Best Operations Management Courses in 2024

By industry definition, an ‘operation’ is an instituted, regular, and predictable organizational process. This contrasts with a project, a unique, one-off endeavor undertaken within a set time limit.

What this means is that organizations big and small have operations. Whether you’re a government agency, a non-profit, or a business, there are fundamental processes that you must perform each day, week, or month. These processes are the lifeblood of an organization, and executives pay to optimize those processes year after year.

If you’re looking to upskill, improve your organization, or establish a business by enhancing other organizations’ operations, then what you need is a high-quality operations management course.

What Are Operations Management Courses?

A course on operations management teaches individuals the art of problem-solving and optimizing organizational processes. Students typically learn how to improve strategies, become better leaders, and create specific solutions to a company’s problems. As a result, most courses like this are typically high level and job specific.

When students finish an operations management course, they will have in-depth knowledge about increasing productivity, controlling costs, and approaching operational problems. Armed with this kind of knowledge, graduates can take on significant leadership positions within their organizations or even start their own independent consulting business.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Operations Management Courses

It is essential to consider all available educational options. Traditional classroom courses are preferred by many, but excellent online classes exist for those who need to take advantage of the convenience of distance learning.

Below are some things that you should consider before picking the best operations management courses for you.

Specialization

Not all operations management courses are created equal. They don’t even have the same topics. For instance, although the underlying principles may be similar, it’s undeniable that companies that deal with logistics have different operations than non-profit organizations.

Your industry, or the one that you want to work in, is a critical concern in picking what operations management course you want to take. For example, if you’re going to work in the corporate industry, then take a business-related management course, and so on. Otherwise, you’ll waste precious time and money on something you’re unlikely to profit from.

Specialization is the key to success in this modern world, so don’t just take any random operations management course.

Institution

The quality and validity of your online course will depend on the institution that you learn it from. Like traditional education, the more well-known your institution is, the more likely you’ll gain quality instruction. More than that, the prestige it carries will differ as well.

However, different institutions have different educational modes, qualification requirements, and educational fees. When picking your institution, you must balance what is realistically available to you versus your ideal institution.

Budget

As mentioned, many factors go into choosing an institution for your learning. Perhaps one of the most important factors is the cost. The price of your schooling will vary significantly by institution, so you need to keep your budget in mind before committing to anything.

A Roundup of the Best Operations Management Courses

Course NamePlatformCostSkill LevelCourse Rating
Best Free: Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women — Fundamentals of OperationsCourseraFreeBeginner5.0
Best Premium Course: Management Development ProgramWharton Executive Education Website$8,750.00Advanced5.0
Most Cost-effective: Introduction to Operations ManagementCoursera1 month free, $79 monthly after the first monthBeginner4.5
Best for Executives: Executive Development Programme in Operations ManagementNulearn $805.00Advanced4.5
Best Audit Track: Operations ManagementEdXFree with optional upgrade; $150.00 for full versionIntermediate4.0
Best For Digital Operations: Digital Operations Management Online Short CourseGetSmarter$2,750.00Advanced4.0
Best for Operational Improvement: Improve Processes and Deliver Operational ExcellenceLinkedIn Learning$29.99 a month with a one-month free trialBeginner -Intermediate4.0
Best for Logistics: Diploma in Clearing and ForwardingKeystone Online Studies$540.00Beginner3.5
Best For Sales: Course in Sales Operations ScienceGreenfig$899.00Intermediate3.5
Best Six Sigma Specialization: Six Sigma Yellow Belt SpecializationCourseraAudit track and 7-day full access available, $79 monthly after the first monthAdvanced3.5

Top 10 Operations Management Courses 2024


1. Best Free: Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women — Fundamentals of Operations

  • 4 hrs Free Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Goldman Sachs
  • Platform: Coursera
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Helps you understand business operations
  • Gives practical activities to apply to your own business
  • Teaches process mapping and its purposes
  • Instructs you on how to optimize your processes to create competitive advantages
  • Teaches you how to assess your progress

Why we like it

From the prestigious Goldman Sachs company comes ten free business-related courses, including one on operations management.

Features

As part of its mission to promote entrepreneurship, especially for marginalized sectors worldwide, the prestigious Goldman Sachs launched ten business-related courses designed to give people quality education about the intricacies of the business. Other studies in the specialization include fundamentals of business science, sales, and leadership.

This course focuses on the basics of operations management, especially in developing a small business. The basics are thoroughly discussed, such as identifying your organization’s operations and developing strategies to help refine and maximize customer satisfaction. In many activities, you’re even encouraged to use your own business or organization as an example.

