The Master of Science in Finance offers a specialized curriculum with focused training in finance. The degree is designed to offer advanced, applied, and theoretical experience in investment banking, corporate finance and/or financial derivatives. The University of Alabama is recognized through the CFA Institute.
“During the past year in the master’s program, I have gained multiple connections, became involved in unique partnerships and initiatives, and amassed a vast knowledge of the finance world.”
Danielle Spencer (M.S. in Finance, 2023)
Winner, 2023 Malone Awards Outstanding Graduate
Corporate Banking Analyst, Regions Bank
The Master of Science in Finance offers a specialized curriculum with focused training in finance. The course of study is designed to provide insight into the following topics:
The Master of Science in Finance program is a one-year program starting in the fall semester of the calendar year.
Information on courses for the program can be found in the UA course catalog.
The following are examples of focused areas of study that students can pursue. You are not required to follow a particular area. The corporate finance focus area of study is designed for MSF students seeking careers in major corporations, such as Home Depot, International Paper, and Federal Express. The financial engineering focused area of study is designed for MSF students seeking careers in the financial services industry, such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Regions Bank.
With the explosive growth of derivative contracts such as options, futures, and swaps, as well as an ever-expanding set of newly designed securities, such as mortgage-backed securities and structured notes, the demand for people with distinct competencies in this subject area has grown. Responding to this demand, we offer the financial engineering focused area of study converging on modern techniques for managing financial risk.
The Financial Engineering focused area of study within the MSF is available to students with a strong quantitative mathematics background. The main focus of this focused area of study is mastering modern techniques for managing financial risk. Students selecting this concentration will have the opportunity to be trained in state-of-the-art techniques in valuing derivative instruments as well as managing financial risk with these derivative instruments. An emphasis will be made on computer-based solution design within an object-oriented framework.
With the increasing importance of corporate finance, the demand for people with the ability to make wise corporate finance decisions has grown. Responding to this demand, The University of Alabama’s Department of Economics, Finance and Legal Studies offers a sequence of classes focusing on modern techniques for solving corporate finance problems.
The Corporate Finance focused area of study within the MSF program is designed to offer advanced applied expertise in financial decision-making. The main objective of this focused area of study is to analyze and solve financial and strategic business problems. Students selecting this concentration will have the opportunity to apply financial concepts to real-world business problems focusing on areas of corporate finance that are not addressed in undergraduate finance curricula. This focused area of study is designed to provide students with the more advanced background necessary to work in the problem-solving areas of major corporations, in the business consulting area with an investment banking firm, or in setting up and running the financial aspects of a small business enterprise.
The real estate focused are of study is designed to provide students interested in real estate related careers with a rigorous background in real estate fundamentals, including real estate finance, valuation, real estate taxation and investment analysis. Students will also be introduced to property management and land use and development concepts in order to support multiple career development paths.
Interdisciplinary courses covering asset and portfolio analysis, banking, quantitative methods, and economics support the real estate focused area of study, which is structured to encourage analytical thinking, creative problem solving, and strategic decision making.
Admissions into the Master of Science in Finance program are accepted on a rolling basis.
Requirements for entry into the program are listed below:
Information on tuition and the cost of attending graduate school at The University of Alabama can be found on the UA student accounts website.
Manderson students who have completed the Master of Science in Finance program have been employed at:
Q: What are the prerequisites for the MSF program?
A: Before commencing the MSF program, the student is advised to have completed the equivalent of undergraduate courses in accounting, statistics, calculus, economics, and finance. We recommend taking the appropriate courses prior to entering the MSF program because it rectifies any deficiencies.
Q: What preparations should I make before entering the MSF program?
A: The MSF program at the University of Alabama is extremely quantitative. Therefore, a strong quantitative background in statistics and calculus is highly recommended.
Q: How many students are typically admitted to the program?
A: From 20 to 25 students are usually admitted each year.
Q: What is the profile of the typical student in the program?
A: The average GPA and GMAT scores vary from year to year. In recent years, the average accepted students GMAT was 680 and GPA was 3.6. Applicants are rarely accepted with GMAT scores below 640.
Q: Are there any scholarships available?
A: Please refer to the financial support page on the graduate school website for potential scholarships. Presently, the MSF program does not have any scholarships specifically dedicated to it.
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