Finance, M.S.

Mandeville Hall: 105B
Telephone: (203) 576-4767

The UB MS in Finance Value Proposition

The Master of Science in (MSF) is a 30-credit graduate program designed to meet the needs of a distinct type of professional in the finance industry. The MSF develops the ability of students whose career goals include specialist, technical, and management roles in financial enterprises. The program accomplishes its mission by developing student expertise in financial instruments, financial technology, financial analysis and financial management. Positive program outcomes will be achieved through the knowledge and skills the students will acquire from a comprehensive curriculum design, instruction in an effective learning environment, opportunities for inquiry, and professional development. This program largely leverages our existing offerings.

Students learn concepts in risk, finance, investments, and analytics that provide the basis for careers in finance. Students also develop the technical and quantitative skills needed to pursue a variety of careers in the finance industry. While more specific and analytical in nature, these learning outcomes are in line with our institutional mission, and our MBA program.

Students will learn how to evaluate and price a financial opportunity. They will learn how to gauge the appropriate level of risk to discount future projections. They will learn how to compare across investment opportunities at a given time and how to allocate among them in an optimal way. They will learn how to create useful tools for answering financial questions so that reports could be generated automatically and progress can be tracked. They will learn how to both assess and manage risk. Most importantly and most generally, they will learn how to solve financial problems with finely honed problem-solving skills via analytical capabilities and data-driven decision-making.

Program Characteristics

Although students with work experience will find maximum benefit from the MSF, no previous work experience is required. The curriculum is designed to recognize and accommodate substantial diversity in preparation and experience as well as the different goals and career expectations of students. For this reason, some students may be required to complete preparatory coursework to successfully graduate from the 30-credit MSF program. Flexible course delivery enables students to proceed at their desired pace. Most students complete the MSF program in 18 to 24 months.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate

A) proficient technical knowledge in all the areas of finance (financial statement analysis, corporate finance, equity investments, fixed income, derivatives, alternative investments, and portfolio investment),

C) proficient knowledge in quantitative methods,

B) understanding in ethical and professional standards, and

D) basic knowledge in both micro- and macro- economics

2. communicate ideas clearly and persuasively in oral and written structures in both formal and informal settings.

3. contribute within diverse sets of teams and build internal and external relationships that facilitate success in contemporary organizations via interpersonal and professional skills.

4. apply information literacy, proficiency with technology, and analytical techniques for ethical/effective/efficient decision-making.

5. address current issues and case studies using creativity and methods for problem identification/solutions. 

6. act with integrity as an individual and apply ethical theories to contemporary organizations/topics.

7. think critically and logically by integrating concepts across disciplines to successfully lead in a dynamic international/global environment.

Learning Outcomes Will Be Assessed Using the Following Measures:

1. participating in class discussions to assess real-world policies and decisions,
2. completing in-class quizzes, tests, and exams with multiple-choice and open-ended questions that require students to identify, compare, and summarize key topics,
3. completing third-party formative and summative surveys, certificates, and tests that require students to calculate, classify, and answer technical questions based on case studies,
4. completing papers that require students to categorize and summarize key concepts,
5. utilizing labs to perform hands-on queries, projects, etc.,
6. participating in team projects that address learning outcomes, and which require students to evaluate classmates on team performance,
7. informally and formally presenting material related to course concepts, proposals, etc.,
8. performing research on course topics, such as industry analysis,
9. populating journals that serve as refence material for reflection papers,
10. completing a thesis or internship that demonstrates the ability to perform scholarship/knowledge-work in real-word settings, and
11. building business plans.

Language Requirement

Conditionally accepted international students with an undergraduate degree that was taught in a language other than English are required to successfully complete additional language-related coursework and third-party assessment testing before joining the program.

Academic Preparation

Students with undergraduate preparation in a non-business field may be required to complete up to 6 credits of preparatory course- work. Students with a strong academic record (B or better in each case) from an accredited university, or significant relevant work experience, may be able to waive preparatory foundation courses. ACCT 500 - Accounting, Business Law & Ethics  requires both managerial and financial accounting, as well as any course labelled business law that included contracts and tort law. MGMT 500 - Management & Marketing  requires organizational behavior, operations management, and marketing or any similarly named course that includes consumer behavior.

MBA/MS MSA/MSF Dual-Degree Programs

The Trefz School offers students the opportunity to acquire concurrent graduate degrees within the Trefz School in which students may apply up to 15 credit hours to both programs. A minimum of 45 credit hours must be completed to satisfy the requirements of an MS Analytics/MS Finance dual-degree program, and a minimum of 51 credit hours must be completed to satisfy the requirements of an MBA/MS dual-degree program.
The BUCP 599   Capstone course is available for dual-degree students with the following modification; students may complete a three-credit internship and one one-credit in each program.