Accounting for Today’s Dynamic World (FutureLearn)

Accounting for Today’s Dynamic World (FutureLearn)

Develop the accounting know-how you need to face the complex business challenges of today. Hone important knowledge and skills to jump-start your career. The complex discipline of accounting has always been crucial to business administration. This is truer than ever today, as it is used to coordinate a range of activities within organisations. This four-week introduction to accounting, from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), offers a clear window into this world.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Gain insight into key accounting concepts
Your understanding of accounting’s role in facilitating organisational transparency, accountability, and decision-making will deepen considerably over this course. These insights will be invaluable whether you want to develop your current professional trajectory or are considering a career in accountancy.
Develop accounting skills for the modern world
AUT is known for offering courses that equip learners for the issues of today, and this accounting course is no different. You’ll learn about financial accounting, management accounting, accounting information systems, and auditing and assurance so that you’re equipped to help your business or organisation face any challenge it may come up against.
Let a renowned university deliver your introduction to accounting
The Auckland University of Technology (AUT) is home to leading researchers and scholars, with an Accounting Department that ranks among the top 150 in the world. With its focus on impactful research and expertise across a range of accountancy fields, it’s the obvious choice for your accounting course.

Syllabus

Week 1: Financial Accounting
Week 2: Accounting Information Systems
Week 3: Management Accounting
Week 4: Audit and Assurance

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
Who is the course for?
This accounting course is designed for anyone looking to gain the accountancy skills required in today’s world. Whether you’re considering a career in accounting or want to accelerate your current career path, it will help you reach your goal.
What software or tools do you need?
You will need access to Xero for the second week of this course. You can register for free to get 30-days access to the platform.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

An Introduction to Financial Management in Construction (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

An Introduction to Financial Management in Construction (FutureLearn)

Explore financial management and accounting conventions and their importance in the construction industry and other sectors. Understand the need for financial management in the construction industry. Which projects should a firm or individual invest their money? How can you find out a company’s profit at the end of the year? How should this investment be financed? How can you tell how healthy a company is?

Jun 3rd 2024
2 Weeks
Managerial Accounting: Tools for Facilitating and Guiding Business Decisions (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Managerial Accounting: Tools for Facilitating and Guiding Business Decisions (Coursera)

In this course, you will explore how to use accounting to allocate resources and incentivize manager and employee behaviors in using these resources. You will also learn how financial and non-financial accounting information facilitates strategic performance measurement and how to integrate this information to continuously improve strategy.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Understanding Financial Statements (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

Understanding Financial Statements (FutureLearn)

Learn how to make better business decisions with financial information. What is your financial statement trying to tell you? Every business maintains financial records that help us to understand how well it’s doing. In this course, you’ll learn how to read them. You’ll explore a range of financial statements - focusing on income statements, statements of financial position and cash flow statements. You’ll also investigate the different branches of accounting and learn to identify who else in the business uses this accounting information.

No sessions available
2 Weeks
Accounting Analysis I: Measurement and Disclosure of Assets (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting Analysis I: Measurement and Disclosure of Assets (Coursera)

In this course, we will begin our review of key asset categories underlying the Balance Sheet concepts that were introduced in the previous course. We will begin our trek down the Balance Sheet by reviewing cash and receivables, which are normally the two assets listed first. We will continue our trek down the Balance Sheet by looking at inventory and long-Lived Assets, which are normally two of the largest asset values. We will review the measurement and reporting issues involving Inventories and the corresponding cost of goods sold expense in the Income Statement.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Making Money as a Freelancer (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

Making Money as a Freelancer (Coursera)

The second course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization is aimed at freelancers looking to integrate financial analysis and strategy into their business. Learners will discover and apply accounting best practices through creating a budget and financial plan and using it to set financial goals with rates and prices backed up by their own research.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations (Coursera)

This course aims at assisting you in interpreting financial accounting information related to inter-corporate investments. The course will cover three main topics over four modules: (i) accounting for passive, significant influence, and control type of inter-corporate investments, (ii) special issues and considerations in inter-corporate investments, and (iii) special types of inter-corporate investments.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera)

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.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Financing and Profiting from Innovation for Corporate Entrepreneurs (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Financing and Profiting from Innovation for Corporate Entrepreneurs (Coursera)

This course is for aspiring or active corporate entrepreneurs who wants to understand how to secure and manage funding for their corporate venture. We will demystify key accounting and financing concepts to give corporate entrepreneurs a guide to developing the business case for their ideas, and securing funding to translate ideas into reality.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera)

Through this course, you will start by addressing the two “big questions” of accounting: “What do I have?” and “How did I do over time?” You will see how the two key financial statements – the balance sheet and the income statement - are designed to answer these questions and then move on to consider how individual transactions aggregate to make up these financial statements.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Financial Reporting Capstone (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Financial Reporting Capstone (Coursera)

The Capstone is the culminating project in the Financial Reporting Specialization. You will have the opportunity to combine the concepts and techniques obtained through all the courses in this specialization (Accounting Analysis I: The Role of Accounting as an Information System, Accounting Analysis I: Measurement and Disclosure of Assets, Accounting Analysis II: Measurement and Disclosure of Liabilities, and Accounting Analysis II: Accounting for Liabilities and Equity) and apply them to a real world accounting project.

Sep 21st 2026
3 Weeks