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While I was working for a digital marketing company, deadlines, communications, and clear objectives were very important. In my role as a social media manager, I was tasked with making projects schedules, supplying outlines, and communicating with others. But what brought everyone together was having a product manager.
Product managers research customer desires and envisions products from start to finish. In my company, we worked with a product manager to promote sleep devices for middle-aged Americans. Even entry-level managers have a great outlook. But not all of us have time or money to complete a full degree program– which is where online courses like Udacity come in.
Udacity is swiftly becoming one of the most popular places to take product management courses online. These courses offer certifications and could boost your resume with some hands-on project experience.
In this guide, I’ll give you my insight into the best product management courses you can take from Udacity this year. From courses for beginners to details about more difficult modules, here’s what I recommend in 2022.
Bottom Line Up Front Summary:
If I had to select just one product management course from Udacity, it would be the Product Management Nanodegree. This is a general, comprehensive course that is perfect for both beginners and intermediate learners. It covers all the basics of product management, complete with four interesting and useful projects.
Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology.
Related read: Best Udacity Nanodegrees Available Today.
My Top Picks
- Product Management Nanodegree: Best Comprehensive
- AI Product Management Nanodegree: Best for Machine Learning Integration
- Agile Software Development Nanodegree: Best For Efficiency
- Data Product Management Nanodegree: Best for Data Management
How I Selected the Best Courses
To get the most out of a product management course, there are several things I look for. Since product management is a job that requires creativity and great communication skills, I expect the same from an online product management course. Luckily, Udacity’s course structure combines flexibility and personalization for a comprehensive learning experience.
Teaches Fundamental Skills
The most important product management skills include flexibility, negotiation, great communication, analysis, and creative thinking.
For all online product management courses, I want to see most of these principles covered. I also want all courses to teach key technical skills that help you see a product from start to finish.
Great Course Organization
Product management cannot exist without excellent organization. I also want a course that exemplifies excellent organization. For that, I study the product management courses’ descriptions and course syllabus.
Clear deadlines and a meaningful progression from each module are all very important. Clear outcomes and objectives are also important.
Nuanced Hands-On Experience
Udacity does a pretty good job of providing practical projects. But the best courses include projects for most modules that seamlessly integrate into the course materials and the capstone project.
I’m picky about this because, as a product manager, you need to be able to apply your skills in practical ways and innovative ways. The details of the projects are important to the overall experience of the course. I like courses that make you see a product from start to finish.
Student Support
The good news about this category is that it generally applies to most Udacity courses. I want to see courses that provide resources during the course. This includes personalized project feedback, tech support, and even chat forums to connect with other learners.
Having that communication is so important for your learning. I also like additional perks, like career support after you complete the course.
Udacity Product Management Courses: My Picks
Here are my top recommendations for product management courses you can take online through Udacity in 2022. The upside to all of these courses is that you’ll have access to a few Udacity perks. That includes free LinkedIn and Github reviews. It also includes technical support if anything goes wrong.
Probably one of my favorite perks is the Udacity Blog, which is regularly updated with industry news. I also appreciate the resources for international students. There’s also the Udacity Support Community.
Beyond that, these are the product management courses that stood out to me as the best value from Udacity.
Udacity Product Manager Nanodegree
If you want a comprehensive introduction to product management, this is the best Udacity course to take. I was impressed with the balance between making this course work for beginners and also useful for career development. Think of this as the general course to go to if you aren’t sure what area you want to specialize in.
This program is at once extensive and also nuanced. The focus is on how to direct a deliverable product from start to finish. While some product management courses online are quite theoretical, it’s easy to see from your first day how the learning outcomes translate into the real world. Enroll Here.
Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology.
Course Duration and Requirements
This course takes the average person 4 months to complete. However, all Udacity courses are self-paced, so it’s up to you. I like this option– just keep in mind that you pay monthly or for 4 months at a time. No specific prerequisites are required.
This is a beginner-friendly product management course, but a few areas of knowledge are helpful. Simple computer skills are a must. You should also be comfortable with internet browsers and basic file management. This course is about as novice-friendly as it gets.
Main Course Curriculum/ Description
The general product management nano degree includes four modules. That’s realistic pacing, at one module per month. The modules include product strategy, product design, product development, and product launch.
Of all the product management courses Udacity offers, I like the emphasis on working on something from start to finish. The mini-projects tie in quite well together, as does the course content.
By the end of this course, you’ll know how to brainstorm a project, promote it with market strategies, and bring a successful product to an intended audience.
Course Projects and Outcomes
Every module has an integrated project, so you have four hands-on projects, all of which build upon each other. The first project requires you to create a pitch based upon a business scenario and target audience. You’ll use your skills to conduct market research and conduct stakeholder analysis.
