DoD Financial Management Certificate - Curriculum 195 (Resident)
Brief Overview
The Certificate in Financial Management is a graduate academic certificate program available to NPS resident and distance learning students. Designed for mid-to-senior level leaders interested in financial management and budget, the program prepares students for business, financial, and analysis positions within the DoD. This program supports continuous financial management reform initiatives mandated by Congress and senior leaders, and also supports initiatives to educate mid-to-senior level leaders in the areas of financial management and budget. The program educates and prepares financial managers assisting the DoD's decision-making processes at all levels by providing accurate, timely, and relevant information and analysis.
Convenes
Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
Program Length
Five quarters
Five-Quarter Certificate (1 course per quarter)
The certificate requires the completion of 3 core courses and 2 elective courses (students choose a track for their electives). Students would take 1 course per quarter.
Core Courses
| MN3056 | Financial and Managerial Accounting | | 4 | 0 |
| GB4053 | Defense Budget Policy and Financial Management Systems | | 4 | 0 |
| -or- | | | |
| MN4053 | Defense Budget and Financial Management Policy | | 4 | 0 |
| -and- | | | |
| MN4052 | Managerial Finance | | 3 | 0 |
Elective Courses (Students will Choose a Track)
Track 1 - Audit Track: MN4520 and MN4530.
or
Track 2 - Data Analytics Track: two courses in data analytics offered by DDM.
Educational Skill Requirements (ESR)
Critical and Strategic Thinking - The graduate will be able to apply critical and strategic thinking to formulate and solve real-world problems, and will understand DoD senior-level decision-making processes under uncertainty. They will diagnose complex DoD problems, implement the corresponding decisions, and evaluate their results.
Decision Support - The graduate will be able to analyze data to solve complex and unstructured management problems faced by the DoD in accordance with an efficient procurement of resources and the effective accomplishment of the overall DoD objectives.
Accounting - The graduate will develop a thorough understanding of fundamental accounting concepts and methods, and accordingly be able to apply this knowledge to analyze federal and corporate accounting and costing information, including the use of metrics to evaluate and reward performance.
Budgeting - The graduate will understand the DoD’s PPBE system and the overarching federal budget and regulatory systems in which it operates. This includes the link from strategy to resources, budget formulation, presentation, justification, and execution.
Financial Management - The graduate will be able to use rigorous economic and financial techniques to solve long-term DoD financial problems that involve identifying, analyzing, and selecting among different alternatives. These techniques include cost estimation, capital budgeting, and asset pricing in risky environments.
Auditing and Internal Control Systems - In accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), the graduate will understand the regulatory mandate and ethical challenges faced by the DoD in audit, will learn to apply audit techniques that enforce sound internal accounting and administrative controls, as well as be able to interpret audit reports and statements. Special attention will be given to stewardship and adequacy of systems and controls.
Data Analytics – The graduate will be able to apply analytical techniques and tools to evaluate data and models in order to predict outcomes, understand systems, prescribe policy changes, and measure the impact of resource management decisions.