MS in Finance Curriculum

The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program requires 30 credit hours of graduate coursework.  The MSF curriculum is described below, visualized through this flowchart, and available with course descriptions within the University Bulletin.

All courses are available for online completion.  Several courses are also available for on-campus completion.

MSF Core Courses (15 credits)

  • Advanced Financial Management, MSF 6500
  • Investments, MSF 6511
  • Financial Econometrics, MSF 6520
  • Managerial Accounting for Decision Making, ACCO 6200
  • Macroeconomic Theory and Applications, MSF 6504

Skills Courses (3, 1-credit courses)

  • Python Programming
  • R Programming
  • SQL

Elective Courses (9 credits)

Students complete 9 credits of electives from courses including:

  • Behavioral Finance
  • Bank Management
  • Financial Derivatives
  • FinTech Foundations and Applications
  • Fixed Income Securities
  • International Financial Management
  • Investment Banking
  • Real Estate Finance and Investments
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Applied Time-Series Econometrics and Forecasting*
  • Microeconomic Theory and Applications*
  • Monetary Theory and Policy*

* Students may complete one of these courses as an MSF elective.

Professional Project Courses (3 credits)

Master of Science in Finance students complete their studies with a professional research project. Students work closely with a faculty mentor and apply the knowledge and technical skills developed within the program. The project is completed through two courses. Within enrollment in the first MSF 6998 course (pursued for 1 credit), students identify their project focus and empirical model. Within enrollment in the second MSF 6998 (pursued for 2 credits), students execute the model and present their findings to a panel of faculty.

Students may select a unique research question for their project.Within recent MSF projects, students have delved into topics including stock market cointegration, bank financial performance, blockchain AI-centered digital assets valuation, international sustainable finance, and behavioral influences on stock market decisions.

Students may also select a published empirical finance study to partially replicate using the knowledge and skills developed within the MSF. 

Hannah Moore“Working with a faculty member on my project has been an enriching experience that has enhanced not only my academic journey, but also my personal journey as well. The mentorship has provided me with inspiration and practical insights, which has allowed me to dive deeper into my research topic. Their commitment to their students is above and beyond and it has made a significant difference in my ability to navigate this research project.” Hannah Moore


Max“The MSF professional project forces you to take what you’re learning in other courses and question how it can be applied outside of the class. Tying in lessons from each of the classes taken throughout the MSF curriculum makes for the most comprehensive project and teaches you to apply what you’ve learned to topics that may not be 'from the textbook'.” Max Kruszeski


Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation from the program, students will be able to: 

  • Critically analyze global or domestic financial issues in an independent empirical research project.
  • Verbally communicate the results of empirical research.
  • Effectively communicate the results of empirical research in a written format.