entry-level credential. Not only must candidates demonstrate an understanding of Scrum principles and values, but they’ll learn how to implement and apply Scrum in practice. The Scrum Alliance provides CSMs with multiple resources, plus checklists and information about the servant-leader role of the Scrum master.

Certified ScrumMaster facts and figures

CSSBB: Certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Globally recognized, ASQ certifications attest to candidate expertise, mastery of industry and regulation standards, and mastery of the ASQ Body of Knowledge. Currently, ASQ offers 18 credentials, three of which specifically target project management: the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) (expert level), the Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) (professional level) and the Six Sigma Yellow Belt (CSSYB) (entry level).

The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is ASQ’s highest Six Sigma credential. The CSSBB aims at experienced practitioners who understand Six Sigma methodologies (including the DMAIC model), tools, systems and philosophies. CSSBBs can lead teams or manage team dynamics, roles and responsibilities.

The path to CSSBB certification is rigorous. In addition to passing a comprehensive exam, candidates must complete two projects that employ Six Sigma tools and processes, resulting in project improvement and a positive financial project impact. An affidavit is also required to attest to the veracity of the project. Alternatively, candidates with at least three years of experience in one or more of the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge areas need only complete one Black Belt project.

CSSBB candidates are expected to demonstrate mastery of the ASQ Black Belt Body of Knowledge, called standards:

• Organization-wide Planning and Deployment (organization-wide considerations, leadership)
• Organization Process Management and Measures (impact on stakeholders, benchmarking, business measures)
• Team Management (team formation, facilitation, dynamics, training)
• Define (voice of the customer, business case and project charter, project management tools, analytical tools)
• Measure (process characteristics, data collection, measurement systems, basic statistics, probability, process capability)
• Analyze (measuring and modeling relationships between variables, hypothesis testing, failure mode and effects analysis, other analysis methods)
• Improve (design of experiments, lean methods, implementation)
• Control (statistical process control and other controls, maintain controls, sustain improvements)
• Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Framework and Methodologies (common DFSS methodologies, design for DVX, robust designs)

The CSSBB is valid for three years. To recertify, candidates must earn 18 recertification units or retake the exam.

CSSBB facts and figures

CSSGB: Certified Six Sigma Green Belt

The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) by ASQ is a professional-level credential targeting experienced Six Sigma practitioners. Often, a CSSGB works under the direction of the more senior CSSBB or as an assistant. CSSGBs identify issues and drive quality and process improvements in projects.

To earn the credential, candidates should have at least three years of experience working with Six Sigma processes, systems and tools. The work experience must have been full time and compensated; an unpaid internship, for example, doesn’t count. In addition, work performed must have been in at least one of the Six Sigma Green Belt Body of Knowledge competency areas.

In addition to work experience, candidates must pass an exam that tests their knowledge of the Six Sigma Green Belt Body of Knowledge. Currently, the Green Belt Body of Knowledge includes six competency areas:

• Overview: Six Sigma and the Organization (organizational goals, lean principles, design methodologies)
• Define Phase (project identification, customer voice, project management basics, management and planning tools, project business results, team dynamics and performance)
• Measurement Phase (process analysis and documentation, probability and statistics, statistical distributions, data collection, measurement system analysis, process and performance capability)
• Analyze Phase (exploratory data analysis, hypothesis testing)
• Improve Phase (design of experiments, root cause analysis, lean tools)
• Control Phase (statistical process control, control plan, lean tools for process control)

Overall, this is an excellent credential for those who have some experience but are not quite ready to take on the roles and responsibilities of a Black Belt.

CSSGB facts and figures

PMP: Project Management Professional

The Project Management Institute (PMI) not only stands behind its Project Management Professional certification, it works with academia and training companies to ensure proper coverage and currency in the various curricula that support this and other PMI credentials. Boasting more than 500,000 global members and 750,000 PMP certified professionals around the world, PMI’s PMP remains one of the most prestigious project management credentials available. (Note: The PMP’s precursor, the CAPM, is covered in an earlier section of this article.)

That’s why you can obtain college- and university-based PMP training from so many institutions. It’s also why you may sometimes find PMP coverage integrated into certain degree programs (often at the master’s degree level).

