Formal Financial Accounting

This course builds upon what you learned in Financial Accounting: Foundations and Financial Accounting: Advanced Topics and introduces you to formal foundations of financial accounting. The main purpose of the course is to familiarize you with technical terms in financial accounting, such as debit, credit and T-account. While knowledge on technical aspects of financial accounting is not necessary to understand and interpret financial statements, this knowledge is critical to be able to understand advanced topics in accounting. Formal Financial Accounting is a prerequisite course for the University of Illinois’ iMSA program and the terminology we will cover will be used throughout the courses in iMSA program.The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top three accounting programs, now offers a master’s in accounting at a very affordable tuition rate and is completely online. The iMSA is a full Master of Accountancy program and students graduate with a highly recognized master degree. Try an open course or two, then apply for admission into the credit-bearing version, as you may be eligible to take credit-bearing courses during the application process. If you are missing any prerequisites for the full degree, you can complete Coursera courses to demonstrate readiness and strengthen your application for the iMSA. For more information on this exciting online master’s in accounting program, refer to this link: https://www.coursera.org/university-programs/imsa

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Syllabus

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Course Orientation
Module 1: Introduction to Financial Accounting Terminology
In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor, your classmates, and your learning environment. This orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required to navigate and be successful in this course.
Week 2
Module 2: Formal Financial Accounting for Assets
Accounting is the language of business. Managers communicate results of operations within a firm through accounting to various financial information users including investors and creditors. The main purpose of this module is to familiarize you with technical terms in financial accounting such as debit, credit, and T-account.
Week 3
Module 3: Formal Financial Accounting for Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
One of the major components of a balance sheet is assets. Accounts receivables, inventories, and plant, property, and equipment constitute a major part of the assets. Understanding accounting for these accounts will help you uncover how these accounts change over time, their valuation, and their usefulness in managerial decision making.
Week 4
Module 4: Applications of Formal Financial Accounting
The major sources of financing for many firms are liabilities and equity. Firms routinely finance their operations through various liabilities including accounts payables, bank loans, and bonds. They also raise funds from their investors through IPOs and SEOs. Finally, retained earnings (earnings earned but not distributed to investors) constitute a significant source of financing. Accounting for liabilities and shareholders’ equity will help you understand how formal financial accounting for liabilities and shareholders’ equity accounts are conducted.

FAQ

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.

The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Reviews

great course- learned a LOT and actually understand what I'm learning!

I recommend this course for non-accounting people, who want to learn and start to know accounting. If you make the exercises and examples you can learn a lot.

Its a good course overall. Especially for those who had Science stream in their high school and have taken Finance in their Undergrad

Very helpful and full of information. In my opinion it would be even better if it was a bit slower and a bit more analytical. My 4 stars is more like 4 stars and a half.