Graduate Department of Finance
College of Business
Website: https://business.fsu.edu/departments/finance
Chair: William A. Christiansen; Professors: Ang, Cheng, Hutton, Peterson; Associate Professors: Autore, Christiansen, Perfect; Assistant Professors: Dougal, Maleki, Mityakov; Senior Lecturer: Bliss, Mahon, G. Smith; Assistant Lecturer: Herring, Khoshnoud, Schrowang, D. Smith, Wang; Adjunct in Finance: Syyrud; Patty Hill Smith Eminent Scholar in Finance: Cheng; Bank of America Eminent Scholar in Finance: Ang; Bank of America Professor of Finance: Peterson; Truist Professor of Finance: Christiansen; Gene Taylor/Bank of America Professor: Hutton; Dean L. Cash Professors of Finance: Autore
The Department of Finance faculty has diverse interests spanning all areas of finance including financial management, investments, financial institutions and markets, multinational financial management, financial modeling, and quantitative methods. The faculty possesses a commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service activities.
The fundamental responsibilities of the finance faculty are to preserve existing knowledge, to create new knowledge, and to transmit knowledge to others. To transmit knowledge to the graduate student a variety of teaching techniques and methodologies are employed, including case studies, lectures, simulations, computer modeling, oral and written presentations, discussions groups, study groups, co-research projects, and independent study and research.
The faculty members consider their research activity important for two reasons. First, the constant search for, and testing of, new knowledge is a basic foundation of economic progress. Second, as the financial and economic environment changes, current knowledge may become obsolete. The finance faculty members are involved in the development of new financial and management techniques so that their students are prepared to meet the challenges they will face during their careers. The faculty's research appears in many scholarly publications.
The finance faculty is dedicated to the advancement of the finance profession not only through its teaching and research activities but also through its involvement with outside government, business, academic, and professional organizations.
For additional information related to graduate Finance programs, contact the Graduate Office, College of Business, P.O. Box 3061110, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1110, or via e-mail at gradprograms@business.fsu.edu or visit https://business.fsu.edu/graduate.
Combined Bachelor's in Real Estate/Master of Science in Finance Pathway (BS-RE/MSF)
There is substantial growing demand for students with advanced training and graduate preparation in the area of real estate finance and investment. Outstanding opportunities in real estate investment, lending, asset management, valuation, brokerage, and other service areas are expanding within institutional investors, investment banks, private equity firms, portfolio lenders, pension funds, and other service providers. Students with a strong combination of advanced analytical skills in finance and real estate are ideally suited to compete for positions emerging within leading companies.
Students will need to apply for admission to the combined BS-RE/MSF pathway in their junior year to take graduate courses in their senior year. Admission requires an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher, an upper-division GPA of 3.2 or higher, and an upper-division GPA of 3.2 or higher in their upper division finance and real estate courses. Admitted students are then able to register during their senior year for up to nine semester hours of graduate courses that count towards both the BS-RE and MSF degrees. Students admitted to the combined BS-RE/MSF pathway will still be required to apply for the MSF program, which begins in the second six-weeks of the summer semester and is completed the following spring semester, through the regular process in their senior year. For more information, please visit https://business.fsu.edu/combined-pathways.
Combined Bachelor's in Finance/Master of Science in Finance Pathway (BS-MSF)
There is growing demand for students with advanced training and graduate preparation in finance. Among the best opportunities for MSF graduates are chief technology officer, computer and information systems manager, financial manager, health services manager, high-end management consultant, information technology director, investment banker, investment fund manager, marketing manager, and sales manager. Students with an advanced foundation in finance are ideally suited to compete for these positions.
Students will need to apply for admission to the combined BS-MSF pathway in the fall or spring of their junior year for the following fall. Admission will require an overall GPA of at least 3.4, an upper-division GPA of at least 3.2 and an upper-division finance GPA of at least 3.2 based on at least two upper-division finance courses at the time of application. Admitted students are then able to register during their senior year for up to nine semester hours of graduate courses that count towards both the BS-FIN and MSF degrees. Students admitted to the combined BS-MSF pathway will still be required to apply for the MSF program through the regular process in their senior year. Combined pathway students must maintain an average of 3.00 GPA or higher in graduate coursework. For more information, please visit https://business.fsu.edu/combined-pathways.
