Best Free Project Management Training Materials for IT Pros

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.

An online education phenomenon is reshaping the training landscape as they 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.

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.

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 syllabus 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.

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 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 they 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 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). They 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.

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

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

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.

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 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 syllabus ranging from life cycle models to design quality assurance. Upon completing either course, you’ll receive a free certificate.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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:

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

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 they 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 their roundup of the best project management certifications.

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

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.

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, they 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. 

CAPM vs PMP Certification: Which is Right for You?

Project management is one of the fastest-growing professions, with an estimated 25 million jobs expected to be created around the world by 2030. To fill these roles, businesses across industries are seeking new project managers with the qualifications and expertise necessary to make a positive impact in their organizations.The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP)® are both specialized credentials offered through the Project Management Institute (PMI)® that Excellerate credibility and offer professionals opportunities to increase their skills, lead larger projects and advance their careers.

In order to choose the certification that best aligns with your intended career goals, it is critical to understand the differences between CAPM and PMP certification. These differences include prerequisites, cost, level of difficulty and industry-wide perception of the credentials.

Because those planning to earn CAPM certification are not required to have project management experience or a four-year degree, the CAPM is ideal for exact community college graduates or current undergraduates who want to bolster their resume with a credential that demonstrates a commitment to a career in project management.

While the CAPM is ideal for people beginning their careers, there are some additional prerequisites, including that candidates must complete 23 contact hours before taking the exam. Contact hours are hours spent in project management education or training. These hours can be completed on site or online, enabling candidates to fulfill this requirement without putting their professional, educational or personal obligations on hold. Some universities may also offer project management education at this level as a part of a degree program.

OR

Professionals who pursue project management certification are making a valuable, long-term investment in their careers. Part of that investment does include exam fees.

The PMI requires a fee for both exams, with the cost of the CAPM exam at $225 for PMI members and $300 for non-members. The cost of the PMP exam is $405 for PMI members and $575 for non-members. See the table below for a quick comparison.

A one-year membership to the PMI is $139 and comes with many tools and templates for your professional use, including a downloadable copy of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).

Many companies offer professional development benefits that may cover employee education and professional credentialing costs. According to a 2022 survey by the Society for Human Resources, 78% of employers cover opportunities for professional skill development.

Because the CAPM is geared toward entry-level project managers or those who are considering a project management career, the CAPM exam is widely considered to be less rigorous than the PMP exam.

The CAPM exam questions are derived from the PMBOK® Guide, PMI’s global standards for project management, as well as other sources, which are listed (with the relevant chapters) in the CAPM exam reference list.

The PMP certification exam, on the other hand, is appropriate for individuals of varying experience levels — from those early in their career to established professionals with more significant project management experience — and is therefore more challenging to achieve.

Like the CAPM, the PMP exam also covers the PMBOK® Guide, but it also includes questions designed to test whether the candidate knows how to handle real-world project management scenarios.

To pass the PMP Exam, PMI not only recommends studying the PMBOK® Guide, the PMP exam Content Outline and the PMP handbook, but also enrolling in a formal course of study offered by a PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP), such as Purdue University.

The CAPM exam consists of 150 questions that call for multiple-choice, hot spot and drag-and-drop responses, in addition to animations and comic strips. The exam questions cover four domains to integrate different project delivery approaches, with a specific proportion of questions in each.

Candidates have three hours to complete the test, with a 10-minute break in the middle.

The PMP exam consists of 180 questions that fall under three domains in predetermined proportions. About half of the questions represent predictive project management approaches, while the other half represent agile or hybrid approaches. Questions regarding these different approaches are spread throughout the domains.

Candidates have 230 minutes to complete the exam, with two 10-minute breaks.

Considering that the CAPM certification is more affordable and requires less experience than PMP certification, project managers may ask themselves, “Why would I pursue PMP certification?” The answer is simple: The PMP is the most significant, industry-recognized certification for project managers worldwide.

PMPs work in a wide range of industries in almost every country. Many employers require PMP certification when hiring project managers because PMPs have demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to lead complex projects and direct project teams.

PMPs bring value to their organizations while advancing their own careers. Project managers with a PMP certification earn a 22% higher median salary than those without a PMP certification, according to PMI’s Earning Power Salary Survey.

