Students can complete their degree in a full-time, one year option or an accelerated part-time option allowing for the flexibility you need to manage and balance work, life, and graduate school. Choosing the part-time option also provides students the opportunity to step in and out of the program as needed.
Master of Science in Finance
Invest in Your Career.
Master of Science in Finance (MSF)
It is never too late to change your career goals, or advance your career. The Elizabethtown College School of Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS) Master of Science in Finance (MSF) is designed as a one-year accelerated (or two-year part-time) program to fit your busy schedule, allow you to build your resume, and grow faster and farther in the finance industry.
Sharpen your skills, strengthen your knowledge, and fulfill your career goals as you learn the latest financial trends and insights to give you an advantage in your next meeting. Ideal candidates in this program will have a solid understanding and background in finance with options for specific tracks in Financial Planning and Wealth Management or Investments and Portfolio Management.
Etown's MSF program is an CFP Board® registered program in financial planning.
Program Formats:
Blended
Online
One Year TrackREQUEST INFOarrow_right_alt APPLY nowarrow_right_alt
Credits Required: 30
Tuition:
- $695/Credit
- 10% Alumni Scholarship
Concentrations:
- Financial Planning and Wealth Management (CFP® Professional Track)
- Investments and Portfolio Management (CFA Track)
Two Concentrations Offered at Your Own Pace
Financial Planning and Wealth Management
Courses within the Financial Planning and Wealth Management track are registered with the CFP Board® which provides eligibility to and prepares students for the CFP® exam. All 18 credits earned through the our CFP® Certification Financial Planning Education Program can stack and transfer into our Master of Science in Finance. Etown's MSF program is an CFP Board® registered program in financial planning.
Investments and Portfolio Management
Courses in the Investments and Portfolio Management track are uniquely designed by incorporating the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, providing a solid foundation for students to pass the CFA Level 1 and/or level 2 exam.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) from Elizabethtown College requires 30 credit hours of academic work. MSF concentrations are available in Financial Planning and Wealth Management (CFP® Professional Track) and Investments and Portfolio Management (CFA Track).
Degree candidates must take at least 24 credits from Elizabethtown College. The MSF offers two tracks to completion, a full-time one-year program, and an accelerated part-time option taking 2+ years. Depending on your educational and professional background, one or two foundations courses may be required.
Sample Part-Time Course Schedule:
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MSF Course Descriptions
Valuation is designed to apply students’ overall business/economic knowledge to processes of public equity research prior to a buy/sell/hold investment decisions. Major activities of the course include 1) reviewing the assigned company’s SEC filings; 2) gathering data with respect to the company’s industry, competitors, clients, suppliers, products and services, management, governance structures etc. 3) analyzing the company’s current financial position; 4) forecasting future profitability and valuation of the company by combining the above information with analysis of the company’s financial information, the geopolitical climate, and general economic factors; 5) generating an investment recommendation based on the forecasting model and parameters; 6) presenting the investment recommendation in front of professional practitioners. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
An advanced finance course aimed at introducing students to the primary financial issues and challenges that arise in the management of capital. This course seeks to provide students with a solid understanding of: (1) terms, facts, and perspectives useful in asset allocation and risk management; (2) concepts, tools, models, and objectives portfolio managers use in choosing among various types of investment opportunities; (3) forces shaping the future industry environment for wealth management. Specific topics include: an overview of the asset classes and financial instruments, security markets, and investment companies; techniques of valuing equity and bonds; portfolio management and performance evaluation; modern portfolio theories; and option valuation basics. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
An advanced finance course focused on fixed-income securities and related topics per CFA Institute’s Book of Knowledge (BOK) for CFA level II examination and beyond. Fixed-Income Securities is a course aimed at furthering students’ understanding and application of fixed-income securities, such as Treasury, Municipal and Government Agency bonds, as well as corporate-issued bonds that promised to pay periodic payments. Over the last decades, the variety and investments in Fixed-income securities have grown to include mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, and credit default swaps, of which scheduled periodic payments may be fixed, floating, or contingent upon market conditions or other benchmarks. Therefore, the valuation of fixed-income securities has become extremely complex and challenging. This course will discuss a variety of fixed-income securities, their markets, risk characteristics, and valuation. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
A course aimed at introducing students to the primary financial issues and challenges that arise in the management of financial institutions. This course seeks to provide students with a solid understanding of: (1) terms, facts, and perspectives useful in financial service industries; (2) concepts, tools, and objectives financial institution managers use in framing and resolving various management problems; (3) forces shaping the future industry environment for financial institution managers, such as changes in the information and contracting technologies, changes in the mixture of domestic and global competitors, and interaction of innovation with rules enforced by self-regulatory organizations and government agencies. Specific topics include overview of the financial service industry, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, capital requirements, and cash flow financial engineering. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
provides an introduction to the primary instruments of the derivative securities market with emphasis on real-world applications of theoretical concepts and models discussed. This course is to provide an overview of the fundamentals of derivatives while focusing on valuation of typical derivatives such as futures, forwards, swaps, and options. In addition, using derivatives in investing or hedging exposure to various types of risks and for speculations will be discussed. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to gain a thorough understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of derivatives and the practical skills in building, evaluating, and adjusting investing or hedging strategies using futures and options. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
A course aimed at furthering students’ understanding and application of concepts learned in the basic corporate finance course (e.g. FIN325 or equivalent). Course content addresses issues faced by corporate and financial managers with emphasis on specific responsibilities of the financial manager that contribute to the day-to-day efficiency of the firm as well as the long term objectives of firm-value maximization. Serving as a capstone course in Masters of Science in Finance, Cases in Finance will re-examine decision making techniques used by financial managers and teach strategies used to select optimally among competing investment projects and funding sources with a gradation of situation complexity. Specific topics include investment risk and cost of capital; capital budgeting; financing decisions and market efficiency; capital structure and payout policy; and valuation of businesses. In addition, this course will cover advanced topics, such as working capital management and policy, management of short-term assets/liabilities, financial analysis, planning and control, risk management using alternative financing options, corporate restructuring process, and M&A. Prerequisite: FIN 325 Corporate Finance or equivalent.