The PMP credential is coveted by employers seeking the most highly skilled project management professionals. Developed by project managers, the PMP certification is the highest level offered in PMI certifications. It is designed to ensure that credential-holders possess the skills and qualifications necessary to successfully manage all phases of a project, including initiating, planning, scheduling, controlling and monitoring, and closing out the project.

PMP certified projects managers are also well versed and skilled in managing all aspects of the triple constraints – time, cost and scope. Employers depend on the skills of PMP professionals to manage budgets, track costs, manage scope creep, identify how changes to the triple constraints may introduce risk into the project, and minimize such risk to protect the project investment.

The standards for PMP certification are rigorous. Beyond passing a comprehensive exam, credential holders must first demonstrate and certify that they have the skills and education necessary to succeed in the project management field. Credential seekers should be ready to provide documentation for items such as education, projects worked on and hours spent in each of the five project management stages – initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing out the project.

While it’s difficult to achieve, the rewards for PMP credential holders can be significant. According to PMI’s Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, 10th Edition, PMPs in the U.S. earn an average of 23 percent more than their non-credentialed counterparts. The survey reports median salaries of PMPs in the United States at $115,000, as opposed to $92,000 for non-PMP certified project managers.

For those interested in program management or wishing to specialize in a project management area, PMI offers several interesting additional credentials:

The PMP remains a nonpareil certification for IT and other professionals whose responsibilities encompass project management. It is the standard against which all other project management credentials are judged.

It should be noted that, after meeting the prerequisites, candidates are also required to pass a rigorous exam. Candidates must obtain an eligibility ID from PMI before they can register for the exam.

PMP facts and figures

Beyond the top 5: More project management certifications

Project management is truly a white-hot area for both certification seekers and employers. Several other project management certifications are available, for general IT project management as well as software development project management.

Honorable mention goes to the Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM) project management certifications, such as the Professional in Project Management, Associate in Project Management and Certified Project Director. The Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner qualifications (featured in the 2017 top-five list) are also excellent credentials and worth honorable mention.

The CompTIA Project+ credential (featured in the 2017 top-five list and honorable mention in 2018) remains a well-known entry-level project management certification for those starting their project management careers. ASQ’s Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt (CSSYB) is another entry-level credential worth exploring, particularly if you’re interested in eventually moving up to the more senior Green and Black Belt credentials.

Most graduate business, management and management information systems (MIS) programs offer project management training to students, and some offer certificate programs outside the project management organizations as well.

You’ll also find training and occasional certification around various project management tool sets. For example, some Microsoft Learning Partners offer courses on Microsoft Project, and you can find a dizzying array of project management packages on Wikipedia’s comparison of project management software page.

The CAPM and Project+ remain the best-known entry-level project management certifications, with the PMP as the primary professional target and capstone for would-be professional IT project managers. Don’t forget to consider PMI’s related certifications as well. For project managers seeking entry into the realm of Scrum, the CSM is the best entry-level cert for Scrum practitioners.

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

• While paid educational programs are available, IT managers interested in project management can take advantage of free training materials.
• Many project management certifications require an exam to demonstrate your competency in the information the course covers.
• An IT certification can propel your career forward, provide you more experience and advance your project management skills.
• This article is for IT professionals, managers and entrepreneurs interested in project management training.

Project management and information technology (IT) have a complicated relationship. While it’s not exactly a core subject for related academic curricula, project management is something that touches deeply and directly on most IT activities. That probably explains why project management certifications command a constant presence among the top 10 top-paying certifications of interest to IT professionals over the past decade. 

Given the incredible popularity and demand for project management skills and knowledge, it is no surprise that one can find commercial project management training courses to fit nearly every schedule and budget. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t good choices available for free training. In this article, you’ll learn about some of the best project management training systems and certifications to help you become a better IT manager.

What are some free project management training options?

An online education phenomenon is reshaping the training landscape as we know it. It’s based on free online training courses called MOOCs, short for massively online open courses. These are housed on open, high-volume, high-capacity, cloud-based training platforms, such as edX, Moodle and Udemy.

While monetization of training is possible on some of these platforms, a MOOC is supposed to be free for the taking. Organizations or institutions that offer such free courses can still charge fees for testing, certificates of completion and other add-ons, but the basic course materials remain free to all interested parties.

Here’s a list of some of the best project management offerings.

