Educational Experience

Information on the educational experience within the Graduate Certificate Accounting Foundations Program, which is offered via Penn State’s World Campus, a leader in delivering technology-enhanced learning experiences.

Online graduate certificate programs offered via Penn State’s World Campus, a leader in delivering technology-enhanced learning experiences, allow you to gain fundamental knowledge at a rapid pace. Participate in virtual class sessions taught by Smeal College of Business faculty and engage with other students in online discussions and teamwork. It’s quality education on your terms.

Earn your Penn State Smeal Certificate in Accounting Foundations in as few as 12 months and immediately apply what you’re learning. Other key features of the program include:

Faculty: Faculty in the Smeal Department of Accounting are accomplished educators and leading researchers. They rank among the top 20 globally for academic excellence.

Smeal Network: Plug into a network of more than 90,000 Smeal alumni around the world. Smeal is one of the largest business schools in the nation and is highly ranked for undergraduate and graduate education.

Breadth and Experience in Online Education: Penn State, a leader in graduate online education, has 20 years of experience delivering online courses. Penn State offers graduate degrees in more than 50 specialties including Accounting, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Business Analytics, Finance, and Supply Chain Management.

Transition to a Master’s Degree: Graduate Certificate in Accounting Foundations courses may be applied to degree requirements for other Penn State programs.

Online Learning Environment

The Accounting Foundations courses utilize the best practices in online education, developed through years of research and experience. To help create the best features of a classroom, students collaborate with each other in online discussion boards and group assignments and are invited to attend real-time live sessions with the instructor via teleconferencing.

Courses are delivered through an online learning management system, where course content is provided in various formats, including video, text, illustrations, and links to library or outside resources. A textbook is required for each course, along with an online interactive homework platform. Typical weekly activities vary, depending on the course and the instructor. The time commitment is about the same as it is for a classroom course. Review the technical requirements for this degree program.