Spreadsheet software remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces around the world. Learning to confidently operate this software means adding a highly valuable asset to your employability portfolio. Across the globe, millions of job advertisements requiring Excel skills are posted every day. At a time when digital skills jobs are growing much faster than non-digital jobs, completing this course will position you ahead of others, so keep reading.
This course is part of the Excel Skills for Business Specialization
Excel Skills for Business: Advanced
Offered By
About this Course
187,320 recent views
Learner Career Outcomes
42%
started a new career after completing these courses
38%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
32%
got a pay increase or promotion
Skills you will gain
Dashboard (Business)Financial ModelingMicrosoft ExcelData Cleansing
Learner Career Outcomes
42%
started a new career after completing these courses
38%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
32%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 4 of 4 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Intermediate Level
Approx. 26 hours to complete
Suggested: 6 weeks of study, 2-4 hours per week
English
Subtitles: English, Arabic
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
4 hours to complete
Spreadsheet Design and Documentation
As an intermediate Excel user, you have the basics down. The first module of the Advanced course focusses on creating and maintaining accurate, flexible, responsive and user-friendly spreadsheets. You will learn how to design flexible and auditable spreadsheets, construct transparent calculations, create user-friendly navigation, and use styles, themes and formatting to tie it all up in a nice bow.
4 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 69 min), 7 readings, 5 quizzes
7 videos
Week 1 Discussion4m
Practice Video: Spreadsheet Design Principles12m
Practice Video: Calculations14m
Practice Video: Formatting11m
Practice Video: Documentation10m
Practice Video: Interface and Navigation12m
7 readings
Welcome10m
Course Structure & Assessments10m
Course goals and weekly learning objectives10m
Read me before you start: Quizzes and navigation10m
Read me before you start: Versions and regions10m
Download the Week 1 workbooks5m
Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and Ninja Tips20m
5 practice exercises
Spreadsheet Design Principles6m
Calculations6m
Formatting6m
Documentation6m
Week 1 Final Assignment1h
3 hours to complete
Advanced Formula Techniques
Excel often requires you to perform complex analysis on large sets of data. This can be made a lot easier using array formulas, which can perform multiple calculations simultaneously and ensure the accuracy of your spreadsheet. This module covers the use of array formulas, how to build them and use them effectively.
3 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 41 min), 2 readings, 5 quizzes
7 videos
Week 2 Discussion4m
Practice Video: Tables and Structured Referencing9m
Practice Video: Using Functions to Sort Data8m
Practice Video: Introduction to Array Formulas5m
Practice Video: Working with an Array Function (TRANSPOSE)4m
Practice Video: Solving Problems with Array Formulas4m
2 readings
Download the Week 2 workbooks5m
Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and Ninja Tips25m
5 practice exercises
Tables and Structured Referencing6m
Using Functions to Sort Data6m
Introduction to Array Formulas6m
Week 2 Practice Challenge45m
Week 2 Final Assignment1h
3 hours to complete
Data Cleaning and Preparation
Been handed a messy spreadsheet? This module focuses on data cleaning and preparation. You will learn how to use dynamic and automated fixes, clean messy data, automate these processes through functions, and ensure data remains clean dynamically. We will use functions to fix dates, replaces blanks and remove unwanted characters from data – all to help us build an efficient solution that lasts.
3 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 37 min), 2 readings, 7 quizzes
7 videos
Week 3 Discussion4m
Practice Video: Replace blanks with repeating values5m
Practice Video: Fix Dates (DATE, MONTH, YEAR, DAY, TEXT)6m
Practice Video: Remove Unwanted Spaces (TRIM, CLEAN)4m
Practice Video: Diagnostic Tools (ISNUMBER, LEN, CODE)7m
Practice Video: Remove Unwanted Characters (SUBSTITUTE, CHAR, VALUE)6m
2 readings
Download the Week 3 workbooks5m
Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and Ninja Tips25m
7 practice exercises
Replace blanks with repeating values6m
Fix Dates (DATE, MONTH, YEAR, DAY, TEXT)6m
Remove Unwanted Spaces (TRIM, CLEAN)6m
Diagnostic Tools (ISNUMBER, LEN, CODE)6m
Remove Unwanted Characters (SUBSTITUTE, CHAR, VALUE)6m
Week 3 Practice Challenge45m
Week 3 Final Assignment1h
3 hours to complete
Financial Functions and Working with Dates
This module introduces financial functions into our Excel knowledge base. Financial functions are often used in businesses and Excel has a variety of tools to help you with that. This week, you will learn to apply date formulas in calculations, create loan schedules with financial functions, as well as use depreciation functions.
