Curriculum
The Online MS/Finance program consists of 30 credits of graduate study for all students, which includes 6 credits of required foundation courses, 3 credits of required advanced courses, and the remaining 21 credits from elective courses.
Our STEM-designated Online MS in Finance program is ideal for students who want the convenience of attending class in a fully online format. We present below a recommended course schedule for full-time students entering the online MS in Finance program in the fall semester who plan to graduate in 18 months. The required foundation courses are listed in red, the required advanced courses are listed in blue, whereas the advanced elective courses are listed in black. The course schedule below represents the optimal sequencing of finance courses by ensuring that students complete the necessary prerequisite courses before taking advanced electives.
The curriculum has been designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of all aspects of finance: financial statement analysis, valuation, capital markets and role of key financial institutions, investment analysis, mergers and acquisitions, decisions about capital structure, portfolio management, fixed income, and derivatives (forwards, futures, swaps and options). Students may specialize their training by earning the Corporate Finance Certificate, the Investment Banking and Private Equity Certificate, the Investment Analysis Certificate, and the Quantitative Finance Certificate.
Online MS in Finance
Recommended Course Schedule
| Semester | Course | Credit Hours |
| FALL (Year 1) | 9 | |
| 1st half only: | Analyzing Financial Statements (6A31) | 1.5 |
| Managerial Finance (6A35) | 1.5 | |
| 2nd half only: | Intermediate Corporate Finance: Valuation (7A10) | 1.5 |
| Capital Markets (7A20) | 1.5 | |
| Full Semester: | Statistics (BZAN 6310/6320) OR Financial Econometrics (7354)* |
3 |
| SPRING (Year 1) | Choose 9 credits | 9 |
| 1st half only: | Derivatives I (7A50) | 1.5 |
| Mergers & Acquisitions I (7A33) | 1.5 | |
| Advanced Corporate Finance (7A30) | 1.5 | |
| 2nd half only: | Derivatives II (7A51) | 1.5 |
| Mergers & Acquisitions II (7A34) | 1.5 | |
| Portfolio Theory and Practice (7A23) | 1.5 | |
| Personal Financial Planning (7A61) | 1.5 | |
| Full semester: | Programming in R - Finance Applications (7358) | 3 |
| Stochastic Calculus and Computational Finance (7355) | 3 | |
| SUMMER (Year 1) | Choose 6 credits | 6 |
| Risk Management (7361) | 3 | |
| Midstream Energy Finance (7374) | 3 | |
| Electric Power Markets (7377) | 3 | |
| Entrepreneurial Finance (7397) | 3 | |
| FALL (Year 2) | Choose 6 credits | 6 |
| 1st half only: | Fixed Income I (7A40) | 1.5 |
| Retirement and Estate Planning (7A62) | 1.5 | |
| 2nd half only: | Banking and Credit Analysis (7A42) | 1.5 |
| Fixed Income II (7A41) | 1.5 | |
| Full semester: | Managerial Analysis (6387) | 3 |
| Private Equity and Investment Banking (7326) | 3 | |
| Total Program Credits: | 30 | |
*Students pursuing the Quantitative Finance certificate must take FINA 7354 instead of BZAN 6310/6320