Cybrary Course CYB-2010: Project Management Professional 

Professional instructor Vincent McKeown delivers a 10-module series of video lectures, each of which maps to a domain in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) for the Project Management Institute Project Management Professional (PMI PMP) certification. At just over five hours, the course is neither incredibly detailed nor extensive, but it does provide a useful orientation for those just getting started on the subject.

ALISON: Diploma in Project Management

With more than 282,000 students having either taken or now taking this course, this MOOC has seen some serious traction to mostly positive reviews. The course contains three modules, covers 28 Topics and takes 10 to 15 hours to complete. While it doesn’t map directly to the PMP or other project management credentials, it does provide a useful introduction to the subject matter.

Other ALISON courses on project management 

As a full-fledged MOOC delivery platform, ALISON offers a project management page among its course listings. In addition to the previous diploma item, it has courses about project management fundamentals, skills, resource management and a host of other topics. 

Udemy 

Udemy courses are not always or even often free, but many are inexpensive. A search for project management on Udemy produces hundreds of courses. Most cost between $20 and $50 each, although we found many as low as $10 and a few on the high end at $200. A search on PMP produces more than 2,600 free and paid courses. You’ll spend a lot of time fiddling with the search engine to find what you want, but there are plenty of choices here.

edX.org 

EdX gets many of its project management courses via Microsoft these days. As a result, despite a huge catalog of offerings, many of the project management courses relate to Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Portfolio Management (PPM). We did find a few project management courses from institutions such as the University of Adelaide, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Australian National University and the University of Washington.

FYI: The best online project management software can help companies organize their work and monitor tasks big and small. 

MIT OpenCourseWare 

A search on MIT OpenCourseWare produces thousands of results for project management courses, many of which show a profound focus on engineering and business management topics. Nevertheless, there’s a lot of interesting stuff here that’s well worth trawling through for those seeking top-notch offerings.

ProjectManager.com 

ProjectManager.com has 30 guides designed to help you learn the basics of project management. Inside many of these guides are video tutorials that provide more information about their respective topics. You’ll need some time and willpower to stitch a curriculum together here, but there’s lots of good material available. The company also maintains a YouTube channel, where you can easily find training videos.

YouTube 

YouTube is rife with project management training videos. Searches on YouTube for “project management” or “PMP” produce hundreds of thousands of results.

MOOC List 

The MOOC List allows you to execute a consolidated search for trainings available in the next 30 days. Most courses are offered with specific starting dates, so this database points only to relevant courses starting in the near term.

Oxford Home Study Short Course 

The Oxford Home Study Centre offers several project management courses that introduce candidates to the many aspects of project management, project life cycles and project management roles. A certificate is issued at the end of each course.

Saylor Academy 

Saylor Academy has two project management courses: one in the business field and the other in software engineering. The first course requires 62 hours and covers the key elements of project management and its more technical details. The software engineering course totals 41 hours and presents Topics ranging from life cycle models to design quality assurance. Upon completing either course, you’ll receive a free certificate.

GoSkills 

GoSkills pulls up 30 project management courses when searching for project management. These courses span basic frameworks, software programs and process control. Each course includes video tutorials along with tests and quizzes to help you prepare for project management exams and earn learning hours toward your certification.

Key takeaway: Various online platforms offer free training, lessons and certification prep for deeper dives into project management skills and practices. It’s just a matter of sorting through the available options to find the ones that appeal to you.

What are some low-cost project management training options?

If you’re willing to spend a small sum of money, there are some appealing low-cost project management training options. For example, most Coursera courses are $49, and multicourse bundles are also available (such as UC Irvine’s Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices). The Master of Project Academy offers numerous free online training courses for project management certifications, such as the PMP, CAPM, Six Sigma and Prince 2. However, for $397 per month, you can purchase an all-course bundle that includes all Master of Project Academy courses.

Like UC Irvine, many colleges and universities offer courses aimed at the PMP and related PMI certifications, such as CAPM and PMP add-ons for portfolio and program management, as well as other credentials for risk management, scheduling and so forth. These courses cost the same as other college courses and are taught in a similar fashion. That puts them halfway between low-cost/no-cost options and short-term, higher-priced intensive courses from traditional training outlets such as Global Knowledge, New Horizons and Learning Tree.

What are some higher-priced project management training options?

