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For people that are passionate about M&A but cannot spend sixty hours a week at their desk in the investment bank, corporate development can offer an antidote as a career.
The M&A specialist within a medium- or large-tier company can usually enjoy many of the same day-to-day activities as an investment banker without the furious pace and the sometimes cut-throat levels of competition.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: $150/month (paid annually)
Link(s): Building Corporate Development
How Corporate Development Sources Deals
M&A Science offers a comprehensive set of courses to suit whatever part of the M&A spectrum youâre most interested in. The three weâve outlined above are what we believe best suit somebody looking to brush up on Corporate Development before an interview or career move. Students learn at their own pace, taught by seasoned professionals who share expert advice about the nuances of each part of M&A.
The best part about this course is its thoroughness and that itâs constantly being added to. Want to dive deeper into a different part of M&A such as valuations or due diligence? No problem, itâs all here. The idea is, that by the time youâre finished, you wonât just be closely acquainted with the workings of corporate development, youâll feel youâve already had a head start on anybody else in the department.
Related: Top 4 Tools & Software Used by Corp Devs
Certification: Certificate of participation
Price: $3,700.
Link: Access the course here
This fully online course offered by Columbia University over 9 weeks aims to enable students to strategize and execute deals. In addition to providing students with good networking opportunities and the ability to leverage the Columbia brand, this course addresses key questions such as: âWill an M&A transaction add value?â, âWhat is the target worth?â, âWhat role does valuation play in M&A?â and âWhat does the M&A process look like?â
The courseâs nine modules, each lasting 3-4 hours, have been structured to build on the previous weekâs learnings. Examples of the earlier modules include âIntroduction to M&Aâ and âStrategic and Practical Considerations of M&Aâ before ramping up to heavier topics such as âMerger Agreements and Sell-side Alternativesâ and âTakeover Defense and Financial Perspectives.â An excellent course
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Certification: N/A
Price: $14,500.
This intensive one-week-long in-person course at Stanford isnât cheap, but for those that have never worked in the Corporate Development sphere before, it offers a broad-based introduction to the field. Students are presented with a mixture of lectures, case studies, classroom discussions, and guest speakers. Best of all for novices, unlike many courses at the executive level, previous experience in M&A is not required.
Course topics include M&A tax planning, post-merger integration, and financial valuation and strategy. Students are also divided into groups and given case studies based on real-life M&A transactions, where they are challenged to make investment theses, valuations, and conduct due diligence. The networking opportunities are also outstanding, with a typical class mix comprising executives from across the five continents.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: Free
Link(s): Access the course here
This course, which is one of six in the University of Illinoisâs M&A Specialization on Coursera, is an excellent jumping-off point for anybody interested in a career in Corporate Development. While many looking to enter the field will know their company, its strategy, and its industry quite well, the financial component of M&A can be highly challenging for those without a background in accounting or finance.
Students are taken through various valuation methods and can complement their studies with practice quizzes, course videos, learning materials, and graded assignments with peer feedback. This particular component of the M&A course takes approximately four hours to complete, with the complete course taking approximately 18 hours. Definitely, one to consider for those on a budget and wondering whether corporate development might be the way to go.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: Free
Link(s): Access the course here
Although not strictly a Corporate Development-themed course, this fully online Yale University course (full title: Introduction to Negotiation: a Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator) would be a useful addition to the armory of any aspiring Corporate Development professional. Whether itâs with internal or external stakeholders, in Corporate Development, youâre going to have to know how to negotiate well.
The course takes an estimated 33 hours to complete, which is a good indication of its completeness, and includes 11 fascinating modules that include case studies, video lectures from management gurus, and additional reading materials. Essentially, the course will be useful for everyone whether or not they land a position in Corporate Development. It is well worth the time invested.
Given the range of courses available online and in-person, thereâs no excuse to approach the corporate development interview without preparing with a course.
From our perspective, the best option for most students would be to combine M&A Science's corporate development suite (enabling students to dip into other areas as they require) with one of Illinoisâs valuations courses (providing background on valuations) and the Yale negotiation course. Â
How to Get Into Corporate Development (Story by VP Corp Dev)
How to Evolve Your Corporate Development Function (Pro Tips)
For people that are passionate about M&A but cannot spend sixty hours a week at their desk in the investment bank, corporate development can offer an antidote as a career.
