Master of Science (MS) in Finance Management

The MS in Finance Management degree program enables students with undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in business to gain an in-depth and applied understanding of the complexities and functions of finance professionals in a globally competitive and rapidly changing business environment. This specialized degree program is designed to address major financial issues facing firms such as capital sourcing, foreign and domestic investment risk, financial performance assessment, and financial forecasting and planning. The coursework draws heavily on actual business firms’ financial practice and experience and the distinctive differences between operating a purely domestic versus a global or international business. This program prepares students for understanding of the tools and techniques used in sophisticated financial analysis, planning and forecasting as well as current business financial functions and practice.

The MS degrees are designed for those qualified students who have an undergraduate and/or graduate degree in business and desire to acquire professional-level skills and knowledge in a specific business discipline. The programs academic structure includes required five (5) core courses and a set of special elective courses, all of which support the student’s efforts to gain an in-depth and applied understanding of the business area they have chosen for their continuing professional and career growth. The availability of a broad selection of elective courses provides students with the opportunity to tailor their degree program to their academic backgrounds and career interests. Students with undergraduate or graduate business degrees are required to complete at least 36 semester credit units of courses in order to earn the MS degrees. Students who do not have previous post-secondary education in areas important for major studies, may be required to complete up to 18 units of courses in the following areas: business foundations, accounting, mathematics, economics, statistics, finance, management, psychology, marketing, or computer science. Foundation courses will be determined based on the assessment by the Provost, Dean, or Registrar. Appropriate adjustments, based on individual background, may lead to different foundation requirements. All foundation courses should be completed during the first 24 credit units of the study and time needed for the completion is not included in MTDC.

MS core courses on 300 level consist of four 3-unit courses (M1/M2) given in a form of 45 hours of lectures each. MS five 4-unit elective courses (M2R) on 400 level and one 4-unit core course on 400 level (M2RA) consist of lecture and a faculty-supervised practicum research component. The lecture component consists of 45 hours of lectures and is classroom-based. The practicum component is based on an instructor-approved independent study project that should be research-based and consists of 45 hours of out-of-classroom work. Supervision by the instructor will include continuous monitoring of the student’s progress in terms of their study project’s stated objectives, evaluation of the student’s final written project report, and its oral presentation in front of a committee of at least one faculty member (different from the advisor). This will give students consulting and presentation experiences. Graduate Internship and Report (BA 481, BA 482) courses are focused on a student’s specific internship and an analytical report about it with total supervised work of at least 180 hours. The course is finalized by a written document, reviewed by an instructor and its oral presentation.

Students enrolled in the MS programs are expected to maintain their grades corresponding to the policy of satisfactory progress and the following chart. The chart specifies the criteria for achieving satisfactory academic progress for full-time students (no transfers) in the University MS program based on the allowable maximum number of semester credit hours attempted (part-time students are evaluated proportionally to the taken part of a program; foundation courses are not included in SAP; students who changed their program will be evaluated on all courses taken):

*    Units attempted means courses’ units for which the students have incurred a financial obligation or for which any university scholarship funds have been disbursed.

To receive the MS degree, students should satisfy the grade and GPA requirements described in the chart above and course requirements summarized in the program chart for  MS in FM  degree. A maximum of 9 graduate credit units may be transferred from other institutions of higher education or working experience. A maximum of 18 units can be accepted from a different graduate program at LU. A grade of C or better is required in all courses to fulfill degree requirements for graduate programs. Academic credit received six (6) years or more before the program completion will be deemed “no longer applicable”.

Students must successfully complete 36 graduate units of required coursework to complete the MS in FM degree program. The estimated time for degree completion (ETDC) for MS in FM program is 2 (two) years. The estimated tuition and fees for completion of MS in FM degree program is listed below:

*NOTE: For a full-time graduate student taking 9 units per semester. The tuition and fees posted above are estimates based on current approved amount and are subject to change. Thus, the final amount may differ from the amounts shown above.