Hundreds to thousands of other offerings for project management training at higher costs are readily available around the globe. For PMP or other PMI certifications, there’s a whole network of partners that teach an official curriculum. Some are in academia; others offer purely commercial courses. All the biggest training companies offer PMP and related certification training, as do the major online training players (such as LinkedIn Learning, Simplilearn and Pluralsight).

Did you know?: Our project management software buying guide is designed to help small businesses find the right product for managing their operations.

What skills do I need to become a project manager?

Project management software is at the heart of most IT activities, including system design and development, deployment, and maintenance. All of these routine activities can also be characterized as projects – some of massive scope and duration, others more quick and evanescent. Indeed, that’s why project management skills and knowledge are in high demand among IT professionals in nearly every specialty and area of technical focus in that field.

The best project managers possess a great eye for detail and are highly organized. Masters of soft skills, they are clear, concise and effective communicators in both speaking and writing. These professionals are excellent problem-solvers and negotiators. It’s also helpful if they have an understanding of cross-functional areas – such as supply chain, HR and resource constraints; procurement; finance; and change orders – which may impact overall project outcomes.

What are some popular project management methodologies?

As a project management professional, you’ll find no shortage of methodologies. There is no one “right” methodology, and the one you choose to practice will be influenced by factors like the type of project, industry sector and your business’s preference. When choosing project management training materials, look for courses that complement the methodology you want to practice.

These are some of the most popular project management styles and frameworks:

• Waterfall is a traditional project management methodology with a linear downward process flow. Design changes are difficult to implement. Project phases include system and software requirements, analysis, design, coding, testing, and operations. It’s often used with large projects where defined schedules are required and few changes are expected. 
• Six Sigma project managers (usually referred to as Black, Green or Yellow belts) focus on improving quality and efficiency by identifying what doesn’t work and removing it from the process. A Six Sigma Black Belt, for example, would define the problem, measure the current process, analyze data, Boost the process and then control the future process. 
• Agile was introduced in 2001 as a response to the Agile Manifesto and originally geared toward software development. In the Agile framework, teams are collaborative and self-organizing. Projects are incremental and iterative, enabling team members to move quickly and respond to change.
• Scrum, a type of Agile framework, focuses on five core values – courage, commitment, openness, respect and focus. As with Agile, teams are collaborative. Iterations are organized into short blocks of time called “sprints,” which enable great flexibility to respond to design change. A Scrum master (a servant-leader) holds daily meetings where team members discuss what they did the day before and what they plan to accomplish each day. [Related article: What Is Agile Scrum Methodology?]
• Kanban, another type of Agile framework, is popular in manufacturing environments. Teams are collaborative and self-managing. Kanban practices include visualization, limiting work in progress, flow management, making policies explicit, feedback and collaborative evolution.
• PMI PMBOK (the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge), while not strictly a project management methodology, is a well-known and respected standard for project management practices. PMI’s certifications, especially its PMP credential, are among the most coveted project management credentials. PMBOK practices focus on five primary process areas: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

FYI: While project management is all about managing workflow, project resource management is about ensuring resources are being used efficiently.

How long does it take to get a project management certification?

Requirements to earn a project management certification are set by the individual certification provider and may include a combination of exams, specific training courses, and minimum education level or experience. The requirements to earn advanced certifications are generally more than those for entry-level credentials. For example, the Project Management Professional is one of the most highly prized certifications available. In addition to passing a rigorous exam, candidates must also possess a combination of education, project management education and experience.

CompTIA’s Project+, an entry-level certification, recommends that candidates have 12 months’ experience before attempting the exam. However, since this is a recommendation only, candidates can obtain this certification by sitting for the exam regardless, which makes it the only one we found that is available without requiring additional training, education or experience.

In the table below, you’ll find information on obtaining five popular project management certifications. For more details, see our roundup of the best project management certifications.

Key takeaway: There are several types of project management certifications. Some are more difficult than others, and each one has its own requirements for candidates.

Are IT certifications necessary?

You don’t necessarily need an IT certification to lead projects in the field. However, obtaining an IT certification can help you gain more knowledge and skills for effectively managing projects and leading your team. Getting an IT certification can also result in a salary increase and make your résumé more appealing to employers.

If you believe an IT certification could be a good addition to your career, the first step is to choose the area in which you want to receive a certification; project management is hardly the only option. Below are more than a dozen of the best certification areas for IT professionals.

