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PMI Certifications
What is PMI?
Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world’s leading organization for those who work in project, program, or portfolio management. Their mission is “to advance careers, improve organizational success, and further mature the project management profession through globally-recognized standards, certifications, communities, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses, and networking opportunities.” PMI certification is based on rigorous standards and ongoing research to meet the real-world needs of organizations. With a PMI certification, you can work in just about any industry, anywhere in the world, and with any project management methodology. Project management certifications are extremely valuable in the IT industry, and PMI is the leader in project management certifications.
Candidates are assessed by examining their knowledge using:
- Education and experience. A combination of both education and experience in project management is required for certification.
- Testing competence. Guided by a series of scenario-based questions, candidates are required to apply project management concepts and experience to situations they’re likely to encounter on the job.
- Ongoing development. Maintenance of a PMI certification requires ongoing professional development and education, or even recertification in some instances.
PMI Certifications and Degrees
PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
Offered as an option in the following degrees:
M.S. Information Technology Management
Accelerated Information Technology Bachelor's and Master's Degree
Learn About IT Degrees
Interested in earning a PMI certification? Learn about the degrees that offer this cert.
What is CAPM?
CAPM, or Certified Associate in Project Management, gives individuals a high level of industry cred. It demonstrates that they possess knowledge of the principles, terminology, and industry best practices outlined in “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).” To be a Certified Associate in Project Management means you’ve achieved the “preeminent global standard” of knowledge in the project management profession. No matter where you are in your career, CAPM certification is a credential that will make you stand out to employers and enhance your credibility and effectiveness in working on projects and with project teams. CAPM certification is designed for those who are interested in or are just starting a career in project management. They could be project team members looking to demonstrate their project management knowledge or who want to contribute specialized skills to a project team. This certification allows them to align their work with that of project managers and apply new levels of competence to their existing jobs.
WGU offers CAPM certification as part of its master’s degree program in information technology. The topics it covers include:
- Project and organization life cycle
- Project management processes
- Project scope management
- Project integration management
- Time and cost management
- Quality management
- Human resource management
- Project risk management
- Communications management
- Procurement management
- Stakeholder management
CAPM Certification
CAPM certification is a credential that recognizes professionals who are new to project management. It certifies that a professional has a thorough knowledge of the methods and principles that are defined by the PMBOK Guide and all standard project management practices recognized globally. This certification is specially designed for, but not limited to, professionals with minimal experience in project management, which gives them a basic understanding of the subject. One of the benefits of CAPM certification is that it is a valuable addition to both your résumé and your skill set.
Want to manage larger projects? Gain more responsibility? Add project management skills to your current job? If you answered yes to at least one of these, you should definitely take the CAPM certification exam. It has 150 questions and you have three hours to complete it. Prerequisites for the CAPM exam are as follows:
- A secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent)
- 1,500 hours of project experience
OR
- 23 hours of project management education completed by the time of the exam
NOTE: CAPM certification holders need to earn 15 professional development units (PDUs) every three years to maintain their certification
CAPM Exam
The CAPM is a specialized credential that improves credibility and offers professionals opportunities to increase their skills, lead larger projects, and advance their careers. Cost for taking the exam is $225 for PMI members and $300 for non-members. The exam fee is waived if you’re enrolled with WGU. Many companies offer professional development benefits that may cover employee education and professional credentialing costs. Check with your current employer to see if it can pay for some or all educational costs associated with earning a professional certification.
The exam covers several facets of the project management profession. For a preview of what to expect when sitting for the exam, here’s a sampling of skills you’ll need to demonstrate, straight from the CAPM exam content outline:
- Identify quality tools and approaches for continuous improvement.
- Define a typical project lifecycle.
- Identify the factors and assets that may impact the outcome of a project.
- Recognize the difference between leadership and management.
- Understand the purpose of project integration management and the project manager’s role within it.
- Identify the input, tools, techniques, and outputs defined in the six processes in project scope management.
- Define the six project management processes in the project resource management knowledge area.
- Identify communications skills and methods for project communication management.
- Understand the seven project management processes in the project risk management knowledge area.
- Identify the input, tools, techniques, and outputs defined in the four project stakeholder management processes.
Learn About IT Certs
Discover how WGU offers IT certifications with most of our IT degree programs.
Frequently Asked Questions about PMI Certifications
- What is CAPM?
- What are the requirements for PMI certification?
- How much is a CAPM exam?
- How will CAPM certification help my career?
- What are job opportunities with CAPM certification?
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification is for newer, entry-level IT students who have less project management experience. This is a globally recognized certification by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and covers all the basic knowledge and terminology associated with effective project management. Employers appreciate seeing CAPM on your résumé and it can be the ideal certification to set you apart from other prospective employees.
All PMI certifications require you to meet domain experience levels, educational levels, or both before you apply. You will need to provide details of this experience and/or education, so it’s a good idea to gather and prepare this information before you open the application. To be eligible for the CAPM certification, you need a high school diploma or global equivalent and must have completed 23 contact hours of formal education in project management.
$225 for PMI members and $300 for non-members. The exam fee is waived if you’re enrolled with WGU. In fact, you can earn an online degree and industry certifications—all at the same time.
CAPM certification demonstrates knowledge of PMI’s project management framework and project management processes, so this will definitely make you stand out as a job candidate. Additionally, CAPM-certified employees have a working knowledge of the PMBOK® Guide, a great first step toward pursuing other certifications, namely project management professional (PMP) certification.
Entering “CAPM” into the search field on Indeed yields hundreds of job opportunities across several industries: project managers and project coordinators, consultants and customer project specialists, business analysts and data integration developers. Not only is this a strong indication of that aforementioned project economy, it’s also a surefire sign that a CAPM certification can and will advance your career.
WGU IT Certifications
Each WGU IT degree comes with top industry certifications at no extra cost.
