Master of Science in Finance

The current tumultuous global financial crisis may be the first you have ever experienced in your lifetime, yet less severe financial crises happen every ten or twenty years. Understanding financial modeling, mergers and acquisitions and real options, corporate governance, business ethics and business strategy from a historical and current perspective can be an invaluable asset toward career advancement.

Program Description

A Master of Science (MSc) in Finance from Webster is designed to provide a quantitative and comprehensive examination of the finance field. Students advance through the topics of corporate finance, investments, and market instruments and institutions. Additionally, students experience a significant exposure to supporting coursework in the closely related fields of accounting and economics. A capstone course ties together the major finance topics and exposes students to literature, and the analysis thereof, pertinent to the field. After a comprehensive examination of the field, students may choose their electives to satisfy their specific career goals.

Webster Vienna has become a recognized educational institution in the University Affiliation Program (UAP) of The CFA Institute. The Master of Science in Finance program has been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70 percent of the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) Program Candidate Body of Knowledge. Also a limited number of Webster Vienna's students can apply for the CFA® Program Awareness Scholarship each year.

Learning Outcomes

• Graduates can determine the value of financial assets.
• Graduates can analyze the financial decisions of a corporation.
• Graduates can measure risk and formulate strategies to reduce it.

Program Prerequisites*^

• BUSN 5600 Accounting Theory and Practice (3 hours)
• BUSN 5620 Current Economic Analysis (3 hours)
• BUSN 5760 Applied Business Statistics* (3 hours)

* if not waived, it counts towards elective credit hours
^ additional courses may be required for students who do not meet admissions requirements
Further information about program prerequisites can be found here

Program Curriculum*

The Master of Science (MSc) in Finance requires successful completion of 39 US credit hours, including 36 US credit hours of core courses and 3 US credit hours of electives from the field. Students who require prerequisite courses may have to complete more than the minimum required US credit hours for this degree. *Fall 2019 intake or later. (View previous degree requirements.)

The following courses are required for the MSc in Finance:

• BUSN 6070 Management Accounting (3 hours)
  Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760
• BUSN 6120 Managerial Economics (3 hours)
  Prerequisites: BUSN 5620 and BUSN 5760
• FINC 5000 Finance (3 hours)
  Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760
• FINC 5100 Financial Modeling (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: FINC 5000
• FINC 5210 Investments (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: FINC 5100
• FINC 5810 Capital Budgeting and Corporate Investments (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: FINC 5100
• FINC 5830 Institutions and Financial Markets (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: FINC 5100
• FINC 5840 International Finance (3 hours)
  Prerequisites: FINC 5100
• FINC 5880 Advanced Corporate Finance (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: FINC 5000
• FINC 6290 Mergers and Acquisitions (formerly Financial Strategies) (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: completion of all of the required courses above
• FINC 6250 Thesis (6 hours)

After Graduation

MSc in Finance graduates can find career opportunities in financial services, commercial banking, corporate finance, financial planning, investment banking, money management, insurance, and even real estate. Knowledge of international finance, financial markets, and corporate financial management is a useful skillset, sought out by a variety of companies, government agencies, and other organizations who require financial managers to oversee the preparation of financial reports, reduce risk, direct investment activities, and implement cash management strategies.

Resources & Roadmaps

Resources for MSc Finance Students

*Note: Program prerequisites are to be completed before beginning MSc in Finance coursework. Prerequisite courses are required for students who have not completed an appropriate equivalent within the five years prior to entering the MSc in Finance program. Prerequisite / Equivalent courses must have been completed with a grade of B or better. If the appropriate prerequisite course content was completed more than five years prior to entering the program, the department will allow a waiver if the student demonstrates command of the content area by successfully completing a waiver examination. If you are interested in taking a prerequisite waiver examination, please see the department coordinator. The prerequisite courses BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5620 may not count as electives. There is no prerequisite waiver exam for BUSN 5760 Applied Business Statistics.