Basic and Advanced Business Certificates

Penn State's basic business certificate program can provide you with a solid foundation in essential business concepts and offers a convenient way to "step up" to a degree program using the credits you earn in the certificate. The program can give you an understanding of management and marketing and help you improve your writing skills. You can customize your education through a series of business-related electives to meet your specific needs and interests. Students who have completed the basic business certificate are eligible to earn the advanced business certificate.

Basic Business Certificate

Course Requirements — 18 credits

Complete 9 credits of these Prescribed Courses:

• ENGL 015 Rhetoric and Composition (3 credits)
• MKTG 220 Introduction to Selling Techniques (3 credits)

If selecting the Professional Studies option:

• Choose either MGMT 100 or 100W (writing emphasis) Survey of Management (3 credits)

If selecting the General Business option:

• Choose either MGMT 301 or 301W (writing emphasis) Basic Management Concepts (3 credits)

Select at least 9 credits from these Additional Courses:

• B A 241 Legal Environment of Business (2 credits) and B A 242 Social and Ethical Environment of Business (2 credits); or B A 243 Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business (4 credits)
• IST 110 Information, People and Technology (3 credits) or SRA 111 Introduction to Security and Risk Analysis (3 credits)
• LER 100 Employment Relations (3 credits) or LER 136 Race, Gender, and Employment (3 credits; Professional Studies option, only)
• MIS 103 Microcomputer Applications in Business (3 credits; Professional Studies option, only) or MIS 204 Introduction to Business Information Systems (3 credits)

Advanced Business Certificate

This certificate builds upon the basic business certificate to further develop skills in communication and math. In a very flexible way, students can explore functional fields of business.

Advanced Business Certificate Course Requirements — 15 credits

Complete 9 credits of these Prescribed Courses: 

• CAS 100A Effective Speech
• MATH 021 College Algebra or higher
• ECON 102 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy (3 credits) or ECON 104 Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy (3 credits)

Select at least 6 additional credits (not previously taken) from these courses:

• ACCTG 211 Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making (4 credits)
• B A 241 Legal Environment of Business (2 credits) and BA 242 Social and Ethical Environment of Business (2 credits); or B A 243 Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business (4 credits)
• B A 250 Problems of Small Business (3 credits)
• CMPSC 203 Introduction to Spreadsheets and Databases (4 credits)
• ECON 102 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy (3 credits) or ECON 104 Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy (3 credits)
• IST 220 Networking and Telecommunications (3 credits)
• IST 250 New Media and the Web (3 credits)
• LER 100 Industrial Relations (3 credits)
• LER 136 Race, Gender, and Employment (3 credits)
• MIS 103 Microcomputer Applications in Business (3 credits) or MIS 204 Introduction to Business Information Systems (3 credits)
• SCM 200 Introduction to Statistics for Business (4 credits) or STAT 200 Elementary Statistics (4 credits)
• SRA 111 Introduction to Security and Risk Analysis (3 credits)
• SRA 211 Threat of Terrorism and Crime (3 credits)