Program: Finance (MS) - American University

Apr 04, 2025

American University Catalog 2022-2023

Offered by the Kogod School of Business , the Finance (MS) program provides students an opportunity to obtain focused training in finance that will prepare them for professionally-oriented careers in finance.

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must have earned an undergraduate bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a satisfactory grade point average and a satisfactory score on the GMAT or the GRE. Applicants who meet certain criteria may apply for a GMAT/GRE waiver; please visit http://www.american.edu/kogod/admissions/ for more information. Applicants whose first language is not English must have a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Prerequisites (must be completed with grades of B or better):

6 undergraduate credit hours of microeconomics and macroeconomics or 3 graduate credit hours in economics
3 credit hours of statistics
6 undergraduate credit hours of financial accounting or 3 graduate credit hours in accounting

These prerequisites can be waived or substituted with the approval of the Department Chair or Program Director, based on prior education or work experience (e.g. undergraduate degree in economics, engineering, etc.).

Degree Requirements

33 credit hours of approved graduate work
- Students may not count more than 3 credits of FIN-576 Student-Managed Investment Fund (1-3) towards their graduate degree
Capstone Experience: FIN-685 Topics in Finance (1.5-3) : Theory of Finance (3)

Course Requirements

Foundation (0 credit hours)

Note: FIN-060 Foundations of Finance (0) may be waived without substitution for students who have completed at least 6 credit hours from finance coursework with grades of B or better.

FIN-060 Foundations of Finance (0)

Core (12 credit hours)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

FIN-685 Topics in Finance (1.5-3) : Theory of Finance

Electives or Specialization (18 credit hours)

Complete one of the following:

Electives

Complete 18 credit hours from the following, with a maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate work approved by program director:

Financial Analytics Specialization

Required (12 credit hours)

Electives (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master’s degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor’s and Kogod School of Business Master’s Programs for more information.