The Master of Science degree allows you to tune your skills and gain expertise in finance in a concentrated period of time. The M.S. requires completing fewer hours than the M.B.A. requires. The program prepares you to be a financial specialist. As a financial specialist, you plan and analyze the financial and monetary aspects and performance of investment firms, financial institutions, regulatory bodies or other organizations.
Career Possibilities
Account Executive
Balanced Fund Manager
Bank Economist
Bond Broker
Bond Trader
Brokerage Office Manager
Business Investor
Capital Budgeting Manager
Capital Budgets Analyst
Commercial Loan Officer
Commodities Brokerage Manager
Controller
Credit Analyst/Manager
Financial Consultant
Investment Banker/Manager
Money Market Analyst
Pension Fund Manager
Revenue Analyst
Securities Advisor
Securities Analyst
Securities Brokerage Manager
Professional Organizations
Students in Finance can join the Financial Management Association (FMA), Student Investment Group (SIG), Insurance Club (IC) and the North Texas Real Estate Club (NTREC) student organizations.
Certification in Finance
Certifications recognized in the financial industry demonstrate a set of knowledge, skills and abilities. You should consider becoming certified as part of your career planning. While not a program requirement, the faculty recommends earning one or several of the following certifications to enhance your competitive position in the job market:
- Chartered Financial Analyst
- Certified Management Accountant
- Certified in Financial Management
- Certified Treasury Professional
- Certified Financial Planner
Course Requirements
Background Courses* (18 hours)
*NOTE: Background courses may be required if your undergraduate degree did not prepare you for current master level courses. Background courses are assessed on an as needed basis after evaluation of undergraduate transcripts.
| ACCT 5020 (3.0 hrs.) | Accumulation and Analysis of Acct. Data |
| DSCI 5010 (1.5 hrs.) | Statistical Analysis |
| ECON 5000 (3 hrs.) | Economic Concepts |
| FINA 5040 (1.5 hrs) | Intro. to Finance and Financial Mathematics |
| MATH 1190 (3 hrs.) | Business Calculus (or other calc. course) |
| DSCI 5180 (3 hrs.) | Introduction to Decision Making |
| FINA 5170 (3 hrs.) | Financial Management |
Required Courses (18 hours)
| FINA 5210 (3 hrs.) | Investment Analysis and Management |
| FINA 5220 (3 hrs.) | Theory and Application of Financial Derivatives |
| FINA 5310 (3 hrs.) | Advanced Topics in Financial Management |
| FINA 5400 (3 hrs.) | Global Financial Markets and Institutions |
| FINA 5500 (3 hrs.) | International Financial Management |
| FINA 5700 (3 hrs.) | Integrative Capstone Course (take last semester) |
Elective Courses (12 hours)
Students will select four courses from the list below. The following are elective choices, but other courses may be considered subject to the approval of the professional field advisor.
| DSCI 5210 (3 hrs.) | Model-Based Decision Making |
| DSCI 5240 (3 hrs.) | Data-Based Decision Support System |
| FINA 5230 (3 hrs.) | Portfolio Mgmt and Security Analysis in Inv. |
| FINA 5410 (3 hrs.) | Advanced Management of Financial Institutions |
| FINA 5510 (3 hrs.) | Theory of Finance |
Internship
You may complete an internship for three hours of pass/no pass credit, upon completion of three hours in your area of study. Your internship will not count towards your degree and may not be taken your first semester. Please see your departmental advisor for more information.
