MS FINANCE CURRICULUM ELECTIVES
The Vanderbilt MS Finance program combines a strong core of required courses with a variety of advanced MBA-level electives. You can tailor the learning experience to fit your career goals with 18 credit hours of elective courses. You must choose a minimum of 10 credit hours from the list of Primary Electives with the remaining credit hours chosen from the list of Secondary Electives.
Primary Electives
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Advanced Corporate Valuation | 2 |
| Applied Investment Management | 2 |
| Bond Markets | 2 |
| Corporate Financial Policy | 2 |
| Corporate Restructuring for Distressed Firms | 2 |
| Corporate Restructuring for Non-Distressed Firms | 2 |
| Derivatives Markets | 2 |
| Entrepreneurial Finance | 2 |
| Financial Institutions | 2 |
| International Financial Markets and Instruments | 2 |
| Investing in Big Data and Analytics | 2 |
| Investing in Machine Learning | 2 |
| Mergers and Acquisitions | 2 |
| Venture Capital and Private Equity | 1 |
Secondary Electives
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions | 2 |
| Advanced Cost Accounting | 2 |
| Advanced Real Estate Valuation | 2 |
| Business Analytics | 2 |
| Business in the World Economy | 2 |
| Commercial Real Estate Transactions | 1 |
| Corporate Strategies for Environmental, Social, and Governmental Issues | 2 |
| Derivative Securities Valuation | 2 |
| Federal Income Taxation of Mergers and Acquisitions | 2 |
| Federal Taxation of Business Entities | 2 |
| Financial Analysis of ESG Data | 2 |
| Financial Statement Analysis | 2 |
| Game Theory and Business Strategy | 2 |
| Introduction to Financial Accounting | 2 |
| Introduction to Law and Business | 2 |
| Introduction to Managerial Accounting | 2 |
| Managerial Economics | 2 |
| Negotiation | 2 |
| Property Law for Business Students | 1 |
| Real Estate Financial Analysis | 2 |
| Real Estate Investment and Development | 2 |
| Seminar in Monetary and Fiscal Policy (1 credit hour per mod; both mods required) | 2 |
| Spreadsheet Macros (VBA) for IT Applications | 2 |
| Taxation of Business and Investment Transactions | 2 |
By the numbers
50
The percentage of coursework in the MS Finance program that can be customized with MBA-level electives.
FAQ
Program Information
Q. What are the advantages of the mod system?
A.
The module system allows MSF students to take a wider variety of courses. The Owen Graduate School of Management has been operating on the "mod" scheduling system for several years now with a high degree of success.
Q. When do students matriculate each year?
A.
All MSF students are required to attend Orientation and complete on-campus course work prior to the start of the academic semester. Typically, MSF students report to campus at the beginning of August.
Q. Will I be included in Owen's social structure (student organizations, Closing Bell, etc.)?
A.
Owen's active student body offers a number of opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom, and MSF students will have access to all professional and social clubs.
Admissions Information
Q. Can MSF graduates return to Vanderbilt to complete an MBA?
A.
Yes, MSF students can apply to the Vanderbilt MBA program. The admissions standards for the MBA program are different and generally require three to five years of work experience. If you are admitted to the MBA program, some of the MSF course credits can be used to satisfy MBA graduation requirements.
Q. Does a particular academic or professional background give me any advantage in the admissions process?
A.
We seek students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Diversity in all forms—academic, professional, cultural, ethnic, gender, geographic, socioeconomic—is an important component of the Vanderbilt experience.
Q. Does the Vanderbilt MSF program accept transfer students or transfer credits?
A.
No. Most top business schools do not accept transfer students or transfer credits.
Q. When are admissions decisions made?
A.
We will notify you of the admission decision within 30 days of your application being complete.
Q. How may I pay the application fee?
A.
You will be asked to pay the application fee by credit card when submitting your online application.
Q. What are the prerequisites to apply for the Vanderbilt MSF program?
A.
Although we do not
require students to have a significant level of quantitative training, it is
expected that students will
have completed one year of calculus, as well as at least one course in
statistics. We do not require prior course work in finance. It is helpful to
have taken an introduction to economics course to help you understand the
theory of economic principles.
Q. What kind of work experience does the Admissions Committee consider?
A.
We
do not require prior full-time work experience for MSF as it is considered a
pre-experience program. However, competitive applicants will have at least one
or more internships that are applicable to pursuing a full-time role in
finance.
Q. Who is eligible to apply?
A.
MSF applicants need to have completed an undergraduate program at an accredited four-year undergraduate institution and should have shown high academic and personal achievement. Scores on the GMAT and TOEFL (for applicants who are not native English speakers) should be competitive with other Vanderbilt graduate programs.
Q. Will you waive the application fee? What if I am financially disadvantaged?
A.
Vanderbilt waives the application fee only in exceptional circumstances. Please email the MS Finance Admissions team with an explanation of your request for a fee waiver, a copy of your resume and test scores (if available).
Q. How much is the application fee?
A.
The fee is $100.