Project two requires you to run a design sprint. This involves narrowing down a concept from a list of ideas. This is followed up with project three, where you must manage the development process of your product. The course finishes with a product launch. This is where it gets exciting because you’ll be developing marketing strategies to present to sales teams.
Pros
- Great for beginners
- Useful for any product management position
- Four immersive projects
Cons
- More general vs specialization
- It may not help you stand out
Udacity AI Product Manager Nanodegree
This course will introduce you to an excellent specialty. This course is a great fit for anyone interested in machine learning and deep learning techniques.
It also has the advantage of helping you make a smoother product launch. What’s cool about this course is that it investigates the intersection between product management skills and increasingly important machine learning knowledge.
It’s also a great opportunity to distinguish yourself from general product managers. It’s about half as long, so it’s a bit quicker and more affordable than the general product management course. Enroll Here.
Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world.
Course Duration and Requirements
It takes students an average of just 2 months to complete. This course is targeted and still nuanced. One thing that was a little surprising to me was the lack of course requirements.
Not only are there no prerequisites, but there also are no recommended skills beyond basic computer knowledge. However, some working understanding of AI systems or machine learning would enhance your learning experience.
Main Course Curriculum/ Description
There are four modules in this course as well, even though they aren’t as lengthy. The first module includes an introduction to AI and business. This is a really helpful model to get your feet wet and help you understand if this course is right for you.
The core content begins with the second module where you’ll learn how to create quality data sets. The third module builds upon that knowledge by delving into building models using neural networks. The course finishes with exploring the impact of post-deployment and how to improve models.
By the end of this product management course, you’ll be able to build and improve upon AI models and apply them to the business world.
Course Projects and Outcomes
There are only three projects, but that seems to fit well with the 2 months. The first unit project is creating a medical annotation data set. You learn a little bit about medical classification and get to see how these concepts are critical for real-world applications. The second unit project requires you to build a model with automated machine learning. This is different from what you may be used to because no coding is required.
The course is rounded off with a capstone project, where you’re tasked with creating a full business proposal. You get wiggle room in what you choose, which I like for staying engaged and being able to show how you can use your training.
Pros
- In-demand skills
- Combines product management with automated learning
- Projects with applications in medical fields
Cons
- May require machine learning knowledge
- Projects don’t cover as many disciplines
Udacity Agile Software Development Nanodegree for Product Managers
If you’ve been in product management for a while, you know that not everything goes to plan. This course won’t solve that– but it does tackle a critical concept for product management. Agile software development focuses on optimizing interactions and technology. The goal is a nuanced, more efficient product launch.
By learning about agile software development, you’re likely to become more effective as a product manager and trim back on mistakes and time you see that product from start to finish. In this way, this course doesn’t only potentially open new job opportunities. It also makes your job more enjoyable and easier. Enroll Here.
Learn best practices for using the Agile framework to build better products faster and more efficiently.
Course Duration and Requirements
This course takes an average of 3 months to complete. Once again, there aren’t any prerequisites beyond basic computer skills. However, I’d recommend experience working with software development tools and negotiating skills.
Main Course Curriculum/ Description
This course is delivered in three modules. The first module is a generous overview of the foundations of agile frameworks. I like that it includes frameworks from different industries, including Scrum, XP, and Kanban.
In the second module, you’ll learn how to use that framework to deliver with writing, planning, and optimized organization. The course finishes with a focus on organizational agility. That includes identifying risks, differentiating patterns, and using metrics.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to employ agile frameworks to direct product launches.
Course Projects and Outcomes
Every unit has a project, culminating in a visual report. Your first project requires you to respond to a scenario where an imaginary company is struggling with inefficient product launches. You prepare a presentation in response, using a basic understanding of agile frameworks.
The second project, which is my favorite, requires you to craft a software solution for the CDC. The final project showcases your ability to organize, monitor, and adjust product launches by using Big Visual Information Radiator.
Pros
- Skills to increase efficiency
- Projects build for the capstone project
- Work with BVIR
Cons
- Helpful to have a working knowledge of software development
- May be challenging for beginners
Udacity Data Product Manager Nanodegree
Rounding out my list of best product management courses from Udacity is this data management nanodegree course. Data product management is useful no matter what industry you’re working in. If you want to become more efficient and analytical but aren’t invested in machine learning, this could be a great course for you.
Understanding how to collect, organize and disperse data is paramount to communicating ideal product ideas. However, there is some knowledge you may want to have before tackling this course. Enroll Here.