• Big data
• Business continuity and disaster recovery
• Cloud IT
• Computer forensics
• Computer hardware
• Computer networking
• Data center
• Databases
• Enterprise architect
• Healthcare IT
• Help desk
• Information security
• IT governance
• IT trainer
• Linux
• Mobile app development
• Mobility
• Programming
• Project management
• Storage
• System administrator
• Telecommunications
• Unified communications
• Virtualization certifications
• VoIP and telephony
• Web
• Wireless networking

How should I get started with project management training?

Start digging into the outlets and offerings that interest you most. When training is free, the only thing you have to lose is your time and energy. Thus, you can try things out and stop at any time if they don’t work for you. When it comes to paid training, we recommend looking at online reviews, seeking personal recommendations from people you know and trust, and requesting feedback from former course attendees or materials users to help steer you toward the right choice.

Shayna Waltower contributed to the writing and research in this article. 

A shrewd business professional looks for ways to move up (or over) to Boost their salary, benefits and job opportunities. One way to reach that goal is by getting a business certification.

It’s tricky to nail down what constitutes a “business certification.” Think about the sheer number of lines of business (LOBs) in U.S. companies, and that most LOBs can have multiple associated certifications. To narrow our focus, we looked at general business and management credentials, as well as customer resource management, supply chain, sales and purchasing certifications. Although most of the certifications we selected are vendor-agnostic – not tied to a specific system or application – we researched several credentials from SAP, SAS and similar companies that specialize in business applications.

These are the certifications we examined:

• Certified Associate in Project Management
• Certified Business Analysis Professional
• Certified Supply Chain Professional
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• SAP Certified Application Associate – Business Planning and Consolidation
• Salesforce Certified Administrator
• HubSpot Inbound Marketing
• Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)

Whether you’re just starting out in a professional track or have been at it for a while, you should find one or more of the certifications described in this article of interest and value.

Top 8 certifications, by the numbers

The following table lists the top business-related certifications based on the number of open positions on a single day that call for the certification specifically. This isn’t a scientific analysis in which every job description is examined (especially when the numbers reach into the hundreds or thousands); it’s just an overall glance at search numbers as of Dec. 23, 2020.

Job site search results

The following sections provide details on the top business certifications according to job site searches, as well as other certifications from their various organizations.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has been around since 1969, helping business workers develop careers in project management, mainly through professional development and certifications.

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is ideal for up-and-coming project managers. You need to show proof of a high school diploma, associate degree or global equivalent. The single exam has 150 questions, costs $225 for PMI members or $300 for nonmembers, and is available through Pearson VUE. By the time you take the exam, you need to have attained 1,500 hours of project experience or 23 hours of project management education. The certification is valid for five years, and you must retake the exam to maintain the credential.

PMI has other certifications aimed at the business community, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA), Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP) and PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP).

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)

If you’re interested in analyzing business needs and coming up with solutions, take a look at the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). The CBAP is an advanced certification aimed at managers and leaders with more than five years of business analysis experience. More precisely, you need at least 7,500 hours of business analysis experience over the last decade, and 900 of those hours must directly relate to four of the six BABOK Guide knowledge areas. On top of that, you need at least 35 hours of professional development credits (earned over the last four years), plus two references.

The CBAP exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, based on scenarios and case studies, and is available through PSI. The exam costs $325 for IIBA members or $450 for nonmembers, and a $125 application fee is required. To maintain the CBAP, credential holders must earn at least 60 continuing development units within three years of achieving certification.

The IIBA offers related credentials, such as the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA), Certificate of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA), Agile Analysis Certification (IIBA-AAC) and Certification in Business Data Analytics (IIBA-CBDA).

Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)

APICS is all about supply chain management. As part of its goal to develop qualified operators, supervisors and leaders, it offers the Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and a few other certifications. The CSCP covers supply chain concepts and technology, plus strategies for end-to-end operations, from supplier to company to consumer.

To earn the CSCP, you need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, at least one other approved certification, and at least three years of related business experience. You also need to pass an exam that costs $695 to $965, depending on your APICS membership status.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI is among the most recognized and sought-after certifications for both business and IT. The requirements are stiff. Option one requires a high school diploma, associate degree or global equivalent; 7,500 hours of experience leading projects; and 35 hours of project management education. Option two is a four-year degree, 4,500 hours leading projects and 35 hours of project management education. [Read related article on our sister site Business News Daily: Best Project Management Certifications]

You must pass a 200-question exam to earn the PMP, which is available through Pearson VUE. The exam costs $405 for PMI members and $555 for nonmembers. You maintain the PMP certification by earning 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years. 

