You have already made strides in your career. Now is the time to take your talents even further with Clarkson University's Business Fundamentals Graduate Certificate.
Gain the strategic tools to approach business challenges in the workplace. Understand the basic principles of accounting, finance, and operations. Learn the most up-to-date marketing techniques. Hone your management skills and envision yourself as a leader.
Why Study Business Fundamentals at Clarkson?
This 18-credit program was designed to boost the opportunities for working professionals without an undergraduate business degree. Over the span of six courses, you will develop a broad background of fundamental business concepts. The tools you gain during the certificate will allow you to tackle more advanced professional challenges and signal to employers your commitment to your career.
The certificate is flexible and designed to fit your busy schedule–completed completely online. As a Clarkson student, you can also take advantage of resources like the Career Center and our extensive alumni network.
The Business Fundamentals Graduate Certificate also grants an alternative pathway to admission to the online MBA. All courses can be applied to an MBA program, should you decide to pursue that degree later.
What You’ll Learn
The courses cover:
Accounting
Finance
Operations
Marketing
Management
IT
Review the full curriculum and course information below.
The required courses are:
AC604 Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making
FN608 Financial Management
IS606 Business Information Systems
MK610 Marketing Management
OM607 Global Supply Chain Management
OS603 Leadership and Organizational Behavior*
*The required Leadership and Organizational Behavior course is offered in an on-site intensive weekend format at the Capital Region Campus, or fully online in the same format as all other classes.
GMAT/GRE is not required to apply for Business, Advanced Certificates.
Prerequisites: BS/BA or equivalent.
The certificate in business fundamentals offers an alternative pathway to admission into the Online MBA for those who are weighing their options or would prefer admission be based on criteria other than that of the traditional application process.
This pathway might be right for you if:
You want to get started right away without taking an admission test.
You want to be considered for admission into the MBA program based on your performance in core MBA courses.
You're not sure you want to obtain an MBA, but would like to learn core business principles in a short amount of time and still be able to apply the course work to an MBA program.
You want to try out the MBA program by taking courses that you can use for a valuable and recognized credential, even if you decide not obtain the degree.
This is how the pathway process works:
You will be assigned an advisor as soon as the application is received. The application will not go to the Graduate Admission Committee for an admission decision; rather, you will be screened by your advisor.
You will meet with your advisor, who will explain the pathway. If you both agree that this pathway is a good fit, you will develop together a plan of study that best meets your needs.
You can then begin taking classes according to the plan.
If you receive a grade of C (or below) in any course, you will be automatically removed from the pathway and from the certificate program. You can appeal to be reinstated. The appeal will go to the admission committee and essentially be treated as a normal application; they may reinstate, deny reinstatement, or request that you take the GMAT admission test prior to making a decision.
If you complete the certificate with no C’s (or below) and an overall GPA > 3.2, you will be automatically admitted to the MBA program. If you do not meet these criteria, you can still apply for the MBA but will go through the normal MBA admission process.
If you complete at least three courses toward the certificate with a GPA > 3.7, you will be eligible for early pathway admission, and upon request, will be automatically admitted to the MBA program without going through the normal admission decision process.
Thinking about advancing your knowledge? Apply the certificate’s six courses to our Online MBA degree, considered one of the top in the country. Here’s what to expect in terms of structure, benefits, and outcomes.
