MBA Finance Concentration

In the business world, finance is fundamental.

Regardless of your industry or role, understanding valuation and risk is vital for making sound business decisions.

Broad’s world-class finance faculty bring real-world experience into the classroom, while producing research that garners top awards from leading journals. As an MBA student with a finance concentration, you will be immersed in a robust curriculum that pairs finance courses with electives in accounting, preparing you to handle complex jobs from analyst to mergers and acquisitions specialist to venture capitalist.

If you are interested in pursuing what is widely considered the investment profession’s most rigorous credentialing program, as a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Program Partner, MBA in Finance courses will prepare you for the exams.

There’s no limit to what Broad MBA graduates are capable of doing. See where the finance concentration can take you.

Key Placement Areas

Corporate Finance

Consulting

Investment Management

Financial Markets

Financial Services

Treasury

Finance Concentration Courses

Our finance faculty prepare MBA students to evaluate the risks of doing business and the prospects of earning a suitable rate of return. Robust coursework offerings emphasize a number of topics of interest to the corporate finance space. This area of study is paired with offerings from our renowned accounting faculty to offer a robust group of opportunities for the aspiring finance professional. Finance course offerings available to MBA students typically include:

FI 844 Corporate Financial Strategies

Applying financial strategies to managerial decision making.

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FI 845 Financial Modeling and Simulation

Applications of financial theory through computer modeling. Financial forecasting, cash flow modeling and valuation.

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FI 846 Financial Modeling and Simulation II

Application of financial theory using computer modeling. Portfolio optimization, risk measurement and option pricing.

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FI 847 Corporate Strategies and Risk Management

Identifying corporate strategies to help manage business, financing and competitive risks. Case studies.

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FI 850 Introduction to Investments I

Essential financial theories and quantitative tools related to the field of investments. Topics include behavior and distribution of stock returns, mean-variance optimization model of portfolio selection, basic asset pricing theories and market efficiency.

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FI 851 Introduction to Investments II

Investment management, portfolio performance evaluation, active portfolio management, essentials of bonds and derivatives and essentials of international diversification.

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FI 852 Financial Derivatives I

Introduction to pricing, trading strategies and hedging applications of forward and futures contracts, swaps and options.

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FI 853 Debt and Money Instruments and Markets

Fixed-income security markets. Valuation of traded instruments.

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FI 854 Fixed Income Instruments

Advanced fixed income security models. Valuation of instruments traded using derivative securities pricing.

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FI 855 Financial Derivatives II

Derivatives pricing and applications to corporate securities, structured products and credit default swaps.

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FI 857 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management

Fundamental analysis of individual stocks. Discounted cash flow valuation, relative valuation and special situations. Management of student-run investment fund.

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FI 859 Mergers and Acquisitions

Provides a broad overview of corporate mergers and acquisitions from the finance perspective.

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FI 860 Multinational Corporate Finance (IB)

Corporate financial management in a multinational setting.

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FI 861 International Financial Markets and Risk Management

Financial investments and risk management in a multinational setting.

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FI 862 Corporate Strategy Valuation

Measuring and managing the valuation of corporate strategies.

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FI 863 Corporate Restructuring and Governance

Provides a broad overview of mergers, corporate restructuring, divestitures and bankruptcy from the finance perspective.

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FI 865 Corporate Real Options Valuation

Application of the real options methodology to analyze practical problems in corporate finance.

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FI 869 Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital

Introduction to the financing and valuation of entrepreneurial startups, venture capital and private equity. How to prepare a successful business plan to raise financing from venture capitalists. Structuring venture capital and private equity deals.

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FI 870 Venture Capital and Private Equity

Advanced topics in the financing of entrepreneurial startups, venture capital and private equity. Valuation for entrepreneurial startups, venture capital and private equity, and institutions. Corporate venture capital. Venture capital investing and fundraising. Private equity investments. Sale of venture capital-backed entrepreneurial firm and initial public equity offerings.

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FI 872 Financial Data Analytics I

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.

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FI 873 Financial Data Analytics II

Advanced application of data analysis to finance. Automating data acquisition, to apply textual analysis to large documents and transcripts. Analyzing weather data, geographic data, corporate patent data, and posts on social media. Examining how the information in these databases is related to financial outcomes.

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FI 891 Topics in Finance

Current and emerging issues in corporate finance, investments and financial modeling to supplement and enrich existing courses.

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Accounting Courses (Recommended)

ACC 807 Financial Statement Analysis

Concepts of financial analysis using U.S. and international accounting information. Cash-flow and earnings based models for business valuation, and supply of and demand for accounting information in financial markets.

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ACC 822 Information Systems Project Management

Management of information system projects. Modeling of business processes. Management of project scope, time and costs. Planning and control of projects. Program and portfolio management. Consulting issues for effective project management.

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ACC 841 Strategic Management Control Systems

Management accounting concepts for strategic management and business unit-management. Performance measurement, planning and budgeting, and control system design.

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Opportunities for Finance MBAs

Access to Financial Data

Equipped with trading desks, real-time data feeds and other financial trading room technology, the Financial Analysis Lab (FAL) allows students to monitor and research portfolio holdings, develop investment ideas and recommend securities for purchase or sale.

Real-World Investing Experience

Manage the resources of the $5M Student Investment Fund (SIF) using the Financial Analysis Lab trading environment. The approximately $5 million SIF is a sub-account of the MSU Foundation portfolio.

Collaboration

Join the MBA Finance Association to research careers and network in the field. This student-organized group sponsors a Finance Career Fair, the development of alumni contacts, the Finance Speaker Series, and an annual CFA promotion and seminar.