12 office administration courses to help you master office management

Office managers are one-part fairy godmother and one-part organizational guru. They make sure the printer never runs out of ink, the bathroom never runs out of toilet paper, and the kitchen never runs out of coffee.

But, office managers also make the office a magical place where team members want to be. They organize birthday parties, find catering for lunch and learns, and surprise teammates with the space kittens mousepad they've been eyeing.

Anytime you walk into an office and the place isn't a raging dumpster fire of disorganization and despair, you have an office manager to thank. And if you want to become one of these office superheroes (or if you already are one and want to upskill), you can prepare with an office administration course.

Even if you went straight from high school to the workforce, an office administration program can help you move up without going back to school for your associate degree or getting a bachelor's of applied science in business management.

If you're currently working in an entry-level administrative support role, like an executive assistant or administrative assistant position, you may even be able to get your company to cover the cost of your office administration course (ask your current office manager for help — like we said, one-part fairy godmother).

Here are the courses that will help you take the next step in your career as an administrative professional.

The best office administration courses to launch your career

Whether you're new to your position as an office manager or are actively interested in becoming one, these general education courses will teach you the basics of business administration and give you the tools you need to manage an office environment.

Here are the office administration courses we recommend for every office professional looking to move into business admin.

1. Office Management & Administration from Cambridge International College

In this Cambridge International College course, you'll study 12 modules of coursework, covering: the office and management, the office environment, office activities and responsibilities, human resource management, the management of personnel, office equipment and information technology topics, forms and business documents, business letters, memoranda and meetings, word processing and text editing, office reception and stationery, and financial matters.

This course takes 12 months to complete with flexibility to go faster or slower. At the end of it, you'll take a final examination and receive a diploma from the prestigious Cambridge International College.

2. Office Manager Course & Diploma from Pitman Training

This course from Pitman Training will teach you the general skills you need to succeed as an office administrator. You'll learn about time management, business communication, Microsoft Office software (including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint), HR essentials, health and safety essentials, project management, business accounts, leadership skills, and social media strategies.

Pitman offers both online classes and on-site classes at their locations in the UK, Ireland, Pakistan, Kuwait, Palestine, Russia, Ghana, and Kenya. You'll receive a diploma after you complete the course — it takes 225 hours or 9 weeks of full-time study to complete.

3. Office Administration Course (USA Standard) from Reed Courses

Another certificate program, this office administration program by Reed Courses teaches both technical skills and soft skills like communication. Topics include office administration and reception skills, computer applications (including Microsoft Office), bookkeeping and payroll, time management, human resources, and leadership skills.

This class counts for 16 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, and you'll get a CPD-certified certificate at the end of it. You'll have access to the course for 12 months after you register and can complete your coursework at any point during that time.

4. Admin and Secretarial Course from Oplex Careers

For entry-level office professionals, this course will introduce you to the skills you need to succeed in an office setting, regardless of your role. You'll learn computer skills, including keyboarding and working with office management software, plus you'll gain a wide variety of technical skills that you need for administrative and office assistant roles.‍

This certificate program takes 80 hours to complete, and you'll have access to the course for 12 months. If you complete the training within that time, you'll get a CPD-certified certificate.

5. Office Management 101 from Udemy

Udemy’s office manager training program will equip you with all the skills you need to be a successful manager. You'll learn about the roles and responsibilities of office managers and the basic principles of office management. This course is especially helpful for students in the healthcare field or anyone who wants to manage a medical office. Once you purchase this one-hour video course, you'll get lifetime access and a certificate of completion after you finish.

6. How to Hire & Manage Virtual Teams from Udemy  

As business offices move from brick-and-mortar setups to virtual environments, the role of office managers is rapidly changing. This course will help you facilitate the success of your virtual team. You'll learn how a virtual office manager can help build culture, form strong communication and leadership habits, create helpful virtual office procedures, and select the best online tools. ‍After enrollment, you'll have lifetime access to complete the 1 hour video training and go through the 28 downloadable resources at your own pace.