Delivered by a top-notch organization, you can rest assured that the content and manner of presentation are also of high quality. Since the learning mode is entirely online and asynchronous, you’re free to accomplish the course in your own time.

But perhaps the best thing about this course is that it is free—a rare occurrence when it comes to in-demand topics such as this. All you need to do is make a basic Coursera account to access the course. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a small business owner looking for the next step, this course is all you need.

Caveats

The main disadvantage of this course is the depth of knowledge—or lack thereof. If you’re a top-level executive looking to improve a large organization, then look elsewhere. You’ll likely already know the contents of this course.

Also, while you’ll gain plenty of practical knowledge, the course doesn’t offer any certificates, so you can’t include it in your CV.

Lastly, although the course offers great content and high-quality videos, most learning is done through self-reading. This might alienate students who are looking for more speech and visual-oriented learning.

Pros

  • Entirely free
  • Flexible learning times
  • Great video presentation
  • Comes from a prestigious organization

Cons

  • Basic knowledge only
  • Doesn’t offer a certificate of completion


2. Best Premium Course: Management Development Program

  • 6 months $8,750.00 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Platform: Wharton Executive Education Website
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • Emphasizes management of employees, stakeholders, and self
  • Discusses accounting, finance, and business strategy
  • Features personal career assessment
  • Delivers plenty of interaction and networking opportunities

Why we like it

If you want the best operations management course and you have the money to splurge, this offering from the U-Penn’s Wharton Business School should be right up your alley.

Features

If you’re an executive willing to splurge for a certification from a top-notch institution (as you should), then this program is for you.

Because it’s made for mid-to-top-level executives, this course doesn’t focus on logistics and conceptual processes. Instead, the course goes in-depth about managing employees, stakeholders, and even yourself, emphasizing trust-building, cooperation, and positive motivation as the main values that underpin your organizational efforts.

It also tackles accounting, finance, marketing, and event operations and strategy. This is a holistic, hands-on education that teaches you all aspects of operational management that you need to succeed in your level of work.

More than that, the organization also offers excellent engagement and online support. At 3 hours per week for 6 months, you can easily fit this course into your schedule.

There’s even a personal assessment to determine what to do with your career and an excellent platform for peer-to-peer interaction and networking. Lastly, there’s a three-day educational and networking opportunity that serves as a mini-graduation.

Caveats

The first and most glaring downside is the price. At over $8,000, this is not a course that everyone can afford.

It also involves plenty of time commitment. Since the classes are done synchronously to be interactive, you need to put in the required hours per week, or you’ll be behind.

Pros

  • Features a formal graduation
  • Emphasizes people management techniques
  • Discusses every aspect of operational management
  • Provides top-notch instruction from world-renowned educators
  • Offers great engagement and peer-to-peer interaction platform

Cons

  • Takes up a lot of time
  • Very expensive


3. Most Cost-Effective: Introduction to Operations Management

  • 10 hrs 1 month free, $79 monthly after the first month Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Platform: Coursera
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Discusses main elements of process analysis
  • Teaches productivity components
  • Talks about the role of quality operations

Why we like it

If you’re interested in Wharton’s course but don’t want to shell out that much money, the Introduction to Operations Management on Coursera is a great alternative.

Features

This course on Operations Management is part of a comprehensive specialization offered by Wharton Online in Coursera. The Business Foundations Specialization is designed for beginner students looking for an opportunity to upskill or commercialize, so you won’t need prior experience to apply.

The course itself discusses the foundations of operations management and deals with improving business processes, increasing productivity, and delivering high-quality products.

Completing this course means a solid understanding of fundamental operations management processes. It opens the door to apply it to your job position, shift to a different job, or just complete the specialization.

The best thing about this course is its cost-effectiveness. Like the previous course, it comes from a prestigious institution and teaches everything a beginner would need — except you don’t need deep pockets for this one. You can even access all the courses in the specialization once you subscribe and learn at your own time and pace.

Caveats

Although the course content isn’t in question, the presentation is. The lecture material is old and hasn’t been updated in a while. Also, while the content might be solid, it is presented in an unappealing way that is more distracting than it needs to be. Quality control is lacking, resulting in bad sound quality, misspellings, and disappointing presentation materials.

The tests and requirements also require that you expand your studies into self-learning; often, the quizzes and projects include topics that were not discussed in the lessons, and you’ll have to spend time figuring it out on your own.

