What are the free PDU courses?

The PDU courses are 23 free video courses for project managers, hosted on the Subthesis YouTube channel and presented on this site. You can browse them all in the PDU course catalog.

What each course includes

Every course has its own page on this site with:

• The embedded video
• The course's learning objectives
• A 5-question knowledge check
• A certificate generator that creates a PDF certificate of completion

Each course also has a companion blog article. For example, the course Build Your Own AI-Powered PMO with Claude pairs with the blog article on the same topic.

What the courses cover

The courses are grouped by PMI's Talent Triangle areas:

• Ways of Working: 9 courses, such as earned value management, estimation, change control, and AI tools for PMs
• Power Skills: 10 courses, such as difficult conversations, stakeholder engagement, meetings, and status reports
• Business Acumen: 4 courses, such as business jargon, programs vs portfolios, and decision making

Videos run roughly 17 to 29 minutes. Each course lists a maximum PDU value, but the credit you actually earn depends on your recorded learning time. See How is PDU credit calculated for each course?

How they relate to PMI

All courses fall under PMI's Online or Digital Media category, and you report them yourself. Self Made PM isn't a PMI Authorized Training Partner, and PMI doesn't pre-approve these courses. Read Is Self Made PM a PMI Authorized Training Partner? for what that means.

How to get started

1. Open the catalog and pick a course.
2. Watch the video on the course page. Watching at least 90% of it unlocks the knowledge check.
3. Pass the knowledge check with at least 4 out of 5 correct.
4. Enter your name and download your certificate.

The full walkthrough is in How do I earn a certificate of completion?