Project Management Courses Australia
Looking to upskill with a professional project management course?
Here is a guide to help you explore the available options for enhancing your project management skills and advancing your career. Whether you’re seeking a project management certification course or a flexible non-certification pathway, you’ll find practical insights to boost your earning potential and professional impact.
You may have arrived here as you’re thinking about completing a project management course or certification and have noticed many project management courses and project management certifications to choose from. Sometimes it can get a little confusing to identify the project management course that best fits your project and career goals.
Project management courses range from 12 – 24 month post-graduate programs, to 3 – 5 day project management certification or a non-certification project management short course.
Project management courses and certification programs typically fall into three main categories: postgraduate project management programs offered by tertiary institutes; short project management courses with internationally recognised certifications, as offered by licensed/accredited training organisations, plus a third category: short project management courses without formal certification.
This table provides a quick look comparison between these three main categories and may help in discovering the best fit for your career goals, skill development, and earning potential.
| Course type | Duration | Certification Preparation time | Best for | Pricing $AUD* |
| Project management post-graduate (Diploma/Master’s) | 12 – 18 Months | 18 – 24 Months | People seeking broader knowledge, investing in a longer-term career change or formal qualification |
$35,000 – $48,000 |
| Project Management short course | 2 – 3 days | Non-certification program | Understanding the fundamentals of project management | $750+ |
| International certifications: | ||||
| PRINCE2 Practitioner certification | 5 days | 1 month is plausible | Those seeking a project management methodology, and a globally recognised certification |
$3,100+ with certification fee (classroom)$1,900+ with certification fee (self-paced online)
|
| PMP project management certification | 5 days | 3 months is plausible | Those seeking understanding of project management domains and a globally reocgnised certification |
$2,500+ (classroom) Plus additional fee for certification exam & membership$1,000+ (self-paced online) Plus additional fee for certification exam & membership |
*Pricing is a guide only, drawn from common data sources. Pricing can vary based on training format (in-person, online, self-paced learning), course inclusions (with or without certification exams/membership fees), location, discounting. Please check with the training provider or education institute.
Internationally Recognised Short Course Project Management Certifications
Fast-track your project management skills with a project management certification or a practical project management short course.
PRINCE2 Project Management Certification
Where many courses focus on building project management knowledge domains around a project lifecycle, project management certification courses, like PRINCE2 provide a structured but flexible project management method, suitable for any project regardless of type and size.
Training on thePRINCE2method, is 3 days for PRINCE2 Foundation certification and 5 days for people wanting to achieve both Foundation and PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner certification. The focus of PRINCE2 is to offer a generic project management methodology.
- PRINCE2 Project Management Foundation certification – demonstrates that the candidate understands the PRINCE2 method
- PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner certification – demonstrates that the candidate is able to apply and adapt the PRINCE2 method to a given scenario.
PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification
There are two levels of certification associated with PMP® which are based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). They are:
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®
- Project Management Professional (PMP)®
The aim of these two project management certification courses as described by the Project Management Institute (PMI):
- CAPM – “A project management certification aimed at demonstrating understanding of the foundational project management skills that project teams demand”
- PMP – “Validates the skills and knowledge in managing and directing people, processes, and priorities for a project team from start to finish”
Here is a brief comparison between two of the world’s most recognised project management certifications:
| PRINCE2® Project Management | Project Management Professional (PMP)® | |
| Certifications | PRINCE2® Project Management FoundationPRINCE2® Project Management Practitioner | Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®Project Management Professional (PMP)® |
| Official guide | PRINCE2 7 – Managing Successful Projects | PMBOK Guide (7th edition) |
| Focus | A structured and, scalable approach to achieving project outcomes | Project management performance domains to achieve project outcomes |
| Experience required | No experience required for Foundation certification
Foundation certification required to complete Practitioner
*See prince2training.com.au for alternative prerequisites |
CAPM – At least 23 contact hours of project management education*
PMP 3 – 5 years of experience required*
*See PMI for alternative prerequisites |
| Accreditation and certification institute | PeopleCert | PMI |
| Certifications world-wide | 2 million+ since 1996 | 1.7 million+ since 1969 |
What are the benefits of a project management certification courses?
Project management certification courses offer professionals who want to lead projects confidence, improve career opportunities, and equips you with skills that can be transferred across industries.
Completing a recognised project management course with an international certification provides confidence the training is aligned to a recognised and proven project management standard, offer practical tools, and globally accepted credentials that employers value.
The benefits of a full certification project management short course, include:
- Enhanced project performance
- Higher earning potential and career mobility
- Recognition across industry sectors including IT, construction, finance, and healthcare
- Access to structured frameworks and guides, to help reduce project risk and improve project outcomes
Certification short courses are likely to be meet most or all of the following requirements:
- Accessible learning and certification immediacy
- Aligned to a proven project management standard
- Independently assessed
- Accredited to a project management trainings syllabus
- Nationally or internationally recognised
- Led by trainers with experience in the domain
- Trainers with relevant qualifications in the domain they are teaching
Whether you’re new to project management or looking to formalize your experience, certification gives you the edge.
Project Management Short Courses for Practical Skills (non-certification)
If you’re, however, looking to improve project outcomes without committing to formal certification, there are also project management short courses, with a wide range of training providers offering these courses.
Common subject areas covered in short project management courses:
- The phases and processes of a project lifecycle
- Key project management artefacts
- Project scope management and planning
- The skills, role and responsibilities of a project manager.
These short courses are ideal for people who are commonly active contributors to projects or manage projects that are less complex, where such projects may also be managed informally. They are best suited for anyone seeking an essentials level project management course.
Key Advantages of Short Non-Certification Project Management Courses
Short project management courses without formal project management certification offer some unique benefits:
- Flexibility: Widely accessible across Australia- often easy to find, including in major regional centres — online or in-person
- Practical insights: Though they may be less likely to provide a detailed and wholistic coverage of project management disciplines, they are more likely to focus on essential elements that can be applied immediately in practice
- Cost-effective learning – Typically more affordable when compared to certification programs, making them ideal for individuals or organisations with limited training budgets
- Customizable to organisational needs – As these courses are typically not bound by strict accreditation or exam requirements, they can be tailored to suit specific industries, project types, or team skill levels
- Lower learning anxiety – Without the pressure of certification exams, participants are likely to experience lower learning anxiety and greater engagement with practical content.
However, without independent assessment and accreditation, their coverage, quality and value of these courses may vary.
Project management postgraduate diploma and master’s courses
A postgraduate project management course, such as a graduate diploma or master’s degree offered by tertiary institutions, provides training in project management that in some cases may be aligned to the syllabus of major project management institutes, like PMI and AIPM. Other tertiary post-graduate courses may integrate units linked to project management such as operational management, strategic leadership, management of technology.
Post-graduate programs offer a formal project management certification that is highly regarded across industries and ideal for professionals seeking a broader scope of knowledge or a longer-term career change. With a strong academic foundation, postgraduate study equips you to manage complex projects, lead cross-functional teams, and align project outcomes with business goals.