SAP Certified Application Associate – CRM

Are you SAP savvy? SAP, a European multinational software program, stands for “systems, applications and products.” The software is used by companies around the world to manage business operations and customer relationships across several lines of business, including human resources, marketing, sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

The SAP Certified Application Associate – CRM recognizes a consultant’s skills in understanding and using SAP CRM software, including how it integrates with other SAP solutions like NetWeaver. SAP recommends that candidates have a combination of experience and training before sitting for the certification exam; training courses are available if needed. The exam has 80 questions and costs $571. You can take the exam through the SAP Certification Hub.

Salesforce Certified Administrator

If you’ve ever worked with or considered using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, you’ve likely heard of Salesforce. From help desk and lead management to sales and customer service, Salesforce is an all-in-one CRM platform that scales with a business’s needs as it grows. The platform has become so popular since its launch in 1999 that it’s considered an industry leader and won our best pick for enterprise CRM usage.

If you’re looking to leverage the platform at an administrative level, Salesforce offers a certification program to increase your knowledge of the platform. The program requires you to take several classes and workshops before completing a proctored credential exam. The classes and exam typically cost a few thousand dollars.

Salesforce suggests that anyone seeking this certification should already have a decent handle on the platform, since the certification seeks to build upon their understanding of existing features and functions. Once you complete this program, the company also offers the Advanced Administrator certification to further your knowledge of the platform.

HubSpot Inbound Marketing

HubSpot is a CRM platform that helps businesses handle their marketing, sales and help desk needs. While the platform covers various specialties, the HubSpot Inbound Marketing certification teaches how to use content creation, social media and other inbound marketing methods to your advantage.

This is a free certification course comprising seven lessons, complete with 34 videos and eight quizzes, that takes slightly over four hours in all.  

Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)

Oracle is a leading cloud database software company that helps apply the nebulous digital concept to numerous business functions. More than 2.2 million people have earned their Oracle Certified Professional credentials, and our initial research found over 2,000 job openings for the designation.

With numerous certification paths spanning the platform’s cloud-based and on-premises software and hardware solutions, Oracle offers free learning courses in a wide range of specialties. Once you’re ready for an exam, you must purchase a voucher at prices ranging from $95 to $245. These vouchers are good for six months, giving you enough time to hone your skills with the Oracle platform before committing to a test.

What else?

The American Purchasing Society is the membership organization behind the Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM), Certified Green Purchasing Professional (CGPP), Certified Professional in Distribution and Warehousing (CPDW), and Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC) programs.

If your career involves the creation, use, retrieval and disposal of business records, check out the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), Certified Records Analyst (CRA) and Certified Records Manager (CRM) programs.

On the global front, the Institute of Management Consultants offers the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) certification, and NASBITE’s Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) focuses on global business management and marketing, supply chain management, and trade finance.

Finally, the Business Relationship Management Institute has two certifications: the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP) and Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM).

Andrew Martins contributed to the writing and research in this article.

The certificate in Project Management will prepare students to be effective contributors and    leaders in today’s contemporary business world.  Project-oriented work makes up the bulk of managerial activity in today’s organizations with multi-dimensional and increasingly complex projects being the norm.  This certificate program will be of interest/value to students and employees of all business functions as project improvement initiatives are prevalent in all business disciplines (finance, accounting, marketing, operations, MIS, etc.).       

The free-standing Certificate Program is comprised of nine graduate credit hours consisting of MBA 616, MBA 695, and one of two electives: MBA 617 or MBA 665.  Note that the nine credit hours do not include any prerequisites that must be satisfied for specific courses.  Prerequisites have equivalent courses offered at the undergraduate level.  Transfer hours may be used toward prerequisites but not toward any of the nine credit hours required for the Certificate Program.

Curriculum:

MBA 616. Project Management for Professionals. 3 Hours.  Project-oriented work makes up the bulk of managerial activity in organizations and consequently knowledge of project management principles is valued highly. This course offers a broad review of issues and approaches to contemporary professional project management useful for any MBA student and future manager.  By focusing on the “PMBOK”, i.e., the body of knowledge as specified by the Project Management Institute (PMI), it also builds a foundation for students who wish to take the professional certification exam for either the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) or the PMP (Project Management Professional, which requires 4,500 hours of project management experience) certificates.*  Prerequisite(s): MBA 611 and MBA 612.

