Finance

Prepare for a career in financial management, capital markets, banking, corporate treasury, or investment management with Duquesne University's Master of Science in Finance (MSF), launching in Fall 2023. This hands-on program will help you develop deep skills in financial analysis and valuation for decision making in all aspects of business investment, financing and operating activities, so that you will be prepared to fully engage in organizations ranging from small and medium enterprises to major corporations.

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Maximum flexibility

Your MSF studies will support your career commitments. The MSF can be completed with a mix of hybrid and online classes or fully online, giving you the flexibility to complete the program where and when you choose. Cornerstone and capstone experiences will be delivered with some synchronous sessions even in their online format.

 

Program Information

This hands-on program will help you develop deep skills in financial analysis and valuation for decision making in all aspects of business investment, financing and operating activities.

Program Type

Major

Degree

Master's

Academic Department

Economics and Finance

More in this Program

Hear from Our Professors

Dr. Philip Baird at a whiteboard.

"Finance is an intellectually rich, challenging discipline offering a wide range of rewarding career possibilities. Duquesne's MSF program will help you develop comprehensive skill in financial analysis and valuation for decision making. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to the long-run growth and success of any business organization.”

Dr. Philip Baird Department Chair, Economics and Finance, Associate Professor of Finance

Curriculum and Course Descriptions

*Up to 6 credits may be waived based on previous coursework in accounting, finance, and statistics. To be eligible for a course waiver, a grade of ‘B-‘ or better is required in an approved course taken within the past 5 years. Pass/fail courses will not be eligible for a course waiver. | ** Included in Certificate Program.

3 credit hours

This course provides graduate business students with a deeper understanding of the accounting cycle used in companies to produce both internal and external financial information. Special emphasis is placed throughout the course on understanding, analyzing, and interpreting financial statements and related information. Additionally, students will be introduced to decision-making tools such as ratio analysis and challenged to utilize them to critically evaluate financial information and make effective decisions. The basics of corporate sustainability reporting will also be covered. PR: ACCT 501
Lecture, Online. 
1.5 credit hours

This course provides the necessary foundation in probability and statistics necessary for students looking to go on to study the application of statistics to business. In this course, students will learn the rules of probability, how to identify and use common probability distributions, and how to conduct basic hypothesis tests. Online. Offered every semester.
1.5 credit hours

Financial Management is about decisions firms make in two broad areas: the investments it makes and how it pays for them. The first involves expenditures for physical capital, human capital, technological capability, brand capital, and so forth. The second involves raising money in financial markets. In business decision making, the objective is to maximize shareholder wealth. Why the emphasis on shareholders? Among stakeholders generally (i.e., customers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, etc.), shareholders alone possess a uniquely comprehensive and long-term view of the firm’s viability as an ongoing enterprise. This perspective arises from the residual nature of shareholders’ claim to earnings and assets. Wealth is created when the return from investing business resources exceeds their opportunity cost. FINC 501 Finance Fundamentals provides an introduction to fundamental topics which are prerequisite for FINC 530 Financial Management: • Financial Statements and Ratio Analysis • Financial Statement Forecasting • Time Value of Money
Pre-Requisite: ACCT 501 for level GR with minimum grade of C (may be taken concurrently). 
Online. Offered every semester.
3 credit hours

This course is intended to help students become more informed consumers of financial statement information.  It is aimed at developing their understanding of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that underlie external financial reporting and solidify their grasp of key general purpose financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows).  Students will then learn how to analyze and interpret the financial statements to assess the business entity’s profitability, liquidity and solvency and use earnings and cash flow information to value the business entity.  

3 credit hours

Financial Management is about the decisions firms make in two broad areas: the investment it makes and how it pays for them. The first involves expenditures for physical capital, human capital, technology capability, brand capital, and so forth. The second involves raising money in financial markets. In business decision-making, the objective is to maximize shareholder wealth. Why the emphasis on shareholders? Among stakeholders generally (i.e, customers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, etc.), shareholders alone possess a uniquely comprehensive and long-term view of the firm's viability as an ongoing enterprise. This perspective arises from the residual nature of shareholders' claim to earnings and assets. Wealth is created when the return from investing business resources exceeds its opportunity cost. 


FINC 530 Financial Management provides an advanced discussion of the analytical techniques used to assess the impact of business decisions on shareholder value. the course covers these topics:
  • Valuation - stocks, bonds, corporate valuation 
  • Interest rates and financial markets 
  • Investment decision-making (capital budgeting analysis)
  • Risk, return and the opportunity cost of capital 
  • Market efficiency 
  • Capital structure 
PR: FINC 501 with a minimum grade of C, STAT 501 with a minimum grade of C, ACCT 515 with a minimum grade of C
Online, Lecture. 
3 credit hours, offered spring only

Corporate Finance (FINC 613) covers advanced topics in financial analysis and decision making, including advanced valuation, short-term finance, long-term finance (debt and equity), capital structure, payout policy, leasing, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.  Prerequisite FINC 530. Online.

3 credit hours, offered spring only 

This course provides students with a thorough understanding of the operation of the financial system and the role of financial markets and financial institutions in the process of flow of funds. Topics to be covered include the determination and structure of interest rates, the Federal Reserve System and the effects of monetary policies, interest rates, security valuation, the structure of financial markets and financial institutions and their role in their economy, and risk management in financial institutions. 
Prerequisite FINC 530Online.
3 credit hours

Offers students the opportunity to work in teams with a real company to develop an analysis and recommendation in credit analysis, structured finance, project finance, merger, acquisition and/or related topics. Students will utilize methods, skills and techniques acquired in the MSF to solve a real-world business challenge. In doing so, students make high-stakes and impactful recommendations to top management under time-pressure and with high expectations for quality and analysis. 
Prerequisites FINC 530, FINC 613, FINC 617, ACCT 615.