Digital Track

Course description: Development of computer spreadsheet-based models to analyze corporate financial strategies and valuation issues.

All sections of FI 355 count toward Digital Track Certification. In addition, all sections of FI845/846 count toward Digital Track Certification.

Course description: This course aims to equip students with crucial investment concepts, core theories, and leading investment techniques. The goal is to develop the ability to integrate a wide range of skills and interdisciplinary knowledge to achieve investment excellence. We will combine standard lectures, research projects, and trading labs to catalyze the learning path. Part 1 of the course deals with portfolio management theory and technique. Part 2 introduces advanced investment strategies pursued by quantitative investment funds. Part 3 is an in-depth investigation into various industries and thematic investment topics. Students will be asked to conduct team-level investment research, which informs superior investment decisions. The programming language for the investment research is Python. Part 4 translates the investment decisions into trading, based on student trading labs offered by a leading brokerage house. Please view course description at MSU’s Schedule of Courses (student.msu.edu).

Course description: Introduction to the analysis of real-world financial data in a variety of settings. Applying textual analysis to large documents, identifying “sentiment” in Google search data, and back-testing trading strategies. Developing the programming skills necessary to both collect and prepare data for analysis. Identifying, downloading, cleaning, and shaping data. Please view course description at MSU’s Schedule of Courses (student.msu.edu).

Course description: Basic concepts of deep learning and neural networks in finance and economics. Practical experience implementing deep learning methods with state-of-the-art algorithms in a variety of machine learning packages with applications such as forecasting, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection. Please view course description at MSU’s Schedule of Courses (student.msu.edu).

These courses focus on the financial and strategic decision-making of high-tech and biotech entrepreneurial companies and the venture capital and private equity firms that invest in them. Our focus is on the digital economy; we study disruptive innovations in (1) I.T., big data, software, social media, A.I.; (2) biotechnology and medicine; (3) business communication, marketing, and Fintech.  We discuss how venture capitalists evaluate business plans, how they decide which early and later-stage companies to invest in, and how they grow companies and add value. We teach entrepreneurs how to successfully pitch promising business plans to secure early-stage venture capital financing. We highlight how V.C.s design financial contracts and how they value and structure deals. We contrast stand-alone, corporate, bank venture capitalists, and business angels. We discuss the similarities and differences between high-tech and biotech investments to deal structures, valuation, and contract terms. We study exit decisions and how to exit considerations drive investments. Venture capital valuation models and techniques are taught via case studies and spreadsheet analysis, using sophisticated valuation methods, including option valuations and predictive analytics utilizing private companies and public company data. The classes are taught via lectures, case studies, experiential, hands-on projects, and invited distinguished guest speakers: highly accomplished serial entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers, and venture capital and private equity professionals who share their perspectives and experiences about the digital economy.

Class material/class content is revised every year to focus on the most cutting-edge innovations/disruptions, contemporary business transformation issues, regulatory changes affecting software/I.T./big data /fintech, and biotech/medical device/pharma startups, and industry best practices. Every year we also analyze to what extent current domestic and international macro-and micro-economic conditions are expected to impact future venture capital/ private equity investment and exit decisions across the industry and the globe.  Our experiential, hands-on projects and invited distinguished guest speakers focus on relevant and timely topics to help analyze and advance best practices in the classroom.  As of last year, we also introduced the V.C. investment competition in which $50,000 is invested by students (thanks to the sponsorship of Red Cedar Ventures and MSU Foundation). This practical experience improves learning outcomes.

This course reviews recent developments of the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a specific focus on Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), for business and finance applications, summarizes its practical applications, provides examples of the latest Generative AI tools, and demonstrates that Generative AI can revolutionize data analysis in industry and academia. It addresses how these cutting-edge technologies (Gen AI and LLM ) reshape traditional financial topics, such as asset pricing, financial intermediation, investment strategies, and behavioral finance. It will also focus on the understanding of how Gen AI and LLM modeling brings forward ethical implications, benefits financial inclusion, and/or enhances regulatory and policy changes. Unlike traditional courses that delve into the underlying algorithms, this class focuses on effectively using tools like ChatGPT to enhance business operations, decision-making, and financial analysis.

For Spring of 2025, this is section FI414-006

To help students navigate the ongoing disruption of financial services, this course introduces them how technology, coupled with regulatory and market changes, has revolutionized traditional financial services. It will demystify the foundational concepts of fintech and cover various topics including banking and payment systems, lending and fundraising, AI & ML, cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and trading systems. Over the course, students will discuss opportunities and challenges brought by fintech to develop critical perspectives on its impact. While being immersed in the dynamic world of financial technology and modern finance, they will adopt diverse perspectives – entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers – to better understand how leveraging technology might improve financial services and foster democratization, inclusion, and disruption.

For Spring of 2025, this is section FI414-002,003, and 005