MBA 665. System Analysis & Design. 3 Hours. Introduction to concepts and techniques for analyzing and designing systems. Appropriate activities will be performed and models created for the analysis and design phases of the development life cycle. Systems development project using a CASE tool. Prerequisite(s): MBA 660.

MBA 617. Business Process Improvement. 3 Hours. Study of the concepts and techniques of business process analysis and improvements as building blocks for all business improvement strategies, using a range of tools from simple process-mapping to computer-based process-modeling. Balancing technical/analytical and organizational/behavioral aspects of business process improvements are highlighted. The class will include a business process analysis/improvement project using a process modeling software. Prerequisite(s): MBA 611, MBA 612.

MBA 695.  Individual Research - Project Management Experiential Application. 3 Hours. This certificate capstone independent study course requires the student to integrate/demonstrate project management theory and best practices with practical application by working on a real-world client project. Student projects are coordinated with the UD Center for Project Excellence.  Students demonstrate through their selected project, their professional application of problem identification (systems analysis/business process analysis), project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control and closing.  Students work with CPE teams or a student proposed project if approved by the course/CPE director.

• A job applicant says interviewers didn't realize she was still on the call when they berated her.
• Krystal Garmon said the interviewers called the headpiece she wore not "professional" enough.
• Garmon lost her hair during cancer treatment. She said she "broke down crying" after the call.

A job hunter who lost her hair when she had cancer says interviewers didn't realize she was still on a call when they berated her and said a headpiece she was wearing wasn't "professional" enough.

Krystal Garmon told Insider that she wore her headcap during a video interview for a project management role at an online health and beauty company on January 31. The company's name is known to Insider.

She said that since having cancer treatment twice, her hair had never grown back fully and she always keeps her head covered.

The interview was "really great," Garmon told Insider. The two interviewers told her what the job entails, asked her questions, and came across as "really kind," she said. Based on the feedback from the interviewers, Garmon expected another call with the company to follow.

But after they finished talking to Garmon, the two interviewers started talking among themselves without realizing that she was still on the call.

Garmon detailed her experiences in a LinkedIn post.

"Today, I had an interview with a company that did not end their Zoom meeting before they began to talk with each other," Garmon wrote.

"'She had a head cap on, did she know she was in an interview?'" Garmon wrote, quoting the interviewers. "'She would look more professional if she showed her hair. I can't tell what color her hair is.'"

"Do you know my hair is uneven?" Garmon continued in her post. "Do you know I have bald spots? Do you know I am embarrassed to show anyone what I've gone through? Do you know my hair looks less professional if I don't wear a head cap?"

Garmon told Insider that after she heard what the interviewers said she hung up the call and "broke down crying." She took the rest of the day off from job hunting — something she's been doing since November — to focus on herself.

Garmon hasn't contacted the company about her experience because she doesn't want to ruin her chance of getting a job there. She told Insider she didn't blame the company for the two interviewers' behavior – maybe they're just "shitty people" and likely aren't representative of the whole company, she said.

Garmon was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2013 and cervical cancer in 2017, she said. Her hair used to be a big part of her identity and she chooses not to wear a wig. The headpiece she wore during the interview was "not inappropriate," she said.

"Today is the last day I will wear anything to hide my history," Garmon wrote in her LinkedIn post. "I will wear my history with appreciation."

Garmon was "amazed" about the support she received after posting on LinkedIn, she told Insider. Hundreds of people messaged her and she has two job interviews lined up with people who saw her post, she said. As of Monday morning, the post had almost 39,000 likes and had been shared nearly 780 times.

"I got messages of love and connection from cancer survivors, those who are still going through it, and those affected by this horrible disease. I got messages of support from folks who bonded over shared experiences through the hiring process and the humiliation they've also experienced," Garmon wrote in a follow-up LinkedIn post.

"I hope something that I shared within my post gave someone strength," she wrote.

/ MEDIA STATEMENT / This content is not written by Creamer Media, but is a supplied media statement.

Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading organisation for the project management profession, has announced a call for nominations for the 2023 PMI Professional Awards. The awards spotlight project leaders, teams, and rising leaders delivering superior results with good project management principles in a professional setting. 

