Wharton/Coursera: An Introduction To Financial Accounting

Platform: Coursera

Length/start date: Runs ten weeks, and started September 15

Time commitment/prerequisites: Six to eight hours a week, and no background in the area required.

Why you should take it: Learning the basics of accounting and how to read a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow is incredibly useful for just about anybody. The course is also designed for students with no background in the subject, and the only math requirement is knowing how to add and subtract.

As the professor puts it, accounting is "the language of business."

The course is also offered by one of the most prestigious business schools in the country, and taught by one of Wharton's senior and most highly regarded faculty members, Brian Bushee, a 13-year veteran of Wharton and former Harvard Business School professor. Though it's a bit more restrictive than the entirely self-directed courses, and new material will be released periodically, you get more of a community feel and more resources.

"You will not only better understand what people in the business media are talking about," the course description says, "you will also be able to notice when they don’t know what they are talking about!"