Business and Professional Development Institute

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Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals

LEARN BUSINESS SKILLS YOUR CAREER NEEDS. ON YOUR SCHEDULE.

Graduate Certificates

 Designed for working professionals, the University of Findlay’s Business and Professional Development Institute offers a powerful business graduate certificate. This coursework develops a broad range of strong business skills that can apply to any career, or professional advancement track.

Overview

Build a stronger understanding of how organizations operate across the core areas of business. The Business Fundamentals certificate gives you broad exposure to accounting, finance, economics, leadership, human resources, research, and operations, helping you connect decisions across functions rather than viewing them in isolation.

Broader Business Perspective
Develop working knowledge across multiple business disciplines so you can better understand how financial, operational, economic, and people-related decisions affect organizational performance.

Greater Career Versatility
A strong foundation in business can support advancement into management, supervisory, administrative, and cross-functional roles. You’ll strengthen skills that are valuable across industries and useful for professionals moving into positions with broader organizational responsibility.

Practical Decision-Making Skills
Learn how to interpret financial information, evaluate economic and operational factors, lead people, analyze data, and approach business problems more strategically. The certificate is designed to help you connect concepts to the decisions organizations make every day.

  • Designed for full-time professionals
  • No degree commitment required
  • Earn practical skills in short-focused 8-week courses
  • Available online or in-person

Why a certificate? To advance your career options.

Understanding one area of business is valuable. Understanding how the pieces work together can make you even more effective.

The Business Fundamentals Graduate Certificate provides a comprehensive introduction to the financial, economic, operational, and people-centered functions that influence organizational performance. Through coursework in accounting, finance, economics, leadership, human resources, research, and operations management, you’ll develop a broader view of how businesses make decisions and create value.

By strengthening your ability to interpret financial information, understand market and economic forces, work effectively with people, analyze data, and evaluate operations, you’ll be better prepared to contribute across departments, communicate with different functional areas, and approach business challenges with a more complete organizational perspective.

Program Details

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Certificate Course Requirements

MBA 582: Students will be introduced to financial accounting concepts, such as analyzing transactions using U.S. GAAP, the accounting cycle, financial statement preparation and analysis, along with an overview of the components comprising financial statements. This course prepares students so they will understand the accounting concepts that are necessary for the completion of the MBA program. The course includes an overview of accounting practices and focuses attention on the role of accounting within a firm.

MBA 583: In this course students will be introduced to financial statement analysis, time value of money, debt and equity financing, non-cash expenses and the acquisition of operating assets. Students will be equipped with baseline financial management tools and concepts to enhance financial decision making in organizations. This course prepares students so they will understand the finance concepts that are necessary for completion of the MBA program. The course includes an overview of finance practices and focuses attention on the role of finance within a firm.

MBA 584: A clear understanding of economic concepts is a necessity as managers and executives compete in today’s global arena. Students will be introduced to macroeconomic and microeconomic issues and concepts such as the GDP, inflation rate, unemployment rate, demand and supply, market structures, balance of payments and the foreign exchange rate among others. Discussion of monetary and fiscal policies will be included so students can begin to understand their importance not only for the U.S. economy but for businesses as well. Historical perspectives of some issues will be included.

MBA 610: This course examines the organization from a leadership perspective. It also develops essential strategies for managing organizations and skills important to successful leadership and addresses fit of strategy to organizational level and type, as well as culture of organization and workers. The course includes discussion of organizational mission and goals, work coordination, technical and people problems and managing change.

MBA 620: This course familiarizes students with the strategic and operational roles of the human resource management (HRM) function of an organization and the role all managers play in managing human resources. It examines the classic dimensions of HRM, including HR strategy, needs analysis, recruiting, selection, onboarding, compensation, benefits, training and development. This course uses an integrative approach emphasizing the importance of HRM-related factors on managerial decision making and organizational performance.

MBA 640: This course examines research design and methodologies from a business as well as from a traditional academic perspective. The course includes analytical tools and techniques for collecting and processing qualitative and quantitative data for decision-making and problem-solving purposes. Students will learn the research process from problem identification to problem solving. The course also integrates the relationship of statistics into the overall research process. The research process is approached from the five-phase model of analysis, design, implementation, interpretation and action. The course covers all classifications of research including exploratory, descriptive, correlational and experimental research designs. Students are also introduced to statistical and data analysis software programs.

MBA 650: This course is an advanced study of the management of operations and analysis of systems focusing on the relevant processes, systems, decisions and structures. Topics include measures of performance, process and system analysis, forecasting, capacity planning and scheduling, quality assurance, job design and re-engineering.

Graduate Level Business Skills You'll Develop

Financial & Accounting Analysis

Business Economics & Market Analysis

Leadership & Organizational Behavior

Human Resource Management

Research & Data-Informed Decision-Making

Operations & Supply Chain Management

Our business depends on the performance of each individual. Learning new skills is essential to our team's success.
UF Business Partner

FAQ's

How long does the graduate certificate in Business Fundamentals take to complete?

The program is 18 credit hours, which is 7 courses. Each course is 8-weeks and available fully online. The Business Fundamentals graduate certificate is designed to be completed by working professionals without disrupting your career. The flexible online and in-person format lets you move at a pace that works around your schedule.

Do I need a business background to enroll?

This certificate is built for a degree-holding professionals from any industry who want to strengthen their business fundamentals — whether you're in healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, or any other field. Admission to the graduate certificate program is required.

Will this certificate help me get a promotion or a new job?

Yes, and that's exactly what it's designed for. You'll build credentials that signal initiative to employers, gain practical skills in business and people strategy that you can apply immediately, and add a recognized University of Findlay credential to your resume.

Can I apply these credits toward a degree later?

Absolutely. The graduate certificate in Business Fundamentals is fully stackable — all credits apply toward the MBA program at the University of Findlay. You can start with the certificate and build toward a full degree on your own timeline.

How much does the program cost and can my employer pay for it?

Tuition details are available through the University of Findlay admissions office. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement or professional development funding — this program's short commitment and clear workplace ROI make it a strong candidate for employer sponsorship. Contact lindsay.fees@findlay.edu for specifics.

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