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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Finance for Non-Finance Professionals by Rice University

4.8
stars
2,793 ratings

About the Course

This short course surveys all the major topics covered in a full semester MBA level finance course, but with a more intuitive approach on a very high conceptual level. The goal here is give you a roadmap and framework for how financial professional make decisions. We will cover the basics of financial valuation, the time value of money, compounding returns, and discounting the future. You will understand discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation and how it compares to other methods. We also step inside the mind of a corporate financial manager and develop the basic tools of capital budgeting. We will survey the how, when, and where to spend money, make tradeoffs about investment, growth, dividends, and how to ensure sound fiscal discipline. Our journey then turns to a Wall Street or capital markets perspective of investments as we discuss the fundamental tradeoff between risk and return. We then synthesize our discussion of risk with our valuation framework and incorporate it into series of direct applications to practice. This course requires no prior familiarity with finance. Rather, it is intended to be a first step for anyone who is curious about understanding stock markets, valuation, or corporate finance. We will walk through all of the tools and quantitative analysis together and develop a guide for understanding the seemingly complex decisions that finance professionals make. By the end of the course, you will develop an understanding of the major conceptual levers that push and pull on financial decision making and how they relate to other areas of business. The course should also serve as a roadmap for where to further your finance education and it would be an excellent introduction of any students contemplating an MBA or Finance concentration, but who has little background in the area....

Top reviews

SC

Mar 26, 2018

Very good learning experience.The course is ideal for people having an interest in Finance! No prior knowledge needed!The Prof. makes sure you are involved throughout the lecture!

CI

May 23, 2023

I come from untraditional background but I find this course is very helpful! The course is very well-structured, allowing me to simply and easily understand finance foundation.

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401 - 425 of 609 Reviews for Finance for Non-Finance Professionals

By Hadi M

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Mar 27, 2019

Excellent refresher!

By Elizabeth C

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Apr 17, 2022

Very useful course.

By Zoe f

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Aug 26, 2021

Interesting course.

By Rodrigo R

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Jul 26, 2017

Excellent professor

By Adelin.M G

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Dec 10, 2016

Excellent course :)

By holfreend s

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Sep 3, 2023

Good for knowledge

By Maria D V P G

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Mar 9, 2023

Excellent teacher!

By FATİH Y

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Aug 27, 2019

Thank you soo much

By Darshini

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Mar 3, 2019

Very nice course !

By Aadhityan R

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Nov 28, 2018

very useful course

By Soham C

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Nov 16, 2021

Brilliant course!

By Abhishek S M

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Mar 26, 2021

Extremely Helpful

By Zirong J

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Jan 6, 2020

Love this course!

By GULCIN K

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Jul 30, 2019

Excellent course.

By Charles R

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Mar 4, 2019

Excellent course.

By Gaurav G

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Feb 5, 2019

Very inforamative

By Sadiq A B

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Jan 23, 2018

good course to do

By msa

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Aug 8, 2025

very informative

By MUHAMAD S C O

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Jul 31, 2025

syllabus updated

By Tatiana C

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Jun 20, 2025

excellent course

By pathan f

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Sep 6, 2024

Excellent course

By Ignacio P

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Dec 5, 2023

excelente curso.

By Eissa A

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Sep 1, 2023

Fantastic course

By Mariem M

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Jun 24, 2022

excellent course