MSFA Curriculum

The program curriculum consists of 30 semester units, which can be completed in a one- or two-year schedule.

FRL 6370 – Advanced Corporate Finance (3 credits)

Advanced corporate decision making through the use of case studies and excel modeling. Topics include cost of capital, capital budgeting, capital structure, corporate governance and business ethics, mergers and acquisitions, and option application in the corporate finance.

FRL 6120 – Financial Reporting, Analysis and Equity Valuation (3 credits)

Introduction of financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and cash flow analysis using real company data. Students will learn to apply and evaluate different company valuation approaches including discounted dividend valuation, discounted free cash flow valuation, relative valuation, and residual income valuation.

FRL 6330 – Quantitative Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management (3 credits)

Quantitative investment method and strategies essential to portfolio managers, analysts, and investors. The role and functioning of securities markets, the theory and practice of portfolio management. Covers portfolio construction, performance measurement, relative valuation techniques, and risk management.

FRL 6200 – Financial Analysis I (3 credits)

CFA Level I Candidate Body of Knowledge: ethical and professional standards, quantitative methods, economics, financial reporting, corporate finance, equity investments, fixed income, derivatives, alternative investments and portfolio management.

FRL 6400 – Applying Data Analytics in Finance (3 credits)

Introduction of basic and advanced statistical approaches to cloud-based big financial data analysis using Python. Students will learn to use open-source tools in Python to code and analyze financial data including the Bloomberg market data. The course topics cover the overview of data management and visualization, linear regressions, classification models and machine learning techniques.

FRL 6460 – Fixed Income Securities (3 credits)

Introduction to fixed income markets and securities. Develop analytic tools to analyze interest rate sensitivity and value fixed income securities. Topics include term structure of interest rates, duration and convexity, equilibrium valuation models, no-arbitrage valuation models, bonds with embedded options, credit analysis models, portfolio management, CDS and structured finance.

FRL 6480 – Quantitative Risk Management with Financial Derivatives (3 credits)

Introduction of risk management using financial derivatives such as futures and forward, options, and swaps. Students will learn how to price derivatives and the use of derivatives to manage corporate risk. Case studies and empirical projects using Microsoft Excel and/or Python will reinforce the practical application of derivatives as a hedging instrument. Topics include derivatives valuation, trading and hedging strategies, volatility modeling, and computational risk assessment such as Value-at-Risk (VaR).

FRL 6520 – Financial Analysis II (3 credits)

Introduction of CFA Level II Candidate Body of Knowledge, including topics such as ethical and professional standards, quantitative methods, economics, financial reporting, corporate finance, equity investments, alternative investments and portfolio management.

FRL 6610 – Financial Technology (3 credits)

Introduction of Financial Technology (FinTech) within a critical context of traditional money, banking, and financial markets. Exposure to FinTech topics such as cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others), blockchain, smart contracts, peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding, big data, machine learning and its applications, robo-advising, regulation and compliance in FinTech markets, the future of FinTech and its impact in the financial industry.

FRL 6950 – Asset Management Project (3 credits)

This capstone course offers an integrative experience in practical applications of program coursework in the field of asset management. Students will manage a multi-asset global portfolio through market simulation on a real-time, streaming platform. Competencies in communication, teamwork, critical thinking, research, problem-solving and persuasion skills are emphasized.

1-Year Program Schedule

2-Year Program Schedule