11 project management short courses you can study online
Learn how to lead an important work project before the year is over. These online project management courses only take 10-16 weeks to complete.
Have you been asked to lead an upcoming project, like a festival, concert, conference or website launch? Or maybe you want to work on your confidence before going after a project manager role? Whatever the case, we can point you to an online short course that will help you get where you want to be.
Why should you study a short project management course?
If you've ever been involved in a big work project, then you know there's an art to successful project management. Even those who understand their industry inside out can struggle when leading a project if they’re not organised, collaborative and efficient. Depending on your industry, you might need to learn about a new technical concept, like the agile methodology, before you can successfully lead a project to completion.
Taking a short project management course is a great way to gain that knowledge quickly, so you can put it straight into action.
What to know before browsing these short courses
All courses are delivered 100% online by universities from across Australia. This means you’ll learn from the best, but have the flexibility to fit study around your day job.
You can enrol instantly through us. You’ll study directly with the university, but we’re here to offer you extra support and answer your questions about getting started.
They are covered by HELP loans. Since these short courses are offered by universities, you don't have to pay the course fee upfront. You may be eligible to defer your fees using HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. You can give our friendly student advisors a call if you want to ask about this. We’ve included course fee estimates so you can make an informed choice about the path you take.
Foundational project management courses
Project Time Management
Curtin University 10 weeks
Cost: From $2,921 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to get better at scheduling
Next start date: 27 November 2022
If you're worried about delivering a project on time, or keeping a team to schedule, then this is the course for you. You’ll learn about time management and scheduling techniques used in large-scale business projects. You'll also learn how to accurately estimate how long tasks will take. This course includes some introductory content on agile project management.
Managing Organisations and People The University of Adelaide 13 weeks
Cost: From $2,000 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to be a better leader
Next start date: 5 September 2022
Discover what it takes to get your team operating like a well-oiled machine. This course covers all the fundamentals of leadership, including how to organise and motivate your team members, successfully communicate and make ethical decisions.
Project Quality Management Curtin University 13 weeks
Cost: From $2,921 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You're not sure how to track a project's performance
Next start date: 29 August 2022
This course will help you ensure that your project is delivered at the highest possible standard. You'll learn how to continually measure the quality of any activities taking place and how to communicate with your team if things aren't going according to plan.
Project Risk Management Curtin University 13 weeks
Cost: From $2,921 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to evaluate project risks
Next start date: 28 November 2022
There are always uncertainties when you embark on a new project. But if you know how to identify and deal with problems before they even happen, then you have a much higher chance of success. This short course will teach you how to use specialist software to measure risks. You'll also learn how to put together a much-needed risk management plan ahead of your project.
Project Cost Management Curtin University 13 weeks
Cost: From $2,921 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to create project budgets
Next start date: 29 August 2022
If you need some help with the money side of project management, you should consider taking this course. It will introduce you to the basics of project cost management before breaking down all the key areas you need to understand, like budgeting, cash flow management and lifecycle costing.
Project Management Principles and Strategies University of South Australia 10 weeks
Cost: From $2,050
Enrol if: You want to understand every step in the project management process
Next start date: Check back; future dates pending
Take this course if you'd like an overview of how to lead a project from beginning to end. You'll explore how to develop a schedule, how to manage risks, how to work with teams and how to report on performance once the project is finished.
Industry-specific project management courses
Software Engineering Project Management RMIT University 13 weeks
Cost: From $1,003 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to manage IT software projects
Next start date: 29 August 2022
Learn how to lead complex software engineering projects from start to finish. This is a fantastic course to take if you want to understand IT-specific project management approaches like agile and waterfall. You'll also cover the unique challenges that can arise during software projects and why some projects fail.
Note: To enrol in this course, you need to have successfully completed the short course Software Engineering Fundamentals, or prove that you have sufficient experience in software engineering and programming.
Strategic Project Management for Sports and Events University of New England
16 weeks
Cost: From $2,615 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to manage sports events and programs
Next start date: 23 October 2022
This course is tailor-made for those who work in the sports industry. You'll learn team-based project management skills that are essential for those who work for sports organisations. This will give you the confidence to run teams and competitions or manage sports facilities and programs.
Project Management for Engineers University of South Australia 10 weeks
Cost: Pending
Enrol if: You want to manage engineering projects
Next start date: Check back; future dates pending
As an engineer, it's likely that one day you’ll want to lead a team as a project manager. This course will introduce you to the issues that can arise during civil, mechanical and electrical engineering projects, and how to tackle them.
Construction Project Management University of Tasmania 14 weeks
Cost: From $2,402 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to manage building projects
Next start date: Check back; future dates pending
This online construction project management course covers the tools and processes that are required to lead successful building projects. You'll explore how to plan and schedule, identify risks, communicate with stakeholders and much more. You'll also get to take part in online workshops with industry guests who will share their best advice for aspiring leaders.
Project Management for Health and Wellness University of South Australia 10 weeks
Cost: From $2,050 (covered by FEE-HELP)
Enrol if: You want to manage public or community health projects
Next start date: 19 September 2022
This short course is ideal for those who work in community development or public health settings. You'll learn how to lead a team, communicate with your stakeholders, get the resources you need and then kickstart successful wellness initiatives.
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