Top Managerial Accounting Certifications - Q2 2023
Our Expert Picks
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Content Coverage (5/5)
The Bookkeeping Basics course is offered by Inuit, a global technology platform, that is also the maker of the QuickBooks software. The course is one of four and takes approximately 16 hours to complete over a 4-week period. The course is structured into 4 modules comprised of video lectures, quizzes, interactive exercises, discussion prompts, and reflections. This course covers the expected minimal topics required in a Managerial Accounting course.
Lecture Quality (5/5)
Lectures are short videos containing either scripted voice-overs with animation, experts describing certain concepts, or screen shares of activities taking place within the QuickBooks application. This provides excellent variety for new learners. The lessons are also sequenced in an intuitive manner that allows learners to scaffold to more complex concepts as they move through the course.
Quiz Quality (5/5)
Each module has a short practice quiz that requires a 65% or higher to be considered a passing grade and provides immediate feedback to the answered question.
Half-way through the class (week 2) Accounting Cycle (Part 1) Assessment is given to the learners, which takes 40 minutes to complete. A grade of 80% or higher is considered a passing grade. Each question is worth one point and provides immediate feedback to the answered question.
During week 3, Accounting Cycle (Part 2) Assessment is given to the learners, which takes 40 minutes to complete. A grade of 80% or higher is considered a passing grade. Each question is worth one point and provides immediate feedback to the answered question.
A 30-minute cumulative quiz is given at the end of the 4-week period, in which a grade of 80% or higher is considered a passing grade. Each question is worth one point and provides immediate feedback to the answered question.
There is also an external link to https://academy.intuit.com/ where the learner can go on to take the Bookkeepers’ Exam provided by Inuit.
Assignment/Exercise Quality (5/5)
Simulations can be completed live on the screen as if the learner is using QuickBooks online. The learner can key into the cells on the simulation or move blocks from one side of the screen to the next to complete the assignment. These simulations are interspersed throughout the course to allow learners formative practice.
Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)
The Intuit brand is very well known amongst small business owners and bookkeepers. As a bookkeeper, having an Intuit certification allows you to be part of a community where you can advertise your services, using Inuit’s web-based services. This course provides a shareable certificate at the completion of the course. The course has been taken by 78,000 learners and has a high rating on Coursera.
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Course Details
Content Coverage (5/5)
This course is structured into 4, 1-week modules comprised of readings, video lectures, practice quizzes, and a final module quiz. The course provides a general overview of financial accounting information and meets the minimum topics required for this subject matter. Topics are covered in a sequence that is easy for beginners to follow and scaffold to more complex concepts as they move through the course.
Lecture Quality (5/5)
The lecture videos are professionally recorded with both clear visuals and audio. Relatively simple slides with bullets are used to accompany the lecturer as he speaks. Actual financial statements are also used with highlighted text to identify key topics. The lecturer has an accent that some may find difficult to understand; however, there are transcripts available in the following languages: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish.
Quiz Quality (5/5)
This course contains multiple practice quizzes per module (4 to 8 per module). Learners are presented with one question at a time and the platform provides instant feedback on each question answered. The learner is allowed unlimited attempts at these quizzes.
There is one graded quiz per module with a time limit of 10 minutes per quiz. Each question is worth one point, and a minimum of 80% or higher is required for a passing grade. Two attempts per quiz are allowed.
Assignment/Exercise Quality (4/5)
The learner can expect to complete a peer-reviewed assignment in Module 3. Multiple attempts are allowed, in which the highest grade will be recorded. Two hours of time is allotted for the assignment, and a minimum of 70% or higher is required for a passing grade.
Grading the submissions of 3 peers is also required for this assignment. For conscientious learners, this can be a very effective learning approach. However, the instructor does not supervise submissions or reviews, so the feedback provided may not be very high quality.
Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)
The Financial Accounting: Foundations course offers a shareable certificate at the successful completion of the course.
The instructor, Oktay Urcan is associated with the University of Illinois as a Professor of Accountancy, within the College of Business. The instructor has taught 132,000 learners: with 17,000 of those learners as enrollees in this course.
The University of Illinois is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and was established in 1885. Coursera is also a well-respected online platform.
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Our Expert Review
Content Coverage (5/5)
This course is organized into four modules comprised of short video lectures, a practice quiz and a graded quiz. The course is designed to teach the fundamentals of managerial accounting and the learner does not have to have prior accounting knowledge to benefit from this course. The goal of the course is to provide an overview of the analytics and tools managers use to make financial decisions. The learner can expect to commit 13 hours to the subject matter, over a five-week period.
