Requirements: A successful candidate will complete the Port Professional Manager curriculum, including 176 hours of education in 14 port management topic areas.  Candidates must also complete 72 hours of program credits by attending monthly cohort meetings, actively participating in an AAPA technical committee, volunteering for an approved activity, and completing a capstone (paper, project, trade mission or 1-week residency).

Candidates are expected to attend a minimum of four AAPA events as a class to the extent possible within the first two years of the program. Candidates will have four years to complete the course requirements and make up any courses not taken in the first two years, however, candidates are more than welcome to finish sooner. 

For your planning purposes, if you are selected to join the Gamma Cohort, you will attend the Port and Terminal Management Training, Feb. 10-13, 2026 in Port of Long Beach, which is a required PPM Cohort event.

To complete the application and be eligible for the PPM® program, you must pay the $99 application fee. Please click here to pay the application fee. The application fee is processed through our website using your IMIS ID. This is different than the logon you created for the application. If you do not have a logon, use the Find My Account form to search for your record. If your record is not found, you may Create an Account to continue with paying your PPM® application fee.

There is a $990 program enrollment fee that will be assessed in December 2025 if you are selected to join the Gamma Cohort.

     If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Jbarelas@aapa-ports.org.