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Master of Science in Finance

Curriculum

This 16-month, full-time program is delivered over four terms. It offers two streams to choose from: Investment Management and Research.

The Investment Management stream focuses on financial instruments, financial markets and finance theory. The research stream focuses on the strong quantitative skills and rigour required for a career in financial engineering or academia. All students are exposed to fundamental finance theory and practice, as well as learning practical programming skills in a language such as Python.

If you wish, you can also join the Student Investment Advisory Service (SIAS) Fund team to put your new skills and knowledge into practice.

Modular System

Our courses are offered in modular form, meaning, you’ll take one course at a time in a shorter period of time – typically around 3 weeks. This system has many advantages such as allowing students to focus on one topic at a time and embeds assessment throughout the term without final exams piling up at the end. It also allows for more flexibility and topic serialization.

The courses listed indicate the overall direction and philosophy of the program. The exact selection of courses is subject to change from time to time.

The summer term of the MSc. Finance program is an online component. The sessions will be asynchronous and begin in July, requiring about four to five hours of total work per week.

Finance Mathematics

Part 1: Review the mathematical tools essential for the study of finance, including linear algebra, differential equations and optimization. The first portion of the courses run for four weeks online, the latter half will be completed in-person during the Fall semester.

Financial Statistics

Part 1: Review elements of probability and statistics employed in finance, including probability models, inference and basic time series analysis. The first portion of the courses run for four weeks online, the latter half will be completed in-person during the Fall semester.

Accounting Foundations

Introduces students to the fundamental concepts of accounting and financial statements. This course will be taken entirely online.

Financial Modeling Tools

To gain an understanding of the merits of an investment, thorough mathematical analysis is often required. This course provides an introduction to two commonly used software programming languages used for such analysis. The course concentrates on programming using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and MATLAB. A short discussion of an object oriented language (either Java or C++) will be given if time permits near the end of the semester. A heavy emphasis is placed on hands-on laboratory sessions and practice problems drawn from a variety of topics covered in other MSc courses such as linear regression, asset allocation and option pricing.

Financial Statement Analysis

This course will provide an understanding of the linkages between financial reporting, such as annual reports and prospectuses including the three principal financial statements (balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement) and how useful information about a company can be extracted from them. Coverage includes basic and advanced principles of financial accounting and financial statement analysis along with a comprehensive conceptual framework indispensable to assist managers and financial analysts to interpret reported financial information.

Corporate Finance

Discusses financial decision making under uncertainty. It examines financial economics in the context of corporate finance

Negotiations

Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more parties who are interdependent and who are seeking to maximize their outcomes. The central issues of this course deal with understanding the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations in the context of mixed-motive (competitive and cooperative) situations. This course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems that are faced by managers and professionals.

Managerial Communications

Designed to assist students to improve their written and verbal communication skills in business settings

Principles of Investments

Provides students with the principles, theories and practices of Investing. The course surveys relevant investment theories as applied to different asset classes, focusing on the decision-making process it discusses applications in both traditional and alternative investments.

Advanced Equity Analysis

Builds on subjects such as the valuation of equity securities, including company and industry analysis, financial statement analysis and valuation models

Advanced Fixed Income Analysis

Builds on the fixed income insights and go deeper in such subjects as the term structure of interest rates, fixed income returns, yield-spread analysis, sources of risk in fixed income securities, and embedded options.

Financial Econometrics

Financial econometrics is the intersection of statistical techniques and Finance. It provides a set of tools that are useful for modeling financial data and testing theoretical models in Finance. All the topics introduced in this course will require a deep understanding of regression and hypothesis testing with the emphasis on Finance related questions.

