WPWP Programs to be phased out by 2013. Download a PDF with more information.
Overview
Wharton’s six-course Business Essentials Certificate Program offers a comprehensive introduction to the key management disciplines while examining current management issues.
This certificate provides practical, hands-on knowledge of finance, human resources, marketing, business policy, and general management in a program that can be completed in as little as one year. The Business Essentials program emphasizes the application of classroom concepts to everyday managerial decision making. In the Business Policy course, taken in the last semester of the program, students use perspectives gained in their earlier Business Essentials courses to examine executive-level decision making, strategy, and policy formulation as applied to case studies and students’ own practical business situations.
Classes are designed for people with a bachelor’s degree and at least three years’ work experience. Participants with limited or no formal business training will acquire the skills they need to advance their careers and expand their career choices.
Curriculum Structure
The BECP consists of six courses that span the business disciplines:
- MGMT 411: Introduction to Management
- ACCT 411: Financial Accounting
- FNCE 412: Corporate Finance
- MGMT 422: Human Resource Management
- MKTG 411: Introduction to Marketing
- MGMT 423: Business Policy
WPWP recommends that courses be taken in the order outlined here; other sequences can be planned with a WPWP program representative. Introduction to Management must be taken in a student's first term, and Business Policy must be taken in the last term.
With WPWP’s year-round course schedule, this certificate can be completed in as little as three regular semesters or in two regular semesters and two summer sessions. All courses earn graded, post-baccalaureate credits from the University of Pennsylvania.
Courses are taught by Wharton lecturers and industry experts who are appointed by Wharton departments for their subject expertise, teaching skills, and ability to offer applied concepts and examples to course participants.
Who Should Attend
- Professionals with non-business degrees who wish to advance by enhancing their management skills
- Particularly suitable for those with specific expertise in fields such as science or technology, and whose careers would be advanced by a solid grounding in business management
- Early- to mid-career professionals without formal business training who want to take business courses before applying to an MBA program
- Professionals with MBA degrees who want to update their knowledge, skills, and credentials by earning a Wharton certificate
- Entrepreneurs who need a formal understanding of business disciplines and current issues to support their own ventures
Benefits
- Faculty members emphasize the application of classroom concepts to practical decision making and management
- Classmates become a strong collaborative network, offering insights and perspectives across a range of industries
- Small class sizes promote in-class discussion and interaction
- You can begin to apply new strategies and concepts at work immediately, analyzing and refining your approach with feedback from faculty and fellow classmates
- Wharton’s Jon M. Huntsman Hall offers state-of-the-art classrooms, a networked campus environment, and high-tech group study facilities to maximize your learning experience
- Earning your certificate from one of the world’s leading business schools brings increased professional credibility and confidence, both now and into the future
Requirements, Deadlines, and Fees
For applicant requirements, application deadlines, and program fees, please view the Admissions and Tuition Information page.
