Business Essentials
Our micro-credential is designed for working professionals who desire additional skills in finance, accounting, business law, and management. This 100% online program is ideal for business leaders who want to expand their business expertise but are unsure whether graduate study is the right fit.
For students who do plan to pursue graduate study, the Business Essentials micro-credential provides a smooth pathway for admission and advanced standing credit toward the Professional MBA.
Designed for working professionals
- 100% online
- 9-credit non-degree credential
- Completed in just two semesters
- Pathway to admission in a graduate degree
- Flat tuition structure with no fees; pay for the entire program by semester
Why pursue a micro-credential?
Lifelong learning is increasingly available to students and, often, expected by potential
employers. A micro-credential shows employers that you're willing to invest time and
resources in your professional development - even if you're not prepared to complete
a full graduate degree.
At the same time, Duquesne micro-credential students benefit from the accessibility, small class sizes, and faculty expertise that are hallmarks of the AACSB-accredited Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. You'll study alongside full-time graduate students in graduate courses while following a curriculum that meets your needs. Successfully completing the Business Essentials micro-credential leads to 7.5 credit hours of advanced standing credit toward the Professional MBA.
We are making curricular enhancements to this program of study and will resume enrolling new students in Fall 2025.
Program Information
Our micro-credential is designed for working professionals who desire additional skills in finance, accounting, business law, and management.
"Knowledgeable and supportive instructors engagingly delivered well-structured
courses that made the learning process so enjoyable. I learned many skills and gained
valuable insights that I can apply immediately to my career."
1.5 credits FINC 501 Finance Fundamentals provides an introduction to fundamental topics which
are prerequisite for FINC 530 Financial Management: Prerequisite: ACCT 501 1.5 credits As a part of an integrated professional MBA program students will come to understand
how law affects all aspects of business. This is not a stand-alone legal course. In
this course we will bring a legal sensitivity to the financial, managerial, organizational
and strategic dimensions of business. The larger goal of this course is to develop
a legally astute manager. Although we tend to think of the law as the exclusive province
of lawyers, the reality is that law is too important a matter to be entrusted to lawyers
alone. To do so is in effect an abdication of the business professional's responsibilities.
The legally astute manager understands that success in business requires, among other
things, the development of critical thinking skills. There is no better context in
which to develop those skills than in the study of business law. Critical thinking
skills honed in the study of law provide a foundation for business professionals who
must navigate across a wide range of disciplines in order to achieve business success.
Toward that end, MBA students will examine substantive concepts relative to such matters
as contract formation, risk management, intellectual property, environmental management,
employee relations and corporate form and governance. As we live in a time in which the law, business and society nexus is so significant,
it would be foolhardy to underestimate the importance of legal education in shaping
our business leaders. From Our Alumni
Course Descriptions
You will gain a deep understanding of human behavior in organizations and how to maximize
organizational and unit performance by effective management of human capital. Examples
of topics covered include perception, attitudes, power, influence, motivation, group
dynamics, managing teams, diversity, managing conflict, negotiation and culture.
This course provides graduate business students with an introduction to the fundamentals
of accounting for corporations. Topics will include the accounting cycle, an introduction
to the basic financial statements of a corporation and determinations of corporate
profitability and solvency.
The course is a prerequisite for ECON 520 and covers introductory topics in both microeconomics
and macroeconomics.
Financial Management is about decisions firms make in two broad areas: the investments
it makes and how it pays for them. The first involves expenditures for physical capital,
human capital, technological capability, brand capital, and so forth. The second involves
raising money in financial markets. In business decision making, the objective is
to maximize shareholder wealth. Why the emphasis on shareholders? Among stakeholders
generally (i.e., customers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, etc.),
shareholders alone possess a uniquely comprehensive and long-term view of the firm's
viability as an ongoing enterprise. This perspective arises from the residual nature
of shareholders' claim to earnings and assets. Wealth is created when the return from
investing business resources exceeds their opportunity cost.
This course is designed to develop the legal literacy of MBA students by raising their
conscious awareness of potential legal problems or challenges as they discharge their
professional responsibilities. Because business decisions have legal implications,
it is important that managers understand the legal environment in which they must
function. In fact, the significance of the law is so great it has been suggested that
modern organizations are immersed in a "sea of law."
Fall Start Spring Start Students who successfully complete the Business Essentials micro-credential with a
cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better will be considered for admission into graduate programs. The micro-credential is 9 credit hours. Successful completion of the program will
qualify students for 7.5 credit hours of advanced standing in the Professional MBA
program. Students must apply and enroll within five years of successfully completing
the micro-credential in order to earn advanced standing credit.
Recommended Course Sequence
Fall (4.5 cr.)
Spring (4.5 cr.)
ACCT 501 (1.5 cr.)
FINC 501 (1.5 cr.)
ECON 501 (1.5 cr.)
MGMT 605 (3 cr.)
BLAW 529 (1.5 cr.)
Spring (4.5 cr.)
Summer (4.5 cr.)
BLAW 529 (1.5 cr.)
ACCT 501 (1.5 cr.)
MGMT 605 (3 cr.)
ECON 501 (1.5 cr.)
FINC 501 (1.5 cr.)
Advanced Standing and Graduate Admission