Leverage data to build products that deliver the right experiences, to the right users, at the right time. Lead the development of data-driven products that position businesses to win in their market.
Course Duration and Requirements
This course takes around 3 months to complete, assuming that you’re devoting 10 hours per week. As usual, you can enroll in this course without specific prior coursework.
But for this course, you really should go in with a knowledge of algorithms and databases. You don’t have to know everything about data analysis, but knowledge of Tableau and/or SQL is helpful.
Main Course Curriculum/ Description
Par for many Udacity courses, you spend an average of one month per module, for a total of three modules. The first module doesn’t waste time getting into materials. You learn about the different data science applications for product management, using Tableau to create helpful visualizations.
The second module uses statistical analysis to understand data structures. This may seem unrelated to product management at first, but it is incredibly helpful for making projections and step-by-step decisions. The course finishes with learning how to use data pipelines and chi-square tests to translate into code. The goal is to gain insight into KPIs.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to manipulate data to drive product launches for a marketing edge over competitors.
Course Projects and Outcomes
The projects in this course are nuanced and targeted. In the first project, you’ll develop a data-backed proposal to support an MVP launch. The theoretical scenario makes this project both interesting and easy to envision for deliverable results.
The second project allows you to build a scalable project, which manages data for the same MVP launch. The third and final project requires you to conduct A/B tests to identify behavior patterns. By the end of this course, you’ll have created an assumption map.
Pros
- Skills to identify consumer behavior
- Focus on practical, deliverable results
- Helpful for optimizing KPIs
Cons
- Very narrow focus
- Only three projects- all within the same context
Frequently Asked Questions
Answer: The day in a life of a product manager is busy, sometimes stressful, and always evolving. Product managers attend many meetings and spend their time both communicating and planning. A product manager may be on calls with potential clients and strategize product launches. They may be brainstorming from a list of ideas and narrowing down a product based upon market research.
While product managers aren’t required to code, they have a general understanding of basic programming languages and may look into ways to optimize products if they’re in the tech industry.
One thing that I need to mention about product managers is that they face long hours. Instead of the typical 40-hour workweek, a product manager may be facing 50 to 60 hour weeks during peak time before product launches. Weekends are often required, and many product managers may need to travel.
Answer: Product managers do come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The most common fields include engineering, IT, and sales. Since product managers need to be both creative and have tech skills, it takes a special person to do this job. You must be innovative, responsive, and also savvy with computers.
Working with others and being able to negotiate and strategize is also important. Most product managers get enjoyment from working on products they are passionate about. The higher quitting rate is usually related to being in an environment where someone isn’t interested in the products they’re promoting.
Answer: Udacity nano degrees are not officially accredited. As such, they don’t count as a professional certification nor are they a degree program. However, I don’t think that means that you should discount them, just see them as useful in a different way. Udacity can be listed under the education section of your resume. Just include a blurb describing the course. They provide a certificate of completion as well. While nano degrees aren’t equivalent to degree programs, they can help stand out in the job market. They also teach valuable skills and give you some connections.
Answer: Something I like about Udacity is its focus on real-life projects. Projects help you gain hands-on experience and understand how your learning translates to the real world. Udacity courses are not excessively hard, but they’re also not easy. Any Udacity course tends to mention knowledge you should have beforehand. I think that community feedback and helpful learning modules make the projects pretty doable. They’re challenging but in a positive way.
Final Thoughts
The outlook for product managers is quite positive. Product managers were named as one of the top 5 positions by Glassdoor in 2020. In half a decade, product manager jobs have doubled.
While product management isn’t always a high-paying job, it pays well enough to live comfortably.
With a specialization, there’s ample room for career growth and other opportunities.
I don’t think product management is the right fit for everyone, but for those who thrive in ever-changing environments, it could be. These Udacity courses do a nice job of showcasing the needed integration of creative thought, marketing, and organization to succeed.
Final Recommendations: Udacity Alternatives
Udacity offers some pretty strong courses for product management. If you take into consideration the hands-on projects and student support, it’s easy to see why some students found their experience to be very enjoyable.
If you’re not ready to commit to a product management course, free resources can help you decide. On the other hand, if you’re only interested in either professional certificates or a degree program, then a more traditional course may be the right option for you.
Free Product Management Resource Collection
If you want free resources, this is an excellent place to go. This online collection is a hub for podcasts, social media groups, videos, and ebooks.
It’s a great way to stay connected and up to date with all the news for product managers. Visit Here.
Product Management Certification from Cornell University
Cornell University offers online courses and professional certification. This course series in product management would look great on a resume and consists of 6 connected courses.
It’s entirely online and directed by Cornell faculty. Sign Up Here.