The proposed program will offer interested and qualified students an opportunity to earn both a BS and an MS in Finance (MSF) degrees within five academic years.
Students must apply to the program in the Fall of their junior year and begin taking graduate classes in the Spring semester of their junior year. Acceptance into the combined program is based on the student’s academic performance. Students must follow the program requirements as listed in the Graduate Studies Catalogue.
Once a student is admitted to this combined program, they would be permitted to take two graduate courses per semester while still classified as an undergraduate student, up to a total of twelve credits. These graduate classes will fulfil certain MSF and undergrad uate course requirements.
The MSF curriculum consists of 30 credits (8 required and 2 elective graduate courses, see the second page). Any 30-credit program is allowed to transfer in up to 6 credits per term of graduate study. Thus, any undergraduate student pursuing an accelerated MSF degree will be allowed to apply up to 12 graduate credits (4 classes) earned as an undergraduate student toward their graduate degree. With 12 graduate credits completed as an undergraduate, the student will have only 18 credits left to complete the MSF curriculum These 18 credits can be completed in one year, 9 credits per semester.
As any graduate MSF student, students in the accelerated MSF program will be required to complete FIN 590, a non-credit Capstone Completion course.
1. Core of Finance Knowledge
Each student will acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the core concepts in Finance.
A. Students will demonstrate the ability to comprehend the performance of financial markets and institutions, manage investments, portfolios and the use of derivative securities.
B. Students will demonstrate the ability to solve basic valuation, risk, return, and optimization problems analytically.
2. Analytical Skills
Each student will be capable of analyzing information to make sound critical financial decisions.
A. Students will develop or identify and solve advanced financial problems by integrating the skills learned in the core finance area.
B. Students will evaluate financial data documents, and other market sources to support financial decisions.
C. Students will develop the skills to analyze financial statements and market data.
3. Research Skills
Each student will possess the research skills needed to study domestic and global financial issues.
A. Students will develop a knowledge of appropriate statistical/econometric techniques to identify and evaluate complex financial issues.
B. Students will use appropriate technologies in gatherings and analyzing domestic and international (country, market, and firm specific) data relevant to financial decision-making.
C. Students will write comprehensive financial reports or projects recommending solutions to managers and investors.
4. Value System
Each student will be ethical, socially responsible, and just when making financial decisions.
A. Students will evaluate financial decisions within an ethical framework.
B. Students will critique financial decisions on the basis of financial responsibility.
C. Students will evaluate financial decisions with regard to their impacts of environmental sustainability.
Program
Undergraduate students in the 30-credit accelerated program will be able to take certain graduate courses in fulfillment of their undergraduate finance course requirements. Graduate classes that can be substituted for undergraduate classes are as follows:
MSF Required Courses:
FIN 583 - Investment Analysis instead of Investments (FIN 362)
FIN 585 - Derivative Securities instead of Derivative Securities (FIN 471)
FIN 586 - Portfolio Theory instead of Portfolio Management (FIN 472)
FIN 582 - Advanced Financial Management instead of Case Course in Corporate Finance (FIN 476)
MSF Elective Course:
FIN 581 - Financial Institutions instead of Financial Institutions (FIN 473)
FIN 584 - International Finance instead of International Finance (FIN 475)
At the graduate level, all accelerated students will be waived out of the FIN 508 - Financial Management course that is a required course in the traditional MSF curriculum. The need for this waiver is due to an introductory nature of FIN 508 - Financial Management ; having gone through the undergraduate finance curriculum, all undergraduate finance majors have sufficient background in finance to be comfortably waived out of the FIN 508 - Financial Management course requirement. Instead, accelerated students will be required to take one additional MSF elective.
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