The Vanderbilt Business Management Certificate equips you with essential knowledge to make a lasting impact. We want your investment in your education to pay off for years to come.

Completing the 4 certificate courses provides a comprehensive, top-to-bottom understanding of the business environment. You will also master in-demand soft skills that will make you a more effective communicator, presenter, and manager. Courses are also available on an individual basis.

Vanderbilt is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training to award continuing education units (CEUs). Participants earn 4.5 CEUs when they complete the full certificate.

Jump to course descriptions.


Course Delivery and Format

All of our online courses feature:

  • Faculty-led skills videos
  • Short, targeted online readings
  • Practice exercises and quizzes
  • Peer-reviewed projects

Because these components often draw on and build upon your own professional experience, the Vanderbilt Business Management Certificate coursework is most beneficial for participants with previous work experience.

Course Presentation and Pacing

The asynchronous course content is presented in short segments that average 6 to 8 minutes. View them on your lunch break, during commutes, at home in the evening, or whenever you have open time.

Participants are able to move through each course at their own pace, but we suggest setting aside 2 to 3 hours a week for coursework. By doing so, you can expect to complete your full certificate within 6 months.

Optimal Course Sequence

If you register for the full certificate, our recommended course order is Strategic Leadership, Finance and Accounting, Strategic Innovation, and Strategy and Operations. You can also opt to take courses individually.

The 4-course program was both an affirmation to my past experiences and an enhancement of future opportunities. The experience, style, and online teaching forum(s) of the various instructors was excellent.

Michael KephartVanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Participant


Business Management Courses

Strategic Leadership

17 hours estimated completion time
1.5 CEUs

Establish yourself in a leadership role, and align your actions and behaviors with how you want to be perceived. This course comprises 3 modules: managing self, managing others, and leading efforts for change. You’ll leave with a thorough understanding of how your leadership can make an impact on your organization—and a set of sharpened skills to help you accomplish your goals.

Topics

  • Manage teams and foster effective decision-making
  • Create and communicate a vision for workplace change
  • Build coalitions that work
  • Master the art of self-management
  • Develop your executive personal brand
  • Improve your presence online, in email, and on video
  • Become a more persuasive presenter

I sincerely enjoyed the Strategic Leadership course and learned very valuable lessons throughout the program that I have already implemented in my work setting.

John Howard Ross VVanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Participant


Video introduction Curriculum overview


Finance and Accounting

12.5 hours estimated completion time
1 CEU

This course gives you a firm grounding in both the theory and practical application of finance and accounting for general management, corporate planning, sales, and other functional areas. It also provides broad exposure to some of the most important principles of financial decision-making.

Topics

  • Utilize sound financial concepts to make better-informed decisions
  • Understand the 3 main types of financial statements and how they can be used to evaluate your firm’s performance
  • Apply decision-making criteria for evaluating capital investments and creating cash-flow forecasts
  • Learn how to identify and measure risk, and then translate that into sound investment decisions

Video introduction Curriculum overview


Strategic Innovation

12.5 hours estimated completion time
1 CEU

Gain a framework for understanding and encouraging innovation. Learn about the forces that limit innovation and learn how to identify and remove barriers in your business culture.

Topics

  • Generate, assess, and implement great ideas in your organization
  • Build your organization’s capacity for innovation, including creating an innovative culture
  • Lead innovation projects, processes, and teams
  • Recognize big issues lurking on the horizon before they become constraints
  • Drive adoption of great ideas
  • Develop and manage an innovation portfolio
  • Innovate to stay relevant and competitive in a fast-changing landscape

Video introduction Curriculum overview


Strategy and Operations

14 hours estimated completion time
1 CEU

This course will give you the confidence to make smarter business decisions and lead strategic change using time-tested processes and tools. It covers the fundamentals of designing and executing a business strategy; measuring results; managing operations and improving processes; and running successful projects that support your business goals.

Topics

  • Plan and implement a business strategy from start to finish
  • Design and lead successful projects that support your organizational strategy
  • Analyze external and internal contexts of your firm using established frameworks
  • Identify sources of competitive advantage
  • Align functional strategies with corporate strategies
  • Measure success and distinguish good metrics from bad metrics
  • Analyze and improve manufacturing and service processes
  • Use time-tested tools such as process flow diagrams and queuing theory
  • Create a work breakdown structure, uncertainty assessment, network diagram, Gantt chart schedule, and communication plan for your project
  • Close your project effectively

Video introduction Curriculum overview


Total estimated completion time: 56 hours
Total continuing education units: 4.5 CEUs

Ready to get started? Start your registration now or talk with our career advisors at 844-825-9663 or business@onlinecertificatesac.vanderbilt.edu.


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To learn more about the Vanderbilt Business Management Certificate, contact a career advisor at 844-825-9663 or fill out the form below to download a free brochure.

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