Finance Graduate Certificate Programs

Updated: Jun 15, 2024

Finance is part of the mathematical and analytical side of business. It is an ideal career choice for people who love working with numbers but do not necessarily enjoy other aspects of business. It has applications in Real Estate, stocks & shares, debt management, insurance, investment banking, and venture capitalism.

A career in finance requires further academic study, tailoring your existing mathematics, big data, accounting, or other related qualifications for this complex area. If you desire this career, you should look at the array of available online Finance Graduate Certificates to open these professional doors.

What Are the Online Finance Graduate Certificate Requirements?

Working in finance requires advanced qualifications like a graduate certificate. Schools in the U.S. have certain requirements for applicants. Typically, these will include:

A GPA of 3.0 – 3.5, depending on the school
Accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees including transcripts as proof of your qualification and scores
Your master's degree should be relevant to the graduate certificate – business, accounting, data science, etc.
GMAT is advantageous but it is rarely mandatory
If your first language is not English, or you are a national of a country where English is not an official language, you will require formal English language qualification. These are: TOEFL, IELTS, PTEA, and sometimes ELS 112
Most schools will require roughly two letters of recommendation from either college professors or professional references
The full application fee
A supporting personal statement or essay

What Type of Classes Are Included in the Online Finance Graduate Certificate Curriculum?

Online finance graduate certificate programs are comprised of several semesters’ worth of courses that differ from school to school. This is a representative, but not exhaustive, list of the types of subjects that will be covered in the program:

International Finance
International Economics
International Financial Regulation
Investment Analytics
Portfolio Management
Corporate Finance & Investment
Financial Accounting
Financial Accounting for Non-Profits
Financial Decision Making
Financial Statement Analysis & Presentation
Financial Management for Enterprises
Securities Regulation & Law
Public Budgeting / Financing
Data Analytics
Information Technology for Finance

What Type of Careers Can I Pursue with an Online Finance Graduate Certificate?

Finance is a huge area with many applications. With an online grad certificate in finance, many career doors will open; for example:

Accountant: Accountants review department and business level reports to ensure everything is within a legal and regulatory framework, ensuring all records are present and accounted for.
Management Accountant: Management accountants have direct responsibility for company assets rather than overseeing the results of income and expenditure. They invest for the business at the corporate level.
Public Finance Accountant: Accountancy for the public purse, this role oversees government spending and balances the income (usually tax-based) against public expenditure.
Forensic Accountant: A unique area of accounting and finance, this professional examines financial records for evidence of wrongdoing.
Stock Broker: Trading on the stock markets is useful if you have financial qualifications such as a finance graduate certificate.
Economist: An economist looks at trends at a macro level (national and global). Develop or apply economic theories for a country or trading bloc.
Financial Advisor: An independent working as a freelancer or part of a firm, a financial adviser helps individuals or small businesses to understand their finance and investment options.