The Product Management Boot Camp at UCLA Extension

Product Management Boot Camp in Los Angeles

Become a Product Manager Online in 18 Weeks

Product management is an organizational function that guides every step of a product’s lifecycle: from development, to positioning and pricing, by focusing on the product and its customers first and foremost (Atlassian Agile Coach). Its multidisciplinary responsibilities make it attractive to some of the most ambitious and creative problem solvers across industries.

The Product Management Boot Camp at UCLA Extension is designed to help you launch or accelerate a career in product through a hands-on, 18-week curriculum. Through engaging online classes and real-world applications, you’ll gain experience building products like the pros.

• Master how to manage an entire product experience — not just a feature set — using popular frameworks and tools.
• Develop in-demand product management skills by completing real-world projects that include product roadmapping, sprint planning and execution, epic and user story creation, feature prioritization, product analytics, A/B testing, and SQL.
• Study part-time through an innovative online format, combining engaging content to work through on your own schedule and interactive live classes with expert instructors.
• Complete the program with a robust portfolio of projects that demonstrate your working knowledge and product management skills.

Hands-On Product Management Experience

Over the course of 18 weeks, you will gain in-demand product management skills like market analysis, value proposition creation, roadmap development, rapid prototyping, SQL, and data visualization through a unique, blended experience of weekly, flexible content and live virtual classes led by instructors in the field.

Develop the Essentials

• Cross-functional leadership
• Market analysis and segmentation
• Persona development
• Business model development
• Value proposition definition
• Agile project management

Set Yourself Apart

• Design thinking
• Rapid prototyping
• SQL
• Insight mining
• Data visualization
• Tableau

Deliver Great Products

• Roadmap development
• Backlog management
• Epic and user story creation
• Feature prioritization
• Sprint planning and execution
• Product Life Cycle management
• Customer insight analysis
• OKR and KPI definition
• Funnel and cohort analysis
• Data analysis
• Product optimization
• Hypothesis formation
• A/B testing

* Note: These topics are subject to change based on local market demand and the input of our hiring partners.

By the end of The Product Management Boot Camp at UCLA Extension, you can expect to be able to:

• Define your target audience using tools like personas and value proposition canvas
• Communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, from developers to executives
• Write effective user stories with detailed acceptance criteria
• Plan and execute an agile product sprint
• Write SQL queries to pull usage data from product databases
• Use product analytics tools to make data-driven product decisions
• Build wireframes and prototypes using in-demand industry tools

Considering a career in product management? Explore The Product Management Boot Camp at UCLA Extension to discover how this program can help get you to the next step.

Is a project manager boot camp right for you?

Whether you’re trying to accelerate your career in product or looking to break into product management, this boot camp is a fit for you if you are a:

• Engineer or developer who wants to manage a product’s entire lifecycle
• Researcher or designer who wants to prioritize problems to solve, not just uncover them
• Operations or project manager who wants to decide what to build, not just how to do it
• Product manager who wants to take their career and credibility to the next level

How to Apply to the Online Product Management Boot Camp

1. Form Submission. Fill out our program interest form with a few of your key details so that we can get in touch with you.
2. Admissions Interview and Application. Connect with a member of our admissions team for a quick phone interview to discuss the program in more detail, answer your questions, and talk through your goals. Then, fill out a short application that tells us more about you and your reasons for pursuing this opportunity. 
3. Assessment. Complete a multiple-choice critical thinking and problem-solving assessment. This is your chance to show us your logic-based skills. No prior industry experience is required to complete the assessment. If you pass your academic assessment (congratulations!), you are officially accepted into the program and able to move forward with the enrollment process.
4. Financial Options, Deposit, and Enrollment Agreement. After acceptance into the program, you will connect with admissions to discuss which financial option works best for you. Once you’ve approved your desired payment method, the last step to finalize your enrollment is to pay your deposit and review and sign your enrollment agreement.

Start Your Journey. That’s it! You’re now ready to begin your program pre-work and prepare to start the boot camp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Part-Time Product Management Class Schedule

• 18-week class
• Two instructor-led virtual class days per week and engaging coursework and challenges to work through on your own schedule

The Market for Product Managers in Los Angeles

Are you a creative, analytical thinker who enjoys working with cross-functional teams? If so, consider product management as a possible career choice. This field is a natural fit for professionals who can review market insights, discern the types of products that will be most successful, and shepherd those product ideas from initial concept to launch — all while working collaboratively with teams and stakeholders. Does that sound exciting? If so, here is some good news: The product management job outlook indicates projected growth of 11.6 percent in the next 10 years, according to Burning Glass Technologies 2020 Labor Insight™. This is significantly higher than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 8 percent projected growth rate for all occupations through 2030. Even better, Burning Glass ranks California as the number one state in the nation for product manager job postings during the last 12 months!

There are a variety of industries where product managers are in demand, so you can customize your career to even further align with your personal interests. Examples include entertainment, manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and more. Top Los Angeles employers such as Paramount, Hulu, UCLA Health, Disney, Tesla, EA, VMware, and GoodRx are all looking for product managers who can develop that next trend-defining product.

As well as natural creativity, an analytical mind, and strong people skills, there are a variety of hard skills product managers must also possess. Strong market analysis, value proposition creation, roadmap development, rapid prototyping, and data visualization skills are all necessary to bring your product vision to fruition. The Product Management Boot Camp at UCLA Extension features a hands-on curriculum that immerses you in real-world scenarios and collaborative opportunities, helping prepare you for success as a product management professional.