What You'll Learn
- Enhance your knowledge of the tools and analysis methods used in business, finance, and the economy through accounting, finance, and economics.
- Learn the accounting principles required for informed managerial decisions, such as cost terminology, cost behavior, cost systems, activity-based costing, budgeting, cost-volume-profit analysis, cost estimating, variance analysis, and responsibility accounting.
- Develop knowledge of the agents, instruments, and institutions that make up the financial system of the modern economy, such as bonds, the stock market, derivatives, and the money market.
- Develop an understanding of economic principles and methods, such as microeconomic theory, market theory, optimization, bargaining theory, externalities, and how they apply to business and the economy.
- Gain expertise in a focused topic area, such as capital markets and investments, investment banking, valuation, risk management, and nonprofit financial management.
Our Community at a Glance
Going back to school doesn’t have to mean putting your life on hold.
We’ve designed our certificates and degrees to give you the flexibility to pace your studies to fit your schedule.
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36
Average Age
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83%
Working Full Time
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29%
Students Outside the U.S.
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1.5 years
Average Time to Complete
Certificate Courses
The professional graduate certificate in Principles of Finance requires four courses:
- Finance course (choose one course from select group)
- Accounting course (choose one course from select group)
- Economics course (choose one course from select group)
- Elective (choose one course from select group)
You can find courses by course group and term — fall, spring, or summer — in the certificate course search within DCE Course Search & Registration platform.
Earning Your Certificate
Most of our certificates can be completed online and no formal application process is required to pursue a certificate.
To meet the requirements for the certificate, you must:
- Complete the four certificate courses for graduate credit.
- Earn at least a B grade in each course.
- Complete the courses within three years.
Learn more about pursuing a certificate and the process of requesting your certificate.
Stack Your Certificate Into a Degree
Stackable credential pathways allow you to earn multiple credentials by completing courses that meet overlapping requirements. In the short term, you can earn your finance certificate. Once completed, those four courses may count toward either a master’s degree in finance or a master’s degree in management.
This stackable pathway offers an efficient, cost-effective way to earn short-term credentials to help fill immediate skill gaps and acquire specialized knowledge while building a foundation for long-term success that showcases your expertise in the field.
Learn how to plan a stackable credential pathway.
Cost
Affordability is core to our mission. When compared to our continuing education peers, it’s a fraction of the cost.
| Our Tuition (2024–25 rate) | $3,340 per course |
|---|---|
| Average Tuition of Peer Institutions | $5,476 per course |
| Average Total Cost | $13,360 |
