I'm interested in a project management certification. What's the difference between the IAPM and the IPMA?

I'm interested in a project management certification. What's the difference between the IAPM and the IPMA?

The International Association of Project Managers (IAPM) is a certification organisation like the PMI, IPMA, Scrum Alliance and others. Due to the various certification options, job advertisements often refer to "certification according to IPMA, PMI or similar". For Germany, the  Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior has further specified "or similar". The IAPM is recognized as a certification organisation in official calls for tenders by the Federal Government, alongside the PMI and IPMA, and, for example, certification as Cert. Project Manager (IAPM) is a basic requirement for the management of projects.   The IAPM is not specialised in one field of project management but is offering certifications in traditional, agile and international project management. But this fact is not the only difference between the IAPM and other certification organisations. Further benefits are described below:   IAPM’s certification fees are based on the GDP of the nation according to the nationality of the examinee. This characteristic makes certification affordable for a wide range of people – independent of their nationality. IAPM’s certification exam is held online, like it's done for example at the MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Stanford University. The advantage is that examinees can take the exam anytime and anywhere they want to. The only requirement is an internet-ready device (PC, smartphone, tablet, or similar) and a stable internet connection. Due to this, examinees are very flexible, and an objective evaluation of the exam is guaranteed. Similar to university degrees IAPM’s certificates don't need to be updated, i.e. there is no obligation to spend time or money in a re-certification process. With this, the IAPM has responded to one of the central demands of international human resources managers and human resources developers. This characteristic saves the examinee both time and money. The IAPM is not a project management but a project manager organisation. IAPM focuses always in project manager – we are people-centered!

The IAPM certification

The certification can be taken via a reputable online examination procedure. The costs are based on the gross domestic product of your country of origin.

From the IAPM Blog

Become a Network Official

Do you want to get involved in project management in your environment and contribute to the further development of project management? Then become active as an IAPM Network Official or as a Network Official of the IAPM Network University. 


For better readability, we usually only use the generic masculine form in our texts. Nevertheless, the expressions refer to members of all genders.