Combined Bachelor's in Finance/ Master of Business Administration Pathway (BS-FIN/MBA)
At Florida State University there is a unique opportunity to leverage our strong undergraduate program in Finance and our Master of Business Administration {MBA) program to provide students with the academic and professional preparation to take advantage of available opportunities. Through a variety of professional development programs offered by the finance student groups and several finance-related speaker series, undergraduate finance students have strong networking and professional development skills that allow them to create promising career paths. By allowing the top undergraduate finance students to take the elective finance courses in the MBA program their senior year, we are creating several key advantages for the students. By taking the graduate courses in their undergraduate program, it will allow the students to gain advanced, discipline-specific skills that will hopefully lead to stronger internships between the completion of their undergraduate degrees (typically in spring) and the start of their Master of Business Administration program in the fall. This should lead to stronger placements overall.
Students will need to apply for admission to the combined BS-FIN/MBA pathway in the fall or spring of their junior year for the following fall. Admission will require an overall GPA of at least 3.4, an upper-division GPA of at least 3.2 and an upper-division finance GPA of at least 3.2 based on at least two upper-division finance courses at the time of application. Admitted students are then able to register during their senior year for up to nine semester hours of graduate courses that count towards both the BS-FIN and MBA degrees. Students admitted to the combined BS-FIN/MBA pathway will still be required to apply for the MBA program through the regular process in their senior year.
Combined pathway students must maintain an average of 3.00 GPA or higher in graduate coursework.
This program also creates a unique opportunity for students wishing to go directly to work and then enter our part-time or online MBA program. Students entering this program within four years of undergraduate graduation will still be able to use these credits as long as they are able to graduate within seven years of the first graduate course. For more information, please visit https://business.fsu.edu/combined-pathways.
Master's Degree
The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) is a one-year, lock-step program that emphasizes the applied aspects of finance. All students start in the second six-weeks of the Summer semester and complete the program the following Spring semester. The program consists of thirty-two semester hours and includes a blend of theory, empirical analysis, and applications. The application deadline is March 1st.
The MSF program also offers a specialization in real estate finance and investment in which students focus on real estate finance courses instead of risk management and investment or international banking courses.
The college offers the Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree. As the ever-changing economic, political, and social trends place expanding needs and expectations on businesses, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations, the demand for a wider range of financial and management skills has never been greater. The effective functioning of our economic and financial system is a concern to all members of our society. The MBA focuses on assembling, acquiring, and developing knowledge and skills that are related to the effective workings of our economic and financial system. For information on master's degrees, please visit https://business.fsu.edu/graduate.
Doctoral Degree
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in business administration is offered by the college. The Department of Finance offers a concentration in finance. The finance doctoral program facilitates the development of a solid foundation in the use of analytical and research tools applicable to finance problems and a thorough understanding of modern finance theory and applications. The primary objective of the curriculum is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for prospective teachers and researchers in finance. The employment goal of most finance doctoral students is to teach and conduct research at the college or university level. However, many employment opportunities for PhD graduates exist in government and business.
The prospective finance doctoral student must meet college-wide admission standards and be recommended by the finance faculty. Students plan their program in consultation with the finance doctoral advisor and an advisory committee. The student must complete the courses in the finance primary area, a support area, and the analytical and research tools area. The support area can be chosen from another area of business or from a non-business discipline such as economics, mathematics, or statistics. Extensive student-faculty interaction is stressed throughout the program and culminates in the completion and defense of a dissertation under the guidance of the finance faculty. For current information, please visit https://business.fsu.edu/phd.
Definition of Prefixes
ECP—Economic Problems and Policy
FIN—Finance
GEB—General Business
MAN—Management
Graduate Courses
Master's
Note: The 5000-level courses are reserved exclusively for graduate students. Courses which may be repeated for credit are designated by "r" immediately following the course number.
ECP 5706. Economic Analysis for Management (3). An examination of managerial concepts underlying business activity as related to the production of management and the process of decision making.
FIN 5108. Fundamentals of Personal Finance (3). This course covers personal finance and financial planning and is an introduction to an individual's financial decisions. Course topics include budgeting, saving, insuring, debt servicing, investing, retiring, and estate planning by individuals. Cannot be applied for credit for any graduate business degree.
FIN 5306. Investment Banking (3). This course introduces the structure and major activities of investment banks, including trends in the investment banking business.
FIN 5317. Financial Institutions and Risk Management (3). Prerequisites: FIN 4424 and FIN 4504 or their equivalents. This course covers the identification of key risks facing bank managers, as well as modern techniques for measuring, pricing, and managing those risks.
FIN 5425. Problems in Financial Management (3). Prerequisite: ACG 5026. This advanced-case course includes an in-depth study of topics such as the investment, financing, and dividend decisions of the firms and the valuation theory.
