Accelerate your Career in Cost Accounting. Use cost accounting tools and improve your business decisions.

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Gunther Friedl +3 more instructors

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Cost Accounting SpecializationTechnische Universität München (TUM)

What you will learn

How to allocate the costs incurred to the company's products and the most important methods product costing.
How companies use cost information to calculate their profit or loss and assess their profitability.
How to use information from cost accounting to improve managerial decision-making.
You will learn how to make your company's cost structure transparent and how to record and calculate costs.

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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View the Specialization trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE5Rx91bdYw Many corporate decisions need cost accounting information. When you know the costs of your products, you will make better pricing decisions and you can better choose which products to offer. When you know the costs of your departments, you can better detect inefficiencies and you can better incentivize your employees. In this Specialization, you will learn the fundamentals of cost accounting. Three courses cover the basics of cost accounting. We will start with an introduction to product costing. How can you figure out the costs of your individual products? Next, we will discuss how to connect cost information with revenue information to calculate profits and profitability. Finally, we focus on how to use the information provided by cost accounting systems to optimize your business decisions. We have created the courses of this Specialization for interdisciplinary young professionals seeking to develop cost accounting skills. At the same time, the courses can help students in management and business administration to repeat the content of their introductory cost accounting course.

Applied Learning Project

This specialization is structured along with lecture videos and uses readings as well as a series of quizzes and interactive learning elements to help learners gain an understanding of the basics of Cost Accounting. The specialization also applies practical learning elements like building an Excel spreadsheet to determine cost functions and includes numerous illustrative examples from a variety of industries. The coursework teaches learners to plan, control, monitor, and document cost information. From product and service costing, to profit and loss calculation, and leveraging of cost information as the basis for decision-making, the specialization provides a sound foundation to cost accounting.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 2 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 2 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Basics of Cost Accounting: Product Costing

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The core of the first course is to learn how companies record total costs and calculate unit costs for their individual products or services. For example, how can a car manufacturer figure out the costs of an individual car series? During the first weeks, participants learn what costs are and how to distinguish them from expenses or cash flows. Participants will understand how companies record total costs and distinguish important cost types such as material costs, personnel costs, or depreciation. At the core of their cost-accounting system, companies allocate overhead costs to individual products. We show participants how to allocate the costs incurred to the company's products and introduce them to the most important methods and challenges of product costing.

Course2

Course 2

Cost Accounting: Profit and Loss Calculation

4.6

stars

23 ratings

Companies do not only need to know the costs of different products, but they also need to know whether they gain a profit or realize a loss. We explain how companies use cost information to calculate their profit and assess their profitability. Depending on how companies account for changes in inventories, we distinguish "absorption costing" and "variable costing". In addition, some companies structure their income statement according to the "nature of expense method", while others structure it according to the "cost-of-sales method". We explain both methods and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.

Course3

Course 3

Cost Accounting: Decision Making

5.0

stars

14 ratings

In the third course, you will learn how to use information from cost accounting to improve managerial decision-making. We discuss business decisions and suggest how cost information can support them best. For example, how will costs change if managers adjust cost drivers? How many units do companies need to sell in order to avoid losses or to achieve a targeted profit? How can managers improve pricing or product programs with information from cost accounting?

Instructors

Offered by

Technische Universität München (TUM)

Technische Universität München (TUM) is one of Europe’s top universities. It is committed to excellence in research and teaching, interdisciplinary education and the active promotion of promising young scientists. The university forges strong links with companies and scientific institutions across the world. TUM was one of the first universities in Germany to be named a University of Excellence. TUM does not pass any personal data to the platform providers. If you take part in one of our MOOCs, please refer to the data protection guidelines in the terms and conditions of the provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
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. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
You will take in total 10 weeks and approximately 25 hours to complete the Specialization. The first course "Basis of Cost Accounting" takes up to 12 hours, the second course "Cost Accounting: Profit and Loss Calculation" up to 5 hours and the third course "Cost Accounting: Decision-Making" up to 8 hours.
What background knowledge is necessary?
We offer three consecutive courses that introduce participants to the basics of Cost Accounting. Hence, you do not need any specific background knowledge.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
Yes, as the content of the courses builds on each other, we recommend taking the courses in the following order:
Basis of Cost Accounting: Product Costing
Cost Accounting: Profit and Loss Calculation
Cost Accounting: Decision-Making
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
No, you will not earn university credit for completing the Specialization. Yet, the content of the Specialization is build on the lecture Cost Accounting which is offered by the TUM School of Management.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
You will acquire a skillset to plan, control, monitor, and document cost information and, thus, lastly improve your organizational decision-making.

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Cost Accounting Specialization

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project