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The best office administration courses to improve communication skills

Communication is vital in any management position, including office management. Even if you consider yourself a people person who gets along with your coworkers, learning intentional communication skills and strategies will help you in the workplace. The following training courses will help office managers upskill their communication.

7. Emotional Intelligence On-Demand Training from SkillPath

This emotional intelligence training will help you understand how to talk to your coworkers in a way that inspires action. You'll learn about different types of people and how best to approach each type, which will help you keep your team members happy and productive. This program only takes 90-minutes to complete and includes 5 modules.

8. Organizational Behavior: How to Manage People from IESE Business School

This training will also teach you how to manage people and how different types of people see things in different ways — a fact that can make your business stronger as long as you're able to harness these different perspectives for the better. In this program, you'll learn how to maximize collaboration and create an open, communicative company culture. There are 12 hours of instruction that you can complete on your own schedule.

9. Business Writing from the University of Colorado Boulder

Business writing is always helpful for office managers, who have to issue office-wide memos and often check outgoing communication. This training from the University of Colorado Boulder can teach you how to write a professional business letter, response, or invitation to other businesses.

Learn to apply the 10 principles of great business writing, improve your text production, and deliver your ideas confidently and clearly. This course takes 12 hours to complete and has flexible deadlines.  

10. Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age from the University of Toronto

This course will teach you how and when to use the different online communication applications to maximize the effectiveness of your communication and help you get tasks completed more quickly.

You’ll also learn how to better persuade and influence others through communication so you can hold more productive meetings, and have difficult conversations in a positive manner that makes individuals feel valued and heard.‍

This office administration course includes 7 hours of coursework that you can complete on a flexible schedule.

Other relevant office administration courses

There are plenty of miscellaneous skills that office managers need in their day-to-day jobs. The following courses can help you improve your office.

11. Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace from ESSEC Business School

This office administration course will teach you the importance of having a diverse team and how to promote diversity in an office environment. It also covers the required human resources discrimination laws. ‍The course takes 9 hours to complete, and you can work through it at your own pace.

12. Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll from Udemy

‍Brush up on basic skills so you can manage payroll, and keep track of all the incoming and outgoing transactions in your business. This course includes instruction on common bookkeeping software that makes the process easier to manage.‍ It includes 14.5 hours of video training, and you'll get lifetime access upon enrollment.

One thing they won't teach you in your office administration course

When you're an office manager, you have a lot of responsibilities that revolve around office logistics — from keeping the team caffeinated to mailing corporate gifts to clients and team members. You'll spend a lot of your time trying to streamline those logistics, and Hoppier can help.  

Hoppier is a virtual credit card that office managers can use for dozens of tasks.

Give your team members each a card so they can order food during your office lunches, or assign them cards and add a balance whenever they need to make purchases so you don't have to check out the official office credit card.

You can also use Hoppier cards instead of gift cards. Send them to clients as a thank-you present, or send them to employees on their birthday, work anniversary, or holidays.

You can limit the vendors that card recipients can purchase from, so you can create themed office perks — like food, wellness, office furniture, or even continuing education. (That's right! Hoppier cards can help you pay for your own office administration course.)

You can also set budgets, and add your company branding to the cards, so clients will know exactly who to thank for their gift. And Hoppier cards work all over the world — no matter where your virtual team members or international clients live, they can use their card to purchase the products that are right for them.

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Let's Make It Official

No matter how much experience you have, there’s always room to learn more — especially for office managers whose roles include a broad range of responsibilities. Take a certificate program to start your office management career on the right foot.

And once you’ve got the office running like clockwork, consider looking into an office administration course that will help you upskill your communication or bookkeeping knowledge. If you're already working in an office administration role, talk to your company to see if they'll cover the cost. (Or convince them to use Hoppier cards to provide education benefits for employees.)

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