Inexpensive online PMP Classes (Los Angeles, and perhaps elsewhere)

I took these courses "PMP Certification Prep" I and II by Tony Swaim at the beginning of the summer and was quite pleased.

The homepage is extension.piercecollege.edu/ (then click "Online Classes", then the "http://www.ed2go.com/piercext/" link - opens in new window) but you can get their directly via www.ed2go.com/piercext/. Then click on "Certification Prep". To get through the material you need to take both I and II at $119 each.

Pierce College has a California Residency requirement, which I suspect is true of the Extension program also. If you go to ed2go.com directly, the classes are MORE expensive ($159 per) although there is an option to register through an accredited college in your area. It provides a Zip Code (along with various locals in Australia, Canada, and Guam) search to find contact info, but not web pages. Other institutions may have different rates and requirements.

You'll need to purchase the PMBOK (about $40 from Amazon), and you'll probably want an exam prep or two.


The course syllabus is as follows (from the site):

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

I did mine FS with no lag, without any apparent ill effects.

Each lesson consists of about 10 pages of material from the instructor, a chapter more or less in the PMBOK, and some combination of an online assignment, quiz, or practice questions.

Tony also supplies a few or more extra “Supplemental Material” links in each assignment to either provide basic understanding of some topics, or advanced understanding of some topics.

There’s a Discussion Area for posting your online assignments, and for communicating both with the instructor and other students.

The course assumes at least an intermediate level of Project Management experience. There's a Fundamentals course for those just starting.

Let me know if you'd like more info.