Course Descriptions
Prerequisites
MFIN 5000 - Financial Accounting
This course focuses on the theory of accounts and generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation and interpretation of financial statements is emphasized. The use of accounting measures for decision-making and performance evaluation is also covered. The course also examines product costing, assets and equities, and liabilities from the perspective of managers as knowledgeable users of accounting information.
MFIN 5001 - Business Statistics
This course explains the statistical methods used in business research, analysis and decision making; preparation and presentation of data, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, statistical inference, regression and correlation.
MFIN 5002 - Business Economics
This course examines both the macro and microeconomic environments in which business operates. At the microeconomic level, topics include the operation of markets in the allocation of our scarce resources, the behavior of individual consumers and firms and the effect of price mechanisms on market outcomes. At the macroeconomic level, topics include economy-wide variables such as GNP, unemployment, inflation, the general price level, interest rates, growth rates, and the exchange rate. The role of government in policymaking and the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policies will also be discussed.
MFIN 5003 – Principles of Finance
This course focuses on the basic concepts of finance and financial analysis. Key topics are the time value of money, risk and return, working capital management, capital budgeting, the cost of capital, cash flow analysis, and sources of short and long term financing.
Core Courses
MFIN 5100 - Corporate Finance Policy, Structure and Strategy
The course applies financial theories, techniques and models to the study of corporate financial decisions. Aspects of corporate policy and strategy, industry structure and the process for measuring and managing the value of companies are also addressed. Students are required to study an actual firm from the perspective of concepts and models developed in the course and present the study to the class.
MFIN 5101 - Managerial Accounting
This course deals with the design of accounting systems and the use of accounting data in management functions including planning, control, and decision-making. Fundamental aspects of cost behavior and cost accounting will also be discussed from the perspective of the decision-maker rather than the cost accountant.
MFIN 5102 - Managerial Economics
This course covers the broad principles of economics that underlie and affect all business decisions, such as introducing a new product or service, diversifying, pricing products, segmenting customers, and addressing regulatory issues. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating market environments and the interaction among firms, and on how decisions affect the profitability of the company.
MFIN 5103 - Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
This course covers the basic concepts of investment in financial markets, including the examination of models of asset pricing and the actual performance of U.S. and foreign investments, with an emphasis on equity investments. Aspects of efficient market theory and anomalies are considered. The concept of portfolio diversification and the construction of optimal portfolios such as mean-variance efficient portfolios are studied. The class will look at
factors affecting stock and bond returns, the success of different investment strategies, and the ability of individual investors and institutional players to "beat the market." Other topics include diversification, market crashes, fixed-income analysis, and the organization and performance of mutual funds and derivative securities. The syllabus extends to the consideration of international diversification and investments where currency risks and interest rate risks need to be evaluated.
MFIN 5104 - Global Financial Markets and Institutions
This course studies the flow of funds through the domestic and international markets and institutions. Emphasis will be on the roles of money, capital markets and financial institutions, and especially on exchange rate risk management. The relation between national economies and between the various financial markets will also be discussed, as well as the implications of various monetary and fiscal policies. Additionally, the course analyzes the financial problems facing businesses engaged in international activities, including the positioning of assets on a global basis, financial control of foreign operations, and working capital management.
MFIN 5105 - Derivatives and Risk Management
This course introduces the student to derivative assets, financial engineering, and risk management. The course covers the pricing of futures and options contracts, as well as securities that contain embedded options, risk management strategies using positions in derivative securities, static hedging and dynamic hedging. Applications from commodity, equity, bond, and mortgage-backed markets are considered.
MFIN 5106 - Mergers and Acquisitions
This course addresses the financial issues surrounding mergers and acquisitions in the context of legal and governance considerations. Students will focus on strategic purpose and risk, target valuation and due diligence, and integration. The valuation of merger targets will include the use of various metrics and a discussion of the impact on stock prices. Cross-border issues and antitrust issues will also be discussed.
Elective Courses
MFIN 5200 - Entrepreneurial Finance
This course examines the elements of entrepreneurial finance, focusing on start-up ventures and the early stages of company development. It addresses key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of the company; and how funding should be structured. The course aims to prepare students for these decisions, both as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
MFIN 5201 - Finance for Nonprofit Organizations
This course examines current nonprofit financial management policies and practices and focuses on strategy and accountability. The course provides insights into managing highly diverse nonprofit organizations with emphasis on critical issues facing the nonprofit sector today.
MFIN 5202 - Treasury Operations
This course addresses the issues facing a financial manager in the conduct of treasury operations within the context of a for-profit, private sector firm. The course views treasury operations from the perspective of a United States-based firm, subject to American law and tax policies.
Prerequisites: Core Courses MFIN 5104 and MFIN 5105
MFIN 5203 - Enterprise Risk Management
This course considers techniques for enterprise risk management. Students will learn how enterprise risk management delivers value to a business and how credit, market and operational risk are tied to enterprise risk. Attention will be paid to how U.S. firms engaged in international initiatives face special strategic risks, especially in emerging economies.
Prerequisite: Core Course MFIN 5105
MFIN 5204 - Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
This course explores philosophical and pragmatic perspectives, including values and social/ethical premises in organizational decision-making. Several issues are covered in depth: investments abroad, hazardous products, bribery, industry practices, and others. Recent legislation, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, will be discussed.
MFIN 5205 - Advanced Topics in Investments
This course examines advanced topics and issues in investments using a seminar approach. The course focuses on methods of investment analysis and selection as well as analysis of options, futures, and convertible securities. It is designed to provide students with knowledge of fixed income securities and alternative investments such as real estate, venture capital and hedge funds.
Prerequisite: Core Course MFIN 5103
MFIN 5206 - Management of Financial Institutions
This course examines the management problems of financial institutions, with emphasis on banking institutions. Continuous change in the financial services industry is driven by various international dimensions of increasing competition, advances in information technology, evolution of the security and derivatives markets, and changes in private and government regulation. How banks and other financial institutions are organized to meet continuous change and what management and financial officers must do to generate success for their firms and for themselves will be discussed.
MFIN 5207 – Personal Finance
This course provides comprehensive coverage of personal financial planning in the areas of money management, consumer credit, tax strategies, real estate and other consumer decisions, legal protection, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning. Students will focus on the major personal financial planning problems that individuals and families encounter as responsible economic citizens. Emphasis is placed on developing short and long-range financial goals and developing a personal financial plan. The course provides the foundation for those wishing to enter the financial planning field.
Final Integrative Project
MFIN 5107 - Final Integrative Project
This course is the culmination of the M.S. in Finance degree program. The student will: 1) research an organizational issue of importance to the financial performance of his or her organization, 2) consider alternative solutions to the issue, 3) arrive at a preferred solution to the issue, 4) summarize the results of the research in a case study format, and 5) present the case study to an evaluating board comprised of the program director and selected faculty members. A classroom segment on research and writing will be included in this course to assist students in completing their selected project.