A study of generally accepted accounting principles and international standards as applied to asset transactions in the corporate financial reporting environment. Beginning with a brief review of introductory topics including the accounting cycle and financial statements and quickly moving to more challenging and complex topics regarding how to properly record transactions for different types of assets, acceptable alternatives, and the accounting treatment of related income statement transactions. Emphasis on valuation, classification, disclosure and cutoff. Prerequisite(s): AC 101 Introduction to Accounting or equivalent.
A continuation of Intermediate Accounting I. The course includes an in‐depth examination of the liabilities and stockholder’s equity sections of the balance sheet with detailed discussion of how to account for bonds payable, long‐term notes, employee pensions and benefits, and the issuance of stock. Calculation of earnings per share, how to correct errors in the financial statements, preparation of the statement of cash flows and deferred income taxes also are discussed. Prerequisite(s): AC 205 Intermediate Accounting I or equivalent.
Covers topics including business combinations, consolidated financial reporting according to US GAAP, worldwide accounting practices and foreign currency transactions, partnerships, and special accounting topics such as business liquidations and reorganizations, joint ventures, and accounting for derivatives. Prerequisite: AC206 Intermediate Accounting II and AC205 Intermediate Accounting I or equivalents.
follows the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) recommended Model Tax Curriculum. Students will develop advanced technical and technological skills in entity taxation, the tax effects of multijurisdictional commerce and advanced issues facing individual taxpayers, including retirement, estate/gift issues, and financial planning. Advanced skills with tax research materials are developed, as is an appreciation for the work ethic and professional responsibilities. Emphasis will be placed on learning to employ tax law in various financial and tax-planning techniques. Prerequisite(s): AC 301 Introduction to Taxation or equivalent.
A comprehensive development of the theoretical basis of certain financial models used by actuaries. Topics include mean-variance portfolio theory; asset pricing models; market efficiency and behavioral finance; investment risk and project analysis; capital structure; forwards and futures; options; binomial pricing models; Black-Scholes option pricing model; Option Greeks and risk management. Students are expected to have completed Calculus I, Calculus II, and Introduction to Mathematical Proofs before enrolling in the course. Prerequisite(s): MA 255 Financial Mathematics, and Corequisite: MA 351 Theory of Probability or equivalents.
Designed for students to learn to use advanced features of Excel to solve problems in mathematics. Topics will include Excel formulas, using the Solver, pivot tables, performing spreadsheet what-if analysis, graphing, and an introduction to VBA programming. Prerequisite(s): MA 122 Calculus II and MA 222 Calculus III or equivalents.
Builds on the foundations from Legal Environment of Business by exploring more advanced concepts in the American legal system through a managerial approach with an analytical focus on legal, regulatory, and ethical issues that impact business entities. The advanced course allows students to develop a more sophisticated level of legal acumen and deeper understanding of how managers use the law to add value to the firm in business operations and planning. This course builds on fundamental concepts introduced in the 300-level courses. Prerequisite(s): BA 330 Legal Environment of Business or equivalent.
Career Outlook
The program is committed to providing opportunities for students to build professional skills and essential competencies applicable to advancing their careers in finance.
Courses within the CFP® Professional track are registered with the CFP Board® which provides eligibility to and prepares students for the CFP® exam. All 18 Etown CFP® Professional track credits can stack and transfer in to your MS in Finance degree.
Courses in the CFA track are uniquely designed by incorporating the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge so to provide a solid foundation for students to pass the CFA Level 1 and/or level 2 exam.
| Job Titles (Median Salary) | Financial Institutions |
| Certified Financial Planner ($67K) | Public and Private Wealth Management; Banks; Financial Services Company |
| Investment Banker ($100k) | Investment Banks |
| Finance Analyst ($83K) | Corporate Finance |
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Consultant with Financial Modeling Skills ($145K) | Corporate Finance |
| Portfolio Manager ($86K) | Investment Company; Public and Private Wealth Management; Banks; Financial Services Company; Hedge Funds |
| Quantitative Financial Analyst (84K) | Financial Advisory Firm; Investment Company; Public and Private Wealth Management; Banks; Financial Services Company |
| Hedge Funds Manager ($103K) | Hedge Funds |
*Salary statistics are based on the following site: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job
Are you ready to elevate your career? Get started now with an MS in Finance from Elizabethtown College.
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Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298© 2019 Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298© 2019 Elizabethtown College
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