Certificate in Project Management Summer 2026

Admission Requirements

To apply, you must have ONE of the following:

• A bachelor's degree plus one year of work experience leading projects 

• A high school diploma or GED plus five years of work experience leading projects

You also should have completed the Project Management Self-Assessment (below) to evaluate your readiness for the certificate program. This assessment evaluates your business skills. 

Project Management Self-Assessment

The questions below are provided to help you assess your preparedness for the Certificate in Project Management program. If you answer “no” to one or more of these questions, we recommend that you enroll in the Foundations of Project Management course before applying to the certificate.

1. Do you have experience collaborating, communicating and presenting information with a team?

2. Have you made or contributed to decisions that were bound by business constraints (time, budget and resources), and understood the trade-offs leading to those decisions?

3. Have you reviewed someone's work, data or case studies and made decisions or conclusions based off the information you read?

4. Are you able to manage your time to balance multiple priorities at once, including the time commitment needed to complete this program?

5. On a computer, can you download files, open files in different formats, edit rows and columns in a spreadsheet and do basic troubleshooting?

6. Are you comfortable learning new business technologies and tools?

Time Commitment

Including time in class, you should expect to spend about eight to 10 hours each week on coursework for a standard program.

English Proficiency

If English is not your native language, you should have at least intermediate English skills to enroll. To see if you qualify, make sure you are at the B2 level on the CEFR self-assessment grid. To learn more, see English Language Proficiency Requirements – Noncredit Programs.

International Students

Because this offering is 100% online, no visa is required and international students are welcome to apply. For more information, see Admission Requirements for International Students.

Technology Requirements

• Access to a computer with a web browser

• High-speed internet connection

• Headset and webcam (recommended)

Earning the Certificate

You earn a certificate of completion by successfully completing all required courses. For more information, see Earning the Certificate.

Application Deadline

Applications are open until Monday, June 29, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, or until the program fills, whichever comes first.

Application Steps

This program has an automatic acceptance process. Once you complete the application and pay the application fee, you’re in. See the steps below for more details.

You’ll apply to the program on MyContinuum, our new application system. MyContinuum helps you seamlessly manage the enrollment process and more.

Step 1: Review Requirements

Before you apply, carefully read the admissions requirements in the Designed For section above. In the application, you’ll be asked to confirm that you meet these requirements.

If you have any questions, or want to make sure this program is right for you, reach out to Enrollment Services at enroll@pce.uw.edu or 800-506-1325.

Step 2: Apply

Complete the online application on MyContinuum. You’ll need to create an account first. If you already have a UW NetID, choose that option. Otherwise, sign in with a Google or Apple account.

Step 3: Pay the Application Fee

Next, pay the $50 nonrefundable application fee through MyContinuum. Your application is not complete until you pay this fee.

After Applying

Once you’re accepted, we’ll ask you to complete a questionnaire on MyContinuum to help us learn more about you. Then you’ll get details about how to register for your first-term course and pay your course fees.

To ensure your spot in class, we recommend that you register by the priority registration deadline, which is four weeks before class begins. After that time, we may release your seat to another student. The final registration deadline is two days before the course starts.

Scholarship Information

You may qualify for an income-based scholarship for this program. For more information, see the Scholarships page.

Related Resources

• Drops, Withdrawals & Refunds

Course Details

Jul 13 - Sep 20, 2026 | Noncredit | Online | 10 Weeks | $2,081

Course Description

What is project management? Why do companies that make project excellence a core priority have more success than those that do not?

In this course, we’ll start with the basics and introduce you to the project life cycle. You’ll learn the foundational elements of project management, including standard vocabulary and the nature of project environments. We’ll cover best practices for identifying project scope and defining requirements, approach and outcomes. Using case studies and real-world scenarios, we’ll teach you how to identify the key defining elements of project strategy and deliver a baseline to your stakeholders. By the end of this course, you’ll have a deep understanding of how to initiate and effectively plan a project.

What You'll Learn

• How to gauge project scope, create a project charter and communicate with stakeholders

• How to create a project schedule using industry software

• Strengths and weaknesses of the major project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid, etc.)

• The definition of project requirements and development of a work breakdown structure

Course Note

This course is offered 100% online and runs from July 13, 2026, to September 20, 2026.

Noncredit Course

You'll earn 5 continuing education units (CEUs) for successfully completing this course. Learn more about noncredit options.

This course can only be taken as part of the Certificate in Project Management.

Course Details

Oct 12 - Dec 20, 2026 | Noncredit | Online | 10 Weeks | $2,081

Course Description

You’ve kicked off your project — now what? What do you do when things don’t go according to plan? How do you anticipate risks and respond to them?

In this course, you’ll deepen your understanding of the project life cycle. You’ll learn how to effectively present project status, as well as manage team and stakeholder expectations. We’ll explore best practices for formulating risk responses in the face of changing requirements, and how to collect and evaluate performance data to inform project status and forecasts. You’ll learn Agile planning and execution techniques like roadmaps and retrospectives. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how to manage expectations during project execution and how to gauge risk, quality and performance to make effective decisions.

What You'll Learn

• Team development techniques and project leadership best practices

• Effective ways to identify, analyze and control risk

• Earned Value Management data collection, analysis and reporting techniques

• Procurement and quality management best practices

• How to develop and allocate a budget

Course Note

This course is offered 100% online and runs from October 12, 2026, to December 20, 2026.

Noncredit Course

You'll earn 5 continuing education units (CEUs) for successfully completing this course. Learn more about noncredit options.

This course can only be taken as part of the Certificate in Project Management.

Course Details

Jan 25 - Apr 4, 2027 | Noncredit | Online | 10 Weeks | $2,083

Course Description

You’ve learned the essential project management concepts, tools and techniques — now it’s time to get your hands dirty. In this course, you’ll apply all you have learned within a structured review of the PMBOK^® Guide project life cycle.

Working as part of a team, you’ll manage a comprehensive simulated project from commencement through closeout. You’ll choose from a variety of industries, allowing you to develop profession-specific skills. Complete a project that demonstrates your knowledge and abilities to current or prospective employers.

What You’ll Learn

• Project initiation: project overview statement and stakeholders

• Project planning: scope, work breakdown structure, scheduling and budgeting, quality, communication and risk planning

• Project execution: team development and management and procurement management

• Project monitoring and control: scope and change control, schedule and cost management, Earned Value Management, quality control, risk monitoring and performance reporting

• Project closeout: lessons learned

Get Hands-On Experience

• Build a complete project management plan to add to your professional portfolio

• Plan and execute a hybrid project using a combination of Predictive and Agile methodologies

• Practice being a project manager, driving the timely submission of deliverables while ensuring stakeholder success criteria and requirements are met

PMBOK^® is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Course Note

This course is offered 100% online and runs from January 25, 2027, to April 4, 2027.

Noncredit Course

You'll earn 5 continuing education units (CEUs) for successfully completing this course. Learn more about noncredit options.

This course can only be taken as part of the Certificate in Project Management.