Master of Science in Finance (MSF)
The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) is designed to create a comprehensive and contemporary perspective in financial theory and practice. The program core covers an in-depth examination of the financial industry including an overview of regulatory issues and the challenges and changes of the industry. Each course is designed to provide students with specific and special topics in finance and the opportunity to investigate fields of interest. These courses allow students the opportunity to engage in cutting edge thinking and research on industry relevant topics.
Upon the completion of the program students should be able to:
- Research and comprehend international, national/federal, state and local regulatory requirements
- Conduct company, market, and technology research
- Prepare and analyze financial reports
- Explain and manage the financial processes relating to acquisitions and mergers
- Evaluate and test models relating to investments and capital expenditures
- Understand and apply all aspects of risk
- Explain the various aspects of the securities market and the player
Energize your career with new skills and education.
Degree Planning
Choose the worksheet below to assist you with your course schedule.
Course Descriptions
All courses require a bachelor's degree and are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
Advanced Finance Courses
MSF501 Financial Markets and Institutions
Purpose: Financial Markets and Institutions Required for all students- an accelerated overview of the financial services industry. This core course provides all students in the program with a common introduction to key financial markets along with the institutions and regulatory bodies that serve those markets. It compares and contrasts equities, debt, money markets, and mutual fund markets. This course examines and analyzes these markets individually, as well as the interaction among them. The history and role of the Federal Reserve System will also be examined.
Back to top
MSF505 Advanced Corporate Finance
Purpose: The primary objective is to provide a framework, concepts, and tools for analyzing financial decisions based on fundamental principles of modern financial theory. The approach is rigorous and analytical. Topics covered include discounted cash flow techniques; corporate capital budgeting and valuation; investment decisions under uncertainty; capital asset pricing; options; and market efficiency. The course will also analyze corporate financial policy, including capital structure, cost of capital, dividend policy, and related issues. This course also covers the operating and financial leverage, sustainable growth, and financial health of a firm. Other topics include raising capital, mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring.
Back to top
MSF510 Investment Management and Securities Services
Purpose: To provide an in-depth analysis of the securities industry. It describes and compares the different types and features of advanced securities such as mortgaged backed, asset backed, and derivatives. The course introduces a securities market model describing the various participants such as banks, brokers, insurance companies, mutual fund companies, and investment advisors. Within this model, business and system requirements for investment management and trading, custody and securities processing, and securities accounting are described in detail. It also presents future industry challenges.
Back to top
MSF515 Enterprise Risk Management
Purpose: To survey the evolving topic of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) specifically focused on several elements of the process that are of most importance to the financial services industries. This course provides an overview of Enterprise Risk Management. Students in this course should gain a thorough understanding of the role of ERM in the financial services industry and why ERM is fundamental to the industry. Risk identification, assessment, and management are reviewed in detail.
Back to top
MSF520 Portfolio Management
Purpose: To help financial advisors ensure their personal success in managing existing relationships, building new relationships and overall practice management. This course offers a detailed study of Comprehensive Wealth Management and issues, key tactics, organizational issues, and case studies ranging from client relationships to prospecting for new clients to developing centers of influence. The 13 Wealth Management Issues will help advisors develop confidence in the common and the uncommon issues faced by their clients by clarifying key terms, common concerns, and solutions, and case study analysis. This course prepares financial advisors to establish themselves as a true trusted advisor-a wealth advisor. Wealth Advisors will learn to operate at the center cell and heartbeat of the client-advisor relationship, in turn cementing their ability to retain and expand their role for generations.
Back to top
MSF525 The Banking Industry: Challenges and Changing Landscape
Purpose: To present a wide-ranging, strategic review of the banking industry. Worldwide, this vital industry is experiencing radical change. Although the basic functions of banking remain the same, the industry is forced to respond to significant increases in competition, globalization, consolidation, new regulations, and emerging technologies. This course will represent the latest thinking from prominent industry executives, academics, and regulators from around the world. While focusing on the financial systems in the United States, the course will also explore financial practices in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Students will have an opportunity to examine critical trends and to speculate about the future direction and competitive structure of the industry.
Back to top
MSF530 Applied Quantitative Methods
Purpose: This is a graduate level course in business statistics. Students learn how to present and summarize data, and analyze data as an aid to decision making under uncertainty. Topics include descriptive statistics, applications of probability models, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and regression analysis as they apply to business and management problems.
Back to top
MSF535 Financial Economics
Purpose: This course covers the role and functions of money, credit, and financial markets in the modern economy. This course also covers the theory of money's role and institutional background of the history of money and banks in the US. It will develop an understanding of how banks and financial markets operate as part of the money demand and supply processes. The role of US central banking, the effects of interest and foreign exchange rates on the real economy are also explored in detail.
Back to top
MSF540 International Finance
Purpose: International Finance will introduce students to global financial markets and operations of multinational firms. Topics to be discussed will include foreign exchange markets, international financial markets, international banking, international trade tariff and quotas, Euromarkets, and investment decisions in the global marketplace.
Back to top
MSF550 Financial Strategy
Purpose: This course is a practical guide to understanding the elements of financial strategy, and how directors and advisors can add value by tailoring financial strategy to complement corporate strategy. The course discusses the practicalities behind transactions such as: Raising venture capital, flotation on a stock exchange, Making acquisitions, Management buyouts, Financial restructuring. In explaining financing structures, the course sets out the basic building blocks of any financial instrument. Case Studies are used to illustrate various strategies and innovations.
Back to top
MSF555 Investment Theory and Analysis
Purpose: The purpose of this course is to understand and evaluate financial investment theory and the analysis that takes place leading to financial decisions. The focus is on evaluating and defining theories that apply to portfolio analysis, explaining models of equilibrium in capital markets, applying security analysis and evaluating the investment process. The overall objective of the course is to introduce students to the theory and analysis required to explain investment prices determined in financial markets worldwide.
Back to top
