Athletic and Outdoor Product Management Certificate Program

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CEPE's Athletic and Outdoor Product Management program is currently on hold. If interested in receiving updates and information on when the program is open for registration, please complete this form to be notified when it is next offered. Thank you!

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About Athletic and Outdoor Product Management

There is no better place to learn about the athletic and outdoor industry than in Portland, Oregon — home of some of the world’s most successful athletic and outdoor apparel companies, including Nike, Adidas, Columbia, KEEN, and many others. In fact, Oregon employs more than 14,000 professionals in the athletic and outdoor industry, and the role of managing product remains as important as ever. Product managers who understand their roles in the larger context of the industry bring great value to their employers.

Portland State University's Athletic and Outdoor Product Management Certificate program focuses on the skills necessary to thrive in this competitive marketplace. Concepts learned in this program — from product planning, strategy, and sourcing, to branding, retail metrics, and sustainability — have applicability across many categories, such as apparel, footwear, or tools.

Certificate Snapshot

Format	Course delivered in a virtual format with live instructor & student interaction
Frequency	TBA
Length	Five, 15-hour classes (5 days each class, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm).
Cost	Full certificate cost: $2,495

CEPE aspires to allow students up to 3 years to complete a certificate program, however, CEPE's program offerings can fluctuate due to market/community demand. Therefore, we reserve the right to cancel or revise a program at any time. This means that CEPE does not guarantee the completion of any certificate, so if certificate completion is a student's goal, we encourage completion as quickly as possible when courses are available.

Thank you for putting this program in place and providing an opportunity for me to take the knowledge and experience I gained into a significant career move that I am excited about and was able to do at the company I already work for!

- Stephanie Elwonger

Who Should Attend

This program is for individuals interested in embarking on or advancing their careers in the athletic and outdoor industry.

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of this program, students will have gained the knowledge to:

Think critically about the challenges and opportunities unique to the athletic and outdoor industry;
Understand the basic product process from concept to creation;
Be familiar with the complexities of the materials supply chain;
Appreciate the roles, responsibilities, and terminology essential to merchandising;
Recognize the important role that brand plays in the success of a company.

5 Required Certificate Courses

Courses may be taken individually and in any order unless otherwise noted. If pursuing the certificate, all courses in the certificate program must be completed within three years. A recommended sequence is below.

AO401: Introduction to the Athletic and Outdoor Industry
- Learn about the industry’s scope as a source of jobs, innovation, and talent as well as its unique opportunities and challenges.
AO402: Athletic and Outdoor Product Planning
- Gain a comprehensive overview of the product planning process, all the way from concept to consumer.
AO403: Athletic and Outdoor Material Sourcing
- Gain insight into the material supply chain and the important decisions brands face with respect to materials.

AO404: Athletic and Outdoor Merchandising Management
- Learn how retailers evaluate merchandise management decisions for fashion, trend, and staple products using marketplace observations and consumer insights.
AO405: Athletic and Outdoor Branding and Positioning
- Learn the importance of both brand management and positioning strategies, both of which play essential roles in creating a powerful impression in the minds of consumers while also differentiating a brand from its competitors.

Meet the Instructors

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