What Degree Do You Need to Become a Project Manager?

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Project Manager?

Harvard Business Review says, “skills-based hiring is on the rise.” Employers reduced degree requirements on job descriptions by 46% from 2017 to 2019. Work experience and skills are becoming more prized by employers than degrees.

According to PMI, 42% of Project Managers have a bachelor’s degree. An additional 7% have an associate’s degree or some education. More entry-level Project Management positions require Microsoft Office proficiency than a college degree.

Degree requirements for Project Managers also vary by industry and company. For example, IBM requires Bachelor’s Degrees for 29% of their IT positions, while at Oracle, it is 100%. Or, a Construction Project Manager might be more likely to have an Associate’s or no degree if they have significant experience within the industry.

Common Degrees for Project Managers

Some of the most common degrees that Project Managers hold are in management, computer science, and business. More and more institutions offer graduate degrees or certificates in project management such as Purdue, UCLA, and Northeastern University.

Some degrees may be more common in specific industries. For example, an Aerospace Project Manager might have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and a Project Manager who works in the Finance industry might have a degree in Economics.

While there are common degrees for Project Managers, it is not typically required for a skills-based job. All successful Project Managers need to have good planning and communication skills, but not all successful Project Managers have a degree. As degree requirements lessen across industries, the talent gap in project management will only further contribute to that.

Other Ways to Become a Project Manager

One of the reasons that degrees aren’t as required for Project Managers is that there are professional certificates and certificate programs that better demonstrate a job candidate’s skills and understanding of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and Project Life Cycle.

Northeastern University’s Project Management program lays out a “customized, non-traditional” path to a career as a Project Manager. The four steps laid out in this approach are self-guided education, on-the-job experience and mentorship, certification, and ongoing training and professional development.

There are several Project Management professional certificates. However, PMI’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certificates are considered the industry's gold standard. PMP Certification is considered more important by Project Management than degrees.

Earning a Certificate from PMI is also one of the fastest ways to command a higher salary as a Project Manager: A PMI salary survey shows that PMP-certified Project Managers make 25% more than uncertified Project Managers even if they have a degree.

In addition to the qualifying exams, to earn one of these certifications, you’ll need to demonstrate that you have completed a certain number of hours of training in Project Management. For example, the CAPM Certification is for new and entry-level Project Managers. To sit for the exam, you must have completed 23 hours of project management education.

You can build project management skills through Noble Desktop, an NYC-based coding, design, and business school with live online classes and a campus in Midtown Manhattan. All of Noble Desktop’s courses are taught by instructors who are experts in their industry. Noble Desktop uses a unique hands-on approach that combines “micro-lectures” with guided practice on real-world projects.

Noble Desktop offers Project Management Level I, Project Management Level II, and Project Management Bootcamp for project management skills training. Check each course page for its current curriculum and schedule.

Project Management Level I is an introductory course that guides students through the fundamentals of project management. This course introduces project management methodologies and the first two stages of the Project Life Cycle: planning and initiation. Students develop hands-on knowledge of many Project Management skills such as The Project Triangle, and The Project Lifecycle, selecting a project and determining its scope, resource estimation and management, work breakdown structure, and network diagrams and delegation. The course also includes an introduction to Project Management software and Project Management certifications. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion, which is shareable on LinkedIn.

Project Management Level II, recommended for people interested in PMP certification, trains students in more intermediate and advanced Project Management skills. This course is recommended for those who are already familiar with Project Management concepts but would like to increase their ability to manage complex projects. Students learn the five stages of Project Management, including the critical path method, work breakdown structure, planning and timelines, and monitoring. Graduates receive a Certificate of Completion to demonstrate their grasp of advanced Project Management skills.

If you plan to take both courses to pursue a certification or launch a Project Management career, both levels can be taken as the Project Management Bootcamp for a 15% discount.

For CAPM exam preparation, review PMI’s current eligibility requirements and preparation options. CAPM requires at least 23 hours of project management education, so a 12-hour general project management course does not fulfill the full education requirement on its own.

For PMP exam preparation, consider Graduate School USA’s Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification course. Graduate School USA describes it as PMI-authorized exam preparation that provides 35 training hours. Review the course page for current schedules and PMI’s eligibility requirements before enrolling.