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. 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?

No, you cannot take this 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 cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.

Securities Law for Business and Finance Professionals Specialization

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Securities Law for Business and Finance Professionals Specialization

Gain a Legal Edge in Securities Law.

Assess securities offerings, disclosure duties, shareholder rights, and fraud risks under U.S. law.

Instructor: Verity Winship

Included with Learn more

4 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete

at 4 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete

at 4 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Explain when investments qualify as securities and how federal law and the SEC regulate them.
Compare public and private capital-raising pathways, including IPOs, private placements, and crowdfunding.
Analyze disclosure and shareholder voting requirements, and recognize securities fraud and insider trading risks.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Taught in English

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

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Advance your subject-matter expertise

Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
Earn a career certificate from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Specialization - 4 course series

This four-course specialization is designed for business, finance, technology, and compliance professionals who need to understand how U.S. securities law shapes capital raising, corporate disclosure, and conduct in financial markets. You will examine what qualifies as a security, public and private offerings, public company reporting, shareholder voting, securities fraud, and insider trading. Through legal cases and company examples, you will learn to assess disclosure obligations, compare financing pathways, and recognize legal risks under federal securities laws and SEC rules.

Applied Learning Project

This specialization does not include a deliverable-style capstone or applied project. Instead, learners examine legal cases, company disclosures, and enforcement examples to practice identifying securities law issues, assessing disclosure obligations, and analyzing fraud and insider trading risks in realistic business situations.

Securities Law: What Is a Security & Who Regulates It?

Course 1, 8 hours

What you'll learn

Identify the sources of U.S. securities law and explain the roles of the 1933 and 1934 Acts, the SEC, mandatory disclosure, and materiality.
Analyze whether stocks, notes, and investment contracts are securities by applying cases such as Foreman, Reeves, and the Howey test.
Evaluate whether partnership interests, LLC interests, and digital tokens qualify as securities under an economic reality approach.

Securities Law: IPOs, Private Placements, & Disclosure

Course 2, 10 hours

What you'll learn

Explain how the 1933 Act regulates public offerings, including IPOs, registration statements, gun-jumping rules, and disclosure liability.
Compare traditional IPOs with SPACs and direct listings, and evaluate how each balances capital formation with investor protection.
Apply private offering exemptions such as Regulation D, Regulation Crowdfunding, & intrastate offerings to raise capital without SEC registration.

Securities Law: Public Company Disclosure & Governance

Course 3, 8 hours

What you'll learn

How companies become reporting companies and what Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K require, including risk factors, MD&A, and officer certifications.
Apply the materiality standard to decide when a company must disclose events, including the four-business-day timing rule for Form 8-K.
Analyze how federal proxy rules, proxy fights, & Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals shape voting rights & shareholder influence in public companies.

Securities Law: Fraud and Insider Trading

Course 4, 12 hours

What you'll learn

Explain how securities fraud claims, investor class actions, and SEC enforcement apply to public and private companies.
Analyze when trading on confidential information or sharing tips creates insider trading liability.
Identify how disclosure rules, insider reporting, and corporate trading policies help manage legal risks.

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Verity Winship

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

1 Course1 learner

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Frequently asked questions

No. Completing this Coursera Specialization does not earn university credit or a University of Illinois academic transcript. It provides a non-credit learning experience and a Coursera certificate of completion. See Illinois’ Coursera credit policy.

If you would like to pursue university credit, you can apply separately to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law’s online certificate programs or online Master of Science in Law (MSL) degree program. These programs build on foundational course content with additional assessments, applied work, and instructor interaction; admission and completion of the required for-credit coursework are separate from this Specialization.

No legal background is required to succeed in this specialization.

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.