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Graduate Certificate Program in Foundations of Business

Boost your career while progressing toward an MBA with this accelerated online Foundations of Business graduate certificate offered by UMass Lowell's AACSB-accredited Manning School of Business.

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Online Graduate Certificate in Foundations of Business

Sharpen your financial, management and marketing skills while advancing your educational and professional goals with UMass Lowell's Graduate Certificate in Foundations of Business. This online business certificate program, which consists of six eight-week courses, is designed for those who hold technical, liberal arts, education or other non-management degrees and are interested in working toward an MBA.

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Complete in 9 Months

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Variety of Financial Aid and Scholarships Available

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One of the Most Affordable Tuitions in the Nation

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Career Outlook

6.84M
Jobs (2020)
+17.6%
% Change (2020-2021)
$90.6K/yr
Median Earnings
1,216,352
Annual Openings
Source: Lightcast, 2022

Occupations

  • Administrations Services Managers
  • Business Operations Specialists
  • Chief Executives
  • General and Operations Managers
  • Management Analysts
  • Project Management Specialists
  • Sales Managers
"Employment in management occupations is projected to grow 5 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for management occupations was $105,660 in May 2019, which was the highest wage of all the major occupational groups."
— —U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2020

Key Takeaways

Deepen your knowledge of a range of topics, including:

  • Organizational behavior and the practice of management
  • The preparation and understanding of financial statements
  • Quantitative tools used in operations management and analysis
  • The formulation and implementation of marketing strategies
  • Analytical techniques and theories applied to financial decision making
  • Achieving competitive business advantages in a global environment
AACSB Badge This program is offered through UMass Lowell's Manning School of Business, which is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) — an elite distinction earned by less than five percent of business schools worldwide.

Learn more about AACSB accreditation »

Manning School of Business faculty and instructors are dedicated to excellence in teaching and research, and the program’s challenging, relevant curriculum is aligned with current industry trends and employer needs.

Students who successfully complete the Foundations of Business certificate program and are subsequently accepted into UMass Lowell's Master's Degree in Business Administration program can apply certificate courses in which they receive a B or better to their MBA degree.

One Success Leads to Another

Apply credits from lower credentials to higher ones. Our programs are designed to build upon themselves:

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Graduate Certificate Program in Leadership and Management
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Master of Business Administration

Curriculum Outline

This 12-credit, graduate-level certificate program consists of the following six courses. Courses taken online meet over a period of 8 weeks.

Course Descriptions

ACCT.5010 Financial Accounting (2cr)

An introduction to financial accounting within the context of business transactions and business decisions. This course is a broad introduction to using accounting information from the user's perspective with little emphasis on traditional debits, credits, journal entries and ledgers. Emphasis is placed on preparing and understanding financial statements.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA Staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA/ MSF/MSEM/MGFB/PSM or PHD.

FINA.5010 Fundamentals of Finance (2cr)

This course introduces students to the finance function in the context of the modern corporation. Students are exposed to a variety of analytical techniques and to theory applied to financial decision making. Specific topics include financial statements and cash flows, risk and rates of return, the time value of money, stock and bond valuation, and determination of a firm's cost of capital. The course concludes with an introduction to a major financial decision for a firm: analyzing capital investments.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

ACCT.5010, MBA/MSEM or MGFB

MGMT.5010 Organizational Behavior (2cr)

Introduces students to management and organizational behavior. Its general purpose is to study and understand the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations. It is directed toward behavioral action components and emphasizes the close relationship between the study of organizational behavior and the practice of management. Pre-requisites: MBA or Certificate Programs, or Permission of MBA Director.

Requirements:

MBA/ MSF/MSEM/MGFB/PSM or PHD.

MGMT.5110 Global Enterprise and Competition (2cr)

To be taken as last course in foundation core. Is an integrated investigation of global competitive issues to help students understand the processes of organization and technological innovation which permit businesses to achieve competitive advantages in a global environment. This course also deals with the nature and techniques of industry analysis necessary to the formulation of effective global strategy for the firm.

