Course list

At the heart of any business is the ability to track, invest, and manage money. Without the ability to do these three things successfully and honestly, a business will not survive, no matter how good their product or service is. A clear understanding of how money flows into and out of an organization allows us to attract investors, identify investment opportunities, decide with what organizations to form relationships or partnerships, and even manage your own personal finances.

In this course, you will examine the different roles of accounting and finance and how each influences a business. You will analyze the financial documents used by accounting and finance in all businesses: the income statement and the balance sheet. Understanding the numbers on these documents will allow you to interpret financial information to inform decision making in numerous personal and professional capacities.

  • May 13, 2026
  • Jun 10, 2026
  • Jul 8, 2026
  • Aug 5, 2026
  • Sep 2, 2026
  • Sep 30, 2026
  • Oct 28, 2026

Investing in stocks is a critical strategy in any financial portfolio, whether personal or professional. Yet how do you know whether a stock is a smart buy or not? You don't — until you do the research.

If you're able to understand a company, you are well on your way to understanding its stock. In this course, you will practice doing the financial analysis work needed to identify profitable stocks worth investing in. You will examine data in online public sources such as SEC 10K and 10Q reports, earnings releases, press releases, and investor conference materials to score fundamental information about the company and stock you have chosen to study. By evaluating a company's position in the marketplace, you can begin forecasting the performance of its stock. Exploring different valuation techniques, you will practice making a target price to compare whether the stock's current market value is high or low relative to the future predicted value of the stock. Along the way, you will incorporate storytelling into your research to summarize your findings and curate a compelling investment thesis. With this investment thesis to advance your claims, you will curate a stock pitch and communicate your preliminary recommendation of whether to buy, sell, or hold a chosen stock.

  • May 6, 2026
  • Jul 1, 2026
  • Aug 26, 2026
  • Oct 21, 2026
  • Dec 16, 2026
  • Feb 10, 2027
  • Apr 7, 2027
In a complex financial system, it can be difficult to determine the foundation of a successful portfolio management strategy. Throughout this course, you will gain tools and knowledge to guide you toward managing money like a professional. You will explore asset classes, sectors, and styles, and investigate how to balance risks and returns to match individual circumstances. You will explore the underlying principles of portfolio management and immediately gain opportunities to apply these theories. Carefully crafted Excel templates are provided for you to evaluate assets and experiment with various allocations. By completing a hands-on course project with these tools, you will build recognition of optimal methods to successfully manage your investment portfolios, setting you up for success in a complex market.
  • May 27, 2026
  • Jul 22, 2026
  • Sep 16, 2026
  • Nov 11, 2026
  • Jan 6, 2027
  • Mar 3, 2027
  • Apr 28, 2027

Since the advent of the internet, programmers have been trying to figure out how to create a [digital] world in which people anywhere - even complete strangers - can transact directly with one another safely and efficiently. In essence, they have been trying to recreate the bedrock of civilization: an orderly system of bookkeeping that allows people to trust each other's claims about what they own, what they owe, and what they are owed. For most of the digital age, this “trust” has been facilitated by third parties such as banks, governments, or credible companies that are willing to guarantee that a transaction is valid and secure. But transactions via third parties are slow and expensive, and they cannot be verified by just anyone, which opens the door to fraud and theft.

Today, the notion of a secure and trusted third party in a digital world isn't purely mythical. And in fact, it's exactly what blockchain technology embodies in a kind of magical way. In this course, you will explore the mechanics of blockchain technology and how the blockchain acts like a trusted third party. To do this, Professor Ari Juels will design a theoretical cryptocurrency from scratch to illustrate how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies make use of the blockchain to transfer value from person to person. Then, once you understand how the blockchain acts as a trusted ledger, you will practice articulating other transformative ways in which blockchains can change how commercial and interpersonal connections happen online.

  • Jun 3, 2026
  • Jul 15, 2026
  • Aug 26, 2026
  • Oct 7, 2026
  • Nov 18, 2026
  • Dec 30, 2026
  • Feb 10, 2027

eCornell Online Workshops are live, interactive 3-hour learning experiences led by Cornell faculty experts. These premium short-format sessions focus on AI topics and are designed for busy professionals who want to gain immediately applicable skills and strategic perspectives. Workshops include faculty presentations, breakout discussions, and guided hands-on practice.

The AI Workshops All-Access Pass provides you with unlimited participation for 6 months from your date of purchase. Whether you choose to attend one workshop per month, or several per week, the All-Access Pass will allow you to customize your AI journey and stay on top of the latest AI trends.

