Explaining Contact Hours: How to get 35 Contact Hours from Online Training

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in project management or seeking to enhance your existing skills, you may have come across the term “contact hours.” Contact hours are a key requirement for various project management certifications, including the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). But what exactly are contact hours, and how can you obtain the required 35 contact hours from online training?

In this article, we’ll delve into the details of contact hours, their importance, and the steps you can take to fulfill this requirement through online training.

Understanding Contact Hours

Contact hours refer to the number of hours an individual spends engaged in project management education or training that is directly supervised by a qualified instructor or subject matter expert. These hours provide structured learning experiences, where participants interact with the instructor, ask questions, and gain knowledge and skills relevant to project management.

For many project management certifications, such as the PMP certification, a specific number of contact hours is required to qualify for the certification exam. These contact hours are intended to ensure that candidates have received adequate training and education in project management principles, practices, and methodologies.

Education and Experience: PMP Certification Requirements

While 35 Contact Hours are a form of education, your elective credits for bowling at college don’t count as an hour towards your PMP.  These contact hours have to relate to project management in order to count. The first two requirements go hand in hand. If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher you  will need to have three years (4,500 hours or thirty-six months) of field experience.

For those who don’t hold a bachelors’ or higher,  a secondary degree (high school diploma or equivalent, or associate’s degree) and five years (7,500 hours or sixty months) of field experience. You should note that the amount of experience necessary, doesn’t require that you hold the position or title of Project Manager to count. If you have led a team within the scope of a project, or assisted the Project Manager in assigned tasks, those items count towards that field work.

35 Contact Hours: PMP Training Requirement

Project Management focused training  is the next step. For PMP certification, you must complete a minimum of 35 contact hours. This training course is related to project management and draws on PMI’s Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). PMI has a list of approved companies which provide the formal coursework necessary in order to obtain your 35 contact hours.

Contact hours must be project management relevant and each hour of training is one contact hour. Contact hours don’t expire. So, if you are going for a CAPM certificate and choose a PMP 35 hour course those hours can be counted towards your PMP certification. If you chose to just complete the 23 hours required for CAPM you would then require an additional 12 hours in order to complete your PMP requirements.

Training Coursework

The coursework should be based on the PMBOK. The questions and answers on the certification exam will be directly taken from the knowledge areas and processes that are covered in it. A good PMP training will cover:

Integration Management Knowledge Area

• Develop Project Charter
• Develop Project Management Plan
• Direct and Manage Project Work
• Manage Project Knowledge
• Monitor and Control Project Work
• Perform Integrated Change Control
• Close Project or Phase

Scope Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Validate Scope
• Control Scope

Schedule Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedules
• Control Schedule

Cost Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Cost Management
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
• Control Costs

Quality Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Quality Management
• Manage Quality
• Control Quality

Resource Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Resource Management
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Acquire Resources
• Develop Team
• Manage Team
• Control Resources

Communications Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Communications Management
• Manage Communications
• Monitor Communications

Risk Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Implement Risk Responses
• Monitor Risks

Procurement Management Knowledge Area

• Plan Procurement Management
• Conduct Procurements
• Control Procurements

Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area

• Identify Stakeholders
• Plan Stakeholder Management
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement
• Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

Many of the knowledge areas overlap and some, in particular Cost Management, may require additional study outside of the PMBOK. Math is a huge part of the Cost Management Knowledge Area, so if you need some refreshing, it’s wise to work on this. Initiating, Planning,  Executing, Monitor & Controlling, and Closing are the Processes that need to be covered. Check to make sure the coursework you choose provides instruction on these processes as well as the PMBOK Knowledge Areas.

The Purpose of 35 Contact Hours – PMP Training

Each of the 49 processes that are detailed in the ten knowledge areas and five process groups are key to project management. In order to be effective a Project Management Professional needs to understand the relationships between each of the processes. Not all project managers will be responsible for the budget within a certain project, but they should know when the budget is prepared, and presented, and how it impacts the scope of work. A good course will walk you through those connections.

“Formal” training is defined as training that you acquire from a respected source such as a college, university, or certified training center. The key is to make sure the source that you utilize is accepted with PMI before spending your time and money on a certificate of completion.

Project Management Focused Training Options

There are several options to accrue the 35 contact hours. You may have courses that you took while in college or university that were focused on project management. Those courses may count towards the 35 contact hours, especially if they concentrated on the Knowledge Areas in the PMBOK. You can always check with PMI to make sure the courses you wish to count can be applied. The hours from your bowling elective won’t count.

Some conferences may offer seminars that count towards PDUs, Professional Development Units. While they aren’t the same thing, many of the hours can be counted towards your 35 contact hours requirement. Given the above guidelines, let’s take a closer look at some of your options and how you might be able to accumulate the needed PMP 35 Contact Hours.