3 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 48 min), 2 readings, 6 quizzes
7 videos
Week 4 Discussion6m
Practice Video: Working with Dates (EOMONTH, EDATE, WORKDAY.INTL)5m
Practice Video: Financial Functions (FV, PV, PMT)8m
Practice Video: Loan Schedule (PMT, EDATE)10m
Practice Video: Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return (NPV, IRR)7m
Practice Video: Depreciation Functions (SLN, SYD, DDB)6m
2 readings
Download the Week 4 workbooks5m
Keyboard Shortcuts, Excel Terminology, and Ninja Tips40m
6 practice exercises
Working with Dates (EOMONTH, EDATE, WORKDAY.INTL)10m
Financial Functions (FV, PV, PMT)10m
Loan Schedule (PMT, EDATE)12m
Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return (NPV, IRR)10m
Depreciation Functions (SLN, SYD, DDB)10m
Week 4 Final Assignment1h
Reviews
4.7
TOP REVIEWS FROM EXCEL SKILLS FOR BUSINESS: ADVANCED
by TLDec 7, 2019
Finance function week was awful and almost no sense to learn. Thanks a lot that you haven't included difficult finance tasks in final assigment. Final assigment was amazing and very educational.
by JBAug 7, 2019
It has been a journey for me and I am glad that I have learned so much in these courses. Also I want to thank all learners who have helped me through the exercises, challenges and assessments.
by HAAug 21, 2019
It is wonderful to complete every course in excel provided by Macquarie University. These courses are really helpful for data analysis. Finally i am pro excel become a King of Excel
by MHDec 17, 2019
The complexity of this course is a bit harder than the previous courses. Not totally a bad thing, but it would help to have some review points in between the new learning material.
by GKAug 4, 2019
Excellent course, well structured and presented. To get the total benefit of this course, I would recommend completing all courses in the Excel Skills for Business Specialization.
by CAJul 7, 2019
A rewarding experience because I have been able to learn very valuable information. It is an excellent course. It has helped me in the personal and professional field. Thank you.
by ZNSep 12, 2018
This course has really changed my life! I especially loved the section on dashboards, where excel's functions were used creatively to construct interative and dynamic dashboard.
by MTMay 31, 2019
Some of the questions of the assesments were not seen during the course. Formulas laike indirect, index and match should have further explanation and more practice exercises.
by MPMay 24, 2018
This was a great experience in learning Excel. The intro course walks you through the basics but by the time you finish the advanced class you'll see the true power of Excel.
by AJDec 31, 2019
Discussion Part did guide me well on reviewing my mistakes.. a lot of trial and error.. do not give up when failed just keep on finding the right answer to the question
by MPMar 20, 2019
Very good course. being able to recall all the different functions learned and having the logic to apply them in different ways are both keys to being successful.
by STJan 31, 2020
Absolutely must for business people. I am applying these new concept in my job. It has saved big chunk of time and my peers also asked me if I could teach them!!
Offered by
Macquarie University
Macquarie is ranked among the top one per cent of universities in the world, and with a 5-star QS rating, we are recognised for producing graduates who are among the most sought-after professionals in the world. Since our foundation 54 years ago, we have aspired to be a different type of university: one focused on fostering collaboration between students, academics, industry and society.
About the Excel Skills for Business Specialization
This specialization is intended for anyone who seeks to develop one of the most critical and fundamental digital skills today. Spreadsheet software remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces across the world. Learning to confidently operate this software means adding a highly valuable asset to your employability portfolio. In the United States alone, millions of job advertisements requiring Excel skills are posted every day. Research by Burning Glass Technologies and Capital One shows that digital skills lead to higher income and better employment opportunities. At a time when digital skills jobs are growing much faster than non-digital jobs, completing this specialization will position you way ahead of others.
In this Specialization, learners develop advanced Excel Skills for Business. Upon completing the four courses in this Specialization, learners can design sophisticated spreadsheets, including professional dashboards, and perform complex calculations using advanced Excel features and techniques. Learners have acquired the skills to manage large datasets efficiently, extract meaningful information from datasets, present data and extract information effectively. In addition, learners have mastered the skills needed to validate data and prevent errors in spreadsheets, create automation, apply advanced formulas and conditional logic to help make decisions and create spreadsheets that help forecast and model data.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
What version of Excel do you teach?
In this course, we are using Microsoft Excel 2016 (Office 365) on a Windows PC with all options set to default. The Office 365 version of Excel is the latest version at the time of writing and developing this course. If you have a different version of Excel or you are using a Mac, some tools and buttons will look different, they may be located in a different spot, or some might be missing altogether. If there are any major differences, we usually point them out during the practice videos. If you cannot find a tool that we mention, you can always ask in the forums or search the Internet. Most of the functionality we demonstrate is also available in other spreadsheet programs, although the interface will look different. Most other spreadsheet software can import and export files in the Microsoft Excel format. If you are not sure which version of Excel you are using, check the Microsoft support pages for help.
If you cannot use Excel 2016 on a PC, you will be able to follow along with the videos, however, please note that some of the assessment tasks will require Excel. Where possible, we have designed assessment tasks so that users of older versions of Excel (such as 2013) can still solve them.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
