10 Online Business Certificates to Advance Your Career
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Pursuing an online business certificate can help you stand out while seeking jobs or even get a raise.
There are several types of business certificates you can earn, such as global business, marketing, and finance. These certificate programs teach you fundamental hard and soft skills necessary to succeed in business.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 popular online business certificates that could help advance your career in today. Note that these certificates are not listed in any particular order.
Global Business Management
If you are interested in international business or working for a company with a global presence, a global business management certificate can improve your career goals.
These certificates provide a comprehensive look into the business and the global market. Some courses cover competition in the global economy, international trade, and international policy.
Completing a certificate program in global business management could qualify you for careers like international sales and marketing manager, international account manager, and global program director.
Schools with Global Business Management Certificates
Business Administration
A certificate in business administration can improve you’re career prospects in the business field even if you don’t have a business degree. With this certificate, you can qualify for business role across several industries. It can also help you change careers or fill in knowledge gaps to help you succeed in your current role.
With an emphasis on business theory, these certificate programs are designed to help business professionals excel in their roles. Depending on your educational goals and the program you choose, you could take coursework in human resources management, economics, leadership, and marketing.
Schools with Business Administration Certificates
Featured Online Business Administration Certificates
Content Marketing
Are you interested in the creative side of business? Content marketers are the creative force behind branding and advertising products or businesses.
Content marketing courses focus on learning the patterns of human behavior and creating a message that will sway people into buying or using a product. Classes include strategic content planning, branding and storytelling, and marketing with search engine optimization.
Depending on the program, you can focus on web design, digital marketing, written content, or advertisements.
With a content marketing certificate, you could pursue a career managing websites for businesses, writing blogs and web content for clients, managing social media or creating marketing strategies for products or businesses.
Schools with Content Marketing Certificates
Leadership and Management
A certificate in leadership and management can teach you the skills needed to be a stronger manager and effectively lead groups.
You will take courses around communication, leadership, and motivational strategies. The curriculum is often designed to increase your interpersonal skills, build confidence as a team leader, and help you develop an organizational system.
Completing a leadership and management certificate program can prepare you to step into a leadership, management, or corporate trainer roles.
Schools with Leadership and Management Certificates
Finance
A certificate in finance provides a broad understanding of the different financial components of businesses.This certificate is not meant to prepare you to be an accountant but to be able to provide assistance when making decisions based on financial reports and statements.
Courses could include financial accounting, financial decision-making, and financial statement analysis. You might also take courses in financial theories or investment strategies.
Completing a certificate in finance would be beneficial if you manage a business account or are in charge of making investment decisions.
Schools with Finance Certificates
Business Analytics
A certificate in business analytics prepares you with the skills to collect and analyze business data. Depending on your role, you may also help explain that data and its implications within your company.
During your studies, you could take classes like marketing analytics, business analytics, and data mining. The program may also cover other skills like coding and database management.
With this certificate, you can further your career as a market researcher, operations researcher, or financial analyst.
Schools with Business Analytics Certificates
Project Management
A certificate in project management will give you the tools you need to manage projects, big or small.
Courses in this certification program typically cover data analysis, project management principles, project leadership and communication, and agile project management.
A certificate in project management could help you qualify for managerial roles, since you’ll acquire skills that can help you feel more confident and knowledgeable when leading projects.
Schools with Project Management Certificates
Operations Management
Operations management focuses on understanding how to turn labor and materials into services and goods in the most effective and cost-efficient way possible. A certificate in operations management gives you the broad knowledge to manage these intricate operations.
Many certificates in operations management include an courses in management, principles in operations research, and cost estimation.
The coursework and the skills you learn within the program can prepare you to become an operations manager, production manager, or supply chain analyst.
Schools with Operations Management Certificates
Business Communication
Business communication certification focus on teaching how to effectively create and distribute different forms of business communication, from memos to presentations. Many certificate programs include coursework in effective communication and public speaking.
Pursuing a business communication certificate can help you improve communication with coworkers in written formats like email or memos. It can also help you run more effective, engaging meetings.
Schools with Business Communication Certificates
Nonprofit Leadership
Nonprofit work is essential to many social and political causes. Although nonprofits are businesses, working in nonprofits may require special skill sets and extensive knowledge in areas like grant writing and law. You may also wear multiple hats when working in a nonprofit.
Because a career in nonprofit work can encompass many roles, a certificate in nonprofit leadership can help you better understand those different responsibilities and feel prepared to tackle them. You may have an easier time progressing your nonprofit career with additional education.
Coursework in a nonprofit leadership certificate program typically includes options like project management, community engagement, and principles and practices of fundraising.
Schools with Nonprofit Leadership Certificates
Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed March 29, 2024.
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