Now in its 49th year, the awards are given out in the following categories - Project of the Year, PMO of the Year, Fellow Award, Eric Jenett Person of the Year, Rising Leader, Large and Mega Project Award, and Small and Mid-size Project Award.  

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“Increasingly and more so following the pandemic, economies are moving toward a more project-based operations model. The “project economy” is one where business delivers value through the successful completion of projects, delivery of products, and alignment to value streams. This agility enables organisations to withstand shocks and tackle big challenges head-on, says George Asamani, MD, Sub Saharan Africa, PMI.   

The nominations deadline is 15 March 2023. The winners will be announced in Q4 2023.  

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One of the recipients in 2022 was South African Innocentia Mahlangu, who received the Rising Leader Award. Ms. Mahlangu is a highly regarded Professional Project Manager and engineer. She holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Wits University.  

She was recently appointed as the Vice President of Professional Development by PMI South Africa Chapter. PMI Chapters are volunteer-run communities that allow you to connect to other professionals, develop your skills and provide back to the community.   

Previously, she has served as the chair of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s Diversity and Inclusivity panel and Education and Training committee and was a member of the organisation’s executive board. She is also the founder of SHEngineers, a non-profit organisation advocating for women in engineering.  

Another South African, this time a project, Concur / That Interesting Company’s Covid-19 facility at Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal, Pretoria, was the finalist in the Project of the Year category. They handed ten modular units to the Gauteng Department of Health, adding another 300 beds. The facility includes five 25-bed intensive care unit modules complete with a two-bed isolation ward and five 35-bed high care modules. 

The category winner was the Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium. The project sought to develop and implement Covid-19 screening at workplaces across Canada to help reopen the economy and break the chain of transmission of the virus. 

“The PMI Professional Awards are global, and to have a winner and a finalist from the continent is indeed exciting. Their perseverance and the transformative impact of their work needs to be recognised and celebrated. The calibre of nominations from the continent, project management, and managers should provide governments comfort in knowing the flagship projects of Agenda 2063 will be delivered to a global standard,” adds Asamani.  

BLOOMINGTON — Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington is offering an eight-week Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preparation class. The course starts on Feb. 28 and will be held virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

The course is intended for individuals who wish to obtain a PMP credential from Project Management Institute (PMI). Prior to taking the PMP exam, PMI requires proof of at least three years of project management experience and 35 contact hours of project management education. However, the course is open to anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of project management.

PMP certification is a way to build skills and knowledge that are transferable between industries, market segments, and geographic locations. This is an opportunity to enhance your career and earning potential.

Short-term training classes like PMP are hosted by Ivy+ Career Link Workforce Training. This program takes the employee-employer relationship to a new level with opportunities to skill up existing employees. Whether you are a small business, a startup, or an enterprise-level company, Ivy Tech will work with you to provide targeted professional development to help employees in your organization do their best work.

For cost information and registration, visit www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/careerlink.

STAMFORD, Conn., February 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) will host a live audio webcast of a presentation by Emmanuel Babeau, Chief Financial Officer, at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. ET.

The webcast will provide live audio of the entire PMI session and will be available in a listen-only mode on www.pmi.com/2023cagny.

The audio webcast may also be accessed on iOS or Android devices by downloading PMI’s free Investor Relations Mobile Application.

An archived copy of the webcast will be available until 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 23, 2023, on www.pmi.com/2023cagny.

Presentation slides will also be available at www.pmi.com/2023cagny.

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 10.5 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. In November 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match – a leader in oral nicotine delivery – creating a global smoke-free champion led by the companies’ IQOS and ZYN brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized versions of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables and Swedish Match’s General snus as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs). As of December 31, 2022, PMI's smoke-free products were available for sale in 73 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 17.8 million adults around the world had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. Smoke-free products accounted for approximately 32% of PMI’s total full-year 2022 net revenues. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI announced in February 2021 its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and, through its Vectura Fertin Pharma subsidiary, aims to enhance life through the delivery of seamless health experiences. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

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Contacts

Philip Morris International

Investor Relations:
Stamford, CT: +1 (203) 904 2410
Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666
Email: InvestorRelations@pmi.com

Media: David Fraser
Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500
Email: David.Fraser@pmi.com