Lecture Quality (5/5)
The instructor is extremely easy to follow, providing examples along the way and questions at the end of the lecture before continuing to the next video. She also uses visuals and a lightboard effectively to circle, highlight, or callout certain aspects of financials.
Quiz Quality (5/5)
Each module contains one practice quiz and one graded quiz, each comprised of 12 questions. Questions are very well written, often asking the learner to evaluate examples of financials before making selections. All answers are plausible. After submitting each quiz, the learner is presented with immediate feedback. Learners must receive a grade of 75% or higher to gain credit on the quiz but can attempt them multiple times.
Assignment/Exercise Quality (4/5)
The course does include peer-graded assignments, such as preparing income statements. The learner is required to upload their submission as a PDF file, and electronically sign their submission. A score of 75% of more must be obtained to be considered passing. The learner is also expected to review other learners’ submissions of the assignment using a rubric. For conscientious students, this can be an excellent way to learn. However, neither the instructor nor Coursera verifies these reviews.
Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)
At the end of the course, the learner can earn a shareable certificate. The course is taught by Instructor, Luann Lynch, a Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business. Professor Lynch has taught over 167,000 learners: and currently holds a very high rating for this course.
The University of Virginia was founded I 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, and is currently accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
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Content Coverage (5/5)
Advanced Bookkeeping Techniques hosted by LinkedIn is designed for intermediate bookkeeping functions. The learner can expect to commit 1.5 hours of total time to the course. The course is structured into six modules comprised of short, focused lectures and a quiz. The course offers topics expected as minimum topics for this subject matter and the material is covered in a logical sequence that is easy to follow.
Lecture Quality (5/5)
Each lecture video is short, averaging two to four minutes. The material in the lectures is clear and easy to understand for a learner, who has some prior knowledge of the subject matter. Both lecturers are confident, easy to understand, and present the material in a clear and concise manner. Simple and well-designed images and animations are used throughout the lectures to help the learner conceptualize different topics. The lectures are accompanied by one downloadable PDF file containing six definitions used throughout the course.
Quiz Quality (5/5)
There are quizzes administered at the end of each module. Each quiz varies in the number of questions – between four to six. Each quiz provides immediate feedback on the answer given by the learner, as well as a link to the lecture covering the material to which the question relates..
There is also a cumulative final exam totaling 19 questions. Each question provides immediate feedback to the answer given by the learner. There appears to be no set time limit on the quiz.
The learner must score 70% or higher on the final exam to be considered passing.
Assignment/Exercise Quality (1/5)
There are no assignments offered in this course.
Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)
The course is led in tandem by two lecturers, Earl and Jim Stice. Earl Stice is currently a PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accounting at Brigham Young University, as well as a professor abroad. Jim Stice is a Professor of Accounting in the School of Accountancy at Brigham Young University and has been with the university since 1988.
A LinkedIn Learning Certificate is available after the final exam is taken at the end of the course. The plus is that this course is associated with the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA), which means the learner can earn CPE 3.8 credits.
CPE credits or continuing professional education credits are necessary for maintaining professional licenses. The learner will need to earn 70% or higher on the exam to qualify for the CPE credits and the LinkedIn Learning Certificate.
The learners can also join the LinkedIn National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) – LinkedIn Learning Group, where there are currently 112,000 members; and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) – LinkedIn Learning Group, where there are currently 21,000 members.
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Content Coverage (5/5)
Finance Foundations: The Essence of Finance hosted by LinkedIn is designed for beginner learners in the field of finance. The course is structured into 9 modules comprised of short, focused video lectures, and a quiz. The learner can expect to commit 3 hours of total time to the course. The course offers topics expected as minimum topics for this subject matter.
Lecture Quality (5/5)
Each lecture video is short, averaging two to three minutes. lecturers are easy to understand and present the material in a clear and concise manner. Simple and well-designed graphics are used throughout each lecture to help the learner visualize more complex concepts. The lectures are accompanied by one downloadable PDF file containing six definitions used throughout the course.
Quiz Quality (5/5)
There are quizzes administered at the end of each module. Each quiz varies in the number of questions – up to 14 questions. Learners are presented with one question at a time. Upon submission of the question, immediate feedback is provided as well as link back to the video lecture covering the related material.
There is also a cumulative final exam totaling 35 questions. Each question provides immediate feedback to the answer given by the learner. There appears to be no set time limit on the quiz.
The learner must score 70% or higher on the final exam to be considered passing.