Strategies, Ethics and Regulations

Examines how organizations create long term, sustainable, competitively differentiated value for shareholders and stakeholders by developing, enacting, monitoring and adjusting corporate and business unit strategies in a stringent regulatory and highly competitive environment

Investment Management stream

Special Topics: International Finance

Special Topics: FinTech

Research Methods I*

Theory of Financial Markets*

Research stream

Research Methods I*

PhD course: Corporate Finance*

* Participation in these courses requires a minimum GPA of 3.5

IM: Portfolio Theory and Asset Pricing

This course covers the theory and empirical evidence relevant for investing, particularly in the context of portfolio management. (ie, Markowitz optimal allocation, CAPM, Index and multifactor models). It stresses the international dimensions of portfolio theory (ie, international diversification, optimal global portfolio selection and emerging markets) as well as issues of portfolio strategy, asset allocation and performance evaluation.

IM: Strategic Asset Allocation

This course explores asset allocation models, including the Black-Litterman model, as well as extensions. Students will develop a good understanding of the theoretical and practical issues relating to the establishment of investment policy. The course analyzes investors’ return objectives, risk tolerance, investment horizon, tax considerations, liquidity needs and other unique circumstances.

IM: CSR and Impact Investing

RS: Theory of Financial Markets*

RS: PhD course: Theoretical Asset Pricing*

RS: PhD course: Research Methods II*

* Participation in these courses requires a minimum GPA of 3.5

In addition to the core curriculum, finance electives will be based on various relevant topics such as Fintech, Data Visualization or CSR and Impact Investing to provide you with the opportunity to broaden your understanding of the finance industry. The selection of electives may change from time to time, details will be provided in the second semester.

Curriculum is subject to Board of Governors & Senate approval.


Connect with our team

Our admissions team is more than happy to answer your questions so you know what you can expect before, during, and beyond your program.

Connect Now

The MSc Finance program gave me the technical foundation that I couldn’t function without. I work with clients in very senior roles, and it’s important to demonstrate your technical knowledge to gain their trust.

Christine Jakshoej, MScFin

VP of Customer Success - Capital Markets

FINCAD

The learners I work with are 95% Indigenous, and I find that they become more interested and retain information more, when we speak and learn from an Indigenous lens. The Indigenous content integrated into the program has been very beneficial to me in terms of how I can incorporate Indigenous information into the curriculum I currently teach.

Wanda Rockthunder, EMBA IBL

Business Instructor, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies

Cree, a citizen of the Muskowekwan First Nation, Saskatchewan

My key lessons from the program were learning how to effectively frame and structure a problem or situation, manage a tight schedule, know what to prioritize and how to prioritize it, and identify core problems quickly and addressing them.

Bobbie Dhillon, EMBA

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Planning

G&F Financial Group

The immediate impact of the GDBA has been a change in the way I approach my day professionally. I am equipped to make better decisions. My confidence level has been elevated significantly, and I am enjoying a new sense of optimism in my career.

Percival Chang, GDBA

Manager & Investment Funds Advisor

PH&N Investment Services

The i2I program is perfect for people like me who are deeply involved in science, and who want to look for opportunities in the business world. A program like this opens your mind and teaches you that there is another world of possibilities outside of the lab.

Elena Groppa, i2I

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine

University of British Columbia Biomedical Research Centre

The comprehensive simulations provided the greatest learning for me. They helped change my mindset and connect the different areas of learning into a comprehensive view of how an organization runs.

Matthew Grunert, MOT MBA

Sr. Director, Digital Operations & IT

Motorola Solutions

I always saw myself working beyond clinical pharmacy. I felt that I could also shine on the business side of healthcare. I knew that with my strong clinical training an MBA would help open more doors and give me the mobility I was looking for in my career.

Morenike Akinyemi, FT MBA

Senior Project Manager, Transformation Delivery

Provincial Health Services Authority

The Part-Time MBA was excellent. It gave me exactly what I expected to receive, and I think that is the highest compliment you can pay a program. It met all my expectations and provided a solid grounding in business skills and strategies.

Oliver Zihlmann, PT MBA

Director of Development and Alumni Engagement

UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

MSc Fin: Christine

EMBA IBL: Wanda

EMBA: Bobbie

GDBA: Percival

i2I: Elena

MOT MBA: Matthew Grunnert

FT MBA: Morenike

PT MBA: Oliver