Wharton to offer three new online certification programs in collaboration with Wall Street Prep

The Wharton School is offering three new online certification programs as part of a collaboration with the financial training firm Wall Street Prep.

Wharton Online offers certification programs on a range of topics in business, marketing, and management. The new courses will focus on Real Estate Investing and Analysis, Buy-Side Investing, and Financial Planning & Analysis, according to the announcement. 

Wall Street Prep, founded in 2004, is a corporate training provider that currently serves over 100 universities. The three new certification courses build on a private equity certification program announced last year as a collaboration between Wharton and Wall Street Prep. 

The goal of the offerings is to translate the academic information in the classroom to the workforce through applicable courses. The self-paced courses will cost $4,800 and last eight weeks, with an expected time commitment of eight hours per week. 

The Real Estate Investing and Analysis Certification Program will focus on real estate modeling and investing. This program is meant to be applicable to a variety of individuals in real estate, from investment bankers to brokers to asset managers. It will also include lessons from industry leaders at companies like BlackRock and ARES. 

The Buy-Side Investing Certification Program will encompass investing basics and common analyses in the field. This program is also designed to be accessible and useful for anyone in the field of buy-side investing. There will be a number of prominent speakers including the CEO of companies like Eminence Capital. 

The Financial Planning & Analysis Certification Program is designed for a large swath of individuals from finance to non-finance professionals to accountants to consultants and more. In this course, students will work with case studies that emphasize conducting financial analyses and forecasts. Additionally, students will work with a range of companies, including large names like Merck and CVS. 

"This collaboration is unique because it presents learners with an understanding of both the how and why of the job," David Musto, faculty director of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at Wharton, said in the announcement. "It's what employers are looking for from their talent: strong technical and modeling skills combined with the ability to see the big picture as a finance professional." 

Enrollment for the courses opened on Feb. 20, and the online classes will start on May 13.