Certificate in Agile Practices

Agile ways of working are now mainstream and individuals who understand how to apply agile will have greater opportunities for success and advancement. Whether you are seeking online agile training to advance in your current role or make a career pivot, the courses in Northwestern University's Agile Certificate Program are delivered remotely by a live instructor on weekday evenings, making them convenient for working professionals. Classes are spread out over multiple weeks so that team assignments, readings, and discussions can be completed where and when it is most convenient. Students get the benefits of blending live interaction with their peers and an industry expert instructor with the convenience of an online agile certification program.

Our four agile courses provide a comprehensive understanding of agile ways of working. This includes coverage of the most popular flavors of agile such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and Extreme Programming (XP). We use case studies as the basis for our discussion topics. These case studies highlight how other organizations have leveraged agile techniques to become more responsive to competitors. Our hands-on exercises will help students gain a deep understanding of the application of these techniques which will be helpful whether you are an agile team member, Scrum Master, project manager, agile coach, or agile leader.

While agile ways of working have been around for some time, we stay up to date on the newest trends in agile, including agile scaling frameworks and applying AI models to better coach and support agile teams. Students will learn how to leverage their own AI Agile Coach in exercises and for real work applications.

"I underestimated the impact that my peers would have on my learning journey. The instructor created a synergetic environment where everybody was able to bring in their struggles, challenges, and experiences and learn from them. So not only did we have a great teacher and mentor, but the class was highly interactive which accelerated the learning process." — 2023 Certificate in Agile Practices participant

The Certificate in Agile Practices is currently under review. Please refer to the Project Management Certificate Programs page for information about upcoming courses.

 

About the Certificate in Agile Practices

What Is Agile?


 

Agile Certificate Program Goals

 

After completing the courses and obtaining the Agile certificate, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the differences between traditional or waterfall approaches and agile ways of working
  • Estimate and plan a successful project using agile practices including Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean Software Development
  • Leverage key concepts of Agile project analysis and design including requirements-gathering techniques that support product backlogs including user stories, relative estimation, Story Mapping, and acceptance criteria
  • Organize, motivate, coach, and lead an Agile team
  • Manage the scope, schedule, budget, and quality of Agile initiatives while focusing on the delivery of customer value
  • Leverage the key leadership skills appropriate for agile teams including coaching, facilitation, collaborative decision-making, conflict resolution, and team building
  • Leverage modern AI tools to improve their effectiveness with agile ways of working
  • Understand the knowledge and experience requirements necessary to apply for and pass the PMI-ACP® certification exam*

*The Certificate in Agile Practices is not considered an exam preparation course. However, it provides excellent coverage of the topics on the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) certification exam. Each of our Agile courses provides professional development units (PDUs) that can be used for certification or re-certification.

Student Insight

Julie Cowan, Marketing-Communications Manager, Northwestern University Office for Research 

Sunny Yurasek

As the marketing and communications manager for Northwestern University’s Office for Research, Julie Cowan tackles projects ranging from content creation to user experience to graphic design. All research projects at the University touch the Office for Research at some point, which places communications from more than 12 research support offices and 53 University Research Centers under the purview of Cowan’s department. These creative projects have one thing in common—the need for strategic project management.

“I thought the class was fantastic. The instructor was phenomenal,” said Cowan, whose class was led by career Agile coach and SPS instructor Anthony Mersino. 

Learn more about Julie's experience in Agile for Practitioners and how Julie is now implementing Agile practices in her department.

Program Audience for Agile Certificate

This program is useful for a wide range of participants who are interested in adopting Agile principles and practices.

  • Business analysts, data specialists, testing professionals, and others who are on or may join an Agile team
  • Experienced project managers who currently use traditional techniques and are seeking to incorporate Agile practices
  • Those looking to become Scrum Masters or Agile Coaches
  • Managers and leaders who need to understand the leadership skills that will be effective with Agile teams
  • Career-changers who want to learn Agile best practices and join an Agile team
  • Individuals who are seeking PMI-ACP® certification, or certified individuals who are seeking professional development hours to maintain their certification

Agile Program Courses

Courses range from Agile Estimating and Planning to Leading and Coaching Agile Teams and Soft Skills for Project Managers. Explore all the Agile Program Courses for detail on the program's offerings.

Requirements for Agile Certificate

To earn the Certificate in Agile Practices from Northwestern University, students must complete the Agile core course and two electives. Students may choose from Agile-specific electives, or they may choose from the general project management elective pool. 

Core Course

  • Agile for Practitioners (PROJ_PMI 403-0)
    • Course length: 4 weeks
    • Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer
    • Currently offered remotely through Canvas, Northwestern University's online learning management system

Elective Courses

  • Leading and Coaching Agile Teams (PROJ_PMI 350-0)
  • Agile Estimating and Planning (PROJ_PMI 360-0)
  • Supporting an Agile Transformation (PROJ_PMI 365-0)
  • Any general project management elective course

To earn a certification from the Project Management Institute, such as PMI-ACP® certification, you must sit for their exam and meet their eligibility criteria. While our Agile courses are aligned with the PMI-ACP® certification examination, they are not strictly test-prep courses. Our instructors are able to provide guidance to students on how best to prepare for the PMI-ACP® exam, but you should still plan on additional certification test preparation activities.

Tuition and Financial Aid for Agile Certificate Program

Tuition for the Certificate in Agile Practices program at Northwestern is comparable to other competitive Agile programs in Chicago. Students in non-degree Professional Development programs are not eligible for U.S. federal loans but may qualify for a private loan to offset tuition charges. Complete details can be found on the Tuition and Financial Aid for Agile Certificate Program section of our website.

Agile Faculty

Instructors for this program have a range of expertise, specializations and work experience. Read about their qualifications on our Agile Program Faculty page.

Careers in Agile

Demand for those with a Certificate in Agile Practices is increasing. Agile principles and practices can be applied in any industry. Explore the possibilities for individuals with these highly portable and transferable skills on our Careers in Agile page.

Related Professional Development Programs at SPS

Learn more about the Certificate in Business Analytics.

 

Find out more about Northwestern's Certificate in Agile Practices

Contact an Enrollment Adviser

An Enrollment Adviser at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies can help with any inquiries regarding our certificate programs.

Project Management and Agile Courses

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