Courses

Related Subject

Finance

Also see the Master of Liberal Arts in Management and the Certificate in Management.

Courselist

FINC E-100 Principles of Finance
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.

Fall term (12553) (Website) (Printable version): Bruce D. Watson, MA, Lecturer in Economics, Boston University and Visiting Instructor in Economics, Wellesley College.
Wednesdays beginning Sept. 17, 7:35-9:35 pm, Science Center, Hall C. Optional sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

Spring term (23075) (Printable version): Bruce D. Watson, MA, Lecturer in Economics, Boston University and Visiting Instructor in Economics, Wellesley College. Online only beginning January 28. Optional sections to be arranged. See Distance Education.

This course provides an introductory survey of the field of finance. It examines the agents, instruments and institutions that make up the financial system of the modern economy, such as bonds, the stock market, derivatives, and the money market. Along the way, standard concepts and tools of financial analysis are introduced: present discounted value, option value, and the efficient markets hypothesis. Recent developments in the field—in particular, the application of psychology to financial markets (called behavioral finance)—are also discussed. The course is designed to equip students with the tools they need to make their own financial decisions with greater skill and confidence. Specifically, we see how insights from academic finance can inform and improve students' own investing decisions. Prerequisite: high school algebra. (4 credits)

FINC E-105 Financial Statement Analysis
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.

Fall term (12552) (Syllabus) (Printable version): William E. Seltz, MS, Lecturer in Accounting, Boston University.
Mondays beginning Sept. 15, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 213.

Spring term (22359) (Printable version): William E. Seltz, MS, Lecturer in Accounting, Boston University.
Mondays beginning Jan. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 102.

This course presents financial statement analysis from the point of view of the primary and everyday users of financial statements: company managers, lenders, and stock investors. The objective is to provide the insight with which to recognize and appreciate the messages, biases, and limitations of financial statements. The course reviews basic financial statements and covers issues such as revenue recognition, earnings quality, cash flow, and ratio analysis. Common size statements and trend analysis are done using spreadsheet software, and a company analysis is performed. Prerequisites: ACCT E-100, or the equivalent required; ACCT E-120 and FINC E-130 helpful. (4 credits)

FINC E-120 Project Financing (23086) (Website) (Printable version)
Viney Sawhney, MS, Adjunct Faculty Member in Finance, Carroll School of Management, Boston College.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Thursdays beginning Jan. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 103.

Employing a carefully engineered financing mix, project financing has long been used to fund large-scale natural resource projects, from pipelines and refineries to electric generating facilities. It has also been used on many high-profile corporate projects, including Euro Disneyland and Euro Tunnel. Project financing discipline includes understanding the rationale, how to prepare the financial plan, assess the risks, design the financing mix, and raise the funds. In addition, this technique helps to understand why some financing plans succeed and others fail. This course provides students with the theoretical and conceptual tools necessary for financial analysis and decision making in relation to project finance. (4 credits)

FINC E-130 Managerial Finance
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725.

Fall term (12544) (Printable version):

*** FINC E-130 (Fall term) has been CANCELED.***

Spring term (23065) (Website) (Printable version): C. Bülent Aybar, PhD, Professor of International Finance, Southern New Hampshire University.
Mondays beginning Jan. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 214.

This course deals with managing business funds and planning their use to accomplish the objectives of the organization. Topics include techniques of financial analysis such as budgeting, ratio analysis, pro forma projections, and discounted cash flow analysis; the domestic and international financial environment; the sources and forms of external financing; problems of capital structure and dividend policy; capital budgeting and cost of capital; and approaches to the valuation of a business or company. Prerequisite: introductory accounting course, or the equivalent. (4 credits)

FINC E-135 Business Analysis and Valuation (22396) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Viktoria Dalko, PhD, Professor of Finance, International Executive Master's Program, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Wednesdays beginning Jan. 28, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 306. Optional sections to be arranged.

