University General Course Catalog 2023-2024

Nov 24, 2024

University General Course Catalog 2023-2024 ARCHIVED CATALOG: LINKS AND CONTENT ARE OUT OF DATE. CHECK WITH YOUR ADVISOR.

Finance, M.S.

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The Master of Science in Finance program is designed to provide the foundations students will need to adapt and excel in the rapidly changing environment of the finance profession. The Finance faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno are dedicated to presenting students with solid fundamentals, along with cutting edge topics and techniques in investments, portfolio management, working capital management, and real estate investment.

The Master of Science in Finance program develops strong technical and analytical skills in the area of finance, considerably beyond the introductory level courses presented to undergraduates, and helps students acquire the core conceptual knowledge about the applications of those skills in solving financial business problems and furthering the body of knowledge through ongoing research. The program emphasizes the skills needed to succeed in the business community, including teamwork, leadership and the ability to communicate effectively.

The Master of Science in Finance program, which primarily targets those students with Finance, Economics, Accounting, Engineering, and quantitative backgrounds who wish to pursue or advance their careers in Finance, is sufficiently flexible to accommodate students with a bachelor's degree in any field.

Contact Information

Hongchao Zeng, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director
Department of Finance
(775) 682-9195
hzeng@unr.edu

Graduate Handbook

Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

The MSF program intends to teach an in-depth knowledge of Finance to its students. The objective of the program is for graduates to be able to apply financial decision making skills to complex problems and situations.

Specifically, the learning objectives and outcomes of the program are the following:

The ability to use evidence-based reasoning to understand, manage and address complex financial decisions.
Development of skills that facilitate problem solving in a complex and dynamic environments.
The ability to apply qualitative and quantitative information into the decision making process.

Admission Requirements

The Finance faculty requires each new graduate to satisfy the following program pre-enrollment requirements:

Microcomputer proficiency: Students should be knowledgeable of microcomputer operating systems, word processing, spreadsheet and electronic communication applications (i.e. e-mail, electronic databases and the internet) prior to enrollment in the program.

Proficiency in English: If an international student’s verbal score on the GMAT, TOEFL, or other evaluation measure is below an acceptable level, a student may be required to enroll in English language development classes either prior to enrollment in the program or during the first semester of his/her academic program.

I. Program Requirements

The program consists of two choices: Plan A (non-thesis) with 33 credits and Plan B (thesis) with 30 credits.

A. Plan A - Required courses (33 units)

ECON 702 - Advanced Microeconomics (3 units) OR
BADM 730 - Economics of the Firm (3 units)
BADM 741 - Financial Management (3 units)
BADM 742 - Research Methods of Finance (3 units)
BADM 743 - Investment Management (3 units)
FIN 620 - International Finance (3 units)
Approved Electives (see list below) (18 units)

B. Plan B - Required courses (30 units)

ECON 702 - Advanced Microeconomics (3 units) OR
BADM 730 - Economics of the Firm (3 units)
BADM 741 - Financial Management (3 units)
BADM 742 - Research Methods of Finance (3 units)
BADM 743 - Investment Management (3 units)
BADM 797 - Thesis (1 to 6 units)
FIN 620 - International Finance (3 units)
Approved Electives (see list below) (9 units)

C. Approved Electives (9-18 units)

Plan A - 18 units; Plan B - 9 units

BADM 744 - Securities Analysis and Portfolio Management (3 units)
BADM 745 - Commercial Bank Management (3 units)
BADM 746 - Corporate Treasury Management (3 units)
BADM 748 - Real Estate Finance (3 units)
ECON 703 - Advanced Macroeconomics I (3 units)
ECON 641 - Introduction to Econometrics (3 units) OR
ECON 741 - Applied Econometrics (3 units)
FIN 604 - Financial Management Theory and Practice (3 units)
FIN 610 - Financial Derivatives (3 units)
FIN 693 - Advanced Seminar in Finance (3 units)

II. Total Units

Plan A - 33 credits; Plan B - 30 credits

Note(s):

* Curriculum requirements in the catalog supersede the Graduate handbook.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

A bachelor’s degree in business or finance is not required for admission. Students are expected to have completed the following courses within five years of admission to the program:

Basic Calculus (equivalent to MATH 176 ); students should be able to understand derivatives, integration, and related mathematical concepts.
Statistics of Decision Making (equivalent to BADM 700 ; students should understand the basic notions of sampling theory, nonparametric sample comparison, regression analysis, and hypothesis testing.
Financial Reporting and Accounting (equivalent to BADM 710 ); students should understand the structure and formation of accounting statements and should be able to discern financial information from these statements.

Student who have not completed the aforementioned or equivalent courses, must complete equivalent courses (i.e., BADM 700 , BADM 710 , and MATH 176 , ) at the University of Nevada, Reno.