Pros

  • Cost-effective
  • Flexible learning
  • Additional access to specialization
  • Comprehensive and relevant material

Cons

  • Bad presentation quality
  • Tests and quizzes are unnecessarily difficult


4. Best for Executives: Executive Development Programme in Operations Management

  • 4 months $805.00 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Indian Institute of Management Kashipur
  • Platform: Nulearn
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • 2-day campus visit for project completion and networking
  • Blended learning mode
  • Teaches advanced knowledge in Operations Management

Why we like it

Are you an executive interested in further advancing your skills in the industry? If your answer is yes, this course is for you.

Features

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on quality education, you should check out this course by the acclaimed Indian Institute of Management Kashipur.

Much like the previous Management Development Program from the internationally acclaimed Wharton College, this course is also aimed at executives who want to upskill and put their name higher on the ranking list.

However, the main difference is the cost. For this Executive Development Programme hosted by Nulearn, you’ll only have to spend a fraction of the cost of the Wharton online program. This makes it great for professionals who want a high-quality yet cost-effective way of mastering operations management.

You’ll learn about the principles of supply management and system and process reviews. Advanced topics such as the organizational System and Process Views, Little’s Law, Process Analysis, Waiting Line Theory, and many more are also included in the discussion.

The class format is delivered in video and self-readings, and although it’s delivered by an Indian university, the medium of instruction is English. One of the main highlights of the course is the campus visit, which includes a limited amount of personal interaction for project completion.

Caveats

If you’re looking for a quick and easy fix, this isn’t the course for you. The course completion time is 4 months, so you’ll have to commit plenty of time for this one.

Pros

  • Cost-effective
  • Comes from a respected institution
  • Provides completion certification after graduation
  • Delivers blended learning mode
  • Features a 2-day campus visit

Cons

  • Requires a 4-month commitment


5. Best Audit Track: Operations Management

  • 7 weeks Free with the optional upgrade; $150.00 for full version Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
  • Platform: EdX
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Operations system identification and complexity assessment
  • Cycle times and capacity computations
  • Fundamental concepts of Lean Management
  • Creation and monitoring using control charts

Why we like it

This course is all about teaching students how to be better at running a business. You can also access it for the sweet price of zero dollars.

Features

This course is also from the Indian Institute of Management, but from the Bangalore branch. Plus, instead of NuLearn, it’s taught using the EdX platform. EdX is a well-known educational platform that hosts high-quality courses from top-notch schools.

This Operations Management course is a part of the platform’s MicroMasters Program in Business Management. The course teaches students the necessary skills to improve their organization’s business processes. Specific emphasis is given to supply chain management techniques, quality control systems, workflow streamlining techniques, and Lean Management.

Unlike other courses on this list, this course has a free audit track that you can use to learn all the essentials. You also have the option to upgrade to the full version for an affordable price. The paid version grants you unlimited course materials, a shareable certificate, and graded exams.

Caveats

EdX is not available worldwide. If you’re a citizen of Iran, Cuba, and the Crimea region, you won’t be able to access the course content because EdX has no license to operate there. Also, the material is a bit outdated.

Pros

  • Accessible cost
  • Has a free audit version
  • Well-known institution and host site
  • Self-paced and short course duration
  • Teaches the basics of operations management

Cons

  • Not accessible in some countries
  • Content material is a little outdated


6. Best for Digital Operations: Digital Operations Management Online Short Course

  • 6 weeks $2,750.00 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
  • Platform: GetSmarter
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • Formulation of digital framework
  • Creation and measurement of KPIs for digitization efforts
  • Using digital tools to scale and speed up performance
  • Impacts of cutting-edge technology on organizational operations

Why we like it

Anyone planning to switch their business processes to digital should check out this short course on digital operations management.

Features

The rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized many aspects of the world economy, and operational processes are one of those areas. This course aims to teach you why. While other courses on this list focus on time-tested basics of operational management with modern applications, this course focuses on operations management as it currently is and how it can be.

Taught by the prestigious Northwestern University in Illinois, this online course is an advanced program designed for executives. It focuses on how digital transformation has affected operational aspects of organizations worldwide and how you can use this to streamline and scale up your operations effectively.

Specifically, this course teaches you how to use current technology to optimize and transform your business operations. You’ll also learn how to evaluate the performance of your digitization efforts and how to use the latest tools and technologies.

Also, unlike most courses on the list, this course gives you a certificate of completion, which you can share with your employers or add to your resume. The course is self-paced over 6 weeks and is mediated by professionals who are experts in their field.

Caveats

In terms of pricing, it’s not very accessible. However, it’s worth it for the value that it can bring to your professional development.

