Developing your competitive strategy skillset is one way to become almost indispensable in your marketing career. You not only become a better marketer but you are able to link your marketing strategy to the business strategy.

These top competitive strategy courses offer insights from practitioners and leaders who excel in the field. Here's a quick overview of each course, highlighting who it's for and what makes it stand out.

Best Competitive Strategy Courses Shortlist

Here's my shortlist of the most valuable competitive strategy courses of 2025:

1. Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
2. Competitive Strategy (Illinois Tech)
3. Business Strategy – Competitive Advantage (Wharton Online)
4. Strategic Marketing for Competitive Advantage (University of Pennsylvania)
5. Competitive Strategy: Accelerating Growth Through Sustainable Solutions (MIT Professional Education)
6. Competitive Strategy (INSEAD)
7. Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage (Harvard University)
8. Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
9. Competitive Strategy Course (HubSpot Academy)
10. Strategising: Management for Global Competitive Advantage Specialization (Macquarie University)
11. Developing a Competitive Strategy (LinkedIn Learning)
12. Competitive Strategy (Kellogg Executive Education)
13. Strategy and Game Theory for Management (IIMA)
14. Advanced Competitive Strategy (University of Michigan)
15. Competitive Strategy (NYU)
16. Strategic Management and Innovation Specialization (Copenhagen Business School)

Find more details about each course below.

Overview of the Best Competitive Strategy Courses

1. Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)

This course explores how business leaders can use game theory to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. You'll also learn about how marketing strategy folds into competitive strategy, organizational design, and how industry leaders have used these insights to build competitive moats.

• Who It’s For: Marketing professionals looking to deepen their understanding of strategy
• Topics Covered:
  • Competitive strategy
  • Advanced competitive strategy
  • Strategic organization design
  • Competitive strategy and organization design project
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 1 month
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

2. Competitive Strategy (Illinois Tech)

This course provides you with a comprehensive understanding of how to use various strategic levers, such as cost leadership or differentiation. It also has modules that focus on how to analyze the industry, evaluate your value chain, and use the SWOT analysis framework.

• Who It’s For: Professionals and business leaders looking to strengthen their strategic decision-making skills and enhance their understanding of competitive dynamics
• Topics Covered:
  • What is competitve strategy?
  • Competitive advantage
  • Choosing a competitive strategy
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 32 hours
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

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3. Business Strategy – Competitive Advantage (Wharton Online)

This course teaches how to evaluate and redesign a company's strategy by assessing internal and external factors, identifying competitive advantages, and understanding barriers to implementation. It integrates business administration and project management concepts, focusing on developing strategic plans that align with organizational goals and drive sustainable success.

• Who It’s For: Professionals seeking to develop strategies to achieve and sustain a competitive edge in their industry.
• Topics Covered:
  • Analyze your firm’s internal fit
  • Analyze your firm’s external fit
  • Maintaining your firm’s dynamic fit
  • Creating new strategies and initiatives 
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 6 weeks
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 2 to 4 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $585
• Take The Course: Wharton Online

4. Strategic Marketing for Competitive Advantage (University of Pennsylvania)

This course explores how to analyze customer behavior, position products and brands effectively, and make data-driven marketing decisions. It emphasizes creating strategic marketing plans that build brand value and drive consumer engagement.

• Who It’s For: Executives and marketing leaders aiming to refine their strategic marketing skills to drive growth and profitability
• Topics Covered:
  • Positioning new products and services
  • Maximizing customer engagement
  • Smart pricing strategies
  • Designing a communication campaign
  • Online advertising: communication vs. marketing
  • Managing, leveraging, and extending brand meaning
  • Channel strategies
  • Customer analysis for a new product launch
  • Innovate vs. follow: strategic considerations
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 5 days
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $12,500 - $12,875
• Take The Course: Wharton Executive Education

5. Competitive Strategy: Accelerating Growth Through Sustainable Solutions (MIT Professional Education)

This course examines adapting business models to emerging trends, balancing profitability with sustainability, and leading organizational transformation. It integrates public policy, technology, and strategy to create sustainable competitive advantages. You are also awarded a certificate upon completion.