Assignment/Exercise Quality (1/5)
There are no assignments or exercises offered in this course.
Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)
The course is led in tandem by two lecturers, Earl and Jim Stice. Earl Stice is currently a PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accounting at Brigham Young University, as well as a professor abroad. Jim Stice is a Professor of Accounting in the School of Accountancy at Brigham Young University and has been with the university since 1988.
A LinkedIn Learning Certificate is available after the final exam is taken at the end of the course. The plus is that this course is associated with the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA), which means the learner can earn CPE 6.8 credits.
CPE credits or continuing professional education credits are necessary in maintaining professional licenses. The learner will need to earn a 70% or higher on the exam to qualify for the CPE credits and the LinkedIn Learning Certificate.
Topics To Look For in an Excel for Accounting Course
- Financial Accounting versus Managerial Accounting
- Overview of Bookkeeping Functions
- Users of Financial Information
- The Accounting Cycle
- The Accounting Equation
- Accrual basis versus Cash Basis of Accounting
- The Matching Concept
- Revenue Recognition
- Time Value of Money
- Net Present Value (NPV)
- Financial Statement Analysis: Balance Sheet and Income Statement
- Detailed Review of Cash Flow Statements
- Financial Statement Ratio(s)
- Return on Capital
- Owner’s Equity
- Internal Controls
- Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002
- Accounting for Receivables
- Allowance for Bad Debt
- Inventory Cost Flow
- Inventory Accounting: LIFO, FIFO, and Average Method
- Activity-Based Costing (ABC) Overview
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Managerial Decision Making
- Avoidable Costs
- Sunk Costs
High Growth Jobs That Use Managerial Accounting Skills
Click any of the links below to view the salary, job growth, necessary skills, and other information related to these jobs:
The Major Online Learning Platforms
Each online learning platform is unique. Some specialize in certain types of content, some partner with major universities or corporations to develop content, and some have special learning features. While not exhaustive, the list below includes the major online platforms whose courses we feature.
Pros / Cons
Pros: Certificates often are offered from major universities or corporations.
Cons: The quality of course content and features available varies dramatically between courses.
Cost
$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Courses are very similar to those offered in colleges.
Cons: The quality of content and features offered varies dramatically between learning programs.
Cost
$$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: A focus on microlearning with consistently high-quality content. Consistent use of quizzes throughout all courses.
Cons: Pricing is skewed toward annual subscriptions, which is far more content (and cost) than most learners need within a year.
Cost
$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Labs offer a means of gaining practical experience in technical skills.
Cons: There are no incremental quizzes or ways to test learners on specific topics.
Cost
$$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Udemy tends to be one of the more affordable options for individuals looking to learn specific technical skills.
Cons: Highly inconsistent quality between courses.
Cost
$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Consistent, high-quality micro-content that focuses on practical exercises.
Cons: The catalog is somewhat limited compared to other vendors on this list.
Cost
$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Many free online classes are offered. Live online classroom experiences are offered for some of their courses.
Cons: Variable quality of courses, with some courses having relatively low quality.
Cost
$$$$$
Pros / Cons
Pros: Skillshare has a large library of courses related to creative skills.
Cons: Most courses are just a series of lectures with no interactivity, quizzing, or opportunities to practice concepts.
Cost
$$$
For more information, check out our detailed post on the best online course platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions about Finance and Accounting
What is finance?
Finance is defined as the management of money, currency, and assets. People employed in finance perform activities such as budgeting, borrowing, saving, investing, lending, and forecasting. The field is generally organized into the following areas:
- Corporate finance – actions managers take to increase the value of the company for its shareholders
- Personal finance – how one manages their personal spending, saving and risk
- Public or Government finance – related to sovereign states, sub-national entities, and related public entities manage their debt, assets, and investments
Why is finance important?
Managing money, currency and assets is a critical element for any organization. These activities ensure that an organization is sustainable – that it can continue operations at a healthy level while paying its debt.
Is finance a good career path?
In 2022, LinkedIn listed Finance as one of the Top 20 In-Demand Skills, which means that Finance was featured as a skill 78% of postings do the platform. Accounting and Finance was also listed in the company’s 2021 list. The US Bureau of Labor Statitics projects that business and finance employment will grow by 8% from 2020 to 2030.
Finance careers also come with relatively high stress. There are highly regulated monthly and yearly deadlines that must be met. Decisions made by financial managers can have large impacts on an organization and its employees.
If you are a person who is detail-oriented, good with numbers and organization, and manages stress well, Finance can be an excellent career path.