Transform how you use financial information to lead your organization forward.
About the Program
What to Expect
- Make smarter decisions with the numbers you already have: Learn to evaluate and interpret your organization's cost information rather than accepting it at face value. You'll discover how different approaches to measuring costs reveal different insights—and how to choose the right approach for the decision at hand.
- Design cost systems that serve your strategy: Understand what drives costs in your organization and how to structure cost information to support the decisions you actually need to make. You'll learn to evaluate whether your current systems are helping or hindering strategic thinking.
- Separate what matters from what doesn't: Not every cost is relevant to every decision. You'll develop the judgment to identify which costs should influence a particular choice and which should be set aside—a critical skill for resource-constrained environments.
- Balance data with judgment: Financial information provides the foundation, but your role is to shape it into a compelling story. You’ll learn to architect cost data to build persuasive cases for your decisions, whether you're recommending a new investment, expanding a product line, or reallocating resources.
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for professionals who have built successful careers on domain expertise and now need financial fluency to lead effectively:
Industry experts transitioning into management, such as:
- Healthcare professionals moving from clinical practice to administrative leadership
- Educators advancing from teaching to school or district management roles
- Technology professionals stepping up from product management to director positions
- Specialists in any field who've earned leadership responsibility based on technical excellence
Leaders in resource-constrained environments:
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners managing costs without extensive financial infrastructure
- Managers in startups or growing companies where agility matters more than sophisticated systems
- Professionals seeking practical solutions that don't require expensive ERP platforms
Managers who need to make financial cases:
- Leaders responsible for creating budgets and justifying expenditures
- Cross-functional team leaders who must communicate effectively with finance departments
- Project managers overseeing initiatives with significant financial implications
- Anyone who needs to persuade stakeholders with financial arguments
Aspiring executives building leadership capabilities:
- High-potential employees preparing for senior roles where financial acumen is essential
- Mid-level managers positioning themselves for advancement
- Professionals seeking to close the gap between technical expertise and executive readiness
Agenda
Module 1: Cost Accounting as a Strategic Advantage
Module 2: Unlocking Profits by Understanding Cost Behavior
Module 3: From Overhead to Insight: Understanding Cost Allocation
Module 4: Advanced Cost Systems: Activity-Based Costing (ABC)
Module 5: Relevant Costs for Strategic Decision-Making
Module 6: Beyond the Bottom Line: Cost Information to Inform Strategy
Faculty Director
Thomas Steffen
Associate Professor of Accounting
Areas of Expertise: CEOs, Financial Regulation, Financial Reporting
Read the full bio
Professor Steffen’s research concentrates on CEO integrity and other attributes, managers’ disclosures (both voluntary and mandatory), and information intermediaries—typically in the context of capital markets. His current projects focus on CEO leadership attributes, narrative economics, non-GAAP earnings, and identifying CEOs’ characteristics based on their communications to shareholders. Before joining the Yale School of Management, he attended Duke University for his doctoral studies and earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Brigham Young University.
Registration Information
Program Details
Start date: May 12, 2026
Length: 6 weeks
Commitment: 4–5 hours per week
Location: Online
Program Fee: $1,900
Contact: Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships
Program Fee Assistance
Yale SOM Executive Education offers a 15% reduction in program fee for:
- Those who work in the nonprofit sector. (Apply NONPROFIT code at time of registration.)
- Those who work in government. (Apply GOV code at time of registration.)
- Yale University alumni. (Apply YALEGRAD code at time of registration.)
- Groups of 3-6 participants. Groups can be from an organization or be self-formed.
- Those who have previously participated in a Yale Executive Education program with Yale SOM or 2U/GetSmarter.
Discounts cannot be combined.
Refund & Cancellation
Payment in full is required at the time of registration.
- Refunds: Withdrawals made more than 7 business days before the program start date will be eligible for a full refund.
- Deferrals: Requests to defer to a future cohort may be considered up to 7 business days before the program start date, subject to availability and Yale approval.
- No refunds or deferrals will be granted after the start date of the program.
All refund and deferral requests must be submitted in writing to the Yale Executive Education Registrar.
Yale reserves the right to cancel or reschedule programs if enrollment is deemed insufficient or health and safety would otherwise be jeopardized. Yale School of Management is not responsible for any travel or incidental costs incurred by a registrant if a program becomes canceled. If a program is canceled by Yale, a full refund of fees paid will be processed within 30 days.
While it is our goal to deliver our programs as scheduled, we may postpone programs, deliver them online, or cancel them. If one of our programs has a scheduling change, we will notify those affected as soon as possible.
FAQs
Is this program self-paced or do I need to log in at specific times?
The program is self-paced within the structure of a cohort-based learning experience. You will be part of a cohort of peers taking the course at the same time. Content will unlock weekly, and the expectation is to complete the content in a timely manner along with your peers. There are group assignments and discussions, so it is important to keep pace with the program progression. However, within the context of the week, you may log in at any time to work.
How much time should I expect to spend each week?
About 4–5 hours.
What's the total duration of the program?
6 weeks.
What if I get stuck on the material or have questions? What help is available?
You'll have access to a dedicated program instructor—a subject matter expert who will guide you through the material, respond to discussion boards, provide feedback on assignments, and answer your questions. You can also connect with your peers for support and collaboration throughout the program.
Will I have opportunities to interact with other participants?
Yes, this is a cohort-based program, so you will progress through the content with a cohort of peers. Activities have been designed for collaboration and peer interactivity.
Is there any pre-work required before the program starts?
No pre-work is required.
Do I need to purchase any textbooks or additional materials?
No. All materials needed will be provided on the program's learning platform.
Are transcripts or captions available for video content?
Yes. All videos will have an accompanying transcript and will have multi-language caption options.
Do I need any accounting or finance background to take this program?
A familiarity with spreadsheet software such as Excel or Google Sheets is helpful but not required.
Is there a certificate upon completion?
Yes, you will receive a certificate of participation upon successful completion of the program requirements.