Introduction to Finance and Accounting

Build a real foundation in finance and accounting

From the University of Pennsylvania, this beginner Specialization is one of the most popular on the platform for this topic, with 116,513 students enrolled.

Core topics

• Corporate finance fundamentals, including cash flows and capital budgeting
• Financial analysis, business valuation, and financial markets
• Investment management, portfolio risk, and equities basics

It's aimed at anyone stepping into a business role who never formally studied finance — early-career professionals, MBA-adjacent learners, or founders who need to read a balance sheet and understand what drives it. Wharton's name carries weight here, and the breadth (accounting basics through portfolio management) makes it a genuinely comprehensive starting point rather than a narrow how-to.