The M&A specialist within a medium- or large-tier company can usually enjoy many of the same day-to-day activities as an investment banker without the furious pace and the sometimes cut-throat levels of competition.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: $150/month (paid annually)
Link(s): Building Corporate Development
How Corporate Development Sources Deals
M&A Science offers a comprehensive set of courses to suit whatever part of the M&A spectrum youâre most interested in. The three weâve outlined above are what we believe best suit somebody looking to brush up on Corporate Development before an interview or career move. Students learn at their own pace, taught by seasoned professionals who share expert advice about the nuances of each part of M&A.
The best part about this course is its thoroughness and that itâs constantly being added to. Want to dive deeper into a different part of M&A such as valuations or due diligence? No problem, itâs all here. The idea is, that by the time youâre finished, you wonât just be closely acquainted with the workings of corporate development, youâll feel youâve already had a head start on anybody else in the department.
Related: Top 4 Tools & Software Used by Corp Devs
Certification: Certificate of participation
Price: $3,700.
Link: Access the course here
This fully online course offered by Columbia University over 9 weeks aims to enable students to strategize and execute deals. In addition to providing students with good networking opportunities and the ability to leverage the Columbia brand, this course addresses key questions such as: âWill an M&A transaction add value?â, âWhat is the target worth?â, âWhat role does valuation play in M&A?â and âWhat does the M&A process look like?â
The courseâs nine modules, each lasting 3-4 hours, have been structured to build on the previous weekâs learnings. Examples of the earlier modules include âIntroduction to M&Aâ and âStrategic and Practical Considerations of M&Aâ before ramping up to heavier topics such as âMerger Agreements and Sell-side Alternativesâ and âTakeover Defense and Financial Perspectives.â An excellent course
Certification: N/A
Price: $14,500.
This intensive one-week-long in-person course at Stanford isnât cheap, but for those that have never worked in the Corporate Development sphere before, it offers a broad-based introduction to the field. Students are presented with a mixture of lectures, case studies, classroom discussions, and guest speakers. Best of all for novices, unlike many courses at the executive level, previous experience in M&A is not required.
Course topics include M&A tax planning, post-merger integration, and financial valuation and strategy. Students are also divided into groups and given case studies based on real-life M&A transactions, where they are challenged to make investment theses, valuations, and conduct due diligence. The networking opportunities are also outstanding, with a typical class mix comprising executives from across the five continents.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: Free
Link(s): Access the course here
This course, which is one of six in the University of Illinoisâs M&A Specialization on Coursera, is an excellent jumping-off point for anybody interested in a career in Corporate Development. While many looking to enter the field will know their company, its strategy, and its industry quite well, the financial component of M&A can be highly challenging for those without a background in accounting or finance.
Students are taken through various valuation methods and can complement their studies with practice quizzes, course videos, learning materials, and graded assignments with peer feedback. This particular component of the M&A course takes approximately four hours to complete, with the complete course taking approximately 18 hours. Definitely, one to consider for those on a budget and wondering whether corporate development might be the way to go.
Certification: Certification of completion
Price: Free
Link(s): Access the course here
Although not strictly a Corporate Development-themed course, this fully online Yale University course (full title: Introduction to Negotiation: a Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator) would be a useful addition to the armory of any aspiring Corporate Development professional. Whether itâs with internal or external stakeholders, in Corporate Development, youâre going to have to know how to negotiate well.
The course takes an estimated 33 hours to complete, which is a good indication of its completeness, and includes 11 fascinating modules that include case studies, video lectures from management gurus, and additional reading materials. Essentially, the course will be useful for everyone whether or not they land a position in Corporate Development. It is well worth the time invested.
Given the range of courses available online and in-person, thereâs no excuse to approach the corporate development interview without preparing with a course.
From our perspective, the best option for most students would be to combine M&A Science's corporate development suite (enabling students to dip into other areas as they require) with one of Illinoisâs valuations courses (providing background on valuations) and the Yale negotiation course. Â
How to Get Into Corporate Development (Story by VP Corp Dev)
How to Evolve Your Corporate Development Function (Pro Tips)
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