What is financial reporting?

Financial reporting is the process in which companies disclose financial results and related financial information to external audiences like investors, customers, and regulators, as well as to their internal managers and employees. Financial reports provide these audiences a snapshot of the financial status of the company and how it has performed during a specific set of time. Financial reporting in publicly-traded companies is an ongoing process, with the official public announcement of the financial results usually done in quarterly intervals during the year. However, industry analysts and other insiders are usually briefed more often during the year.

Why is it important that I learn about financial reporting?

It's important to learn about financial reporting to better comprehend how revenues in a business are balanced out against the costs of running the company. When you learn about financial reporting, you will get a strong understanding of a company’s assets and liabilities, what an income statement is, how to understand a profit and loss report, and how important a cash flow statement is on a company’s financial activities. Learning about financial reporting is an integral asset for anyone with an aptitude for numbers, mathematics, and financial accountability.

What are careers that use financial reporting?

Some of the careers associated with financial reporting include accountant, financial manager, financial analyst, senior tax accountant, and controller. Many of these positions exist in large organizations, especially publicly-traded companies, as there are financial positions in order to handle the work of strict financial reporting measures. To move into a career in financial reporting, it helps to have a background of knowledge in such areas as accounting, financial analysis, and financial management and reporting, along with more general knowledge of sales, project management, and data analytics.

How can taking online courses help me learn financial reporting?

When you take online courses to learn financial reporting, you will gain specific knowledge on topics like accounting analysis, financial statements, cash flow reporting, and profit and loss statements. You can become proficient in using the top financial statements common in organizations: balance sheet, income statement, and the statement of cash flows. As you learn more about financial reporting in online courses, your interests may widen to include other areas of financial accounting and financial reporting. Understanding these subjects is integral to your accounting experience in working on an accounting team at a professional organization.

What are the benefits of taking an online Financial Reporting course?

Online Financial Reporting courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Financial Reporting skills. Choose from a wide range of Financial Reporting courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Financial Reporting courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Financial Reporting, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Financial Reporting Courses - Learn Financial Reporting Online

Explore the Financial Reporting Course Catalog

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Magíster en Inversiones y Finanzas Aplicadas
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Descriptive Analytics, Financial Statements, Business Analytics, Business Valuation, FinTech, Portfolio Management, Derivatives, Corporate Finance, Governance, Customer Analysis, Risk Analysis, Credit Risk, Digital Transformation, Cloud Security, Assertiveness, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Financial Analysis, Investments, Complex Problem Solving
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CPA Pathways Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Variance Analysis, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Accounting Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Variance Analysis, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
HEC Paris
Executive MSc & MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Skills you'll gain: New Product Development, Intellectual Property, Research Methodologies, Innovation, Performance Measurement, Financial Modeling, Design Thinking, Value Propositions, Private Equity, Team Building, Social Media Strategy, Business Modeling, Active Listening, Business Planning, Business Strategy, Supplier Relationship Management, Ideation, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Stakeholder Engagement
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Magíster en Salud Pública Global
Skills you'll gain: Epidemiology, Public Health and Disease Prevention, Descriptive Analytics, Gerontology, Statistical Reporting, Health Policy, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Healthcare Ethics, Digital Transformation, Cloud Security, Sampling (Statistics), Assertiveness, Telehealth, Health Disparities, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Public Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Policy Analysis, Program Evaluation, Health Systems
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Universidad de los Andes
Maestría en Inteligencia Analítica de Datos
Skills you'll gain: Systems Thinking, Unsupervised Learning, Data Storytelling, Deep Learning, Network Analysis, Data Visualization, Predictive Modeling, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Project Management Life Cycle, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Financial Data, Marketing Analytics, Simulations, Descriptive Analytics, Exploratory Data Analysis, Random Forest Algorithm, Data Cleansing, Operations Research, Project Planning
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Magíster en Business Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Customer Analysis, Descriptive Analytics, People Analytics, Revenue Management, Web Scraping, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, FinTech, Predictive Analytics, Statistical Reporting, Governance, Unsupervised Learning, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Risk Analysis, Network Analysis, Digital Transformation, Cloud Security, Dimensionality Reduction, Sampling (Statistics), Deep Learning
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
West Virginia University
Master of Science in Software Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Unified Modeling Language, Verification And Validation, Threat Modeling, Enterprise Architecture, Security Management, Secure Coding, Scope Management, Application Security, Financial Statements, Proposal Development, Cash Flows, Object Oriented Design, Requirements Analysis, Software Design, Security Requirements Analysis, Database Design, Software Visualization, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Business Process Management, Mobile Security
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Certificado en Toma de Decisiones Basadas en Datos
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Descriptive Analytics, Business Analytics, Statistical Reporting, Data Ethics, NoSQL, Digital Transformation, MongoDB, Data Mining, SQL, Predictive Analytics, Data Analysis, R Programming, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Business Transformation, Business Strategy, Technology Strategies, Business Modeling
Credit offered
Mastertrack · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Managerial Economics & Business Analysis Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Variance Analysis, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership & Management
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Variance Analysis, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Variance Analysis, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months