Finance (MS)

Offered by the Kogod School of Business , the MS in Finance 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, and must have earned a satisfactory grade point average for the last 60 hours of academic work from a Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) regionally-accredited institution. 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). Applicants must also have earned satisfactory grades in introductory economics, basic statistics, and accounting courses before formally entering the program. Applicants who have not completed these prerequisite courses or who require further preparation prior to beginning the degree program may complete them at American University or at other schools.

Degree Requirements

30-33 credit hours of approved graduate work including 18 credit hours of core and 15 credit hours of elective coursework.
- Students may not count more than 3 credits of FIN-576 towards their graduate degree.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisites must be satisfied, either at the undergraduate or graduate levels, prior to enrollment in the MS in Finance program.

6 undergraduate credit hours of micro 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

Core Courses (18 credit hours)

FIN-614 Financial Management (3) (may be waived without substitution for students who have taken an equivalent course with a grade of B- or better)
FIN-660 Financial Modeling (3)
FIN-665 Quantitative Methods in Finance I (3)
FIN-666 Quantitative Methods in Finance II (3)
FIN-674 Derivatives and Risk Management (3)
FIN-684 Fixed Income Analysis (3)

Elective Courses (15 credit hours)

15 credit hours from the following with up to 6 credit hours from graduate-level accounting, economics, statistics or other courses approved by the program director:

FIN-573 Corporate Valuation and Financial Strategy (3)
FIN-575 CFA Level I Intensive Review (3)
FIN-576 Student-Managed Investment Fund (1-3) (maximum 3 credit hours)
FIN-596 Selected Topics: Non-Recurring (1-6)
FIN-671 Advanced Financial Management (3)
FIN-672 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (3)
FIN-677 Financial Statement Analysis (3)
or
ACCT-677 Financial Statement Analysis (3)
FIN-681 Financial Intermediation in Emerging Markets (3)
FIN-683 Financial Institutions Management (3)
FIN-685 Topics in Finance (1.5-3)
FIN-700 International Finance (3)
or
IBUS-700 International Finance (3)

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.

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