These could also be courses that your employer delivers, through brown bag lunch seminars or workshops. If they are connected to the PMBOK Knowledge Areas or Processes, they may be recorded. Many PMI meetings, Community of Practice (CoP) may also count towards your 35 hours, if they relate to the Knowledge Areas or processes. Again, check with PMI to see if they can be considered.

Formal classroom training, in-person or online is generally the way to go. The courses offer a variety of learning styles, bootcamp for an intensely packed 35 hours, regular classrooms, where classes are scheduled over a period of weeks or months, tutors, and self-paced learning. Bootcamp, tutors, and classroom instruction are offered online as well as in person.  Self-paced is online.

Online Training Options

There are four basic forms of “formal” PMP training:

1. Bootcamp
2. Classroom
3. Tutoring
4. Self – Paced Learning

The first three can often be found in live, in-person training courses and all can be found online. Many individuals who are currently working in the field may find attending and in-person training cumbersome. Between the travel time, scheduling, possible time off of work, you may want to find an alternative and a PMI approved, online course, may be just the answer.

Be aware that when you look into the top two options there are generally attendance requirements, whether the course is online or not. Missing one session may take you back to square one, with no refund, and no certificate of completion. Each course is priced accordingly, tutoring being the most expensive form of formal training and self-paced the least.

If they are approved by PMI all of the Online PMP courses will supply you with the 35 contact hours necessary to sit for the exam. As well as other benefits.

Benefits of Formal Training

Qualified PMP formal courses will provide you with an extensive curriculum on the PMBOK, all Knowledge Areas and Process groups. Most courses will provide you with the options of additional materials, videos, podcasts, study guides, etc. Many offer customer service to assist with additional questions, practice exams and exam simulators.

With the exception of tutoring, most will provide you the chance to brainstorm, and study with the other students that are in your class, through social media, email, or however you and your study partners wish to proceed. If you opt for self-paced learning you have the option to accrue your hours when and where you want.

If you wake up at 3 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep, you might, might, want to log on and at least refresh yourself on the lessons you previously learned. On-line learning provides you with feedback. It allows you to concentrate your efforts where you need to through the sample and exam simulators.

Finally, a certified PMI focused training will provide you with a certificate. PMI may audit your application and if you don’t have the certificate showing your attendance and completion for the course, including the title, date, and number of hours, you may be hard pressed to pass the audit.

PDUs and Contact Hours: The difference

PDUs, or Professional Development Units are a renewal requirement once you have your PMP certification. Every three years you will be required to submit 60 PDUs along with your renewal fees to keep your certification in good standing.

PMI offers many courses which will give you the opportunity to obtain your 60 PDUs. PMI members have the benefit of lower fees and many free opportunities to reach the required goal every year.  PDUs allow for many options other than coursework. Reading articles, making presentations, preparing publications, all may be counted towards your renewal.

Contact hours can only be acquired through focused training. You must be in attendance for the 35 hours of project management concentrated training.

Getting 35 Contact Hours from Online Training

Online training has become an increasingly popular option for acquiring the necessary contact hours. It offers flexibility, convenience, and the ability to learn at your own pace. To obtain 35 contact hours from online training, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose a Reputable Online Training Provider

The first step is to select a reputable online training provider that offers project management courses or programs recognized by PMI. Look for providers that explicitly mention providing contact hours or state that their courses align with the PMI Talent TriangleTM, which encompasses technical, leadership, and strategic and business management skills.

Step 2: Verify the Contact Hour Eligibility

Before enrolling in an online course, verify that the training provider’s course or program is eligible for contact hours. Check if the provider explicitly states that their course meets the criteria for contact hours and is aligned with PMI’s requirements.

Step 3: Complete the Online Training

Once you have selected a suitable online training provider, enroll in the course and complete the required modules, lessons, or sessions. Follow the curriculum and engage in the learning materials, exercises, quizzes, and assessments as directed by the instructor.

Step 4: Obtain a Certificate of Completion

Upon successful completion of the online training, you will typically receive a certificate of completion. This certificate serves as proof that you have completed the required training and earned the designated number of contact hours.

Step 5: Report the Contact Hours to PMI

After obtaining the certificate of completion, you need to report the contact hours to PMI. Log in to your PMI account, navigate to the certification section, and enter the details of the training, including the training provider’s information, course title, start and end dates, and the number of contact hours earned.

Conclusion

Acquiring the necessary contact hours is a crucial step towards achieving project management certifications. Online training offers a convenient and effective way to obtain the required 35 contact hours. By selecting a reputable online training provider, verifying the contact hour eligibility, completing the training, and reporting the contact hours to PMI, you can fulfill this requirement and be on your way to advancing your project management career.

Have you led projects and are looking to earn a project management certification?  You might be interested in learning about how lucrative this can be.  Check out these articles.

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