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The Master of Science in Finance program requires 36 credit hours of graduate coursework in Finance (either 10 courses plus a 6 credit hour project, completed in pairs, or 12 courses). Graduation for students starting in the fall is intended to be mid-August or December of the following year. Students wishing to enroll part-time can contact the department for details.
The department offers two tracks in our MSF program, Investment Management and Corporate Finance. Planning your curricula around these tracks enhances your job opportunities. The department's tracks are designed to help you establish a plan and communicate your plan with recruiters through your resume, cover letters, and interviews.
The Master's in Finance Program at the University of Arizona has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. This status is granted to institutions whose degree programs incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), which provide students with a solid grounding the Candidate Body of Knowledge and positions them well to sit for the CFA exams.
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association®, the global leader in alternative investment education, and the University of Arizona have formed a strategic partnership between the CAIA Association and the University’s Eller College of Management. The MSF program covers at least 60% of the CAIA exam curriculum.
The department offers programs leading to a Master of Science in Finance (MSF) and the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Management and a concentration in Finance (Finance Ph.D.). The department also participates in the program leading to the Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
The Master of Science in Finance requires 36 credit hours of graduate coursework in Finance (either 10 courses plus a 6 credit hour project, completed in pairs, or 12 courses). Graduation for students starting in the fall is intended to be mid-August or December of the following year. Students wishing to enroll part-time can contact the department for details.
The Ph.D. in Management with a Major in Finance offered is designed to lead to a career of scholarly research and teaching in finance. The duration of the program is approximately four years, depending on an individual's background and his or her progress. The first two years of the program are dedicated to coursework. The emphasis during the third and fourth years of the program is primarily on writing a dissertation and coursework in a more narrow area of interest. The dissertation must demonstrate to the faculty the student's ability to produce advanced research in finance.
Application requirements are available from the department programs' webpages.
Eller College of Management
University of Arizona - Main - Tucson
To expedite the processing of your application follow these instructions carefully. All information must be received for an application to be considered complete.
All applicants should add email.arizona.edu, eller.arizona.edu and grad.arizona.edu ;to their authorized email sites to avoid important mail regarding the application to be tagged as junk mail.
Students without extensive finance or accounting (senior-level) coursework may be required to take perquisite coursework in the summer prior to starting the MSF program. Online modules offered through the University of Arizona Outreach College and taught by a Finance Department faculty member may be recommended or required. Details of possible prerequisite requirements are available here.
Application package requirements are detailed on the department website at https://eller.arizona.edu/programs/masters/finance/admissions.
Full instructions and requirements are included in the online application.
In addition to completing this online application, you are required to send Official Transcripts from all institutions (except UA).
Transcripts may be submitted online by oby e-transcript process to transcripts@email.arizona.edu.
Alternatively, hard copy physical transcripts may be sent directly to the Finance Department at:
The Department of Finance is provided a modest amount of set-aside scholarship funds each August by the Eller College of Management for MSF students. All incoming MSF students are eligible for fall semester set-aside scholarships. Awards are based on undergraduate academic performance and merits based on students' application packages.
The department does not have funds for assistantships nor tuition waivers for MSF students.
More details are available at https://eller.arizona.edu/programs/masters/finance/roi.
International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.
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The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program requires 36 credit hours of approved 500-level finance coursework, 24 credit hours within a specific track of study as described below. There are now two program length options of study available to students.
Students are required to complete one of the two tracks of approved curriculum and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA during the program. More information on the requirements of each track is available at https://eller.arizona.edu/programs/masters/finance/program/tracks.
Investment Management Track - Required Courses (All courses are 3 units.)
The Investment Management track is designed for students seeking a career in investment management/capital markets. The following eight classes (24 units) are required in this track:
Course Number Course Title Term Offered
FIN 516 Financial Statement Analysis for Investment Management Fall
FIN 521 Investment Analysis Fall
FIN 522 Advanced Risk Management and Derivatives Fall
FIN 542 Fixed Income Fall
FIN 514 International Finance Spring
FIN 524 Applied Risk Management Spring
FIN 525 Empirical Finance Methods Spring
FIN 526 Portfolio Management Theory Spring
Corporate Finance Track - Required Courses (All courses are 3 units.)
The corporate finance track is designed to familiarize students with the financial decisions made and decision-making tools used by corporate financial managers. The following five classes and three of five electives (totally 24 units) are required in this track:
Required courses in Corporate Finance Track (15 units) --
Course Number Course Title Term Offered
FIN 512 Advanced Corporate Finance Fall
FIN 513 Valuation Modeling Fall
FIN 521 Investment Analysis Fall
FIN 525 Empirical Finance Methods Spring
FIN 532 Corporate Finance Strategy Spring
Three of the five following corporate finance electives required in the Corporate Finance track (9 units) --
Course Number Course Title Term Offered
FIN 514 International Finance Spring
FIN 516 Financial Statement Analysis for Investment Management Fall
FIN 536. New Venture Finance Fall
FIN 531. Financial Intermediaries Spring
FIN 560. Real Estate Finance Spring
For students completing the 12-month program, a minimum of 2 elective courses (6 units) are required.
For students completing the 16-month program, a minimum of 4 elective courses (12 units) are required.
If not required or chosen as part of the specified track above, elective finance master's coursework includes:
FIN 512. Advanced Corporate Finance
FIN 513. Valuation Modeling
FIN 514. International Finance
FIN 516. Financial Statement Anal. for Invstmt Mgmt
FIN 522. Advanced Risk Management & Derivatives
FIN 523A*. Applied Portfolio Management
FIN 523B*. Applied Portfolio Management
FIN 526. Portfolio Management Theory
FIN 531. Financial Intermediaries
FIN 532. Corporate Finance Strategy
FIN 536. New Venture Finance
FIN 542. Fixed Income
FIN 552. Special Topics: Behavioral Finance
All courses are 3 units.
Note: Under exceptional circumstances a class in graduate accounting or statistics may be approved. Formal request is required.
In addition to completing the course requirements of the track chosen above, a master's project of 6 units is required for students choosing the 12-month length of the program.
Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.
| Program-level Information | |
|---|---|
| Application Acceptance Rate | 74.32% |
| Med. Time-to-degree (years) | 1.50 |
| Department-level Information | |
| Enrollment Percent Male | 62.5% |
| Enrollment Percent Female | 37.5% |
| Enrollment Percent International | 33.33% |
| Enrollment Percent URM | 16.67% |