Do You Need a Degree to Become a Project Manager?

While you don’t necessarily need a degree and you certainly don’t need a degree in project management to become a Project Manager, education and training can definitely help you land work in the field.

Project managers generally need to have a Bachelor’s degree in business or computer science, as well as years of professional experience in a relevant line of work with escalating seniority.

Many Project Managers opt to obtain a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification The prerequisites for pursuing a PMP certification are: a four-year degree; 36 months leading projects; and 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM Certification. There is a loophole for those who have only a high school diploma or an associate’s degree: you can still obtain a PMP, but you have to have 60 months leading projects and also still pursue the 35 hours of training. You must also pass an exam and participate in ongoing professional development.

Of course, the PMP isn’t the only game in town. Agile certification is also extremely popular among Project Managers. There is a complete range of Agile certifications with introductions to leading Agile and Lean approaches like Scrum, Kanban, and more.

You could also consider a PgMP (Program Management Professional), a CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) or a PMI-PBA (Professional in Business Analysis).