Perhaps you’re taking your first step towards a career in product management—or you’re already a product manager and want to upskill.
No matter your goals, there are some excellent product management schools out there offering a whole host of training programs, learning materials, and product expertise.
Of course, not all schools are equal in terms of quality. So which ones should you consider?
Here are our top picks for 2023:
- CareerFoundry
- Columbia Business School
- The Kellogg School of Management
- Product School
- Mind the Product
- 280 Group
- General Assembly
- BrainStation
- Berkeley Executive Education
- Product Institute
Product management schools FAQ
If you’d like to try the field on for size, this free product manager short course is an ideal way for you to start.
So, are you ready to discover the best product management schools? Let’s go!
1. CareerFoundry
CareerFoundry offers a Product Management Program with a certificate, which takes 3 months full-time or up to 6 months flexible (15-20 hrs/week) for $6,900 (€5,900).
Long after having established a top reputation for online career-change programs in areas such as UX design and data analytics, in 2022 CareerFoundry developed their own bespoke product management offering.
As with their other full-length courses, the CareerFoundry Product Management Program is aimed at upskillers, rookie PMs, and those looking to switch careers into product management.
The unique benefit for product management students is CareerFoundry’s dual mentorship model—this means that they’re supported by a dedicated tutor to go through their coursework, and a mentor to guide them along their path. This mentor is a senior product management professional who will advise students throughout the program, offering industry insights and support with your career development.
As you approach graduation, you’ll also be paired with a career specialist. They will actively provide guidance as you refine your portfolio, tune-up your resume, search for and select job postings, and polish your interviewing skills.
You can learn even more about how the CareerFoundry Product Management Program works at one of their free online information evenings.
2. Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School offers a six-week online Product Management Methodologies course for $2,600 USD.
The course provides a high-level, strategic overview of the entire product life cycle, leaving you equipped to develop and execute a robust product strategy. Learners are required to put in an estimated 4-6 hours of study per week to complete a total of six modules.
When studying product management with Columbia Business School, you’ll learn flexibly with recorded video lectures, and you’ll have the opportunity to attend webinars and office hours and engage in moderated discussion groups with your peers.
The Product Management Methodologies course is geared towards mid-level professionals who are already working in product management and want to deepen their strategic knowledge. Aspiring product managers with prior experience in UX design, project management, marketing, market research, and business analytics are also welcome to apply.
Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate of participation from Columbia Business School Executive Education.
3. The Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University)
The Kellogg School of Management offers an online Product Strategy course which spans 2 months at a pace of 4-6 hours per week and costs $2,850 USD.
The course has been designed for business managers and leaders who are involved in the product life cycle at any point, as well as those who are directly or indirectly involved in product or portfolio strategy (such as those working in sales, marketing, finance, operations, or R&D). As such, you’ll need some existing product knowledge and experience to enroll.
The curriculum is broken down into six modules, starting with understanding product strategy and moving through topics such as analyzing product opportunities, taking products to market, and managing product evolution and growth.
The course also contains a practical element, taking you through hands-on application exercises such as wireframe building, product roadmapping, and analyzing a SaaS pricing model.
If you pass the course with a grade of 80% or more, you’ll receive a verified digital certificate of completion from Kellogg Executive Education.
4. Product School
Product School is a dedicated product management school offering three different certification courses, as well as corporate training.
Whichever course you choose, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from product leaders at top Silicon Valley companies, expand your network, and obtain the skills needed to advance your product career.
If you’re brand new to product management and looking to land your first role, you’ll start with the Product Manager Certification. Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll get access to a wealth of resources—including on-demand videos, free product management tools, templates, and a student forum.
From there, you’ll attend live, online instructor-led sessions and take part in group activities. For the final session, you’ll give a product presentation to demonstrate your new skills.
The Product Manager Certification costs $4,499 USD (if you pay upfront), and you can complete the course full-time over 5 days or part-time over 8 weeks.
Additional certifications offered by the Product School include the Senior Product Manager Certification for those already working in the field, and the Product Leader Certification for those who want to move into a people management role.
If you’re not ready to enroll in a full course, the Product School also offers a range of free micro-certifications, events, and downloadable books and guides. Check out the entire library of free product management resources on their site.
4. Mind the Product
Another dedicated product management school, Mind the Product offers a variety of trainer-led courses and self-paced online programs.
All of Mind the Product’s courses are built around their three core training values of being research-led, practitioner taught, and critically considered.
Their trainer-led courses are interactive, remote workshops scheduled across multiple days in short time blocks, allowing for participation from different time zones.
Topics include Product Management Foundations, Communication & Alignment, Metrics for Product Managers, Mapping to Solve Product Problems, and Product Leadership. Tickets to trainer-led workshops cost between $799 and $1,099 USD per person.
Alternatively, you can brush up on your core product skills with one of their self-paced online courses. You’ll work through seven modules in your own time, at your own pace, learning through video tutorials, interactive activities, and peer-to-peer discussion. Topics range from collaborative prioritization to goals alignment, user interviews, stakeholder management, and more.