Workshops cover a range of cutting-edge AI topics applicable across industries, hosted by Cornell faculty at the forefront of their fields. Whether you are just getting started with AI, seeking to build your AI skillset, or exploring advanced applications of AI, Workshops will provide you with an action-oriented learning experience for immediate application in your career. Sample Workshops include:

  • Work Smarter with AI Agents: Individual and Team Effectiveness
  • Leading AI Transformation: Bigger Than You Imagine, Harder Than You Expect
  • Using AI at Work: Practical Choices and Better Results
  • Search & Discoverability in the Era of AI
  • Don't Just Prompt AI - Govern it
  • AI-Powered Product Manager
  • Leverage AI and Human Connection to Lead through Uncertainty

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How It Works

Frequently Asked Questions

Markets move quickly, headlines create noise, and it can be hard to separate a good story from a sound investment case. Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate helps you replace guesswork with a more disciplined approach to investing by grounding your decisions in business fundamentals, risk and return, and clear, repeatable analysis.

In this certificate program, authored by faculty from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, you will build practical investing capability from the ground up. You will strengthen your ability to read and interpret core financial statements, research a public company using sources like SEC filings and earnings materials, practice forming a preliminary valuation and target price, and then connect those insights to portfolio construction concepts like diversification, asset allocation, and risk management. You will also explore cryptocurrency and the role of blockchains as ledgers that enable value transfer.

If you want a repeatable framework for evaluating investments, hands-on practice with the tools analysts use, and more confidence making informed investing decisions, you should choose Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate.

Many online investing programs focus on passive content consumption or isolated tips. Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate is designed to help you practice how investment decisions are actually formed by combining faculty-developed frameworks with applied, feedback-supported work.

You learn in a small cohort and work through realistic analysis tasks that mirror professional workflows. Instead of only reading about valuation or diversification, you use structured templates and spreadsheets to compute key metrics, test assumptions, and translate research into an investment thesis you can communicate clearly. You will also gain a modern perspective by exploring how blockchain technology functions as a trusted ledger and what that means for cryptocurrencies and other applications.

Because the experience is facilitated, you are not learning alone. You will engage in discussions, have opportunities to join live sessions, and receive guidance and feedback that helps you strengthen your reasoning, not just memorize terms.

Enrolling in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate also provides you with a 6-month All-Access Pass to eCornell's live online AI Workshops, interactive sessions led by world-class Cornell faculty that combine Ivy League insight with practical applications for busy professionals. Each 3-hour Workshop features structured instruction, guided practice, and real tools to build competitive AI capabilities, plus the opportunity to connect with a global cohort of growth-oriented peers. While AI Workshops are not required, they enhance certificate programs through:

  • Integrating AI perspectives across most curricula
  • Responding to emerging AI developments and trends
  • Offering direct engagement with Cornell faculty at the forefront of AI research

Professionals and motivated individual investors who want a structured way to evaluate investments are a strong fit for Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate.

The program is designed for you if you:

  • Invest personally and want a more disciplined, fundamentals-based approach to evaluating stocks and building a portfolio
  • Work in corporate finance, investment research support, or investment firm marketing and client services and want to better understand how analysts and portfolio managers think
  • Participate in an investment club and want a shared framework for researching companies, discussing valuation, and making buy, hold, or sell recommendations
  • Want exposure to both traditional investing building blocks (financial statements, valuation, diversification) and newer topics like cryptocurrency and blockchains

To be successful in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate, you should be comfortable working in Excel, including writing formulas and creating charts.

You will complete applied projects in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate that translate concepts into concrete outputs, using provided templates and real public information where appropriate. Typical project work includes:

  • Analyzing a set of financial statements, calculating core ratios, identifying multi-year trends, and recommending financial strategies based on what the numbers suggest
  • Selecting a publicly traded stock to study, researching it using sources like investor relations materials and SEC filings, and capturing insights in a structured research journal
  • Building a simple valuation and target price, then summarizing your thesis, risks, and next steps in a concise one-page format
  • Recording a brief stock pitch video that communicates a preliminary buy, sell, or hold recommendation
  • Using spreadsheet tools to compute risk and return, test diversification benefits, explore asset allocations, and build a sample equity portfolio that balances exposures
  • Installing and using a cryptocurrency wallet to understand how transactions work in practice, then proposing a blockchain application based on the core properties of blockchains

Throughout Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate program, the goal is to help you practice the reasoning process behind investment decisions and strengthen how you communicate your conclusions.

Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate helps you build credible, job-relevant investing and analysis skills you can apply to research, client conversations, and more disciplined decision making.

