The Master of Science in Finance is a specialized, technical program providing in-depth
exposure to the principles and practices of corporate finance and investment management.
The main objective of the program is to provide the specialized knowledge needed to
add immediate value to your organization as a financial manager or investment adviser.
Located in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District, Golden Gate University
provides networking and internship opportunities through its 68,000-strong alumni
network and relationships with the local financial community.
The MS in Finance program has been certified by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Institute as a University Affiliation Program. This membership signals to employers
that the MSF curriculum is closely tied to the practice of financial management, and
helps to prepare students for the CFA exams.
The MS in Finance does not attempt to provide the broad overview of business that
is typical of an MBA. Instead, it focuses on the specific areas of compelling interest
to financial managers, security analysts, corporate bankers, and portfolio managers.
This degree is intended for students who have made a professional commitment to this
key business discipline, and who are interested in equipping themselves with a comprehensive
array of analytical tools and techniques.
You can choose to earn this degree entirely online or through a combination of online
and in-class courses that are taught by the same professors and present the same material
as the traditional format.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The MS finance requires completion of 6 units in the foundation program and 30 units
of advanced program coursework, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better
in courses taken at Golden Gate University. Courses carry three semester units of
credit unless otherwise noted. Individual foundation program courses may be waived
if the student has previously completed comparable courses at a regionally accredited
college or university. Students may be admitted to advanced program courses before
completion of the entire foundation program, but must complete the foundation program
by the time that 12 units have been earned in the advanced program.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Graduates of the MS in Finance program will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Evaluate and explain financial decisions regarding the firm’s investment and long-
and short-term financing strategies by applying financial theory, quantitative decision-making
tools, and analytical methods.
- Apply economic analysis to the firm’s decision-making, taking into account the impact
of markets, institutions, and international trends on these decisions. Understand
whether or to what extent a financial market satisfies the conditions of an efficient
market.
- Define and measure business and financial risk. Describe the relationship between
risk and return, and distinguish between expected and required returns. Explain how
risk affects the valuation of real and financial assets, and describe techniques for
managing risk.
- Evaluate the corporate governance structures of firms and examine the interactions,
from a governance perspective, among firm management, financial markets, and stakeholders.
- Describe and evaluate the ethical implications of financial decision-making and financial
practices, assess alternative recommendations for solutions to ethical financial problems,
and offer appropriate resolutions to those problems.
FINANCE AND ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
- Andrea Anthony, Chair of Finance & Economics
- Manish Arora, Adjunct Professor
- Louis Barajas, Adjunct Professor
- Nicholas Bergan, Adjunct Professor
- Scott Buchanan, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Elissa Buie, Adjunct Professor
- Katherine Chen, Adjunct Professor
- Yvette Hollingsworth Clark, Adjunct Professor
- Gregg Clarke, Adjunct Professor
- Saundra Davis, Adjunct Professor
- Vincent Deluard, Adjunct Professor
- Marty Dirks, Adjunct Professor
- Peter C. Freeman, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Philip Friedman, Professor
- Fernando Garcia, Adjunct Professor
- Robert Gigliotti, Adjunct Professor
- Kacy Gott, Adjunct Professor
- Lewis Gridley, Adjunct Professor
- Mohsin Hafeez, Adjunct Professor
- Steve Hawkey, Professor Emeritus
- Davin Hsieh, Adjunct Professor
- Todd Jensen, Adjunct Professor
- Todd A. Jensen, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Elizabeth Jetton, Adjunct Professor
- Giancarl Johnson, Adjunct Professor
- David Kaczorowski, Academic Program Manager
- Robert Kagan, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Rick Kahler, Adjunct Professor
- Margaret Kim, Adjunct Professor
- Randall S. Lee, Adjunct Professor
- Richard Lehman, Adjunct Professor
- Richard Leonhardt, Adjunct Professor
- Peter Lou, Distinguished Adjunct Professor
- Darius Malekpour, Adjunct Professor
- Anitha Manohar, Associate Professor of Finance,
- Thomas McAlone, Adjunct Professor
- Martin Medeiros, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Randy Merk, Adjunct Professor
- Ashley Murphy, Adjunct Professor
- Brian Pon, Adjunct Professor
- Harry Portolos, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Martin Pring, Adjunct Professor
- Ross Richardson, Adjunct Professor
- William C. Sarsfield, Senior Adjunct Faculty
- Robert Scannell, Adjunct Professor
- Larry Schimka, Adjunct Professor
- Shahbaz Shahbazi, Adjunct Professor
- Raj Sharma, Adjunct Professor
- Hamid Shomali, Professor
- Lawrence A. Souza, Senior Adjunct Professor
- Brett Villaume, Adjunct Professor
- Mark Walsh, Adjunct Professor
- Douglas Weinstein, Adjunct Professor
- Jon P. Yankee, Adjunct Professor
- Dr. David Yeske, Director of Financial Planning
- Iana Zemniakova, Adjunct Professor
- John Zott, Adjunct Professor
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