A master's program in finance explores both the theoretical aspects of finance and the methods analysts use daily. The courses form the core of the program, much like a student's undergraduate general education coursework. For example, students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan school are required to take finance theory, which covers the operation of capital markets, risk analysis, theory of efficient markets, valuation theory and investment decisions. Sloan's other required course, corporate financial accounting, provides students an interdisciplinary understanding of business through discussions of cash flow discounting, employee performance evaluation, risk assessment and alternative investments.
Master's degree curriculums offer courses that introduce students to different markets around the world. For example, students in Vanderbuilt University's master's of finance program will take classes in international finance markets, advanced fixed income markets, bond markets and equities markets, plus a topic in the law and financing of equities markets. Students at MIT Sloan take a course in options and future markets, covering hedging and synthetic asset creation, exotic options and determining upcoming prices. While learning about markets, students cover related topics such as interest rates, mortgage-backed securities, trading styles, market efficiency and market operation.
Whether you plan to apply your degree in finance at a Fortune 500 company, a small private business or nonprofit organization, most schools make sure to include coursework in corporate policies. Students in masters programs take courses such as Vanderbuilt's risk management, financial reporting, game theory and business strategy, negotiation and active portfolio management classes. The information disseminated in these classes may be applied to the scenario you find yourself working in or just serve as an educational framework of the financial marketplace. Schools may also include general classes which may be used within any type of organization or business, such as MIT Sloan's class on business analysis using financial statements, which covers company performance assessment, mergers, decision making and credit analysis.