Online Corporate Finance Graduate Certificate

Quicklinks: Curriculum • Faculty • Tuition & Financial Aid • Careers

Available online or on campus, the online Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance at Boston University’s Metropolitan College is designed for students and/or professionals currently working in, or seeking a career in, the corporate finance field. The curriculum provides a concise set of essential skills for understanding modern corporations, ensuring that students receive a strong foundation in corporate financial theory and acquire the quantitative skills needed to understand the process behind financial decision-making by corporations. After completing the certificate, students will be prepared for positions in areas such as budgeting, project evaluation, international financing, and short-term investing of corporate funds.

The field of corporate finance is regarded as one of the most competitive fields within finance. This certificate program will enable students to acquire the foundational knowledge and tools needed for corporate financial analysis and capital budgeting. This professional graduate certificate offers a unique opportunity to develop students’ analytical skills and critical thinking abilities through hands-on coursework and real-world case studies.

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance will be able to demonstrate:

The ability to analyze financial statements and financial models.
Skill in performing discounted cash flow analysis and valuation.
Expertise in calculating net present values and internal rates of return.
Understanding of investment rules and the ability to make capital investment decisions.
Proficiency in risk analysis and capital budgeting.
Understanding of the capital structure of the firm.
The ability to use econometric methods to analyze financial data.
The knowledge to analyze industry trends, regulations, and finance system participants.
Comprehension of the significance and importance of ethical behavior in all aspects of business.
The capacity to investigate and analyze how changing regulatory environment in the US and abroad impacts finance.

Why Choose BU’s Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance?

Boston University certificate programs comprise just four courses (16 credits) and provide essential skills and capabilities in high-growth industry areas. Certificate programs also provide a pathway to Metropolitan College management degree programs.
The Corporate Finance certificate is excellent preparation for the internationally recognized Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Program exams, and shares courses with MET’s MS in Financial Management, which is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program.
The Corporate Finance certificate program offers the flexibility of online, on-campus, or blended study formats, ensuring that students can earn their credential the way that suits them the best.
Learning from expert faculty from MET’s Department of Administrative Sciences, students will gain the insights, critical thinking, and analytical skills needed to solve problems in today’s changing business landscape.
Online certificate programs share courses and instructors with MET’s master’s degree programs in management, ranked #6 among the nation’s Best Online Master's in Business Programs (Excluding MBA) by U.S. News & World Report in 2024.

*Chartered Financial Analyst is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.

Career Outlook

Financial Managers

19% increase in jobs through 2026

$125,080 median annual pay in 2017

Economists

6% increase in jobs through 2026

$102,490 median annual pay in 2017

Financial Analysts

11% increase in jobs through 2026

$84,300 median annual pay in 2017

Financial Examiners

10% increase in jobs through 2026

$81,690 median annual pay in 2017

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

6% increase in jobs through 2026

$63,780 median annual pay in 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2017-18 Edition

Tuition & Financial Assistance

Money Matters

Boston University Metropolitan College (MET) offers competitive tuition rates that meet the needs of part-time students seeking an affordable education. These rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education. To learn more about current tuition rates, visit the MET website.

Financial Assistance

Comprehensive financial assistance services are available at MET, including scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans. There is no cost to apply for financial assistance, and you may qualify for a student loan regardless of your income. Learn more.

How Much Does This Program Cost?To learn more about the cost of this program, visit the MET website for a detailed breakdown of tuition and fees.

Curriculum

Boston University’s online Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance consists of four required courses (16 credits).

Courses

(Four courses/16 credits)

METAD630 Financial and Managerial Accounting

Introduction to the concepts, methods, and problems of financial and managerial accounting. Includes data accumulation, accounting principles, financial statement analysis, measurement and disclosure issues, cost analysis, budgeting and control, production costs, and standard costs. [4 credits]

METAD678 Financial Regulation and Ethics

Financial Regulation and Ethics is a course designed to thoroughly review the important topics of financial regulations, policies, and ethics. The course will explore an overview of the financial systems, their history, problems, and issues for the purpose of understanding the enactment of regulations as a method to protect the financial systems and investors. Also, regulators and their authority will be identified, both domestically and internationally.

Ethics, an extremely important aspect of finance will be discussed and explored. Ethics is a difficult topic to define and can be impacted by social norms. During the ethics portion of the course, students will study where ethics have failed and caused major issues for the financial marketplace and individual companies. [4 credits]

METAD685 Quantitative Methods for Finance

Finance is a highly competitive and dynamic industry that demands quantitative oriented professionals. This course will equip students with the empirical techniques which are used in the analysis of financial markets with a strong focus on financial applications using actual data.

The goal of this course is to provide students with a number of econometric techniques which are used in the analysis of financial markets based on asset pricing and corporate finance models. In particular, the emphasis will be on classical linear regression models, time series analysis, and limited dependent variable models applied to the following topics: predictability of asset returns; event study analysis; econometric tests of the CAPM and multifactor models; volatility modelling, etc. [4 credits]

METAD731 Corporate Finance

Emphasizes issues of accounting, finance, and economics that are important in most management contexts. Stresses understanding financial statements, planning and control, cost and benefit evaluation, cash flow analysis, and capital budgeting. [4 credits]

Admission Information

Faculty

Irena Vodenska

Professor of Finance; Director, Finance Programs; Chair, Administrative Sciences
PhD, Boston University; MBA, Vanderbilt University; MS, BS, University of Belgrade

Jim Stodder

Visiting Professor of the Practice, Administrative Sciences
PhD, Yale University; MSc, University of Essex; BA, Yale University

Bill McGue

Lecturer, Administrative Sciences; Online Program Coordinator
MS, Boston University; BA, Bentley College

Ivan Julio

Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
PhD, University of New Orleans; MSc, Arizona State University; Licentiate in Economics, National University of Córdoba

San Chee

Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; MS, Boston University

Alexander Becker

Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
Coordinator, Finance Programs
PhD, Boston University; Diplom-Physiker, University of Duisburg-Essen

Getting Started

To learn more or to contact an enrollment advisor before you get started, request information using the button below and tell us a little about yourself. Someone will be in touch to answer any questions you may have about the program and detail the next steps in earning your degree. You can also start your application or register for a course at Metropolitan College.

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Online Corporate Finance Graduate Certificate

Program at a Glance

Why Choose BU’s Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance?