Finance (M.S.)

Locations

Finance courses are offered at the following locations:

Continental United States

• Jacksonville Metropolitan Campus, FL
• Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, MO
• Little Rock Metropolitan Campus, AR
• North Orlando Metropolitan Campus, FL
• San Diego Metropolitan Campus, CA
• South Orlando Metropolitan Campus, FL
• St. Louis, MO
  • Home Campus
  • Westport Campus
  • WingHaven Campus

International

• London, United Kingdom
• Vienna, Austria

Program Description

The master of science (M.S.) in finance is designed to provide a quantitative and comprehensive examination of the finance field. Students will advance through corporate finance, investments, and market instruments and institutions. Additionally, students will experience significant exposure to supporting coursework in the closely related fields of accounting and economics. A capstone experience will tie together the major finance topics and expose students to literature, and the analysis thereof, pertinent to the field. After a comprehensive examination of the field, students may choose their electives to satisfy their specific career goals. Students desiring to take advanced certification, such as the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) or CFP (Certified Financial Planner), will want to take advanced courses in Investments and Portfolio Management, while students interested in pursuing careers in other fields may want to take Entrepreneurial Finance, Capital Budgeting, International Finance, or similar advanced topics offered by the School of Business.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students can determine the value of financial assets.

a. Students can determine the value of fixed income securities.

b. Students can calculate the value of equity securities.

c. Students can discuss market functioning and explain the role efficient markets play in security valuation.

d. Students can describe the impact of economic conditions on the value of financial assets.

2. Students can analyze the financial decisions of a corporation.

a. Students can evaluate capital budgeting decisions using standard methodologies.

b. Students can explain the impact of capital structure decisions on financial performance and cost of capital.

c. Students can identify agency problems within a corporation and formulate strategies to address them.

d. Students can utilize financial analysis to assess an organization's financial condition.

3. Students can measure risk and formulate strategies to reduce it.

a. Students can evaluate credit and interest rate risk.

b. Students can construct strategies to reduce risk using derivatives

Program Curriculum

The M.S. in finance requires successful completion of 36 credit hours including 27 required credit hours and 9 credit hours of electives. The following courses are required for the M.S. in finance:

• BUSN 6050 Macroeconomic Analysis
• BUSN 6070 Management Accounting
• FINC 5000 Finance
• FINC 5210 Investments
• FINC 5830 Institutions and Financial Markets
• FINC 5870 Derivatives
• FINC 5880 Advanced Corporate Finance
• FINC 5890 Financial Statement Analysis
• FINC 6290 Financial Strategies
• Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 Accounting Theory and Practice
• BUSN 5620 Current Economic Analysis
• BUSN 5760 Applied Business Statistics

Note: Program prerequisites are to be completed before beginning coursework for the M.S. in finance for those students who have not completed prerequisite courses (or an appropriate equivalent) within five years of entering the program and having earned a grade of B or better. If the appropriate prerequisite course content was completed longer than five years prior to entering the program, the department will allow a waiver if the student demonstrates their command of the content area by successfully completing a waiver examination. The prerequisite courses BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5620 may not count as electives in the 36-credit-hour M.S. in finance.

Course Descriptions

BUSN 6050 Macroeconomic Analysis (3)
The course provides the consumer of macroeconomic news a conceptual foundation in macroeconomic theory. The goal is to prepare the manager/analyst to consume macroeconomic news and analysis and to draw independent conclusions. Prerequisite: BUSN 5620.

BUSN 6070 Management Accounting (3)
The student examines advanced topics in management accounting as these relate to management information needs for planning, control, and decision making. Topics include interpretation of standard cost variances; application of quantitative techniques; evaluation of divisional performance; activity-based costing; and the behavioral impact of accounting systems. Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760.

FINC 5000 Finance (Requisite Course) (3)
The student examines the general nature of financial management, the American financial system, taxes, and the major financial decisions of corporations. Specific attention is given to present value and capital budgeting; risk and asset pricing; financial analysis and forecasting; financial decisions and market efficiency; and capital structure. Problem-solving methodology is used to illustrate the theories and tools in financial decision making. Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760. (BUSN 5200 cannot be substituted for FINC 5000.).

FINC 5210 Investments (3)
Principles and methods of investing in securities of business and government. This course is a study of practical management of portfolios containing both fixed-income and equity investments. The course will examine the issues in and the procedures for security analysis and portfolio management. The emphasis is on the application of analytical techniques and portfolio management theories for individual investors. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

FINC 5810 Capital Budgeting and Corporate Investment (3)
The student examines the corporate investment decision process which includes working capital management, financial statement analysis, determination of cash flows, risk return analysis, forecasting, and asset investment. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

FINC 5830 Institutions and Financial Markets (3)
Students develop a unified framework for understanding financial intermediaries and markets. They examine the structure, regulation, and operation of banking and non-banking financial institutions; analyze how central bank operations affect financial institutions; and develop an understanding of money and capital markets, the flow of funds through the economy, and the role of financial and futures markets. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

FINC 5840 International Finance (3)
Course content focuses on the environment in which the international financial manager operates. Students study the risks of doing business overseas and the tools available to minimize those risks. Foreign exchange risk, political risk, working capital management, long-term investments and financing, and accounting and control are examined within this context. Prerequisites: BUSN 5600, FINC 5000, or equivalents.

FINC 5850 Issues in Finance (3)
Current and significant issues in finance are examined. The course focuses on existing theories and practices, with emphasis given to new and emerging topics in the field. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

FINC 5860 Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital (3)
The student examines the challenges of bringing new business and/or products to the marketplace and the strategies involved in obtaining a financing mix for these products. The focus is on designing a capital plan; seeking funds from external sources (such as venture capitalists); and the financing mix needed to make new product promotion successful. The role of the Small Business Administration is discussed.

FINC 5870 Derivatives (3)
This course shows how financial managers can use capital markets technology and explores how derivatives can be used to manage financial risks and position firms to exploit strategic opportunities, reduce financing costs, and structure incentives. Students learn the mechanics of options, forwards, futures, and swaps, and study uses of these instruments. Prerequisites: FINC 5210, FINC 5880, and BUSN 5760 or equivalent.

FINC 5880 Advanced Corporate Finance (3)
This advanced study of corporate financial analysis and planning includes capital budgeting, cost of funds, and capital structure and valuation. Selected topics that may be covered are leasing, mergers, takeovers, business failure, reorganization, and liquidation. A combination of problem-solving and case study methodologies is used to illustrate theories and techniques helpful in financial analysis and planning. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

FINC 5890 Financial Statement Analysis (3)
Interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of financial reports from viewpoints of creditors, owners, investment firms, and others concerned with business strengths or weaknesses. The impact of general business and specific industry situations, behavior of financial markets, credit or lending criteria, and equity investment standards as related to financial statements to determine present and future financial condition are covered. Prerequisites: FINC 5000 and BUSN 5600 or equivalent.

FINC 5910 Advanced Investments and Portfolio Management (3)
This course is a continuation and expansion of FINC 5210, which provides an introduction to the area of investments. Focus in this advanced class will be on portfolio theory and management. Additional work on advanced derivatives topics will also be included. Prerequisite: FINC 5210.

Capstone Course

FINC 6290 Financial Strategies (3)
This course will be a final, comprehensive finance offering that will make use of cases and/or simulations to enhance the real-world applicability of the finance degree and to integrate all previous coursework. Prerequisite: completion of all other required courses for the M.S. in finance.