Innovations in financial markets, institutions, and securities present significant opportunities and challenges to financial managers on a daily basis. The Master of Science in Finance is a highly focused program designed to equip professionals with the advanced knowledge and cutting-edge analytical tools they need to successfully navigate today’s financial markets. The 30-credit program is ideal for professionals interested in upgrading their technical training and knowledge in finance as well as for individuals with strong quantitative skills seeking a career change. Students interested in taking the CFA or FRM certification exams can significantly cut the need for additional preparation by taking the appropriate electives. The program can also serve as a stepping stone for those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in finance or a related field.
MS in Finance Program Learning Goals
| Financial Reasoning Skills | Students will develop the skills needed to estimate the values of projects, companies, financial securities and derivatives; to evaluate the validity of these estimates; and to formulate and implement strategies based on them. |
| Communication | Students will be effective oral and written communicators of financial data and concepts, and will be able to convey complex financial valuations, securities, and decision-making tools to others in the organization in clear, convincing ways. |
| Leadership | Students will be able to originate and implement financial strategies that create value for their firms or investment portfolios. |
| Global Awareness | Students will be able to utilize and apply their understanding of differences among global businesses and institutions in their financial practice and decision making. |
| Ethical Awareness | Students will be aware of ethical issues in finance, and be able to demonstrate their ability to identify ethical conflicts in financial matters and either resolve or avoid them. |
MS in Finance Curriculum
Preliminary Courses
Based on their academic background, the admitted applicants may be required to take the preliminary courses from the following list. These courses are not part of the 30-credit MSF curriculum and the students who take them will incur additional cost. |
| Firms in the Global Economy | 1.5 credits |
| Fundamentals of Macroeconomics | 1.5 credits |
| Introduction to Quantitative Tools for Finance | 3 credits |
| Corporate Finance | 3 credits |
| Required Courses (10.5 credits) |
The following courses are required for all MSF students. The students are advised to take the required courses as early in the program as they can because these required courses serve as prerequisites for many electives. |
| Business Communication I* | 1.5 credits |
| Corporate Financial Theory and Applications | |
| or | | |
| Intermediate Corporate Finance* | 3 credits |
| Quantitative Tools for Finance | |
| or | | |
| Econometrics: Theory and Applications I* | 3 credits |
| Investment Theory and Applications | |
| or | | |
| Investment Analysis* | 3 credits |
| *Not open to students in the cohort format. |
Electives (19.5 credits)***
|
To earn the MSF degree the students need to successfully complete a total of 19.5 credits of elective courses from the following list. Note: Only a small subset of these courses is offered each semester and the actual course offerings vary from semester to semester. |
| Money, Banking, and Monetary Policy | 3 credits |
| Econometrics - Theory and Applications II | 3 credits |
| Technical Analysis | 3 credits |
| Mergers and Acquisitions | 3 credits |
| Entrepreneurial Finance | 3 credits |
| Futures and Forward Markets | 3 credits |
| Management of Financial Institutions | 3 credits |
| Financial Markets and Intermediaries | 3 credits |
| International Finance Markets | 3 credits |
| International Corporate Finance | 3 credits |
| Equity Markets: Trading and Structure | 3 credits |
| Seminar in Finance | 3 credits |
| Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 credits |
| Advanced Investment Analysis | 3 credits |
| Debt Instruments and Markets | 3 credits |
| Options Markets | 3 credits |
| Classical Foundations of Financial Risk Management | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Market Risk I | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Market Risk II | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Credit Risk I | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Credit Risk II | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Risks in Operations and Information Technology | 1.5 credits |
| Measurement and Management of Risks in Investments | 1.5 credits |
| Implications of Corporate Governance, Regulation, and Ethics of Risk Management | 1.5 credits |
| International Finance Markets | 1.5 credits |
| Debt Securities | 1.5 credits |
| Futures and Forwards | 1.5 credits |
| Options | 1.5 credits |
| Venture Capital | 1.5 credits |
| Special Topics in Investments | 1 credit |
| Special Topics in Investments | 1.5 credits |
| Special Topics in Investments | 2 credits |
| Special Topics in Investments | 3 credits |
| Special Topics in Corporate Finance | 1 credit |
| Special Topics in Corporate Finance | 1.5 credits |
| Special Topics in Corporate Finance | 2 credits |
| Special Topics in Corporate Finance | 3 credits |
| Risk Management in Financial Institutions | 3 credits |
*BUS 9551 is effective for all MS-Finance students admitted in spring 2016 or later. Students admitted prior to spring 2016 should consult their preliminary course evaluation and/or waiver exam results, since other requirements and conditions may apply.
***Elective courses to be selected by the Department of Economics and Finance from the above list for students in the cohort format. |