Pros

  • Taught by a prestigious organization
  • Features a verifiable certificate for your efforts
  • Focuses on cutting-edge technological applications
  • Mediated by professionals who support your learning

Cons

  • Expensive


7. Best for Operational Improvement: Improve Processes and Deliver Operational Excellence

  • 10hrs 54mins $29.99 per month with a one-month free trial Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate
  • Inventory, quality, and supply chain, management
  • Lean inventory management
  • Cost reduction and streamlining
  • Official academic credits

Why we like it

LinkedIn is mainly geared towards job seekers, and this course can help you achieve excellence both in your current job and your future opportunities.

Features

This LinkedIn Learn lesson is designed for existing business owners or aspiring professionals to learn more about operational management in accessible, bite-sized chunks.

Each lesson is about one to two hours long and features the fundamental aspects of operational management applied to businesses. It delivers inventory management, quality management, supply chain management, and business process improvement.

Typical of LinkedIn Learn, it has a self-paced learning model with well-crafted video materials. Quizzes and tests are sprinkled in between, and although they have little bearing on your completion of the course, they’re a great way to remind yourself of the things you just learned.

It’s also cost-effective. You automatically get a full LinkedIn Learn subscription when you get a LinkedIn Premium Account, which costs just $29.99 a month if you choose the Premium Career option.

Plus, there’s also a free one-month trial version that you can use to learn the entire course, as long as you discontinue the subscription before your billing date. It can even qualify as official academic credit in select universities around the world.

Caveats

As high quality as LinkedIn Learn’s content is, it’s not for advanced executive learners who want to move up the ladder. The content is relatively basic, and it only covers up to an hour of each topic. This is far from the usual quality you get when taking more advanced classes.

Pros

  • Institution: LinkedIn
  • Platform: LinkedIn Learning
  • Verifiable certificate
  • High-quality materials
  • One-month free trial is available
  • Provides official academic credit in some universities
  • Places specific emphasis on improving business operations

Cons

  • Relatively basic content


8. Best for Logistics: Diploma in Clearing and Forwarding

  • 2-6 months $540.00 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Shipping College
  • Platform: Online Studies
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Handling shipments
  • Documentary requirements
  • Customs regulations
  • International treaties

Why we like it

If you work in logistics and would like nothing more than to improve your skills, this course gives you what you need.

Features

Logistics is a very complex industry. Goods and services are fueled by the steady movement of supplies from one part of the world to another. For all the crucial aspects of this industry, a thorough knowledge of operations management is needed. This is supplied by Shipping College, an online school dedicated to the freight and forwarding industry.

After attaining your diploma from this course, you’ll have everything you need to know to enter this rewarding and lucrative industry. As such, this course is perfect for those who want to upskill or move careers. From the specifics of shipping, documentation, customs, and international treaties, this course arms you with all the relevant knowledge required to succeed.

More than that, the Shipping College also has a flexible, pay-as-you-go option for those who don’t want to pay for the whole course upfront. It’s self-paced, but it provides plenty of support through their Personal eTutor policy. Lastly, it offers an official certificate upon finishing the course.

Caveats

This course is specialized for one industry, so you might want to pass if you want more general knowledge — or specialized knowledge in other industries.

Moreover, communication in their eTutor program is also done through emails, which doesn’t facilitate the most ideal discussion. It would be better if these tutorials occur in real-time, over video calls or the like.

Pros

  • Accessible price
  • Offers a flexible payment plan
  • Incredibly specialized program
  • Offers a certificate upon course completion

Cons

  • Limited personal tutor interaction
  • Not useful for professionals of other industries


9. Best for Sales: Course in Sales Operations Science

  • 10 weeks $899.00 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: Western Washington University
  • Platform: Greenfig
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Fundamentals of sales operations
  • Hands-on sales dashboards, reports, and CRM automation
  • Effective and data-driven sales strategy
  • Career planning for the sales operations industry
  • 14 Salesforce Trailhead Competencies

Why we like it

Sales is not an easy industry, but with this operations management course, you’ll be sure to close your deals in no time at all.

Features

Just like logistics, the sales industry has unique operational needs. This specialized course teaches students about operational management with a sales background, which heavily benefits students already in the industry.

This course features a well-rounded education in the science of sales operations, from foundational sales principles to the role of data in various aspects of sales like performance management, forecasting, and annual planning.

As part of its holistic information, this course also features a hands-on sales developer experience, where you’ll create dashboards, reports and learn about CRMs. Students are expected to earn the 14 Salesforce Trailhead badges to recognize their competencies.

Lastly, this course offers flexible payment options, on-demand live sessions with industry-leading instructors, and weekly peer interactions.

Caveats

For those who prefer a more self-paced approach to learning, you might find it difficult to adapt to the demands of the course due to the set synchronous class schedules.

