Prepare for a career in financial analysis. Gain a wholistic understanding of organizational finance and apply an analytical mindset toward financial statement analysis and organizational decision-making.

4.7

stars

52 ratings

Gies College of Business, University of Illinois

2,451 already enrolled

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Financial Analysis - Skills for Success SpecializationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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In an era of thriving businesses, both small and large, it is crucial to possess a wholistic understanding of the financial building blocks of a successful organization. Through this 3-course Specialization in Financial Analysis, you will gain a well-rounded knowledge of key financial concepts that will help you apply an analytic mindset to understanding and driving organizational decisions and success. The courses in this Specialization focus on financial topics and organizational principles. Topics covered include: Understanding the importance of gaining a financial perspective Identifying and applying fundamental principles of Accounting and Finance Identifying a firm’s financial statements and understanding how they reflect company position and performance Understanding the basics of financial statement analysis Using financial information to facilitate strategic and operational decision-making Planning and budgeting to effectively and efficiently allocate resources This specialization is designed to build on the foundational skills developed in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate; earn a dual credential when you complete a Google Career Certificate and this specialization.

Applied Learning Project

A central premise of these courses is that obtaining a well-rounded understandingof the financial concepts is crucial to successfully growing and sustaining an organization.Major subject areas will be followed by an in-depth application and analysis exercise.

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 4 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 4 hours/week

English

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

Try Coursera for Business

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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

Introduction to Financial Analysis - The "Why?"

4.8

stars

42 ratings

In this course, you will learn the foundations important to developing and implementing a financially analytic mindset. This course introduces the foundations of financial analysis, beginning with the first question: what is financial analysis?

You will learn about the importance of adopting and applying a financial perspective. You will learn about accounting and finance principles and fundamentals. Accounting principles allow for the creation of consistent and reliable financial information. Key fundamentals of finance facilitate the use of a financially analytic mindset in different settings, including corporate and organizational, investment opportunities, and entrepreneurial settings. Ultimately, from this course, you will take away a strong foundational understanding of financial analysis, on which you can build further knowledge and skills related to financial analysis of organizations and organizational decisions and scenarios.

Course2

Course 2

Financial Analysis of Organizations

4.5

stars

13 ratings

This course focuses on adopting and implementing a financially analytic mindset when analyzing organizational activities, position and performance.

This course begins with an overview of an organization’s financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, as well as the transactions that comprise these statements. You will learn about tools and ratios that help analyze these financial statements and transactions. Financial statement analysis will help you understand how the company has performed in the past and its current position. This analysis - as well as course content on forecasting both short- and long-term performance - enables you to draw inferences, make predictions about the organization's future performance and value. Ultimately, this course provides a "deep-dive" into the multi-dimensional nature of financial analysis and how it used to assess the value of organizations.

Course3

Course 3

Financial Analysis of Scenarios and Decisions

This course focuses on adopting and implementing a financially analytic mindset when engaged in organizational decision-making and scenario analysis.

The course begins with an overview of the "internal" perspective of the organization, in which you will learn fundamental concepts, including the importance of how cost information is organized for different decision scenarios. You will then learn about scenario analysis, including cost-volume-profit analysis and other fundamental concepts that help facilitate financial organizational decision-making. Next, you will learn about planning and budgeting, a key function that allows organizations to identify and allocate resources necessary to achieve organizational goals. You will then learn how to assess actual performance against these budgets using variance analysis. Finally, you will learn about the organization’s performance measurement, evaluation, and compensation system. Specifically, you will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of common financial performance measures and understand how an organization uses non-financial performance measures within its strategic performance measurement system to complement the financial perspective.

Instructor

Gies College of Business, University of Illinois

13,126 Learners

16 Courses

Offered by

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Industry Partners

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.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Time to completion can vary widely based on your schedule, most learners are able to complete the Specialization in 3-6 months.
What background knowledge is necessary?
No background knowledge is necessary for this Specialization. This specialization complements the skills developed in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate such as data analysis, data visualization, problem-solving, and data ethics.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
It is recommended that the courses in the Specialization be taken in the order outlined.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
Courses on Coursera do not carry University of Illinois credit on their own. Each iDegree course has an enhanced for-credit component. You can earn academic credit if you combine an open online course with the enhanced for-credit component offered on the University of Illinois platform. To learn more visit https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/graduate-hub/online.
Some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
How often is each course in the Specialization offered?
Each course in the Specialization offers regular and open enrollment. You can begin and complete the course on your own schedule.
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.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
You will be able to: (1) recognize the importance of adopting a financially analytic mindset; (2) facilitate common operational and strategic organizational decisions; (3) identify and apply fundamental principles of accounting and finance; (4) measure and assess an organization’s financial position and performance; (5) perform basic financial statement analysis; (6) use planning and budgeting to effectively and efficiently allocate resources.
How does this content connect with Google's Career Certificates?
This Specialization connects to Google's Career Certificates by offering learners job-ready skills that complement the technical skills learned via Google's Data Analytics Career Certificate. Learners who complete this Specialization and Google’s Data Analytics Career Certificate will earn a co-branded badge. To learn more, visit https://www.coursera.org/collections/learn-job-ready-skills-from-google-and-the-university-of-illinois.
Where can I learn more and ask questions about earning credit or a degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
Please find more information at https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/graduate-hub/online or email your questions to giesonline@illinois.edu

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Financial Analysis - Skills for Success Specialization

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project