Curriculum: Investment Management Graduate Certificate

This course educates students in the fundamentals of finance and accounting. The methods covered are used extensively throughout the MBA program. Topics include: the accounting process that results in the preparation of financial statements for external users, techniques for analyzing a basic set of financial statements, using accounting information to support management decisions, and using time value of money techniques to evaluate capital asset decisions. (MS Accounting students cannot earn credit by taking this course.) This course cannot be used as an elective course for Lindner College of Business Master's programs.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. Apply concepts and perform Time Value of Money calculations 2. Understand differences in interest rates (due to differences in risk, horizon, and compounding) 3. Use present value calculations to solve bond pricing and risk applications 4. Use present value calculations to solve stock valuation applications This course cannot be used as an elective course for Lindner College of Business master's programs.

Building on the foundational material covered in FIN 7000 (time value of money, stock and bond pricing), the main goal of this course is to develop a set of techniques for valuing capital investment projects in privately and publicly traded companies. To support this goal, the course (1) develops a set of investment criterion, (2) examines valuation techniques, (3) develops asset pricing models (the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) in particular) to determine the appropriate required or opportunity cost of capital for discounting future cash flows, (4) considers basic risk management techniques, (5) examines how firms raise capital, and (6) analyzes the effect of financing choices on shareholder wealth, firm value, risk, and tax payments. The course also defines real options and examines how real options are valued and affect capital budgeting decisions. To support this task, the course examines the definition, use, and pricing of derivative securities such as financial options. A secondary goal of the course is to consider what firms should do with the profits they generate given effective financial policies and decisions. In particular, the course examines payout policy. Throughout, the goal is to have students develop intuition on financial issues so that they are not only able to analyze a variety of standard finance problems but are also capable of analyzing new issues that will arise in the ever-changing business environment.

This course is about the analysis of financial information--particularly, but not limited to, a firm's financial statements--for making decisions about investing in a business. The primary focus is on equity (share) valuation, with some attention given to credit evaluation and the valuation of debt. The methods of fundamental analysis will be examined in detail.

This course examines fixed-income markets, with an emphasis on the pricing and risk of fixed income securities, derivatives, and portfolios. Bond immunization and trading strategies will be discussed with an in-depth coverage of both Treasury and Corporate Debt Securities. We will explain how Federal Reserve uses monetary policy to influence the term structure of interest rates. This course helps students to establish a solid foundation in understanding fixed-income securities and furthermore to apply such knowledge to real-world investment decisions in bond markets.

This overview of investment analysis presents a comprehensive study of the theory and practice relevant to investment management. The course details the structure of markets, asset classes, and types of investment companies. Portfolio theory and asset pricing are a major focus of the course. A broad range of securities are analyzed including equities, bonds, and options; but for most topics the main focus will be on equity, leaving advanced fixed Income and derivatives topics to other courses. Many of the concepts covered are included in the body of knowledge leading to the CFA designation.

This course is about the analysis of financial information--particularly, but not limited to, a firm's financial statements--for making decisions about investing in a business. The primary focus is on equity (share) valuation, with some attention given to credit evaluation and the valuation of debt. The methods of fundamental analysis will be examined in detail.

This course examines fixed-income markets, with an emphasis on the pricing and risk of fixed income securities, derivatives, and portfolios. Bond immunization and trading strategies will be discussed with an in-depth coverage of both Treasury and Corporate Debt Securities. We will explain how Federal Reserve uses monetary policy to influence the term structure of interest rates. This course helps students to establish a solid foundation in understanding fixed-income securities and furthermore to apply such knowledge to real-world investment decisions in bond markets.

This overview of investment analysis presents a comprehensive study of the theory and practice relevant to investment management. The course details the structure of markets, asset classes, and types of investment companies. Portfolio theory and asset pricing are a major focus of the course. A broad range of securities are analyzed including equities, bonds, and options; but for most topics the main focus will be on equity, leaving advanced fixed Income and derivatives topics to other courses. Many of the concepts covered are included in the body of knowledge leading to the CFA designation.

The principal objective of this course is to provide a detailed examination of options, futures, forwards, and swaps. By the end of the course students will have a good knowledge of how these contracts work, how they are traded, how they are used, and how they are priced. A major emphasis in the class will be on how derivative instruments are used by financial institutions in light of recent economic events.