Business finance courses can help you learn financial analysis, budgeting, investment strategies, and cash flow management. You can build skills in risk assessment, financial forecasting, and effective resource allocation. Many courses introduce tools like Excel for financial modeling, QuickBooks for accounting, and Tableau for data visualization, that support applying these skills in real-world business scenarios.
University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Return On Investment, Capital Budgeting, Finance, Capital Expenditure, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Financial Modeling, Financial Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, Financial Management, Financial Acumen, Corporate Finance, Business Valuation, Cash Flows, Risk Analysis, Depreciation, Loans, Working Capital
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Rice University
Skills you'll gain: Capital Budgeting, Cash Flows, Probability & Statistics, Finance, Financial Statements, Microsoft Excel, Descriptive Statistics, Financial Accounting, Business Analytics, Box Plots, Probability Distribution, Data Visualization, Probability, Statistics, Ledgers (Accounting), Financial Analysis, Business Valuation, Business Mathematics, Financial Management, Data Analysis
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Financial Statements, Financial Acumen, Financial Statement Analysis, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Financial Analysis, Small Business Accounting, Business Acumen, Financial Accounting, Entrepreneurial Finance, Business Metrics, Business Planning
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Duke University
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Return On Investment, Risk Management, Balance Sheet, Accounts Receivable, Business Risk Management, Credit Risk, Income Statement, Financial Acumen, Risk Mitigation, Operational Risk, Resource Allocation, Proposal Development, Capital Budgeting, Cash Flows, Financial Analysis, Strategic Decision-Making, Operational Efficiency, Stakeholder Communications
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Duke University
Skills you'll gain: Financial Modeling, Entrepreneurial Finance, Financial Forecasting, Capital Budgeting, Financial Statements, Return On Investment, Cash Flow Forecasting, Financial Analysis, Business Modeling, Negotiation, Investments, Investment Management, Microsoft Excel
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

University of Cambridge
Skills you'll gain: Cash Flow Forecasting, Financial Reporting, Cash Flows, Finance, Financial Management, Financial Acumen, Financial Planning, Financial Statements, Risk Management, Return On Investment, Business Risk Management, Investment Management, Business Ethics, Stakeholder Management
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

IESE Business School
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statements, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Market, Income Statement, Corporate Finance, Accounting, Financial Management, Cash Flows, Balance Sheet, Financial Acumen, Financial Modeling, Accrual Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Data, Financial Analysis, Management Accounting, Capital Budgeting, Financial Reporting, Finance, Equities
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Risk Modeling, Risk Management, Business Modeling, Mathematical Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Portfolio Management, Forecasting, Regression Analysis, Financial Modeling, Statistical Modeling, Risk Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Presentations, Spreadsheet Software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Investment Management, Financial Statements, Data Modeling, Quantitative Research, Microsoft Excel
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statements, Financial Statement Analysis, Return On Investment, Accrual Accounting, Financial Accounting, Capital Budgeting, Financial Reporting, Accounting, Finance, Inventory Accounting, Financial Analysis, Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Portfolio Management, Capital Expenditure, Equities, Cash Flows, Corporate Finance, Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Columbia University
Skills you'll gain: Project Finance, Construction Management, Real Estate, Cash Flows, Financial Modeling, Risk Management, Finance, Project Management, Financial Analysis, Capital Budgeting, Business Mathematics, Strategic Partnership, Return On Investment, Feasibility Studies
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Corporate Finance Institute
Skills you'll gain: Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG), Financial Statement Analysis, Annual Reports, Mergers & Acquisitions, Income Statement, Financial Statements, Financial Analysis, Business Valuation, Banking Services, Credit Risk, Loans, Capital Expenditure, Corporate Finance, Banking, Accounting, Capital Markets, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Balance Sheet, Financial Trading, Wealth Management
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

The University of Melbourne
Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Derivatives, Financial Statements, Corporate Finance, Accounting, Financial Systems, Financial Modeling, Investments, Capital Markets, Market Liquidity, Financial Management, Balance Sheet, Financial Market, Income Statement, Capital Budgeting, Financial Data, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Reporting, Business Valuation
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Business finance is the initial capital that is required to start a business and the managing of that money. It is usually in the form of funding that you've raised to start, maintain, or expand the commercial business venture. In a broader sense, business finance refers to the entire category of a company or organization managing its money, to have clarity on the company's investments, budgeting, credit, savings, and business forecasting.
The financial decisions for a small startup or a sole proprietorship usually fall to the owner of the business. In a larger company, the matters of business finance are under the responsibility of an accountant or financial manager. These managers may have a team of people to help with the administrative tasks involved with company payroll, taxes, payments, and other areas of business finance.
It's important to learn business finance because you can gain insights into funding a business operation, whether through a commercial loan, line of credit, or crowdfunding. Business finance can help you understand the pros and cons of raising money for your business, how to allocate capital, and how to best fund the day-to-day operations of the business.
If you want to work in business, you'll have to learn to deal with financial issues of all kinds, especially if you own or manage the business. Learning business finance helps you determine how to make capital investment decisions, how to obtain business loans as needed, assess business valuation for the business, apply for grant funding, or liquidate some of your business to raise money.
The types of careers associated with business finance knowledge and a good educational background include financial management roles like financial analysts, budget analysts, tax accountants, financial forecasters, and financial managers. Once you're armed with good work experience, you can branch out to work on your own or move into different industries as an insurance agent, a real estate broker, or a commercial loan officer.
Taking online courses about business finance can open up new areas of interest to you in venture capital financing, cash flow analysis, international finance, investments and markets, and more. If you're already working in a financial role, and want to expand your knowledge, taking online courses in business finance can help you to better understand income statements, balance sheets, and financial ratio analysis models.
Online Business Finance courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your existing knowledge or learn new Business Finance skills. With a wide range of Business Finance classes, you can conveniently learn at your own pace to advance your Business Finance career skills.
When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Business Finance, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.