MS in Finance

Curriculum

Reach your goals.

An MS degree is a powerful means of realizing your professional potential. The MS in Finance curriculum at Simon Business School is designed to give students a competitive edge over their counterparts in the workplace by helping them build strong technical and analytical skills—as well as critical communication skills—that will prepare them for professional success.

Choosing between internship and non-internship tracks.

Full-Time MS in Finance students can choose between internship and non-internship tracks to accommodate their goals. The non-internship track has a shorter timeline, but the benefits of the internship track are many, including a wealth of valuable real-world experience that can prepare you for career success and help differentiate you from other candidates during your job search. A majority of students choose this path for the hands-on experience and career preparation it provides. 

Choosing between internship and non-internship tracks. 

Full-Time MS in Finance students can choose between internship and non-internship tracks to accommodate their goals. The non-internship track has a shorter timeline, but the benefits of the internship track are many, including a wealth of valuable real-world experience that can prepare you for career success and help differentiate you from other candidates during your job search. A majority of our students choose this path for the hands-on experience and career preparation it provides.

Students are encouraged to consider the value that internships offer. Hands-on experience in the workplace is a great way to gain a competitive edge. While valuable, an internship is not required and it is important to note that we can’t guarantee placement. Talk with the Admissions Office about which track is right for you, and get more information on the Full-Time MS in Finance program in our course catalog.


Program Requirements

Students will work with an academic advisor to meet the MS in Finance degree requirements and select elective courses that align with their career goals.

Click on a card for a brief course description. (Note: this chart is subject to change).

ACC 401 Corporate Financial Accounting

The primary focus of the course is developing the skills required to interpret and analyze financial information, rather than the skills required to prepare financial statements.

ACC 411 Financial Statement Analysis

The objective of this course is to develop and sharpen your analytical ability to use financial information to perform various types of applied economic and financial analysis.

CIS 468 Spreadsheet Modeling Using Excel for MS

This course expands students’ analytical toolkit through hands-on training in the effective use of spreadsheet-based tools for advanced managerial analysis.

FIN 411 Investments

Investments includes discussion of the efficient-markets theory of the dynamic behavior of prices in speculative markets, along with empirical evidence for the validity of the theory.

FIN 413 Corporate Finance

This course provides an intensive analysis of the effects of various corporate financial policy decisions on the value of the firm, including taxes, bankruptcy costs, and agency costs.

FIN 418 Quantitative Finance with Python

The objective of this course is to equip you with the frameworks, tools, and methodologies necessary to build and/or be an educated user of quantitative models for financial decision making.

FIN 424 Options and Futures with Python

This course provides intensive study of option-pricing theory and its application to options, financial futures and other securities.

FIN 430 Risk Management

This course focuses on analysis of the mutual fund, investment banking, commercial banking, and insurance industries.

FIN 448 Fixed Income Securities

The objective of this course is to undertake a rigorous study of fixed-income securities and markets. A variety of fixed-income securities will be discussed.

FIN 462 Foundations in Financial Economics

This course serves as an introduction to corporate finance. It provides a market-oriented framework for analyzing investment and financing decisions made by corporations.

FIN 465 Applied Finance Project

Provides the opportunity to incorporate concepts from the classroom into the problem identification, assessment, and solution process used with and for the client.

GBA 462 Intro to Python/Statistics 

This course equips MS students with statistical skills necessary for data-driven decision making.

MGC 461 Professional Communications

This course establishes the rhetorical principles of logic and persuasion, and the interactional approach to communication in groups and professional relationships.

Choose 1 elective.

Click on a card for a description of that course.

ACC 424 Financial Reporting II

This course addresses the accounting for mergers and acquisitions, foreign operations, and derivative financial instruments.

BPP 426 Macroeconomics

This course discusses economic measurement, economic growth, and the business cycle, as well modern theories of growth and fluctuation for the conduct of monetary policy and fiscal policy.

FIN 434 Investment Management and Trading Strategies

This course explores selected topics in the management of equity portfolios. Course content may vary from year to year.

FIN 441A Special Topics in Finance: Real Estate

This course provides an overview of real estate as a capital asset and as a major component of our financial markets.

FIN 441G Special Topics in Finance: Asset Management

The course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of the principles and analytics of asset management for both institutional and private clients.

FIN 442X International Finance & Switzerland Immersion

This course discusses exchange-rate regimes and the determination of exchange rates in a world of flexible exchange rates.

FIN 444 Entrepreneurial Finance

This course provides an introduction to financial theories and tools an entrepreneur needs to start, build, and harvest a successful venture.

FIN 446 Financial Technology

This course provides an introduction to the evolving use of technology in financial markets and applications.

STR 440 Corporate Governance

A firm’s corporate governance is an important determinant of its cost of raising funds in capital markets and firm value.

STR 442F Strategy, Organization, and Firm Value

This course introduces students to important concepts and tools related to strategy, such as industry analysis, sources of competitive advantage, and business models.

Simon’s MS in Finance program is STEM designated.

Simon's specialized master's program in Finance meets all the requirements for a STEM-designated program. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) designation signals analytical rigor to employers and also offers international students the opportunity to extend their Optional Practical Training (OPT) by 24 months—for up to three full years of US work eligibility without and H-1B visa.

Get more information on the MS in Finance curriculum by downloading the course catalog.