• Who It’s For: Leaders, entrepreneurs, and mid-career professionals seeking to innovate and enhance competitiveness
• Topics Covered:
  • Analyzing and adapting business models for emerging trends
  • Balancing profitability with sustainability in strategies
  • Examining case studies to drive strategic changes
  • Managing stakeholders for sustainable initiatives
  • Integrating policy, technology, and strategy
  • Addressing global impacts on business transformation
  • Leading organizational change effectively
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 8 weeks
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 8 to 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $3,200
• Take The Course: MIT Professional Education

6. Competitive Strategy (INSEAD)

The Competitive Strategy course at INSEAD is a three-day program tailored for executives who wish to refine their strategic decision-making abilities. Participants will explore analytical frameworks, value creation, and sustainability in business strategy, enabling them to implement strategies effectively for long-term success.

• Who It’s For: Executives with profit and loss responsibilities needing strategic skills
• Topics Covered:
  • Analytical frameworks
  • Value creation
  • Sustainability in business strategy
• Online, In-Person, or Both? In-Person
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 3 days
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: Total hours vary; commitment details upon inquiry
• Eligibility Requirements: Relevant professional experience
• Price: €8,500
• Take The Course: INSEAD

7. Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage (Harvard University)

This course analyzes and implements strategies to build and sustain competitive advantages in dynamic markets. It includes case studies and hands-on exercises on market assessment, competitor analysis, and global strategic execution.

• Who It’s For: C-suite and senior executives responsible for competitive strategy
• Topics Covered:
  • Assess market attractiveness and trends
  • Understand competitors and anticipate actions
  • Turn ideas into action plans
  • Expand competitive advantage globally
  • Pursue innovation and adapt strategies
• Online, In-Person, or Both? In-Person
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 6 days 
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 12 to 15 hours of pre-program work
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $17,500 
• Take The Course: Harvard Business School

8. Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

This course helps marketers develop the necessary strategic leadership skills marketers need to get a seat at the table. You'll learn about self-awareness, interpersonal dynamics, team culture, and how to design winning teams. The course also offers frameworks and tools to enhance personal leadership, foster effective team collaboration, and improve managerial and strategic decision-making.

• Who It’s For: Mid-level managers, aspiring leaders, and anyone interested in advancing their careers by gaining a deeper understanding of team dynamics, organizational design, and business strategy.
• Topics Covered:
  • Developing as a leader
  • Building effective team cultures
  • Designing organizational structures
  • Managing organizational challenges
  • Crafting business strategy
  • Formulating corporate strategy
  • Applying strategic leadership in practice
• Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
• Exam Required?: No
• Duration: 2 months
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

9. Competitive Strategy Course (HubSpot Academy)

In HubSpot's business strategy course, you'll learn how to segment, track competitors, and create a competitive matrix that highlights your business’s strengths. You'll also learn how to position your company as a market leader by identifying gaps and opportunities in the competitive landscape.

• Who It’s For: Small business owners, startup founders, marketing managers, and individuals looking to understand how businesses assess and position themselves against competitors.
• Topics Covered:
  • Define, segment, and track competition
  • Build a compelling competitive matrix
  • Create a unique competitive advantage
  • Next steps in competitive strategy
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 1 hour and 56 minutes
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: HubSpot Academy

10. Strategising: Management for Global Competitive Advantage Specialization (Macquarie University)

This course teaches you how to think strategically to improve competitiveness within your department. You'll also learn how to review and optimize global supply chains, use technology for innovation, and balance business growth with sustainability. It provides you with practical frameworks for driving organizational change.

• Who It’s For: Professionals in management roles, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking to develop or enhance their strategic thinking and decision-making skills
• Topics Covered:
  • Global supply chain management
  • Leveraging innovation and emerging technologies
  • Global sustainability and corporate social responsibility
  • Competitive strategic management
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 2 months
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

11. Developing a Competitive Strategy (LinkedIn Learning)

This course covers the dynamic nature of competitive advantage. You'll learn how to compete in both onstage and backstage arenas, how to identify your sources of competitive advantage, and how your business can manage and adapt these advantages to maintain long-term success.

