Course Description
In today's business world, when every manager is held accountable for the bottom line, you have to understand, analyze, communicate, and apply financial information effectively. As a manager, you need to know how to identify an opportunity, justify a request, quantify contributions, and spot profit drains immediately.
This course features materials that can help you further your career and build your future. From basic mathematical calculations to analysis of capital budgeting techniques, the curriculum shows you the concepts and tools that can help you make more informed and financially sound decisions on a daily basis.
The Finance for Managers Certificate program is designed to give you the knowledge and confidence you need to assess or make critical financial business decisions day-in and day-out.
You will gain a stronger understanding of managerial accounting, financial analysis, economics, and risk management. Our industry-leading instructors will guide you through the program and help you to:
- Analyze a firm’s financial performance relative to its industry
- Understand and apply the time value of money calculations
- Evaluate the meanings and relationships between the major components of income statements and balance sheets
- Calculate and interpret key financial ratios such as return on equity, return run on assets, debt/leverage ratios, current ratios, and others
- Appreciate the financial and strategic differences between high-growth firms and firms that are in decline
- Put strategic cash flow principles to work for your business
- Understand the interaction between executive compensation and the financial performance of the firm
This Course Covers Following Areas:
- F4M101: Quantitative Methods in Business
This introductory math course not only provides students with the tools to calculate the financial data, but also a conceptual understanding of the role that quantitative methods should play in the decision-making process. With the non-mathematician in mind, this course is application-oriented, including realistic sample problems, case studies, interactive assignments, and real-world examples from experienced professionals.
- F4M102: Economics for Managers
To be competitive in today's business environment, managers must understand how both microeconomic and macroeconomic forces can impact a business and how this understanding should be incorporated into a managers’ business decisions. Unlike other introductory economics courses, this course focuses on the relevance and applicability of basic economic concepts and how these concepts can be used to analyze and explain events in the business environment.
- F4M103: Accounting Essentials
The Accounting Essentials course framework emphasizes the use of accounting by managers in a business environment. Topics include defining and evaluating core accounting principles, concepts, and terminology; describing and analyzing financial statements (internal reports), which include balance sheets, income statements, and statement of cash-flows; synthesizing and explaining various techniques used to analyze financial statements; and utilizing Microsoft Excel applications to assess and visualize changes to internal reports in accounting. The framework is developed over a series of steps, preparing the student by defining key concepts in accounting, allowing the student to practice and build upon the key concepts, and allowing the student to demonstrate the learning outcomes in the performance module.
- F4M104: Using Accounting Information
This course focuses the student's attention on understanding financial statements, enhances the student’s knowledge of accounting, and asks the students to analyze and apply their knowledge to evaluate financial statements. The student should be able to determine the overall strength of the company, to make managerial accounting decisions to affect changes in the financial statements, and to analyze the financial statements to make proper recommendations to help the firm achieve profitability. Students will examine how financial statements are used in a business utilizing proper accounting standards and financial ratios. The student will examine how managerial decisions affect what is reported and how reports are interpreted.
- F4M105: Corporate Finance
This course is an overview of concepts that are useful in making business decisions about the future. It covers time value of money calculations, capital budgeting, the cost of capital, measurement of financial leverage, and the need for working capital. This course covers the tools students need to make smarter decisions in planning the future path of a business.
Other BenefitsYou will benefit from innovative online course design and delivery, allowing you to:
- Study anytime, anywhere with our self-paced online program
- Stay engaged and motivated by using multiple study tools such as videos, case studies, interactive exercises, and online assessments
- Receive ongoing support as you need it from faculty and academic advisors
- Apply learning to real-life situations during your education
Our programs focus on the concepts, as well as the situations in which they should be applied. Our real-world sample problems, case studies, and instructor experiences bring these abstract concepts to life. Your enhanced financial skills should help you and your firm:
- Increase productivity
- Reduce costs
- Improve revenue
Kaplan's Finance for Managers Certificate program incorporates the latest in innovative course design and delivery. It is designed around you, the student. Your course includes:
- Content-rich videos
- Supplemental PDFs to enhance key points
- Interactive and engaging exercises throughout
- Online quizzes and final exams
- Access to faculty feedback on all submitted assignments
- Use of message boards to access both instructors and students
Upon completion of Kaplan's Finance for Managers Certificate program, you will have gained an understanding of financial principles, terms, reports, cycles, and market forces.
Pre-RequisiteTo enroll, you must possess a two-year associate’s degree or higher. Exceptions may be allowed. A working knowledge of basic Excel functions is desirable.