Accounting, business communications, human resources management, real estate, investment, and business law and policy are all examples of business finance courses. Each section is intertwined with the responsibilities that a financial manager may face while working for a corporation or a private company. These classes are usually designed to be interconnected, with each new concept building on previous knowledge. These classes are available at both traditional four-year universities and community colleges.
Business finance classes teach the art of money management from both a corporate and personal perspective. These classes with a focus on financial practices can be taken as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree program. They can also be used as continuing education seminars for people who are already working in the financial services industry and want to improve their knowledge and skills.
This type of degree usually requires some basic accounting classes to complete. Accounting mathematics teaches students how to calculate the profits and losses of a business. Further business finance courses teach students how to analyze and interpret numbers in order to provide sound advice on the company’s asset management in the future. Students will be better equipped to understand the potential profitability and risk that a corporation may face during its daily operations if they learn the accounting principles that generate these numbers.
Students and employees in the finance field can benefit from courses in business communications and human resource management. Students learn how to interact professionally with coworkers and superiors in these classes. Participants in a communications seminar may be asked to write mock emails, memos, presentations, and quarterly briefs in order to improve their vocabulary, grammar skills, and confidence in public speaking. Students will also learn about the role of a human resource manager and how to achieve higher levels of productivity when employees enjoy working together.
Students learn the fundamentals of the real estate and stock markets in real estate and investment courses. Financial managers learn how to advise their employers on sound investment strategies based on current market trends. These courses also teach students the importance of diversifying their investment portfolios and the impact that various types of investments can have on corporate and personal finance.
Many business finance courses include a capstone seminar on business law and policy. These classes cover the legal framework that all businesses, large and small, must operate within. Students learn how to start a small business or a large corporation, as well as how to file the necessary paperwork, form a board of directors, and list their company on the stock exchange if it is publicly traded. Students may also be given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of broad managerial principles operating their company in a simulation for the duration of a semester or the seminar. This gives instructors a practical and hands-on way to critique management styles, international strategies, and investment opportunities taught over the course of several years.