Businesses of all types rely on financial managers to help make and carry out decisions related to an organization’s financial goals and situation. Understanding key finance concepts provides any professional with skills and knowledge that can promote organizational financial health and support effective decision making. In this course, students develop their financial vocabulary and basic skills in understanding financial calculations and ratios. They assume the role of a finance professional within a fictional organization and apply their skills and knowledge to complete a series of career-related assignments. Students have the opportunity to earn a workplace certificate in finance essentials upon successful completion of the course.

Managers in all types of corporations must make vital financial decisions on a daily basis, such as choosing between competing investment opportunities, valuing assets, measuring risk and return, financing a firm's operations, making dividend policy and capital structure decisions, and valuing financial instruments. Students in this course learn the basics of finance and can gain the tools needed to create long- and short-term planning decisions. They collaborate with their peers through a group case study project to gain real-world insight into the corporate finance arena. Students add to their portfolio by completing a project assignment in which they demonstrate concepts learned in the course through a specific contextual application.

One of the main causes of economic failure in the United States is the assumption of too much financial risk, including overspending and bad investments. The best way to mitigate risk factors is for financial managers to understand the impact of spending on financial markets. In this course, students investigate the implications of these risk factors and examine various aspects of financial markets, including money, bond, mortgage, stock, foreign exchange, and derivative security. Students learn about the operation and regulation of commercial banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies, securities firms, investment banks, finance companies, mutual funds, and pension funds. Through this course, students have the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge that financial managers use to predict and manage risk and future trends.

To maintain a competitive advantage, organizations must engage in business and financial investing on a global scale and financial managers must understand the challenges, risks, and methods of dealing with firms in the global economy. In this course, students learn about the nuances, concepts, and principles in the field of international finance. Primarily, students engage in assignments focused on international financial markets and the macroeconomics of international financial flows. They examine specific topics, including foreign exchange, international securities markets, and international banking. Through this course, students have the opportunity to acquire the tools needed to make important international financial decisions based on existing financial principles and current factors in the market.