To access Mind the Product’s online content, you’ll need to subscribe. Prices start at $250 per year or $25 per month.
6. 280 Group
The 280 Group product management school offers consulting, private custom training, a vast library of product management resources, and a variety of online and in-person courses.
If you’re looking to advance your product career, you can choose from one of three courses:
- Optimal Product Management for all PM levels
- Digital Product Management for all PM levels
- Agile Product Management for product managers with at least one year of experience
Each course is available in person, live online, or as a self-study format for ultimate flexibility. Courses cost $1,495 USD.
If you’re keen to learn about product management without investing in a course, you can head to the 280 Group library of product management resources. Here you’ll find templates and toolkits, books, whitepapers, webinars, and more.
No matter what stage you’re at in your product manager career path, you’ll find a wealth of learning materials at the 280 Group product management school.
7. General Assembly
General Assembly is a tech training school offering a range of courses for upskillers and career-changers—including a product management course which costs $4,500 USD.
The GA product management course is available online either part-time over 10 weeks (with 4 hours of study per week) or full-time over the course of one week. Students attending the part-time course will have live lessons two evenings per week, while those opting for the full-time pace will have classes Monday-Saturday between 9am and 5pm.
Ideal for beginners, the course focuses on teaching the real-world, job-relevant skills you’ll need if you want to become a product manager. You’ll work on hands-on portfolio projects, and connect with a global community of product management experts and General Assembly alumni.
Although not a product management school by definition, General Assembly has one of the most robust and comprehensive product management courses currently available on the market.
8. BrainStation
BrainStation is another tech training school offering product management courses.
Depending on where you’re at in your product management journey, you can choose between the Product Management Course for beginners, the Product Leadership Course for those with existing product knowledge, and the Design Thinking Course for those looking to upskill in user-centric product development.
BrainStation courses take place via live online classes scheduled for specific dates and times. So, while you’ll have the flexibility to learn from anywhere, you’ll need to adhere to the course schedule. The programs take between five and ten weeks to complete, and cost around $3,250 USD.
Like many of the product management schools on our list, BrainStation also offers regular free events for those looking to dip their toe into product management before signing up for a course.
9. Berkeley Executive Education
Berkeley Executive Education has one main online program available within the field of product management: Product Management Studio.
The Product Management Studio course is an 8-week online program which costs $3,750 USD. It promises an immersive learning experience which will teach you the skills needed to create product teams and experiences that balance customer empathy and data-based decision making.
You’ll dive into all of the key elements involved in product management and develop a strong sense of pricing strategies, portfolio planning, the business model canvas, and negotiation tactics.
Students enrolled in the Berkeley Executive Education product management school can expect live, expert-led classes (online), dynamic video lectures, practical exercises, networking opportunities, and more.
10. Product Institute
Product Institute is a product management school and online learning hub for product people at any stage in their career, offering on-demand courses, expert content, and practical frameworks.
Students of the Product Institute can choose from six product management courses:
- Product Management Foundations to learn to think like a product manager
- User Research to learn how to make data-driven decisions
- Tech Fundamentals to improve the way you communicate about technology and collaborate with developers
- Metrics to learn how to effectively use metrics to monitor product health
- UX Design Fundamentals to learn how to put UX at the core of your product management process
- Market Research to learn how to identify market trends and put together a business case
Courses are available as a self-paced option for individual learners, or as part of a team plan. For individual learners, the Product Management Foundations course costs $1,199 USD, while the five deep-dive courses cost $349 each.
Product management schools FAQ
Now that you’ve gone over some of the best candidates out there, you might have some general questions on the topic. Let’s deal with them in this section:
What is the best education for a product manager?
Which education you opt for depends on where you are in your product management journey. If you’re getting started, a product management course or bootcamp is a great way to learn the skills and tools necessary to begin your career. As you continue along the path, adding qualifications such as a Scrum Master certification will boost your job prospects as well as the range of roles you can perform. Product management schools offer a range of trainings and courses for all steps along the product ladder.
Which country is best for product management?
This depends on a wide range of factors:the average product manager salaries in a country, the number of roles available, and the cost of living of the country, are just some things to bear in mind. Europe and North American countries tend to have the most demand for product managers at the moment, however as the number industries employing them grows, so too does demand across all countries.
Do product managers make a lot of money?
With the average product manager salary in the U.S. of $112,513 (source: Indeed) being over double the national average of $53,490 (source: JobTed), yes it’s fair to say that a qualified product manager makes good money. This pattern is repeated across many other countries, with the average PM wage being comfortably above the national average.
What next?
Before you decide on a product management school, do plenty of research and make sure that your chosen school aligns with your personal requirements and learning goals.
Compare different options on the market (as you’ve started to do already by reading this article) and narrow down your list based on your budget, preferred learning format, and how much time you want to spend on the course.
And, before you commit, try a free introductory product management short course and learn more about a career in product management with these guides: