The online MS in Finance was created for students with a finance or business background. Students must complete 36 credits of coursework. In addition, students without a background in finance are required to take one prerequisite business course, MBA 802. A waiver and/or substitution may be granted based upon transcript review. If not waived, a student may take this course with their other first semester classes.

The online master’s in finance was designed with the philosophy of providing relevant, practical skills that our students can use right away. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and application of financial theories and models
  • Critically evaluate implications of current events in finance
  • Construct portfolios with an appreciation of their risks and investor needs
  • Apply appropriate valuation principles for capital budgeting and investment purposes
  • Engage in research on firms to evaluate optimality of their financial policies from risk and return perspectives

Our program can lead to advancement in a wide variety of finance careers. In addition, it covers knowledge areas that will be useful for elements of the body of knowledge of finance certifications such as the CFA, FRM, and CFP.

Curriculum

Foundation Course

  • MBA 802 Business Economics for Decision Making (3)

The foundation course may be waived based on previous coursework. Students must have completed two undergraduate equivalent courses with grades of B or higher OR one graduate equivalent course with a grade of B or higher.

Required Courses

  • MBA 808 Creating Value Through Finance (3)
  • MBA 804 Financial Accounting for Managers (3)
  • MBA 810 Business Analytics and Statistics (3)
  • FIN 653 Portfolio Analysis and Management (3)
  • FIN 657 Financial Econometrics for Risk Modeling (3)
  • FIN 679 Fixed Income Markets and Analytics (3)
  • FIN 649 International Corporate Finance (3)
  • FIN 647 Advanced Corporate Finance (3)
  • FIN 672 Strategies in Investments, Options, and Futures (3)
  • FIN 663 Financial Strategy and Business Decisions (3)
  • FIN 671 Behavioral Finance (3)
  • FIN 687 Applied Investment Management and Policy (3) OR FIN 689 Financial Analysis and Policy (3)

Course Descriptions

Introduces students to the financial system and presents fundamental financial concepts such as the time value of money, the relationship between risk and return, security valuation and the financing of firms. Students will learn how the governance of corporations affects their operation and what managers and security-holders need to do to create value for themselves and for their organizations. They will be able to manipulate valuation formulas, interpret a firm’s financial statements and understand the basics of how to best raise funds to finance different kinds of projects and companies.
Provides a graduate level overview of financial accounting principles for students in the MBA program. Accounting is the language of business. Companies communicate their performance to investors, creditors and government agencies using information generated by accounting systems. Learning the language of accounting is essential for all business managers.
In this course, students will analyze the theory and practice of modern investment management. Topics include quantitative concepts, portfolio analysis, capital asset pricing theory model, performance measurement, efficient market hypothesis, portfolio management process, use of derivative securities, and ethical and legal considerations and professional standards.
This course teaches estimation and forecasting of time series models in finance. Students will learn how to measure and forecast financial volatility and correlations and become proficient with GARCH type models and historical volatilities. These methods will be used to measure risk and analyze alternative approaches to calculating Value at Risk, dynamic portfolio selection and risk control. The course also examines implied volatilities from options, variance swaps, credit risk models, market (in) efficiency, dynamic relationships between global financial markets and high frequency volatility. The course teaches estimation, Monte Carlo simulations and programming methods.
This course analyzes U.S. and foreign fixed income markets, and describes the various products, where and how they are traded, how they are priced, and how they are used to achieve a variety of financial goals including capital formation, interest rate risk management, and portfolio diversification. Topics covered include treasury, agency, corporate, and municipal bonds, floating rate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, term structure modeling, immunization, credit risk management, credit derivatives, and interest rate derivatives including swaps, caps and floors, and swaptions.
Covers statistical and business analytics tools useful for making effective managerial decisions in a disorganized and uncertain environment in all functional areas of business. Students learn the essential statistical topics of description, probability, inference and regression, and how to apply them using Microsoft Excel. They learn how to choose appropriate statistical methods in realistic business contexts and how to interpret and effectively communicate results. Students also learn how to use data visualization tools, pivot tables and charts, data tables, linear programming models and Monte Carlo simulation.
This course surveys the financial environment, goals, and problems of the multinational corporation. We will analyze the financial opportunities and risks resulting from business operations in differing political, economic, and monetary systems. Topics include: balance of payments accounting and analysis techniques, the evolution of the international monetary system with special emphasis on current issues, foreign exchange rate determination and forecasting, foreign exchange risk and exposure management techniques, and environmental risk management. The course also covers special topics in international finance such as working capital management strategies, capital budgeting, cost of capital, and optimal financial structure.
This course introduces students to the field of behavioral finance and economics. lt will discuss behavioral aspects of the decision-making of professional investors, traders, strategy consultants, and senior managers in the corporate world, NGOs, and academia. The course will emphasize behavioral biases and their impact on decision making. In addition, the course will explore how behavioral theories could explain market anomalies, such as excess volatility.
This course covers investment strategies for individuals and institutions. It explores diversification strategies utilizing multi-industry portfolios, international equities, real estate, and other assets. We will consider tax strategies involving tax advantages investments and securities transactions. Students will receive practical experience in establishing portfolios that reflect the outlook for investments in relation to risk tolerances.
This course uses an integrated framework to explore the implications of financial decisions such as working capital management, capital structure and financial risk management for non-financial business decisions. Tools such as the Porter Model, Dupont Analysis and Game Theory are used to show how finance theory can be used to craft strategy in operational domains such as marketing, human resource management, supply chain management, and competitive positioning.
This course provides students with the tools and concepts of modern financial theory and how to apply them to corporate financial decision, building upon the basic principles of finance developed in introductory finance. It covers issues such as capital budgeting, working capital management, capital structure, corporate control, corporate governance, and dividend policy. In addition, advanced topics such as mergers and acquisitions and the use of real option theory in making corporate financial decisions may be addressed.
This course integrates and advances the knowledge of investments. Its practical orientation will help those poised to begin a career in the investment area. This course takes the micro investment knowledge from more basic investment analysis courses and the macro analysis material from portfolio management courses to provide a higher level of relevant material that investment practitioners are called upon to utilize. Students will be offered extensive case study material and problems and working in groups they will manage and present the results of their own investment portfolios.
This course integrates the theory of financial analysis with real world financial problems faced by business firms in our society. Topics include financing of current operations, long-term financing, capital structure decisions, dividend policy, and investment decisions. The course extensively uses case problems.

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