Knowing how to value a company is important for analysts in a range of fields, including banking, investments, mergers and acquisitions, management communications, and venture capital. This course covers the four key components of effective business analysis: business strategy analysis, accounting analysis, financial analysis, and prospective analysis. The valuation techniques examined include traditional discounted cash flow and multiple earnings models as well as techniques that link value directly to accounting numbers. An important part of the course is discussion of corporate social responsibility and its effect on sustainable profitability. Prerequisites: introductory accounting and managerial finance. (4 credits)

FINC E-140 Corporate Finance (12509) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Hamza Abdurezak, MPA2, PhD, President, Investment Valuation Group.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Fall term: Mondays beginning Sept. 15, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 102. Optional sections Saturdays, 10-11 am.

The goal of this course is to develop skills for making corporate investment decisions and for analyzing risk. Topics include discounted cash flow and other valuation techniques; risk and return; capital asset pricing model; corporate capital structure and financial policy; capital budgeting; mergers and acquisitions; and investment and financing decisions in the international context, including exchange rate/interest rate risk analysis. Prerequisite: introductory accounting course helpful. (4 credits)

FINC E-142 Mergers and Acquisitions (22764) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Viktoria Dalko, PhD, Professor of Finance, International Executive Master's Program, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Tuesdays beginning Jan. 27, 7:35-9:35 pm, Northwest Science Building, Room B108. Optional sections to be arranged.

The course focuses on the design, analysis, and implementation of financial strategies aimed at repositioning and revitalizing companies faced with major competitive or environmental challenges, problems, and opportunities. The course helps students to understand how to create corporate value by restructuring a company or by combining businesses. After reviewing valuation methods based on strategic, ratio, and financial forecasting analysis, we analyze cases of the different solutions: leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, corporate downsizing programs, mergers and acquisitions, corporate spinoffs, divestitures, joint ventures and alliances. Emphasis is given to contemporary expectations and requirements of good governance, based on the roles corporations play in society, and the timing and principles of merger integration. Prerequisite: managerial or corporate finance. (4 credits)

FINC E-143 Investment Theory and Applications
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.

Fall term (12613) (Syllabus) (Printable version): Donald L. Santini, DBA, Senior Lecturer on Finance and Economics, Boston University.
Thursdays beginning Sept. 18, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 203.

Spring term (22427) (Printable version): Donald L. Santini, DBA, Senior Lecturer on Finance and Economics, Boston University.
Tuesdays beginning Jan. 27, 5:30-7:30 pm, Emerson Hall, Room 104.

This course introduces the concepts of investment theory and their applications in practice. It starts with an overview of different securities and markets. We discuss portfolio theory, the capital asset pricing model, and other models. The process of equity valuation is examined. This is followed by an introduction to fixed-income securities, options, futures, and other derivative instruments. We also discuss portfolio management. Throughout, the emphasis is on applying theory to practice. Prerequisite: FINC E-130, or the equivalent. (4 credits)

FINC E-144 Investment Management (22882)
(Printable version)
Hamza Abdurezak, MPA2, PhD, President, Investment Valuation Group.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Mondays beginning Jan. 26, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 102.

The objective of this course is to develop the analytical skill sets required for risk and portfolio management in a global context. Topics covered include asset allocation; security selection; passive and active equity and fixed income portfolio management; management of alternative investments such as hedge funds and private equity; portfolio risk management using derivatives; trade execution of portfolio decisions; portfolio monitoring and rebalancing; and performance evaluation and attribution. The course examines the investment decisions faced by institutional investors such as mutual funds, pension funds, endowments, foundations, banks, and insurance companies, and addresses private retirement and wealth management decisions. The course takes a global approach with asset class and country selections/allocations, spanning instruments traded in both developed economies and emerging markets. Prerequisites: FINC E-140 or FINC E-143, or good finance and investment background. (4 credits)

FINC E-145 Real Estate Finance and Investment Fundamentals (12554) (Website) (Printable version)
Edward H. Marchant, MBA, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Fall term: Mondays beginning Sept. 15, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 106.