FIN 5455. Financial Data Analytics (3). Prerequisites: FIN 4424 and FIN 4504. This course provides an introduction and understanding of how financial data analytics are used in business, specifically through the use of R. Students develop data analysis skills that enable them to implement financial modeling across a variety of topics while utilizing a variety of common financial and economic data sources.
FIN 5515. Investment Management and Analysis (3). Prerequisite: FIN 5425. This course offers an analysis of financial assets with emphasis on the securities market, the valuation of individual securities, and portfolio management.
FIN 5537. Financial Derivatives and Risk Management (3). Prerequisites: FIN 4504 or FIN 5515 or equivalent. This course covers issues related to the pricing and application of futures, swaps, and options. Emphasis is placed on different methods of valuing derivative securities and of hedging macroeconomic and firm-specific risks. The course examines real-world examples of derivative uses and how they impact firm value.
FIN 5545. Fixed Income Securities (3). This course describes important fixed income securities and markets and develops tools for valuing fixed income securities and managing interest rate risk. The course covers traditional bonds and term structure concepts as well as fixed income derivatives and interest rate modeling.
FIN 5605. Multinational Financial Management (3). Environment of international markets and institutions, with emphasis on implications of international business on capital budgeting, working capital management, and capital procurement.
FIN 5840. Applied Econometrics in Finance (3). Prerequisites: FIN 4504 or FIN 4424 or equivalent. This course covers statistical techniques commonly employed in financial studies. Students examine actual applications within a variety of financial studies in order to learn how to conduct statistical tests and interpret their results, and also familiarize themselves with WRDS and a variety of databases in order to learn how to conduct research.
FIN 5906r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Consent of associate dean for academic programs. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours.
FIN 5907r. Special Studies in Management (1–3). Prerequisite: Consent of associate dean for academic programs. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours.
FIN 5917r. Supervised Research (1–3). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Consent of associate dean for academic programs. This course is for master's candidates only. A maximum of three hours may apply towards the master's degree. May be repeated to a maximum of five credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.
FIN 5935r. Seminar on Current Topics in Finance (3). This seminar is an in-depth study of current topics in finance. May be repeated to a maximum of nine credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.
GEB 5907r. Special Studies in Business (1–3). May be repeated to a maximum of three semester hours.
GEB 5932r. Professional Development (1–3). This course surveys professional development and familiarizes students with various aspects of successful career preparation and position acquisition, as well as crucial team participation skills and an understanding of workplace dynamics.
MAN 5716. Business Conditions Analysis (3). Problems of managing the firm in relation to the changing economic environment. Analysis of major business fluctuations and development of forecasting techniques.
Doctoral
Note: The doctoral curriculum includes courses selected from the following in addition to those offered at the 5000 level.
FIN 6449. Seminar in Finance (3). This seminar focuses on the corporate finance literature with topics including the theory of financial management, cash and working capital management, capital budgeting and rationing; and financing decisions of the firm.
FIN 6527. Seminar in Finance - Investments (3). Prerequisite: FIN 6842. This seminar studies the development of investment theories and empirical research. Topics include asset pricing, utility analysis, risk measurement, the structure and efficiency of security markets, as well as other current issues in investments.
FIN 6709. Seminar in Finance (1–3). The advanced study of financial institutions and markets, monetary theory and policy, economic forecasting, and domestic and international capital markets.
FIN 6804. Foundations of Financial Theory (3). This course places emphasis on the foundations of financial theories and provides an in-depth examination of the major theoretical developments in finance, including the study of related empirical tests.
FIN 6842. Research Methods in Finance (3). Prerequisite: FIN 6804.This course offers a critical examination of empirical research in finance and its related issues including design, methodology, analysis, and critique. Students utilize financial databases with appropriate quantitative techniques to design and conduct empirical research.
FIN 6917r. Supervised Research (1–3). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Consent of associate dean for academic programs. May be repeated to a maximum of five credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.
FIN 6946r. Supervised Teaching (1–3). (S/U grade only. Prerequisite: Consent of associate dean for academic programs. May be repeated to a maximum of five credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.
FIN 6980r. Dissertation (1–12). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: Admission to doctoral candidacy. A minimum of twenty-four semester hours is required. A minimum of twenty-four credit hours is required. May be repeated within the same term.
FIN 8964r. Doctoral Preliminary Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) May be taken up to two times. May be repeated within the same term.
FIN 8985r. Dissertation Defense Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) May be repeated within the same term.
GEB 6904r. Readings For Examination (1–12). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: All coursework required for PhD. This course is designed for PhD students who have completed all of their required coursework and are preparing to sit for their preliminary examinations in the current semester. May be repeated to a maximum of twenty-four semester hours.