Courses

Finance

0500. Financial Analysis and Strategy   (3 s.h.)

This course develops the conceptual framework that is used in analyzing the financial management problems of business enterprises. Students will cover concepts such as the time value of money, the cost of capital, the relationship between risk and return, the valuation of assets such as stocks and bonds, and various corporate finance issues including capital budgeting, capital structure, corporate financing, and dividend policy.

0501. Fixed Income Analysis   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor


This course provides a theoretical and practical analysis of the spot markets for money, bonds and other fixed income instruments.  Topics include: money market instruments, duration and convexity of bonds, yields, default risk, the term structure of interest rates, interest rate volatility, financial risk management of bond portfolios, and securitization.   Students will be assigned a project that involves financial decision-making and real data analysis.

 

0506. Management of Financial Institutions   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor

The objectives of the course are to examine the financial services industry and to apply the fundamental concepts of financial risk management in understanding the decision-making process of this industry. First, the general environment, structure, and recent trends in banking will be examined to provide a suitable background. Second, the nature and the industry structure of non-bank financial services firms, such as mutual funds and investment banking firms, will be studied. Third, the sources of risk, measurement of risk, and risk management techniques and issues will be studied. Risk categories considered include interest rate risk, credit risk, off-balance-sheet risk, operational risk, and liquidity risk.

0511. Advanced Corporate Finance   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor


This course builds on the core MBA finance course to develop the critical skills and the analytical tools necessary to apply financial theory to real world situations.  The theme of this course is corporate valuation and how corporate decision-making impacts firm value.  Four broad topics are covered in this course:  first, cost-of-capital estimation and cash flow estimation; second,  capital structure and dividend policies from the perspective of their impact on firm value; third, the use of real-option techniques in valuing corporate assets; fourth, mergers and acquisitions, including bidding, takeover defenses, and golden parachutes.

0515. Portfolio Theory and Capital Markets   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor

An introduction to modern portfolio theory and capital market models. Financial decision making under conditions of risk and uncertainty is discussed. Various analytic models are developed and applied.

0518. Derivatives  (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 adn Fin 521 or permission of instructor


This course provides students with a basic knowledge of the futures, options and other derivative markets, their market structure, theoretical foundation and in the derivative strategies of both speculators and hedgers.

 

0521. Investments   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor

This course provides an understanding of the theory of investments, and introduces the tools and techniques used in investment management. Topics include: portfolio theory, equilibrium models of security prices (including the capital asset pricing model and arbitrage pricing theory), empirical behavior of security prices, market efficiency, performance evaluation, and fixed-income markets.

0535. International Financial Markets   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor


Theory, operation, and structure of international financial markets and institutions. International monetary systems, foreign exchange theory, international banking and money markets, and international monetary policy.

0536. International Financial Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor

This course examines how the access and exposure to different currency, country and market environments can affect the financial and investment decisions of the firm.  The course extends closed-economy financial management to the international market environment.  Major topics include: (a) the relation between foreign exchange and other financial variables; (b) measurement and management of the exchange risk exposure of the firm; (c) international investment decisions by firms and investors; and (d) financing the  global operations of firms. 

0556. Financing New Growth Companies   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Fin. 500 or permission of instructor

This course provides a broad coverage of how rapidly growing new economy firms can obtain their necessary financing. The course is divided into four segments. In the first segment, the structure of the private equity market is examined with a focus on participants, instruments, control, and valuation. In the second segment, the participants in this market are examined primarily through guest speakers that include venture capitalists, venture bankers, and investment bankers. The third segment involves student analysis of approximately 4 cases that will be presented in class. The final segment involves a student team project where they will evaluate a "live" proposal submitted by a new economy firm for private equity funding and make a final recommendation.

0594. Special Topics - Finance   (3 s.h.)

0598. Independent Study   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: approval of the department.

Special study in a particular aspect of finance under the direct supervision of an appropriate graduate faculty member. No more than six semester hours of independent study may be counted toward degree requirements.

0599. Independent Study   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: approval of the department.

Special study in a particular aspect of finance under the direct supervision of an appropriate graduate faculty member. No more than six semester hours of independent study may be counted toward degree requirements.

0615. Seminar in Portfolio Selection and Capital Market Theory   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Stat. 501 or permission of instructor.

Theoretical justification and rigorous mathematical derivation of portfolio selection and capital asset pricing models; comprehensive introduction to the academic literature in this area.

0804. Financial Markets and the Firm   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Limited to students matriculated in the Executive M.B.A. program.

Analyze the financial systems within which the business firm must raise capital and manage its current funds. Learn how recent technological and other changes in commercial banking, investment banking and other institutions impact the non - financial corporation; and how financial markets - for equity, debt, and a large variety of derivative instruments-present opportunities and risks on a global scale. Enrollment limited to students in the Executive M.B.A. program.

0806. Financial Planning   (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Limited to students matriculated in the Executive M.B.A. program.

Understand corporate finance and raising capital in the market place. Financial planning, stock and bond valuation, risk, short and long term financing, and cost of capital are some of the issues faced by modern day corporations. These principles are applied in reviewing and integrating contemporary financial issues. Enrollment limited to students in the Executive M.B.A. program.

0896. Directed Study in Finance   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: permission of department.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0897. Directed Study in Finance   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: permission of department.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0898. Directed Study in Finance   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: permission of department.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0899. Directed Study in Finance   (1-6 s.h.)
Prerequisite: permission of department.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.