The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Acquire competence in financial accounting, planning, reporting, and analysis
Download Brochure
October 17, 2024
6 weeks, online
3-4 hours per week
Participants report that enrolling in a program with colleagues fosters collaborative learning and amplifies their impact.
Please provide your details to get more information about the group-enrollment pricing.
The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events SpecialistAs your career advances, understanding and deriving insights from financial information becomes increasingly important. The Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Professional (Online) program will help you build your financial competence and your business confidence. Even if your day-to-day responsibilities don't directly involve equity or earnings, this program will help you understand how financial principles relate to your role in the business and prepare you to take on greater levels of responsibility.
Through the practical six-week curriculum, you will learn to dissect the elements of a financial statement, demystify terms such as net present value (NPV) and price-earnings ratio (P/E), and understand forecasting, equipping you to make meaningful decisions that deliver value for your organization.
Of finance leaders say establishing finance as a partner to the business is one of the top three priorities for the finance function in the next 12 months.
On the list of top 10 must have skills for all C-level executives are business acumen, including knowledge of profitability and metrics.
Of the non-financial professionals are unable to correctly answer three questions on a basic five-question financial literacy quiz.
The Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Professional (Online) program will enable you to:
This program is designed for any nonfinance professional who is interested in developing an understanding of practical financial and accounting concepts they can leverage in their day-to-day responsibilities and throughout their careers. Participants from a wide range of functions will benefit, including:
The goal of this curriculum is to make financial and accounting concepts practical and applicable to your professional life.
Build a foundational understanding of financial accounting, accrual accounting, financial statements, the balance sheet, and other financial basics useful to any industry.
Become familiar with key line items from each of the five financial statements, and understand how to approach financial analysis and valuation.
Expand your proficiency by evaluating ratios related to profitability, solvency, and liquidity. Establish business valuation and reformulate financial statements.
Gain an understanding of managerial accounting, including pricing and costing products and performance measurement, and learn the basics of capital budgeting.
Determine how much a business is worth by analyzing relative valuation and fundamental valuation and forecasting financial statements.
Build a foundational understanding of financial accounting, accrual accounting, financial statements, the balance sheet, and other financial basics useful to any industry.
Gain an understanding of managerial accounting, including pricing and costing products and performance measurement, and learn the basics of capital budgeting.
Become familiar with key line items from each of the five financial statements, and understand how to approach financial analysis and valuation.
Determine how much a business is worth by analyzing relative valuation and fundamental valuation and forecasting financial statements.
Expand your proficiency by evaluating ratios related to profitability, solvency, and liquidity. Establish business valuation and reformulate financial statements.
World-Renowned Faculty
Learn from accomplished faculty, and industry experts whose diverse backgrounds encompass a broad range of disciplines
Peer Interaction
Stimulating discussions with like-minded global peers expand your professional network and build a supportive community
Case Studies
Through exploratory sessions, examine practical examples and find innovative solutions to strategic challenges
Live Faculty Sessions
Get actionable insights in live online interactions with faculty who are recognized leaders in their fields
Engaging Assignments and Activities
Hone business acumen and executive skills with try-it activities that help you redefine your potential
Immerse yourself in real-world case studies that require you to navigate the numbers, analyze financial statements, identify critical business insights, and prepare you to apply program concepts in your work.
Best Buy’s annual report helps bring accounting and finance concepts to life throughout the course of the program, giving real-world context to theory.
The financial analysis and valuation of US-based global clothing retailer Gap Inc. serves as an opportunity to synthesize and apply program concepts in a final capstone project.
Note: All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
This program features a customized workbook to help you master the essentials of accounting and finance. Through more than 60 curated examples, assignments, and solutions, you will develop the financial knowledge you need to help your business unit thrive and advocate for its best interests in the larger organizational ecosystem.
Past participants of the Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Professional (Online) program come from diverse backgrounds, industries, and experiences.
Average years of work experience:
Top industries:
Top functions:
Top countries:
— Clement Schvartz, Director at Google
— Didier Hazoume, COO at Lababidi Holdings
— Dr. Ruth Redman, Carl Zeiss Microscopy
DORON NISSIM
Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting and Finance
At Columbia Business School, Nissim teaches MBA, EMBA, MS, and PhD courses in financial accounting, earnings quality, fundamental analyses, valuation, investment management, financial institutions, and research methods. He also serves as the director of three executive education programs—Financial Analysis and Valuation, Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Professional, and Finance and Accounting for New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Nissim’s research is primarily in the areas of earnings quality, fundamental analysis, equity valuation, financial institutions, and corporate finance. His research is frequently cited in The Wall Street Journal, Time, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Chief Executive Magazine, The Economist, and the International Herald Tribune.
He earned his BA from University of Haifa and his MS and PhD in accounting at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined Columbia Business School in 1997.
Upon completion of the Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Professional (Online) program, you will receive a certificate of participation from Columbia Business School Executive Education. This certificate also awards two credits towards the Certificate in Business Excellence, which grants select alumni and tuition benefits. Learn More
Download BrochureYour digitally verified certificate will be issued in your legal name and emailed to you, at no additional cost, upon completion of the program, including all modules of the program (online, in person, or live online, inter-module). All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Columbia Business School Executive Education.
After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow-up with you very shortly.
Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page, as well as in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at the ID mentioned above.
Note that, unless otherwise stated on the program web page, all programs are taught in English and proficiency in English is required.
More than 50 percent of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but, generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry, and geography — leading to a very rich peer learning and networking experience.
Check back to this program web page or email us to inquire if future program dates or the timeline for future offerings have been confirmed yet.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities including:
The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on program activities.
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.
A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the program. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.
This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please email us if you need further clarification on any specific program requirements.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, resume, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.
You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access program content from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any livestream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you may view them later.
Yes, you can register up until seven days past the published start date of the program without missing any of the core program material or learnings.
The program fee is noted at the top of this program web page and usually referenced in the program brochure as well.
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in the program currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your program advisor, or email us for details.
Yes! Please email us with the details of the program you are interested in, and we will assist you.
Please email us your invoicing requirements and the specific program you’re interested in enrolling in.
Yes, the flexible payment option allows a participant to pay the program fee in installments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.
Please connect with us via email for assistance.
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
Program fees for Emeritus programs with Columbia Business School Executive Education may not be paid for with Title IV financial aid funds. Participants may be able to pay the program fee with funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits. Participants must contact the Columbia University’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs to determine benefit eligibility.
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Flexible payment options available.