When it comes to choosing a school for your master’s in finance, a number of factors should play into your decision — reputation, cost, location, admission requirements, and more. One of the most important criteria is the course offerings: Are they rigorous enough to prepare you for the demands of today’s marketplace? Will they give you a competitive advantage when it’s time to search for a job?
To answer these questions, ask any prospective school how its finance program was developed and how it’s changed over time. Programs that remain static or are developed solely by faculty (without the input of industry professionals) are less likely to be reflective of real-world challenges.
At Bentley, our master’s in finance program was developed in close collaboration with the corporate community, putting our graduates among the top candidates in the hiring pool. Our latest enhancements to the program give you even more choices for planning your finance career, boost your salary potential, and make you more marketable than ever.
How Bentley’s Master’s In Finance Program Prepares You For Work
Here’s what Bentley faculty members learned from working with leaders in the finance industry: Many graduate school finance programs prepare people well for traditional finance positions, but not well enough when it comes to valuable ancillary skills such as math, data, programming, and knowledge of statistical analysis packages.
Times are changing, and so is the world of finance. While traditional jobs in corporate finance and capital markets will always be relevant, there’s rising demand for individuals who are knowledgeable about finance but also have advanced math and technology skills. Statistical modeling, mathematical theory, and quantitative techniques are increasingly being used to reduce risk and maximize profit in a world of global competition.
Reflecting this reality, Bentley’s master’s in finance program now offers you two options for study: the traditional finance path and a newly created quantitative finance path.
About The Bentley Master’s In Finance Program
Bentley has partnerships with both the CFA Institute, which administers the Investment Foundations certificate, and GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals), which offers financial risk management certification. Getting your degree at Bentley in either path will go a long way toward obtaining both certifications, as our course offerings closely match the required certification skills.
Students in the finance master’s degree program don’t always have a finance background — in fact, it’s fairly common that they don’t! If you haven’t already taken undergraduate courses in economics, statistics, accounting, and finance, then you’ll need to take three foundational courses in these areas first. (If you have, there’s no need to take them again.)
Both paths have the same five core courses:
Quantitative Analysis for Business
International Financial Management
Corporate Finance: Theory, Tools and Concepts
Investments
Financial Modeling
The Finance Path
The traditional finance path requires five electives, allowing you to focus on your personal areas of interest. Among the electives offered are: Derivatives, Mergers and Acquisitions, Large Project Finance, Financial Strategy, Advanced Portfolio Theory, Fixed Income, and Equity Valuation.
If you want to work toward being a corporate treasurer or a CFO, for example, you’ll take corporate finance classes like Advanced Corporate Finance or Financial Strategy. Or, if you want to work at a financial services company, you might take Fixed Income and Advanced Portfolio Theory.
The Quantitative Path
The quantitative path, on the other hand, is more prescribed.
It requires an additional foundation course (possibly two, depending on your background) in calculus. It also features six additional required courses (in addition to your core courses) that are strong in market applications and emphasize the advanced math and coding skills a lot of employers are looking for, including:
Fixed Income
Equity Valuation (or Mergers and Acquisitions)
Derivatives
Advanced Portfolio Theory
Intermediate Statistical Modeling
Computational Finance
One elective is also required — any course in finance, mathematics, or computer science.
Here’s an added benefit to the quantitative finance path for international students: Because the quantitative finance program is heavily math-oriented, it has been assigned a major code that corresponds with the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security’s STEM designation list. International students on F-1 visas may apply to USCIS for a 24-month STEM extension of the standard 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) period, which if approved would result in a total of 36 months of U.S. work authorization to intern or work in the U.S. to gain experiential training after completing their degree.
Learn More About Our Master’s In Finance Program
The Bentley Master’s in Finance program emphasizes the skills you need to attract employers today, including technical proficiency, critical thinking, and analytical and communication skills. Plus, our unique online option makes it possible for busy working professionals to complete many of the courses from any location — while still participating in real-time classes.
To be part of the next generation of financial experts and leaders, learn more about Bentley’s Master of Science in Finance program.