This course focuses on understanding, calculating, and analyzing potential cash flow, tax, and future benefits for representative real estate asset types from a variety of perspectives, including those of a developer, investor, lender, and broker. A framework to analyze the quantitative and nonquantitative risks and rewards of existing and proposed real estate projects is used to make specific financing and investment recommendations. Prerequisite: although no prior real estate experience is required, students must be willing to work with numbers, attend all classes, and participate actively in class discussions. (4 credits)

FINC E-150 Personal Financial Planning
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.

Fall term, section 1 (12542) (Syllabus) (Printable version): Mark Passacantando, MBA, Managing Member, Financial Planning Partners, LLC.
Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 214.

Fall term, section 2 (13264) (Syllabus) (Printable version): Mark Passacantando, MBA, Managing Member, Financial Planning Partners, LLC.
Wednesdays beginning Sept. 17, 5:30-7:30 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 103.

Spring term (22344) (Printable version): Mark Passacantando, MBA, Managing Member, Financial Planning Partners, LLC.
Tuesdays beginning Jan. 27, 5:30-7:30 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 103.

This course examines the principal financial issues facing an individual in today's complex financial environment. The course enables students to make informed decisions in the context of their own specific situations so that the chance of success is maximized and risks are minimized. Focus is on practical strategies that produce results. Areas of study include budgeting; taxation; managing credit; investments; health, life, disability, and long-term care insurance; and retirement and estate planning. (4 credits)

FINC E-160 Global Financial Markets (22316) (Website) (Printable version)
Lal C. Chugh, PhD, Professor of Finance, University of Massachusetts Boston. C. Bülent Aybar, PhD, Professor of International Finance, Southern New Hampshire University.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Mondays beginning Jan. 26, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 214. Optional sections to be arranged.

The course discusses the various financing alternatives available to multinational corporations in financial markets in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It also discusses the uses of funds for multinational corporations in the context of fluctuating exchange rates and different inflation rates in various countries. Specifically, the course covers capital budgeting for multinational corporations, Eurodollar and other financial markets, equity markets, swaps, and private placement in the international context. Prerequisite: introductory course in finance, accounting, or economics, or equivalent experience. (4 credits)

FINC E-170 The International Economy and Business (12518) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Lal C. Chugh, PhD, Professor of Finance, University of Massachusetts Boston. Wendy M. Jeffus, PhD, Lecturer in Finance, Boston College and Visiting Assistant Professor, Clark University.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Fall term: Mondays beginning Sept. 15, 5:30-7:30 pm, Emerson Hall, Room 101. Optional sections to be arranged.

The objective of the course is to enhance our understanding of various economies of the world and their interdependence. In addition, the course discusses implications for conducting business in different parts of the world. Topics include national income accounting, monetary and financial systems, exchange rate systems, international competitiveness, country risk analysis, and international capital flows. For students who wish to understand the practical implications of the growing international marketplace. (4 credits)

FINC E-190 Private Equity (23091)
(Printable version)
Gitanjali Meher Swamy, MBA, PhD, General Partner, The Zuci Group.
Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Spring term: Wednesdays beginning Jan. 28, 5:30-7:30 pm, Northwest Science Building, Room B101.

This course introduces private equity (PE) and its practice today under extra-normal growth, inefficient markets, rapid globalization, and cycles of growth-disillusionment. It covers the selection, operation, and assessment of direct/indirect PE investments and includes practical frameworks and tools for evaluation; operating best-practices; impacts of geography, product, and industry; compensation; contract structures; economics; returns; and governance. Prerequisites: FINC E-100, E-130, or E-140, or the equivalent; basic mathematics (MATH E-3, or the equivalent); E-1012 recommended but not required. (4 credits)