While CAPM certification isn’t as widely recognized as PMP certification, it demonstrates knowledge of PMI’s project management framework and project management processes, which can certainly benefit candidates when applying for jobs. In addition, CAPM-certified employees have a working knowledge of the PMBOK® Guide, which can serve as an excellent first step to eventually pursue PMP certification.

Is it possible to convert a CAPM to a PMP?Converting to PMP certification is not an option. However, CAPM certification meets the PMP exam requirement for 35 hours of project management education/training, so you can achieve PMP certification faster.

How much experience do you need for CAPM certification?CAPM certification does not require any professional experience, making it an attractive credential for exact graduates as well as anyone seeking to begin a career in project management. However, it does require a minimum of 23 contact hours of project management education.

How much experience do you need for PMP certification?The experience needed to qualify for the PMP exam and go on to earn PMP certification is based on previous education:

The experience requirements must have been accumulated within the past eight years.

Do I have to be a PMI member to earn CAPM certification?PMI membership is not required to take the CAPM exam or earn certification, but members do receive a discount on the exam fee ($60 for PMI members, down from $150 for non-members), as well as other benefits.

Do I have to be a PMI member to earn PMP certification?No, it is not necessary to become a PMI member to earn PMP certification, though members do have a reduced exam fee ($60 for PMI members, down from $150 for non-members) among other benefits.

How long does it take to process the CAPM application? How long does it take to process the PMP application?According to the PMI, applications take about five to ten days to process.

Do I need to renew my CAPM certification or my PMP certification?Yes, both the CAPM certification and the PMP certification require a renewal every three years.

Professionals who participate in Purdue University’s online project management courses can gain a wealth of field knowledge, solid foundational skills, and exceedingly effective preparation for the PMP exam in order to obtain a project management certificate. Course materials and activities align closely with A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) to help learners retain project management knowledge and apply it to their current projects.

Project Management EssentialsThis 100% online, instructor-led course runs for eight weeks and allows working professionals to gain familiarity with basic project management concepts and terms.

Participants are empowered to begin effectively applying their newly acquired knowledge and skills to current projects and earn project management hours that can help qualify them to take the PMP exam.

Experienced PME instructors engage participants in a range of learning activities, including directed study of the PMBOK® Guide; online discussions; recorded lectures; quizzes and self-tests; and written assignments. The instructors also welcome the opportunity to coach interested learners on an individual basis via email or scheduled phone appointment.

PMP exam PreparationPMP exam Preparation is a live, virtual course based on the PMBOK® Guide. Enrollment includes 90-day access to all course material, which is 100% aligned to the Project Management Institute’s PMP® exam Prep content.

Participants get an in-depth review of some of the most challenging learning material on the exam and learn how to build a personal study plan.

This course is for project managers who have a minimum of three years’ experience and prior knowledge of the PMBOK® Guide.

Project Management Professional, PMP, CAPM, and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

To learn more about Purdue University’s online Project Management courses and download a free brochure, fill out this form. You can also email us at PMonline@purdue.edu or call us at (888) 390-0499 to speak to one of their program advisors.

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SourcesProject Management Institute. 2020. “PMI® Certifications.” Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/generic-certification-handbook-sixteen-translations.pdf

Project Management Institute. 2023. “PMI® Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) exam Content Outline.” Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/capm20ecofinal.pdf

Project Management Institute. 2021. “Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam Content Outline.” Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/pmp-examination-content-outline.pdf

Project Management Institute. 2021. “Talent Gap: Ten-Year Employment Trends, Costs, and Global Implications.” Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/career-central/talent-gap-report-2021-finalfinal.pdf

Society for Human Resources. 2022. “Employee Benefits Survey: Executive Summary.” Accessed June 5, 2023. https://shrm-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/v1654193525/Membership%202022/Employee_Benefits_Survey_-_Executive_Summary_-_FINAL.pdf

Exam Information

ACS calculates the average number of correctly answered questions by course area. Based on this average, each student's score in a particular course is compared to the overall average and rated as: Below Average, Average, Above Average, or Outstanding Performance.

Only student scores for Part I (multiple-choice) are sent to the Local Section coordinators to be distributed to students.

The 20 top-scoring students are invited to attend a study camp to compete for a spot in the U.S. team. Based on the score of their overall performance, some students are recognized with High Honors and Honors and receive a certificate from the USNCO national office. Approximately the top 50 students are recognized as High Honors and the next 100 as Honors. The list of High Honor and Honor students is published on the USNCO website.

Learn about the exam format and how to prepare for exams.