A successful management career depends on skill development and learning. Even the most talented managers continue to seek educational opportunities to develop their skills further and become better leaders and managers.
Online courses for managers allow you to continue to advance your career even when you’re already working a full-time job. These courses cover everything from communication best practices and building an ideal workplace culture to creating and inspiring strong teams.
Talented managers are in high demand, and there are plenty of online courses to help you start or strengthen your career, but knowing how to find the right program for you can be challenging. We’ve highlighted five excellent online classes for management below that will immerse you in key management concepts and areas, equipping you with essential knowledge and skills for your career.
Benefits of Enrolling in a Leadership and Management Training Course
If you’re already working in a management or leadership position, it can be difficult to find time to attend an in-person course. That’s why taking management classes online is an ideal solution. It’s much easier to fit online courses into your schedule than it is to attend in-person courses. Online courses also give you a choice of any school, regardless of its location, rather than limiting you to only programs within your proximity. Plus, since online training courses often feature flexible schedules, you can progress through the course at your own pace and easily fit your education around your career and personal obligations.
But online training courses offer other important benefits, too. As you complete the course, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your role as a manager and how you can affect the entire business or organization. Nearly any course will focus on essential elements of change management, which is particularly valuable as a company grows and evolves. These courses deliver specialized education that can enhance what you’ve already learned from a degree or work experience.
Additionally, programs will help you to develop essential skills, like communication and decision-making skills, that will ultimately make you a better, more effective manager. As a result, these online courses benefit both leaders and their businesses.
Best Online Courses For Management Training
The following online leadership courses are ideal for anyone interested in a management career, including those who are just starting and those who may already be in a leadership or management position. We’ve highlighted the need-to-know information about each course below, so you can easily decide which course(s) will best help you to reach your career goals.
1. Leadership & Management Certificate Program
The Wharton Online Leadership & Management Certificate Program delivers the specialized information and skill development that contribute to an executive’s success. During the program, you will develop management and decision-making skills, learning how to scale leadership and adapt to corporate challenges. You will learn from world-class faculty all over the world and can progress through the program at your own pace.
Each course lasts between four to six weeks, depending on your pace, and requires a time commitment of two to four hours per week. The four courses focus on key areas, including:
- Leadership in the 21st Century
- Managing and Motivating Talent
- Managing the Global Firm
- Strategic Management
Upon completing the course, you will be able to better inspire and engage employees, including through evaluations. You will understand how to implement strategic leadership, how to develop a successful business strategy, and how to build an optimal architecture for your organization.
2. Digital Leadership Certificate Program
During the Wharton Online Digital Leadership Certificate Program, you will develop your leadership skills while becoming more digitally savvy and learning how to transform your organization with new technology. This program focuses on digital retail strategies, causing AI in your business, and how the growing digital economy can impact your operation. You will learn how to adapt to rapidly changing business environments, use digital strategies to achieve your business goals, and implement new technology and strategic digital initiatives to support your business.
Each course lasts four weeks and requires two to three hours of work per week. The four individual courses focus on the following:
- Leadership in the Age of Digital Disruption
- Artificial Intelligence in Business
- Managing in the Global Digital Economy
- Removing Barriers to Change in Organizations
The program is delivered entirely online and will prepare you to improve your organization’s digital business strategy.
3. Strategic Management Certificate
The Strategic Management Certificate through Wharton Online teaches you how to develop business strategies that are both sustainable and successful. During the program, you will learn how to decrease costs, increase the efficiency of your operations, and enhance the customer experience.
This program is ideal for managers and leaders in any industry who want to learn how to give their businesses a competitive advantage. Upon its completion, you will understand how to identify and amplify competitive advantages for your business, use connected strategies to create valuable customer relationships, take your customer interactions beyond the traditional, adopt new business models, and more.
The courses last six weeks and require two to four hours of work per week. It’s delivered entirely online and combines practical lecture knowledge with the hands-on application of the concepts covered.
During the program, you will complete three courses.
- Business Strategy from Wharton: Competitive Advantage: This course focuses on evaluating, distinguishing, and leveraging your business’s competitive advantage and strategic positioning.
- Introduction to Connected Strategy: This course focuses on how to improve the way that your business interacts with customers.
- Strategic Management Capstone: During this course, you will develop actionable strategies to apply the knowledge you’ve learned to your business management.
4. Leadership in the Age of Digital Disruption
The Wharton Online Leadership in the Age of Digital Disruption program is a certificate program that prepares you to apply digital disruption best practices to the retail industry. During the program, you will learn what makes major retailers like Amazon and Walmart successful. You’ll learn how those brands leveraged the customer experience to set themselves apart, and you will discover how to utilize your leadership to stay competitive in the business world. The certificate is ideal for established retailers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in better understanding retail and the digital space.
This four-week certificate course requires one to four hours of work per week, and it’s delivered entirely online.
The certificate consists of four modules. First, you will examine disruptive changes in the retail industry, then examine retail strategies and learn how to apply those strategies to achieve your business goals. Module three focuses on the customer decision-making process and how you can increase an immersive shopping experience. Module four examines what makes brands, including luxury and vertical brands, genuinely remarkable.
5. Managing in the Global Digital Economy
Managing in the Global Digital Economy through Wharton Online focuses on local, national, and global digital platforms. During the program, you will explore how to use new technology and omnichannel strategies to give your business a competitive edge. The program focuses on how retailers have successfully scaled globally, the changing digital and mobile trends that shape business, and other essential elements like regulatory impacts.
This program lasts four weeks and requires a two-hour time commitment per week.
It consists of four course modules. The first module examines the growth of digital platforms and digital populations in different countries. The second module focuses on digital platforms and network effects, while the third examines the digital transformations within retail, printed media, and financial service industries. The fourth module analyzes the risks of international expansion, preparing you to develop a successful digital strategy to guide your business.
Get Your Journey Started by Enrolling in a Leadership and Management Course
Enrolling in a leadership and management course can be an excellent way to advance your career. These online courses allow you to learn essential skills and equip you with the knowledge to make you a more effective leader. If you’re ready to start, visit the Wharton Online Programs and Certificates page to choose and sign up for your course. If you have any questions, please submit an inquiry online, and you will hear back from us shortly.