Pros

  • Flexible payment options
  • Taught by leading professionals
  • In-depth, high-quality education
  • Great instructor and peer interactions
  • 14 Salesforce Trailhead badge credentials

Cons

  • Synchronous class schedules


10. Best Six Sigma Specialization: Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization

  • 5 months Audit track and 7-day full access available, $79 monthly after the first month Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Institution: University System of Georgia
  • Platform: Coursera
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • Teaches multiple levels of operations improvement
  • Advanced define and measure phase
  • Advanced analyze phase
  • Advanced improvement and control phase
  • Multiple-course specialization

Why we like it

If you’re a big believer in the Six Sigma process, few courses will resonate with you better than this one

Features

Last but certainly not least, the Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization is designed for individuals who are pursuing an advanced level of education for their operational management studies. At its core, Six Sigma is a philosophy that can be applied to any operation. Its main idea is eliminating waste and creating positive processes to drive positive business outcomes.

This Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization offered by the University System of Georgia aims to give professionals a high level of competencies in all six sigma principles.

The course tackles advanced strategies on how managers can make their companies more efficient in distinct phases: define and measure, analyze, and improve and control. To finish the course, students must also create several hands-on learning projects that will help hone their learnings.

Hosted in the Coursera platform, this course gives students accessible, high-quality video instruction mixed with quizzes, tests, and hands-on projects. There are also interactions between peers in the discussion boards, and the instructors are industry leaders with advanced knowledge about the topic.

Coursera offers an audit track for this course, with a 7-day all-access trial for the full version. Financial aid is also available. Even without those grants, Coursera offers Premium access at only $79 monthly after the first month.

Caveats

The Yellow Belt course is a stepping stone for the Green Belt and then the Black Belt. Although it delivers great value for the right people, it’s too specialized for practical use if you just need beginner or intermediate knowledge about operations management.

Pros

  • High-quality instruction
  • Offers blended method of learning
  • Lively peer interactions on discussion boards
  • Different funding options are available

Cons

  • Not useful for general learning



Tips and Tricks for Learning Operations Management Online

man’s hands writing on a chart

Choosing to further your education by enrolling in an online operations management course is just the beginning: you also must study the course and complete it according to their standards.

In this bonus section, we’ll tackle a few things to help you better improve your online learning.

Create a Dedicated Study Space

Unlike traditional schools, online learning can be difficult because most homes aren’t suited for concentrated study. Often, your home is comfortable and distracting, made for relaxation and not for focused effort.

However, if it’s possible to create a dedicated study space at home, you should do so. Make sure to only use this area for studying and not for anything else. This way, your mind is primed to learn rather than engage in other activities.

Eliminate Distractions While You Study

You should also actively reduce distractions while you study. Choose a location that isn’t noisy and doesn’t have a lot of visual distractions. You can also wear headphones if you’re too distracted by your environment.

Another thing you can do is put your phone on silent mode or turn it off completely. Mobile devices are endless sources of distractions and entertainment. Removing them from our attention goes a long way when trying to study.

Commit to a Learning Schedule

Scheduling is a scientifically proven way of increasing productivity, so it makes sense to employ it in your studies.

Most online courses are self-paced, and even those with synchronous schedules still heavily employ self-learning. Unlike attending a brick-and-mortar school, many online classes involve your own efforts.

You should also do your best to commit to a disciplined schedule that maximizes your learning. Scheduling allows you to focus your efforts because you already know in advance what you’re going to do and when.

Create a daily or weekly plan for your studies, and then commit to it. Be as comprehensive with your schedule but give allowances for flexibility in case something comes up.

With this level of focus and commitment, you can better learn and absorb the material you’re studying in your online operations management class.

Learn Actively

There are many ways to learn something, and simply sitting down and listening to videos or learning doesn’t cut it anymore — especially when you have the internet at your fingertips.

To learn more effectively, actively engage your mind as you learn. Take notes, or search for more information online. You can make quizzes for yourself with flashcards or apps or plot a chart of what you learned using physical or digital tools.

There are many engagement methods available to you so that you can use your mind in multiple ways and better absorb the topic.

Communicate With Other Learners

If there’s one, take advantage of your course’s live mentorship or peer-to-peer interactions. It can motivate you to finish the class, and you might even gain a few friends along the way. Like friends and acquaintances are a major part of your school life, social interaction also plays a big part in online learning.

Choosing the Best Operations Management Courses

Operations management is a crucial subject for any organization and learning it will improve your value immensely.

Whether you want to improve your business, move up the corporate ladder, or move into another industry, this list of the top ten operations management courses is the best material that you can avail on the internet today.