Hi, I’m Sam! I have been a product manager for years. Now, I work as an industry mentor for the product, strategy, and operations track at Pathrise. I help people land their dream job through workshops and 1-on-1 mentoring. Check out my review of Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley.
- What does Product Management Studio do?
- Who is Product Management Studio for?
- What does Product Management Studio cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Product Management Studio
- Alternatives to Product Management Studio
- How does Product Management Studio compare to Pathrise?
What does Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley do?
Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley is a university extension certificate course that helps people level up their product management careers. They offer both in-person and online courses with live support. Their program is designed for tech professionals, managers, and people with some experience in product management.
Before starting the 5-day in-person course, students complete 6 weeks of online pre-work. During this time, they participate in live lectures, reading assignments, discussion sections, and hands-on exercises. Then, the in-person course is full-time and fully immersive. Students are paired with industry experts who have complementary backgrounds. The curriculum includes design thinking, customer-focused design, competitive strategy, business model generation, team management, pricing, and more. In addition, students participate in hands-on exercises, practical simulations, and networking opportunities. Ultimately, all graduates get an official UC Berkeley Extension product management certificate of completion to help them become a product manager.
The remote version of the course has about 40 hours of content total. Students participate in live lectures, hands-on activities, team exercises, and feedback sessions with industry experts for 8 weeks. The program also includes 1-on-1 coaching from product managers. Moreover, students get weekly live sessions with faculty and coaches, plus access to networking events and the vast alumni network. In addition, graduates receive an official product management certificate to prove their new skills to employers.
Both the online and in-person programs feature job support. Students participate in 1-on-1 coaching, resume reviews, networking events, and alumni groups to help accelerate their careers.
Who is Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley for?
People with some experience in product management, design, marketing, sales, or a similar tech profession can benefit from the program. Therefore, it is not for beginners.
The ideal candidate has experience cross-functionally. Similarly, cross-disciplinary groups within organizations can benefit from Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley.
What does the Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley cost? How much work is involved?
The in-person program costs $7,950. Alternatively, tuition for the online option is $3,750.
The full application process takes 3-4 weeks. The admissions process consists of a brief written form asking applicants to explain their background. There is no formal interview, but some experience in product management, engineering, design, or project management is necessary.
Ratings and reviews
The Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley has mostly positive reviews. In fact, they were on Hubspot’s list of top 16 product management courses. One grad on Quora described the course as being great for newer product managers looking to accelerate their career with the program’s fast-paced “crash-course format.” However, the grad warned that the course “makes no sense for those with an MBA” and that “networking is hit or miss.”
Reviewers on Indeed praised the instructors and supportive community. One grad raved about the “good teachers, positive environment, and good career preparation.” Another felt that although the course was “very intense” it was still “taught in a very user-friendly environment with like-minded peers.”
An in-person student on Reddit was impressed with the peer connections that they made, commenting “I walked away with 30 good contacts for the future from that session.” The grad also felt “the material itself is definitely exceptional, as are the instructors.” However, they were less impressed by the career coaching. They said, “coaching before the course is an interesting twist. Not sure how much value you can derive from that.”
Alternatives to Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley
If you decide not to enroll in Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley, there are a number of other resources and bootcamps to help you land a job in product management.
- The popular tech bootcamp General Assembly teaches full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics including product management, software engineering, data science, UX design, digital marketing, and more. Students in the product track learn the fundamentals and manage projects for their portfolios. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Similarly, BrainStation and allWomen Academy are tech bootcamps that offers product management courses. Students get access to 1,000+ hiring partners including Google, Facebook, and more.
- The product management associations Product Gym, ProductHood, Product Talk Academy, and Mind the Product offer training, career services, and networking opportunities for aspiring product managers.
- Similarly, Product School teaches full-time and part-time product management courses. They provide weekly mentorship and career support to their students.
- Other options are 280 Group and Silicon Valley Product Group, which have onsite and online courses in product management.
- The 8-week bootcamp Product Faculty helps people level up their product management careers. Like Product Management Studio, their program is designed for people who already have some experience.
- Another product management bootcamp is Product Academia. They have full-time and part-time courses. Their focus is on helping women launch careers as product managers.
- Similarly, Product Hall and Blackblot are product management bootcamps with live courses and 1-on-1 mentoring opportunities.
- Likewise, aspiring product managers might like One Week PM. Created by Product Manager HQ, both programs teach product management fundamentals and include networking with aspiring and current PMs.
More alternatives
- Students can also check out Thinkful and Knowledge Officer, which have courses in product management, marketing, and more.
- If you are looking for official product management certificates, check out Product Innovation Educators.
- You can also consider Linky Product, which has self-paced courses and a bootcamp. Beginners can also check out Dorm, which helps people get into startups.
- Women, GNC people, and trans people can look into CodeOp, which has courses in web dev, data, and product management.
- You can also check out Bubble no-code bootcamps to learn how to make products without coding. Learn more about Bubble in our review.
- Another online bootcamp is GrowthX Academy. They have courses for people who are interested in product management, UX design, growth marketing, sales, and business development. Their program is self-paced with 1-on-1 mentoring opportunities. Likewise, School16 teaches marketing, sales, and product management.
- OpenClassrooms, One Month, and The Pragmatic Institute offer courses in product management, product marketing, and other tech subjects.
- A lower-cost and self-paced option, edX is an online learning platform with courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Similarly, Coursera hosts product management courses taught by professors at accredited universities. Their online courses feature recorded lectures, hands-on assignments, and discussions.
- Students seeking low-cost product learning can also check out Udacity. They offer self-paced courses on product strategy, design, launch, and more. Students build polished projects for their resumes and work 1-on-1 with mentors. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
How does Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley compare to Pathrise?
Product Management Studio by UC Berkeley offers courses to help people launch a product management career. Although their students build their product skills and network with peers and industry experts, UC Berkeley does not actually help students with their job search.
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps product managers with all phases of the job search. Our mentors work 1-on-1 with fellows every step of the way, including resume & LinkedIn optimization, reverse recruiting, cold emailing, behavioral and technical interview prep, salary negotiation, and more.
Our program is flexible. There are just 2-4 hours of workshops per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that our fellows never pay until they land a job they love and start working.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with people 1-on-1 on their job search. We’ve helped over 1,000 students and professionals land them their dream jobs so far. If you are interested in improving your job search by working with an experienced mentor, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
