SAIS "Finance" Professional Skills Courses One professional skill that all SAIS students looking for careers in the finance sector, whether private, publicor non-profit sector need is a basic understanding of acocunting. Here at SAIS, this training is offered in a variety of fashions. The first step is for a student to gain an introductory understanding of financial accounting and financial statements. Currently this is offered through a Harvard Business School Publishing on-line course, Financial Accounting. This is the gateway course which all students must go through in order to be able to take the professional development accounting skills courses offered through Career Services in the middle of each semester. These specialized professional development courses are short non-credit professional skills courses offered through Career Services that focus on practical applications of financial statement analysis and more advanced accounting. In addition, if students are interest in more structured courses in financial accounting, there are several places in the DC area that offer courses to interested students. Choose the link below to navigate to the area that is appropriate for you.
Summary: This course was developed by Professors David Hawkins and Paul Healy and research fellow Ratna Sarkar to provide an introduction to financial accounting. You will learn about (i) financial accounting terms and concepts, the foundation for the language of business, (ii) the financial statements that firms use to describe their business, (iii) the approach used to construct the financial statements, and (iv) some simple ratios that capture key elements of firm performance. After completing the course, you will be able to understand many of the financial accounting issues and performance challenges faced by businesses today. Description: The course provides an introduction to financial accounting in a management context. To make the material realistic and engaging, it is presented in the context of a new business, Global Grocer, a small retail franchise specializing in gourmet foods and specialty kitchen implements from around the world. The course describes the key business activities for Global Grocer, including its set-up and subsequent operation; then, through a combination of voice, graphics, and text, shows students how Global Grocer's business activities are recorded and captured in its financial statements. Students are encouraged to practice applying their learning throughout the course using the many practice problems included. Pre- and post-test assessments are included and, through a separate interface, professors can access individual student scores as well as track their use of the product. A comprehensive glossary and help section are also incorporated into the course. Learning Objective: This course teaches an understanding of: (1) basic financial accounting terms and concepts; (2) the financial statements--balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows--that firms use to describe their business; (3) the approach used to construct the financial statements; and (4) some simple ratios that capture key elements of firm performance. Program Type: HBS Online Course
Approximate Length: 10 to 12 hours for students with limited accounting experience
Access: Contract-based access via Internet
Price: $34.50 |
Students register for this course through HBSP and are responsible for paying the course fee. TO REGISTER, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY To register for this course, click HERE. ( http://elearning.hbsp.org/sponsor.html?sponsorCode=JHUSAIS) On the registation page, provide your email address hit GO. Follow the instructions ont he next page and fill out the forms to get a username and password for the course. BE SURE TO RECORD THESE CHOICES. Successful registration with HBSP will send you to your Launch Pad page. From here, click PROGRAM CATALOG on the left hand side. Under the heading ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, select Financial Accounting: An Introductory Online Course. Fro the bootom of the page, click SELECT NOW which will take you to a payment page. Provide the relevant payment information and select CONTINUE. Follow the instructions fro this point to lauch the course. You may work on the course at yoiur own speed and schedule. When you wish to log back into the course, you can go to http://elearning.hbsp.org/ which will take yo to the Launch Pad login where you can enter your username and password. Note that your progress in the course can be monitored by Professors Bodnar and Leeds, so be sure to take the material seriously as failing a quiz or test means you need to go back and redo the section and is recorded in your progress file. Once you have successfully completed this course, you may register for the Acocutning Skills courses offered through Career Services.
(Thursdays 6.15 PM-9:15 PM) Instructor: Gary A. Bojes, CPA, MBA, Ph.D. starting later in the Fall 06 semester (see Career Services for details)
This is a short course designed to meet the needs of SAIS students who wish to improve their understanding of the use of accounting information by capital markets as well as issues associated with accounting outside the U.S. It presumes a basic knowledge of accounting on the part of the student (either documented evidence of a prior financial accounitng course or completion of the on-line Introductory Financial Accounting course and will endeavor to provide students a deeper understanding of the financial statements and offer a discussion of accounting principles outside the US and how they compare with US rules. The course will be a combination of lectures and discussion with problems sets and case studies as well as reading assignments outside class.
ACCT1110EW: Financial Accounting for Business Students Start with basic accounting concepts and quickly enter the areas of corporate and partnership entities. Acquire the skills to analyze financial statements and explore the connection of accounting to current business news. This course is intended for participants who are preparing to enter graduate business school and already understand the details of accounting covered in a beginner's course. | Start Date and Time: | Wednesday, Sept 20, 2006 06:00 PM | | End Date and Time: | Wednesday, November 29, 2006 09:00 PM |
Location: Capital Gallery
600 Maryland Ave., S.W., L'Enfant Plaza Metro Stop, Washington, DC Cost:$375
| 
