This first course in the finance specialization discusses costs and business practices to establish the cost of a product. Stocks and bonds are introduced to show how companies finance activities such as product development. The concept of time value of money (TVM) is developed to determine the present and future values of a series of cash flows. TVM principles are then applied to investment forecasting, showing how to estimate the future value of investments under several scenarios. This is a practical course that uses spreadsheets to prepare students in engineering and science for a career in industry.

This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no traditional application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.