Graduate Finance Certificate (original) (raw)

Make stronger financial decisions in the workplace with a graduate certificate

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Expert faculty

Build on your existing business education and experience with Brenau

Learn to make smarter financial decisions in the workplace with the online finance certificate from Brenau University. You can complete the certificate on a full- or part-time basis, getting flexibility for advancing your career on your schedule. You’ll be exposed to topics such as value-based management, international finance, entrepreneurial finance, investments, corporate risk management and more.

Gain a credential that will help you stand out in a growing field

Business and financial professional hiring is projected to grow faster than other positions from 2023 to 2033, and the median annual pay for these roles was $80,920 in 2024.1 With your Certificate in Finance, you can pursue various finance roles, including:

• Financial manager
• Budget analyst
• Personal financial advisor

Break into the industry or elevate your existing financial career to a new level with your online certificate.

Supplement your business education with finance expertise

5 Courses

12 total credit hours

No matter how you want to use your finance education, our courses allow you to gain the specific skills you need to grow.

Course spotlights:

All courses require BA 723 as a prerequisite.

• BA 749 – International Finance
• BA 752 – Entrepreneurial Finance
• BA 753 – Investments
• BA 754 – Corporate Risk Management

What you’ll learn

Our online finance certificate coursework is designed to supplement your existing business knowledge, allowing you to expand your financial career. When you complete the certificate program, you’ll have the expertise you need to be competitive in this growing field.

Program outcomes

With Brenau’s Certificate in Finance, you can:

• Apply best practices to create, evaluate and rebalance financial portfolios to achieve investment outcomes based on the motivations and risk/reward profiles of investors.
• Analyze major financial markets, financial institutions and major types of financial instruments encountered in business transactions and trades.
• Use business software applications (Excel, R and SPSS) and data sources to perform financial and economic analyses, make sound inferences, make well-supported decisions and effectively communicate results to other interested parties with limited backgrounds in finance.
• Understand the legal and ethical environment in which business functions and consider the legal and ethical implications of business decisions in both domestic and global business environments.
• Construct proper financial strategies and instruments to manage and evaluate various risk exposures in business transactions and trade, and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to provide expert financial advice to individuals and businesses.
• Plan, manage and analyze the financial and monetary aspects and performance of business enterprises and banking institutions and solve capital budgeting problems.

Admissions requirements

To be considered for this program the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

• 3.0 GPA or higher on all college transcripts
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Official college transcript(s) and resume

Online learning

At Brenau, you will learn in small classes, which gives you plenty of opportunities to ask questions and receive one-on-one support from your professors. With flexible scheduling and online delivery, we make education fit into your busy life. Our programs respond to the needs of today’s students, so you’ll receive the education you need to become a leader who makes a difference.

Source

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Healthcare Occupations.” April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 22, 2025, from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website

About our dedicated, supportive faculty

Faculty members at Brenau are dedicated to helping you succeed. Most classes feature a small student-to-faculty ratio, so you can get to know your professors and their unique areas of expertise. As you broaden your professional network, you’ll have the mentorship and support of our faculty throughout your program.

Faculty Spotlight

Dhruba Banjade

Dhruba Banjade is a program director and an assistant professor of finance at the College of Business and Communication (CBC) at Brenau University. Before joining Brenau, he was a lecturer and post-doctoral research associate at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also served as an associate professor and department head at the Electrical Department at the Nepal Engineering College, Nepal. Furthermore, he served as a visiting associate professor at Kathmandu University, Nepal.

Frequently asked questions

Entrance exams are not required.

With your Certificate in Finance, you can pursue various finance roles, including:

• Personal financial advisor
• Financial manager
• Budget analyst

The online Certificate in Finance does not follow a cohort model — you may take courses in the order you choose as long as you meet the prerequisites.

You should expect additional costs for textbooks and other supplies. Our Cost of Attendance tables help break these costs down.