After completing the Investment Strategies Certificate, you will be prepared to:

  • Select a stock and research it using company information, data, and online resources
  • Act as a financial analyst to draw preliminary business conclusions about a stock
  • Identify and estimate risks and returns on investments
  • Manage risk with diversification
  • Calculate and interpret basic accounting ratios
  • Examine financial trends in business organizations
  • Examine the design of cryptocurrency to understand the function of blockchains
  • Use a Bitcoin wallet to better understand the mechanics of cryptocurrencies

Students commonly describe the experience as practical and confidence-building, emphasizing that the combination of clear instruction and hands-on application helps the concepts stick. Reported long-term benefits include gaining a repeatable framework for researching and evaluating stocks, practicing forward-looking assumptions and buy, hold, or sell decisions, strengthening financial statement interpretation, using key metrics for performance, risk, and valuation, and better understanding how analysts’ work connects to portfolio decisions. Learners also highlight helpful templates and spreadsheets, realistic due diligence-style exercises, and the ability to distill analysis into a concise investment thesis.

What truly sets eCornell apart is how our programs unlock genuine career transformation. Learners earn promotions to senior positions, enjoy meaningful salary growth, build valuable professional networks, and navigate successful career transitions.

Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate, which consists of 4 short courses, is designed to be completed in 2 months. Each course in this certificate runs for 2 weeks, with a typical weekly time commitment of 5 to 10 hours.

Most of the work is asynchronous, so you can watch lessons, complete readings, work in Excel templates, and draft your project submissions on your own schedule within each course’s weekly deadlines. You also have opportunities to join live sessions that give you a chance to discuss concepts, ask questions, and learn from your cohort while still keeping the overall experience flexible.

Across the program, you should plan for regular weekly effort rather than cramming, since the projects build your skills through repeated practice with financial statements, valuation, portfolio tools, and blockchain concepts.

Students in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate often describe it as a practical, confidence-building way to learn how investors and analysts evaluate companies, interpret financial information, and make more disciplined investing decisions in real-world conditions. They frequently point to the combination of clear instruction and hands-on application as what helps the concepts “stick,” even for learners who are newer to investing or finance.

Common highlights include:

  • A repeatable framework for researching and evaluating stocks
  • Practice building forward-looking assumptions and making buy, hold, or sell decisions
  • Strong grounding in reading financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow basics)
  • Using key metrics and ratios to assess performance, risk, and valuation
  • Guidance on what analysts do versus how portfolio decisions get made
  • Realistic exercises that mirror the kind of due diligence investors perform
  • Helpful templates and spreadsheets that make analysis easier to apply on the job
  • Clear explanations that connect market concepts to business fundamentals
  • Bite-sized video lessons and concise modules that are easy to fit into busy schedules
  • Frequent knowledge checks and activities that reinforce learning through practice
  • Engaged facilitators who are responsive, approachable, and supportive
  • An online format that feels organized, easy to navigate, and designed for working professionals

A prior finance degree is not required to benefit from Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate. The program starts with the essentials of how financial statements work and builds toward stock research, valuation reasoning, portfolio construction, and an introduction to cryptocurrency and blockchains.

Comfort with practical spreadsheet work matters more than advanced math. You should be ready to work in Excel, including writing formulas and creating charts, since several activities use templates and workbooks to compute ratios, risk and return measures, and allocation scenarios.

If you have been investing on your own, support clients around investment products, or want a structured way to understand how analysts evaluate companies, Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate is designed to meet you where you are while still holding you to clear, applied work standards.

You will learn a repeatable, analyst-style workflow in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate, using public information to form and communicate a preliminary investment view.

You will practice researching a company through sources such as investor relations materials and SEC filings, then organize what you find in structured templates that help you separate business drivers, financial facts, and open questions. From there, you will build a simple valuation using common approaches such as multiples and, where appropriate, discounted cash-flow logic, then translate your assumptions into a target price.

Your work in Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate culminates in a concise investment thesis and recommendation. You will practice distilling your analysis into a one-page summary and a short pitch-style explanation, which is valuable whether you are making decisions for your own portfolio or explaining an idea to colleagues or clients.

Instead of treating crypto as a trend, Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate helps you understand the mechanics that make cryptocurrencies work, starting with the blockchain as a ledger for recording ownership and transfers.

You will explore how a cryptocurrency can be designed, why digital signatures matter for authorizing transactions, and how Bitcoin uses blockchains in practice. To make the concepts concrete, you will install and use a wallet to experience the basics of transferring value and managing keys, then apply what you learned by proposing a blockchain application and explaining which blockchain properties make it viable.

By the end of Cornell’s Investment Strategies Certificate, you will be better prepared to evaluate crypto claims with clearer mental models of trust, verification, and the real trade-offs involved.

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