Excel Skills for Business: Essentials from Coursera

In this first course of the specialization Excel Skills for Business, you will learn the essentials of Microsoft Excel. Within six weeks, you will be able to expertly navigate the Excel user interface, perform basic calculations with formulas and functions, professionally format spreadsheets, and create visualizations of data through charts and graphs.

Whether you are self-taught and want to fill in the gaps for better efficiency and productivity, or whether you have never used Excel before, this course will set you up with a solid foundation to become a confident user and develop more advanced skills in later courses.

The best way to learn Excel is to use Excel. In this course, learners will solve a broad range of business problems as they apply the Excel skills and techniques they learn along the way. This course uses downloadable Excel workbooks and full data sets with applied examples and practical challenge exercises. This provides learners with countless opportunities to practice their Excel skills while discovering new and useful productivity features of Excel for a variety of business contexts.

Spreadsheet software is one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces across the world. Learning to confidently operate this software means adding a highly valuable asset to your employability portfolio. At a time when digital skills jobs are growing much faster than non-digital jobs, make sure to position yourself ahead of the rest by adding Excel skills to your employment portfolio.

What's inside

Syllabus

Critical Core of Excel

In this module, you will learn about key foundational features of Excel: The Excel user interface, basic Excel terminology, how to operate essential navigational controls in Excel and how to perform basic data entry with Excel spreadsheets.

Performing calculations

The syntax of formulas is very important in Excel. In this module, you will get introduced to formulas and functions - learn how to write them, use them to perform calculations and understand the different cell references.

Formatting

Formatting helps to highlight key messages and make the data presentable. This module covers several formatting tools like font formatting, borders, alignment, number formatting, as well as the Excel styles and themes.

Working with Data

This module is all about working with data – and making it easy to work with. This week you will learn how you can manage your spreadsheets – find data with Filter and Sort, retrieve and change data using Find and Replace, and use Conditional Formatting to highlight specific data.

Printing

Sometimes you need to print your spreadsheets and this module will help you with that. Learn how you can optimise your spreadsheet for printing by managing margins, orientation, headers & footers, and more.

Charts

Charts are one of the most common ways to present data visually. This module walks you through creating and modifying charts in Excel.

Final Assessment

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Builds a rock-solid foundation in Excel, which is standard in many industries

Taught by instructors who are recognized as excellent teachers of Excel

Helps learners become confident users of Excel

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Excel Skills for Business: Essentials with these activities:

Gather course materials

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Ensure you have all the necessary materials for the course.

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Download the course syllabus and any required software.
Create a folder to store your course materials.
Print out any handouts or readings.

Review Excel basics

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Refresh your memory on the core concepts of Excel before starting the course.

Browse courses on Excel Basics

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Review your notes from previous Excel courses or tutorials.
Watch online videos or tutorials on Excel basics.

Join an Excel study group

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Connect with other students who are also taking the course to discuss concepts and collaborate on projects.

Browse courses on Collaborative Learning

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Ask your instructor or classmates if there are any existing study groups.
If not, start your own study group and invite others to join.
Meet regularly to discuss course material, work on projects, and quiz each other.

Four other activities

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Read 'Excel for Dummies'

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Familiarize yourself with the basics of Excel, including its interface, functions, and formulas.

View Excel 2010 For Dummies eBook Set on Amazon

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Purchase or borrow a copy of 'Excel for Dummies'.
Read the book from cover to cover, taking notes as you go.
Complete the practice exercises at the end of each chapter.

Complete Excel exercises on Coursera

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Reinforce your understanding of Excel concepts by completing hands-on exercises.

Browse courses on Data Analysis

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Create a new account on Coursera.
Enroll in the 'Excel Skills for Business' specialization.
Complete the exercises in each module.

Create a budget using Excel

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Apply your Excel skills to create a practical tool that you can use in your personal or professional life.

Browse courses on Budgeting

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Determine the categories of expenses you want to track.
Create a new Excel workbook and format it accordingly.
Enter your income and expenses into the spreadsheet.
Use Excel formulas to calculate your total income and expenses.
Create charts and graphs to visualize your budget.

Contribute to an Excel open-source project

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Contribute your skills and knowledge to the Excel community by contributing to an open-source project.

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Identify an Excel open-source project that you are interested in contributing to.
Familiarize yourself with the project's codebase and documentation.
Identify an area where you can make a contribution.
Fork the project's repository and create a branch for your changes.
Implement your changes and submit a pull request.

Career center

Learners who complete Excel Skills for Business: Essentials will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Data Analyst

Data Analysts use data to solve business problems. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Data Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Business Analyst

Business Analysts use data to solve business problems. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Business Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Management Consultant

Management Consultants use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. They use these skills to help their clients solve business problems. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Management Consultant.

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Budget Analyst

Budget Analysts use Excel to create and manage budgets. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Budget Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Budget Analyst

Financial Planner

Financial Planners use Excel to create financial plans for their clients. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Financial Planner.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Planner

Marketing Analyst

Marketing Analysts use data to understand customer behavior and develop marketing campaigns. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Marketing Analyst.

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Financial Analyst

Financial Analysts use their training in finance and Excel to build models that help evaluate, create, and manage investment portfolios. This course on Excel can broaden and deepen your knowledge of the software, which is a must-have for this career. Excel is used in nearly every aspect of the job, including analyzing data, creating visualizations, and building financial models. Taking this course will give you a leg up in the competitive field of financial analysis and help you succeed in this role.

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Operations Analyst

Operations Analysts use data to improve business processes. They use Excel to analyze data, create visualizations, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as an Operations Analyst.

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Supply Chain Manager

Supply Chain Managers use Excel to track inventory, manage logistics, and make decisions about supply chain strategy. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Supply Chain Manager.

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Project Manager

Project Managers use Excel to track project progress, manage budgets, and communicate with stakeholders. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Project Manager.

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Sales Manager

Sales Managers use Excel to track sales performance, analyze customer data, and make decisions about sales strategy. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Sales Manager.

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Product Manager

Product Managers use Excel to track product performance, analyze customer feedback, and make decisions about product development. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Product Manager.

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Operations Manager

Operations Managers use Excel to track operations performance, manage budgets, and make decisions about operations strategy. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as an Operations Manager.

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Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Managers use Excel to track employee data, manage payroll, and make decisions about human resources strategy. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Human Resources Manager.

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Data Scientist

Data Scientists use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and build models. This course on Excel will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in this role. You will learn how to use Excel to clean and prepare data, perform statistical analysis, and create visualizations. This course will give you a solid foundation in Excel that will help you succeed in your career as a Data Scientist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist