The Master of Science in 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 that are applicable to the program’s requirements. Courses carry three semester units of credit unless otherwise noted.

All course prerequisites must be satisfied prior to enrolling in a given course and are indicated in the the course description for each course. Individual foundation program courses may be waived if the student has previously completed comparable courses at a regionally accredited college or university. Students may enroll in advanced program courses before they have completed the entire foundation program (provided they have met any course prerequisites) but must complete the foundation program by the time that they have enrolled in 12 units in the advanced program.

TOTAL UNITS — 36

FOUNDATION PROGRAM — 6 UNITS

ACCTG 201

Accounting for Managers

or:

ACCTG 1A

Introductory Financial Accounting

MATH 240

Data Analysis for Managers

ADVANCD COURSES — 30 UNITS

Required Courses - 24 Units

ACCTG 351C

Analysis of Financial Information for Accountants

ECON 380

Financial Markets and Institutions

FI 300

Corporate Finance

FI 307

Financial Modeling

FI 312

Capital Budgeting and Long-Term Financing

FI 340

Investments

FI 346

Derivative Markets

FI 428

Business Valuation

Elective Courses - 6 Units

Select any two ACCTG, ECON, FI, or MSBA 300/400-level course, which may include FI 497 Internship: Finance.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The MS finance requires completion of 12 units in the foundation program and 33 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.