Finance (M.S., on campus and online)

An intensive curriculum, with flexibility built in.

The Master of Science in Finance (M.S.F.) is designed for students who want to specialize in finance. The focused curriculum, complemented by relevant electives, can be completed in as little as one year. For students who want to spend a longer time in the program to accommodate internships or other work experience, there is an option to extend the duration.

Learning Competencies

  1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the financial instruments used in global financial markets.
  2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ethical, environmental, social concerns, and corporate governance issues in global business.
  3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of how individual and institutional investors make investment and portfolio decisions in global financial markets.

To learn more about the M.S. in Finance, visit our website.


CIP Code

52.1399 - Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other.


You can use the CIP code to learn more about career paths associated with this field of study and, for international students, possible post-graduation visa extensions. Learn more about CIP codes and other information resources.

The degree requires 30 credits, which cover the core financial knowledge and skills required for computational finance, asset management, corporate finance, and risk management.

Courses for full-time, on-campus students start in the fall and go through three semesters. On-campus students take core courses in the fall, and specialization courses are taken in the spring. On-campus students can choose to complete the last semester of electives either in the summer or the following fall, to accommodate an internship.

Courses for online students are offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Several core courses are taken first, followed by elective courses. 

Prerequisites

We'll take a look at your background and decide if you would benefit from some foundational coursework before pursuing the M.S.F. Some students may be asked to take the courses below prior to the start of the program. Students whose examination results do not meet the minimum standards will be required to take foundation course(s) first and postpone relevant core courses.

  • GFGB 6002 Basics of Finance (1 credit)
  • GFGB 6003 Basics of Economics (1 credit)
  • GFGB 8005 Business Communication for Finance- A and GFGB 8006 Business Communication for Finance - B (1 credit total, on-campus students only)
  • GFGB 6011 Basics of Accounting (1 credit)
  • GFGB 6012 Basics of Statistics (1 credit)
  • GFGB 601F Finance Primer (1 credit, on-campus students only)
Depending on a student's background, this foundational coursework may add up to 6 credits (for on-campus students) or up to 4 credits (for online students) to the 30 credits required for the degree, but these courses add significant value.

Curriculum

Course Title Credits
Required Courses
GFGB 6006Corporate Finance Applications3
GFGB 6007Investment Applications3
GFGB 7039Computational Finance3
One of the following two options3
For on-campus students:
Financial Markets and Responsibility A
and Financial Markets and Responsibility-B
For online and collaborative students:
Financial Markets and Responsibility
Electives 118
Total Credits30
1

Electives include any course with the subject code GFGB.

For on-campus students, in addition to electives with the subject code GFGB, up to two of the following non-finance courses can be taken to fulfill M.S.F. electives, with approval from the Faculty Program Director and/or Assistant Dean. Students may also propose other electives for possible approval as one of the two non GFGB classes.

Course Title Credits
ACGB 6111Financial Accounting & Reporting Data Analysis 3
ACGB 7125Financial Statement Analysis3
ACGB 7136International Accounting3
CMGB 75AJFinancial Media3
ISGB 6910Business Tech & Analytics3
ISGB 7967Machine Learning for Business3
ISGB 7973 Data Management and SQL3
ISGB 7978Web Analytics3
ISGB 7980Bus Modeling w/Adv Sprdsheets3
ISGB 7988Business Performance Analytics3
ISGB 7990Cloud Computing for Analytics3
ISGB 7943Programming with Python3
ISGB 79AAAdvanced Python for Financial Programming3
MIGB 779HMarketing Decision Models3
MIGB 8701Marketing Analytics1.5
MIGB 8709Digital Marketing Analytics1.5
MKGB 779IData-Driven Marketing Decisions3
SDGB 7844Stat Methods and Comp I3