Notes:

P: Open to MBA, Business Certificate or Master of Engineering students

Requirements:

Pre-req: ACCT.5010, FINA.5010,

MKTG.5010 Marketing Fundamentals (2cr)

Describes how marketing strategies and plans of a competitive enterprise are formulated, implemented, and adjusted over time. Behavioral and quantitative aspects are covered, as well as analysis of the environmental forces affecting marketing decisions. Pre-requisites: MBA or Certificate Programs, or Permission of MBA Director.

Requirements:

MBA/ MSF/MSEM/MGFB/PSM or PHD.

POMS.5010 Operations Fundamentals (2cr)

Provides students with an introduction to operations management and operations analysis. The latter furnishes the student with a set of quantitative tools which are useful in designing and operating the former. These techniques are also generally applicable to other functional areas/courses within the MBA Program. Pre-requisites: MBA or Certificate Programs, or Permission of MBA Director.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA/ MSF/MSEM/MGFB/PSM or PHD.

Graduate Certificate Requirements

Students enrolled in graduate certificate programs through UMass Lowell must complete all courses indicated in the curriculum outline. Students may complete the certificate program at their own pace by registering for and successfully completing one or more courses each semester, depending upon his/her personal time constraints. Students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.000 with no more than one course grade below B to receive the certificate.

The two-credit online courses in this program meet 8 weeks per course, with two opportunities to take the courses during the Fall and Spring semesters, plus one optional 8-week session is available in the Summer (see Calendar for details). Online students generally log into their online course website one or more times per week to retrieve lectures and assignments or to participate in a chat session. Online students should expect to spend 6-10 hours per course each week engaged in course-related activities. For more information on online courses, visit our online program home page.

Completing a Graduate Certificate Program

Graduate certificate courses must be completed within a five-year period with a minimum 3.000 grade point average and no more than one course with a grade below B. Once all courses for a graduate certificate have been completed, students must complete and submit the Graduate Certificate Clearance Form. Students must submit their clearance form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition at UMass Lowell is typically half the cost of private colleges, and our online tuition is among the lowest in the nation. Tuition for online programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies is the same whether you live in-state, out-of-state or outside of the U.S.

Spring 2025 Tuition

 Cost Per Credit Cost Per 3-Credit Course*

Graduate
Online $600 $1,800
Online Business1 $655 $1,965
All other On Campus courses2 View Here
*Tuition is priced on the listed credit hour unless the contact hour is different. Tuition is then based upon the listed contact hour.
1Applies to ACCT, BUSI, ENTR, FINA, MGMT, MKTG, MIST and POMS courses.
2Applies to graduate on campus courses excluding select courses

Additional Costs

 Cost
Term Registration Fee $30
Returned Check Fee $30
Graduate Engineering and Business Degrees and Certificate Applications $75

Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.

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Looking for Financial Assistance?

UMass Lowell offers a variety of financial aid and scholarship options.

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For Graduate Certificate Programs, Please Submit:

  • An application
  • An application fee*
  • An official transcript indicating a completed bachelor's degree. If your bachelor's degree is from outside the United States, you may be required to take the TOEFL examination.
  • No Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for graduate certificate programs

F1 student visas are not issued for this program. Applications can be completed and submitted at any time during the year. Your application will be processed as soon as all admission materials have been received. You may apply to more than one certificate program but can only take 12 credits maximum before enrolling in an advanced degree. Learn more about specific application requirements for your program of interest.

*There is a $75 application fee to apply to this graduate program.

Count Your Graduate Certificate Toward a Master's Degree

Credits earned from a graduate certificate may be used toward a related graduate degree.

Graduate Program Admissions Requirements

Admission to all graduate programs at UMass Lowell is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor's degree. In many cases, applicants may register for a course before formally applying to the program; however, students requiring financial aid may want to wait until they have been formally accepted into the program to ensure that their course(s) will be covered. Contact UMass Lowell's Office of Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.

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Graduate Application Questions

Please check your application status emails. Still have questions? Contact Graduate Admissions at Graduate_Admissions@uml.edu or 800-656-4723. International students: Please call 978-934-2390.

For General Assistance:

For general questions about registering for courses or to find out who the advisor is for your graduate program, call 800-480-3190. Our admissions and advising teams are here to help!

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Information for Out-of-State Students

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