• Who It’s For: Intermediate learners
• Topics Covered:
  • Defining your competitive advantage
  • Sources of onstage advantage
  • Sources of backstage advantage
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 1 hour and 4 minutes
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $29.99 per month
• Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning

12. Competitive Strategy (Kellogg Executive Education)

This course offers a step-by-step guide on analyzing and applying strategic frameworks to identify growth opportunities, avoid common mistakes, and build sustainable competitive advantages. You'll also be provided with mental models and tools for evaluating market forces, understanding industry dynamics, and developing a long-term action plan for your business.

• Who It’s For: Mid-level to senior executives, managers in marketing, operations, and other functions aiming for strategy roles, and cross-functional teams involved in strategic planning.
• Topics Covered:
  • Fundamentals of competitive strategy
  • External environment analysis
  • Internal profitability analysis
• Online, In-Person, or Both? In-Person
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 5 days
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: $10,450
• Take The Course: Kellogg Executive Education

13. Strategy and Game Theory for Management (IIMA)

This course teaches you how game theory concepts can improve your decision making. You'll learn about the Nash equilibrium, sequential games, partial information scenarios, and go away with a solid grasp of how to apply these models in real-world situations.

• Who It’s For: Managers, business leaders, and professionals seeking to enhance their strategic decision-making skills.
• Topics Covered:
  • Reasons for non-cooperation
  • Nash equilibrium
  • Sequential games
  • Games with uncertain information
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 3 weeks
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

14. Advanced Competitive Strategy (University of Michigan)

This course builds on core strategy concepts, deepening your industry analysis understanding and broadening your strategic toolkit with new tools and frameworks. It focuses on developing a rigorous approach to solving complex business problems in diverse strategic environments.

• Who It’s For: Students looking to deepen their understanding of competitive dynamics
• Topics Covered:
  • Industry analysis: use, utility, and limitations
  • Strategic environments and their impact on analysis
• Online, In-Person, or Both? In-Person
• Exam Required? Yes
• Duration: 2.25 hours
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
• Eligibility Requirements:
  • GMBA, FTMBA, OMBA, EveMBA, MAcc, MSCM, MM, MBAN, or STRATEGY 502 waiver.
• Take The Course: Michigan Ross

15. Competitive Strategy (NYU)

This course covers how companies use strategic analysis and planning to achieve business success, emphasizing the alignment between marketing and business strategies. It explores how to develop and implement strategies, assess growth options, and address challenges in a competitive global market.

• Who It’s For: Marketers and professionals seeking to understand effective business strategies
• Topics Covered:
  • Marketing’s role in business strategy
  • Business strategy’s influence on marketing
  • Developing and implementing business strategies
  • Frameworks for marketing’s support of business goals
  • Growth assessment methodologies
  • Global competition and innovation analysis
  • Identifying competitive disruptors
  • Mitigation strategies for growth
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? Yes
• Eligibility Requirements: Not specified
• Take The Course: NYU

16. Strategic Management and Innovation Specialization (Copenhagen Business School)

This course covers business strategy at all levels focusing on the roles design, user experience, and innovation play in creating competitive advantage. You'll gain insights on setting marketing goals that ladder up to your business goals, pricing, channel selection, and how to prioritize marketing resources based on your available budget.

• Who It’s For: Beginners interested in business strategy
• Topics Covered:
  • Strategic management fundamentals
  • Strategy formulation processes
  • Strategy implementation techniques
  • Capstone project: applying strategic management skills
• Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
• Exam Required? No
• Duration: 1 month
• How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week
• Eligibility Requirements: None
• Price: Free
• Take The Course: Coursera

What Next?

In addition to courses, we have other resources that can help you improve your competitive strategy chops, including this list of marketing strategy books, or a collection of the best marketing management books.

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