Commerce Essentials

In this course, you’ll learn the mindset, frameworks, and technology tools to find and cultivate meaningful relationships with people that can move your career and ideas forward. You’ll learn from the “greatest of all time” entrepreneurs - how they think about relationships, how they create their own personal brands/histories, and how they prepare and execute when building a network that takes their concepts to the next level. Instructor: Chip Ransler

Why do some online spaces just feel right, and others are a turnoff? Do you want to help create and nurture positive online social interactions? This course will help you to understand why people join social networks, how platforms shape interactions, and how you can facilitate positive, mutually beneficial online experiences. Unlock your social networking superpowers to help build and maintain a positive online presence. Instructor: Steven L. Johnson

This course will introduce a wide range of personal finance topics you will encounter and need to successfully navigate as you grow financially independent. Topics will be covered at introductory levels, to expose you to the range of money-related topics you will likely need to master in the years ahead. The course will be organized by posing “big” questions you will probably want to know how to address. Those interested in developing side hustles or very small business will benefit from the course by understanding how to first get your own personal financial matters under control, then thinking about how to expand those skills and understanding into business ventures. The course is likely to serve as a starting point for further exploration of specific topics and/or as motivation to take a subsequent, more detailed, personal finance course. Instructor: Roger Martin

In this course, you will explore actual financial statements and learn how firms track resources, measure performance, and use financial information for decision-making. Instructor: Adam Koch

This course is an introduction to the role of strategy in organizations. You will explore strategic management topics such as competition, industry forces, strategic decision-making, and corporate acquisitions. Instructor: Jeremy Marcel

This course is an online, self-paced introduction to the role of financial management in organizations. You will explore actual financial statements and learn how firms track resources, measure performance, and use financial information for decision-making. Instructor: Mark White

Marketing is an essential driver of business growth. Yet, it’s often misunderstood or confused with complementary disciplines like advertising and branding. Whether you’re thinking about starting your own business someday, have a family business you might join, or plan to work in an organization where you will be working in or with the marketing department, this foundational course will provide you with basic marketing principles and strategies. Instructors: Peter Kaye and Roger Martin

This course delves into the intersection of writing and generative AI. Explore AI-enhanced techniques—from real-time feedback to creative brainstorming—and consider the ethical implications of integrating AI into traditional writing practices. Reflect on the value of struggle in writing, the impact of AI on communication, and the role of trust in reading. Ultimately, this course empowers you to navigate human-AI co-authorship. Instructor: Kiera Allison

In this course, you'll learn to grow early-stage (but not brand-new) entrepreneurial ventures. We'll cover business strategy, team building, legal entities, and funding (angel investing). Our goal is to bridge the gap between idea generation and successful ventures that are ready for the next level of success (maybe even for VC funding). In short, we will explore how you can chart a path through the “teen-age years” of entrepreneurship. Instructor: George Gies

This course will cover some of the basic concepts of entrepreneurship starting with a precise definition of entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, and uncertainty. You will be introduced to the prediction control space that provides a method for entrepreneurial decision-making and action. Within the prediction control space, you will be introduced to different practical tools for entrepreneurs including effectuation. The course will include case studies from experienced entrepreneurs. Instructors: Saras Sarasvathy, Jim Zuffoletti, and Roger Martin

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to predictive AI, focusing on essential concepts, techniques, and applications used in real-world business scenarios. You will explore predictive models, model evaluation, data preparation, and ethics of predictive AI. You will gain the foundational knowledge necessary to apply predictive AI techniques through engaging video lectures, expert interviews, simulations, and interactive exercises. Instructor: Jingjing Li

In this course, Zach Kass aims to empower you to understand and forecast the impact of AI across various industries by engaging with insights from industry leaders. The course is also designed to help you optimize your career and understand the evolving landscape of AI. Instructors: Zack Kass and Roger Martin

This course introduces you to key aspects of generative artificial intelligence (genAI). You’ll explore essential genAI technologies and learn to apply these tools effectively in various business scenarios. Through on-demand lectures, interactive exercises, and guided readings, you’ll gain practical insights into AI-driven innovation, business cases, and AI models, consider legal and compliance, plus stay informed on future AI trends. Instructor: Adam Kerpelman

This course explores how social entrepreneurs create sustainable solutions to pressing social challenges. You'll examine their mindsets, analyze impact-driven business models and funding strategies, and learn how ventures measure effectiveness. We'll explore scaling social impact and building organizations that generate both social value and financial sustainability. Instructors: Matthew Wheelock and Chad Ratliff

In this course, you'll journey from understanding what entrepreneurs actually do in society to building and sustaining your own venture, learning that there's no single "right" way to be an entrepreneur and that success comes through collaboration, resilience, and designing a path that fits your unique goals. Instructor: Roger Martin

Commerce Essentials micro-courses are quick, one-half-credit courses designed to be taken over a weekend or two or spread out in smaller segments over several weeks. It takes 8-10 hours to review a course’s asynchronous content, plus independent study time.

There are no restrictions on who can take Commerce Essentials micro-courses, though depending on the school, students may need to get adviser approval first. They are designed for undergraduates who want to get initial exposure to business or brush up on business skills.

It will take 8-10 hours to review the course’s asynchronous content, plus independent study time. Commerce Essentials courses are designed so that they can be taken over a weekend or two, or spread out in smaller segments over several weeks.

For full-time students, the courses are included in their already-paid tuition, and students can take as many as they like as long as their total course load is under the credit cap. Tuition and fees may defer in summer or January terms than fall or spring terms. Part-time students in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies will pay tuition based on the standard credit hour rate for their program.

Most UVA students need to sign up for a micro-course during the normal course registration period of each semester through the UVA Student Information System (SIS). Students in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies must obtain adviser approval first. The school registrar will manually enroll students in the requested course during the registration period.

Completion of a micro-course is on a credit/no credit basis.

Assessments for the courses consist of some homework activities and a final multiple-choice test to complete the course.

Yes! If you successfully complete four courses within a collection, you may be eligible for a digital badge.

Offerings as of fall 2025

• Business Essentials – Strategy, Accounting, Finance, Marketing
• AI Essentials – Communication, Predictive AI, The Future, Business Gen AI
• Entrepreneurship Essentials - Entrepreneurship & Growth, Entrepreneurship Fundamentals, Entrepreneurship-Social Impact, Entrepreneurship in Practice

Digital badges allow you to

• Showcase your skills and provide concrete evidence of proficiency for future employers
• Demonstrate lifelong learning since you show a commitment to continuous education 

They can be easily shared and displayed on platforms like LinkedIn.