Essential MOOC Courses In Business For June

More Introduction to Financial Accounting

School: Wharton School of Business

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link:  More Introduction to Financial Accounting

Start Date: June 19, 2015 (6 Weeks Long)\

Workload: 6-8 Hours Per Week

Instructor: Brian Bushee

Credentials: An instructor in Wharton’s Executive Education program, Professor Bushee also teaches the Introductory Financial Accounting course in the MBA program and Wharton’s Seminar for Business Journalists. As a teacher, he has won Wharton’s Excellence in Teaching Award, along with the Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Award for being the faculty member “who has exemplified outstanding teaching quality during the last year.” Before teaching, Bushee worked in the private sector for CoreStates Financial Corporation and Coopers and Lybrand LLP.

Graded: By completing the course, students can earn a signed Statement of Accomplishment from the instructor. There is a $49 fee for a certificate. (Wharton is careful to note that completing the course does not make the participant an alumni member).

Description: This MOOC is the follow up to Bushee’s popular “Introduction to Financial Accounting,” which is a core course in the Wharton MBA curriculum. According to Bushee, this addition provides students with “an understanding of financial accounting fundamentals for prospective users of corporate financial information, such as investors, creditors, employees, and other stakeholders (e.g., suppliers, customers). The course focuses on understanding how economic events such as operating activities, corporate investments, and financing transactions are recorded in the three main financial statements (i.e., the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows). Students will develop the technical skills needed to analyze financial statements and disclosures for use in financial analysis. Students will also learn how accounting standards and managerial incentives affect the financial reporting process.”

Broken into six modules, students will specifically examine areas like assets, liabilities and long-term debt, deferred taxes and stockholders’ equity. The course will be taught through PowerPoint slides, video lectures, and case studies. Students will be evaluated through eight homework assignments and two exams.

Review: No reviews. Here is a review of the course before it was split in two: “This is an excellent class. Prof. Bushee is clear and engaging. The presentations contain lots of practice as you go so you can make sure you understand the material. The class is challenging and the homework and exams are not easy at all but you can definitely do well if you are serious about the class. every concept is related to the “real world” through evaluations of financial statements of real companies. This class takes a lot of your time but is absolutely worth it because of how much you’ll learn.” For additional reviews, click here.

Additional Note: Students are encouraged to complete Bushee’s “Introduction to Financial Accounting”course first before starting this one. According to Bushee, the first course is four weeks of “essentials,” with the following course being “a six-week trip around the balance sheet.” For more information on the first course, click here.