This online certificate program, offered by our accredited school partners, introduces non-financial managers to the essentials of finance. The course will help you become conversant in critical financial terminology, and you'll learn how to calculate key financial management indicators.
You will learn how to assess your organization's financial health by reviewing balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flow, and you will discover how finance and accounting tools can be used to support informed decision making within organizations. Enroll through one of our accredited university or college partners today!
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 1 - Financial Planning and Control
• Explain cost benefit analysis
• Calculate return on investment and the payback period
• Explain fixed and variable costs
• Calculate break even and understand CVP (cost-volume-profit) analysis
• Explain tracking and performance measures
• Explain and calculate Balanced Scorecard measures
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 2 - How to Read a Financial Statement
• Identify and describe the documents and financial statements included in an organization's financial report
• Itemize and interpret the information in the income statement, balance sheet, statement of changes in shareholders' equity, and statement of cash flows
• Correctly state the impact of specific business activities on cash flow
• Define financial (ratio) analysis and explain its objectives and limitations
• Identify the various types and categories of financial ratios
• Perform calculations using financial ratios
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 3 - Introduction to Business Statistics
• Differentiate between descriptive and inferential statistics
• Distinguish between the four different scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio
• Identify the appropriate graphical or tabular method for presenting your data
• Create frequency distributions
• Create meaningful presentations and graphs including:
• frequency polygons
• bar graphs
• pie charts
• line graphs
• histograms
• Calculate probability and explain its practical application
• Compute the mode, median, and mean of a dataset
• Calculate the variance and standard deviation of a dataset
• Interpret sampling with and without replacement
• Explain the significance of the area under a curve
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 4 - Introduction to Finance
• Identify and differentiate the three most common types of business organizations and the structure of each
• State the fundamental objectives of a corporation and the differences between wealth and profit maximization
• Recognize the impact of social and ethical responsibility on business
• Identify and describe the structure and functions of the finance department within an organization
• Define the principal-agent relationship and strategies for overcoming conflicts of interest and motivating managers
• List and define the five key principles that form the foundation of financial management
• Recognize and define the five key financial markets
• Identify the sources, rules, and life-cycle stages of corporate financing
• Describe the function of the stock market and the three trading venues it utilizes
• Recognize the factors related to interest rate determination and the impact of interest on an organization
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 5 - Time Value of Money and Risk
• Distinguish between points in time and periods of time as shown by a time line
• Define compounding and discounting
• Compute future value or present value for single payment amounts
• Distinguish between single payments and streams of payments and between uneven streams and annuities
• Solve for the interest rate or time period for simple present value and future value problems
• Define risk
• Describe how risk influences investment decisions
• Calculate risk and rates of return
• Describe how diversification can limit risk
• Explain how diversifiable risk can be lowered using a portfolio approach
Certificate in Finance Essentials Module 6 - Understanding and Managing Budgets
• Recognize the uses and functions of budgeting
• Recognize the key activities, considerations, and benefits of strategic organizational planning
• Recognize the purpose and make-up of a master budget
• Identify the components and calculations used to create a master budget and recognize uses for this information
• Identify the components and purpose of an operating budget
• Recognize how sales, production, and cost of goods sold budgets are created and perform related calculations
• Recognize the purpose of cash budgets and how they are prepared
• Identify ways the budget process can be managed for optimal results and recognize the benefits and limitations of the management-by-objective system
All required reference materials are provided with this program. Technical requirements:
Internet Connection
• Broadband or High-Speed (DSL, Cable, Wireless)
Hardware Requirements
• Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
• Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended
Software Requirements
• Operating Systems - Windows 7, 8 or 10; Mac OS x 10 or higher
• Microsoft Office 2007, 2010 or 2013 or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
• Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
• Cookies MUST be enabled
• Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
• Adobe PDF Reader
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
This course provides students with qualified support professionals to guide them through their learning experience. The student support team is available to answer any questions a learner may have including questions on course content, course material, certifications, and registration or enrollment questions. Support advisers also monitor the progress of learners to ensure training retention and program advancement.
Certificate in Finance Essentials FAQs
To request more information, you can contact us via online chat, our website contact
form, or toll free at
1-855-201-6910.
Online courses are accessible 24/7/365 and self-paced, allowing you to progress at your own pace on your own schedule. They can be taken from anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. Classroom courses have a set schedule of the days and times the courses will be held, and you must attend during those specific times.
Find out if online learning is right for you by contacting our team of registration advisers. Our team is available to answer any of your questions about taking an online course before you commit to enrolling. We will walk you through what to expect to ensure you are making the right decision. You can contact a registration adviser today via online chat, our website contact
form, or toll free at
1-855-201-6910.
No, you are not required to have a diploma or higher education degree to enroll in an online course. However, some occupations may require minimum educational thresholds for employment or certification. For more information on your desired career requirements, please contact us via online chat, our website contact
form, or toll free at
1-855-201-6910
To take an online course, you will need to have access to an internet connection and an internet ready device such as a laptop, PC, or tablet. For course specific requirements, please visit the course page or contact a registration adviser today.
Our courses are developed with multiple formats including text, audio, video, and interactivity. Our courses also include multiple resources and tools which can include flashcards, games, activities, and more.
No, you can take the online courses from anywhere in the world.
We participate in several financial assistance options including third party funding, both military and non-military. To request more information on the financial assistance options available and check your eligibility, contact us via online chat, our website contact
form, or toll free at
1-855-201-6910.
Duration is the amount of time you will receive access to your course. Durations vary by course and range between 1 month and 12 months. If you complete your course before your duration ends you will continue to have access to your course until the duration period ends.
Many of our career training programs include certification vouchers. This means that at the successful completion of your course, at no additional charge, you will receive an exam voucher for the corresponding industry certification. This voucher will allow you to register and sit for the appropriate certification exam to obtain your industry credential.
Our online courses are open enrollment, so you can start immediately. If you are using any third-party funding to cover your course tuition, your start date may be a future date determined by your funding program.
Once enrolled, you will be assigned a client adviser who will provide you with customer and technical support. Your client adviser will supply you with your course access information, any needed materials, and be available to answer any questions you have during your training experience. They will regularly check-in with you to monitor your progress and assist you with staying on track. You will also be assigned to a course mentor who will provide curriculum support throughout your training. Your mentor is available to answer any questions you have on your course curriculum, will monitor your progress and understanding of the curriculum, and may give assignments or quizzes.
If you experience any trouble accessing your course including technical issues or lost login credentials, please contact your client adviser at
helpdesk@worldeducation.net.
We strive to provide a fully online experience for students however some of our training courses include physical materials or equipment. Courses that have materials shipped directly to students will be shipped within 7 business days of registration. Some training courses have material for different sections and these courses may require multiple shipments as you completed stages of your course.
Our goal for students is to successfully complete their training course and achieve their career goals. We understand that extenuating circumstances can interfere with your ability to complete your course in the duration given. Because of this we have free or low-cost extensions available for our courses upon request. To discuss or request an extension please contact your client adviser at
helpdesk@worldeducation.net.
Upon successful completion of your course and fulfillment of any outstanding financial obligations, you will receive your certificate of completion. Certificates are provided to you within 30 days of completion. Your certificate will validate the training course you completed with a stamp of completion.
Students that successfully complete our career training programs are assigned a career development adviser who will coordinate placement at a local externship or hands on opportunity. These opportunities are optional and may vary based on availability and occupation. Your career development adviser will also provide job search services such as: resume building, mock interviews, job opportunity resources, and more. Our professional enrichment courses do not come with a career adviser or career services.