Finance (M.S.)

The Master of Science in Finance, offered by the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, develops students’ abilities to provide solutions to the increasingly diverse and complex financial challenges of modern organizations. The program can be completed in one year of full-time study or less than two years of part-time study by students with undergraduate preparation in business, economics, and/or STEM fields and is open to others after appropriate foundation coursework. Designed to develop the highest levels of skill in financial modeling, investment analysis, evaluation, problem-solving, and communication of complex financial information, the program offers specialized training in one of three non-mandatory options: investments, financial analytics & fintech, or a student-designed track.  Students will also develop strong understanding of ethical considerations and professional standards necessary in the field of finance and will be well-prepared for a variety of roles including corporate finance, investment banking, and start-up enterprises.

Upon admission to the program, all  full-time students are required to complete at least eight required courses and three elective courses. Part-time students take six required courses and four electives.

All admitted candidates must have completed certain foundation courses.  These courses can be completed prior to entry or as part of the Master of Science in Finance program.  These courses include:

• ADMN 570 Introduction to Financial Management
• ECON 401 Principles of Economics (Macro) or ECON 402 Principles of Economics (Micro)
• ADMN 510 Business Statistics or MATH 425 Calculus I 

The program is offered in two formats: full-time or part-time. The eight core courses below are required for full-time students. Students in the part-time program do not take ACFI 874 Finance Experience; they take either ACFI 871 Financial Theory or ACFI 873 Cases in Finance.

The program requires the completion of at least 33 credits for full-time or 30 credits for part-time.

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Part-time students will take either ACFI 871 or ACFI 873 in place of ACFI 874

Student-designed option electives 

Students can design their own option and choose their electives after obtaining the consent and approval of the MSF Director or director's designee.

Non-option student electives

Students who prefer not to declare an option can choose any elective offered by the M.S. Finance program. However, without a study plan pre-approved by the MSF Director or director's designee, a student may only take one non-finance elective.

All admitted candidates must have completed up to three (3) foundation courses, depending on academic background. 

If you have not yet completed these courses, you can take them as part of the Master of Science in Finance program.  

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of core content areas of finance.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of advanced issues in finance.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the preparation and usage of financial statements.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to solve complex financial problems.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of decision making in a global environment.
• Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to extract, cleanse and analyze financial data using statistical software or programming tools.