Finance Department

Below is the list of Graduate Courses Offered

Graduate Courses - all of the following are 3 credits

BLW 610 - Business Law
This intensive course provides for a detailed study of the law of contracts, agency, commercial paper, including the nature and kinds of commercial paper, negotiabilities, presentment, liabilities of parties, rights and defenses of holders; the law governing the management and dissolution of partnerships and corporations.

BLW 615 - Business Law and Government Regulations
An intensive study of the legal aspects of real and personal property, including bailments, ownership and transfer of property, deed, leases, landlord-tenant relationship, mortgages; secured transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code; insurance and suretyship; the creation, nature and kinds of trusts, wills, and estates; bankruptcy. Special attention will be given to government regulation of business enterprise and legal liabilities of accountants.
Prerequisite: BLW 610 or equivalent.

BLW 620 - Employment Law
This course will focus on the legal regulation of employment. It will consider the varying rights and responsibilities of employers and employees throughout their relationship. Among the topics to be discussed are the hiring process, the terms and conditions of employment and the termination of the employment relationship.

BLW 635 - International Law
This course is designed to address the foundations and applications of traditional, contemporary and developing concepts of international law. Covering topics from principles of international law, jurisdiction, international dispute resolution and enforcement, the EU, world trade and multinational enterprises to the seizure of national assets, among other issues, this course proposes to inform students of the impact of international law upon the maintenance of national and international order and commerce.

BLW 640 - Legal Issues in E-Commerce
This course is devoted to various legal issues that arise in the facilitation, management, and regulation of electronic commerce. Topics include, but are not limited to, rights in electronic information, information security, online transactions, trademark rights, domain name rights, regulating information content, and regulating online conduct.

ECO 601 - International Economic Systems and Trade Communities
An examination of selected evolving economic systems throughout the world with regard to their importance for the globally oriented manager. This will include Third World countries, Eastern European systems, Pacific Rim nations as well as Western Europe, Japanese and North American examples. In addition, the course will explore dimensions of trading blocs such as the European Community and the North American Free Trade Agreement. This course will include case studies and class presentations.

ECO 610 - International Economics
Comparative costs, the terms of trade, and the gains from trade are analyzed. Additional topics include the effects of trade on resource allocation prices, production, consumption, and the distribution of income; trade growth and development, efficiency and competition; productivity and standards of living; economic integration, the cost of protection, and problems and issues of commercial policy; the foreign exchange market, the balance of payments, international capital movements, and the international monetary system. Policy measures for internal and external balance are also discussed.
Prerequisite: MBA 530

ECO 625 - Current Economic Issues
An examination of the current economic conditions and of issues that are relevant to the present economy and the economy of the twenty-first century. The emphasis is upon the current trends and future problems facing the U.S. economy. The topics that will be covered include such topics as money and fiscal policy, the business cycle, unemployment, social security and other pension systems, health economics, the environment and government regulation, international issues.
Prerequisite: MBA 530

ECO 645 - Business in American Economic History
This course presents a study of the evolution of business in American economic development from the colonial period onward. The central role of business will be emphasized, along with the integration of business values and societal values. Topics include: the entrepreneurial function, the changing structure of the economy, emergence of industrial and financial capitalism, the changing role of government.

ECO 990 - Special Topics: The European Union
An economics elective course meeting in May and June 2000 that will include a thirteen day visit to Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm. A chance to observe the European Union face-to-face, to visit corporate and governmental organizations and to absorb the full study-abroad experience.

ECO 991 - Special Topics: Economics of Developing Countries
An economics elective course. It is a study abroad trip (Greece, 6/17-26), with focus on the relationship of emerging countries with advanced nations and the European Union.

FIN 610 - Operations of the Financial System
An intensive study of money and credit, commercial banking, thrift institutions, central banking and monetary policy. Topics include portfolio structure, management theories, money market instruments, secondary credit instruments and institutions, interest rate theory, current monetary problems and policies, and international banking and financial issues.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 619 - E-finance
This course will introduce students to the ever-growing use of electronic systems in the financial services industry, including trading financial assets, and discuss its impact on the way the business is done in the financial market place. It will focus on such topics as e-cash management, e-trading in stocks, bonds, currency and other financial assets, e-financing, and e-banking. The course will also familiarize students with various concepts and issues that emerge from the application of electronic systems in financial transactions.
Prerequisite: MBA550 or equivalent.

FIN 620 - International Financial Management
The course presents the foundation of financial management for corporations with international operations. International financial management differs from the domestic version in two very important respects: presence of multiple currencies and different political, regulatory, and tax systems. Topics covered by the course include currency markets; concepts, measurement, and management of foreign exchange risk; foreign project evaluation and selection; political risk analysis; international financing and cost of capital; and multinational cash management. The instructional method combines cases and lecture material.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 625 - Financial Futures, Options and Swaps
This course will introduce the student to the use of options, swaps, and financial futures contracts in investment management. The course will primarily focus on how corporations use "off balance sheet products" namely futures, options, and swaps to manage their financial risk. The course will stress theory, as well as, application. A discussion of the principles of valuation of options and futures instruments will be followed by a brief review of empirical evidence.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 630 - Financial Models
This course teaches students to apply statistical teaches students to apply statistical techniques and model construction to special problems in finance. The student is expected to forecast a time series using a bivariate curve fitting model and a trend cycle, and seasonal components models. The student is also expected to run a multiple explanatory regression and a two-way ANOVA with different financial data.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 635 - Managerial Finance
Students gain a deeper understanding of financial management by building their own spreadsheet templates in a computer laboratory. They will construct financial statements and cash budgets; perform ratio, breakeven, and leverage analysis; make financial forecasts; calculate the time value of money; solve valuation and capital budgeting problems; and examine the behavior of the cost capital.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 640 - Investment Analysis
This course stresses fundamental theories of stock selection and evaluation, but also covers American technical and Japanese candlestick models. The student will be required to evaluate various fundamental stock selection techniques, using the five-year Value Screen computed data base.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 644 - Short Term Financial Management
This course provides the student with a deeper understanding of the day to day working operations of firms and financial institutions through experience with working capital management and with a concentration on cash management. Whereas working capital management involves management of current assets, current liabilities, and the net working capital position of the firm, cash management concentrates on cash flows, cash forecasting, risk management, and treasury management information systems technology. This course will also provide insight into the international dimensions of these concepts.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 650 - Portfolio Management
This course deals with institutional portfolio management. Topics examined are portfolio theory, its implementation, empirical studies, and implications of portfolio theory for general market equilibrium, and the evaluation of alternative portfolios.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 670 - Global Financial Markets & Institutions
The course explores the working of the international financial markets and institutions. Topics discussed include international monetary system and balance of payments, exchange rate determination, international currency and capital markets, international financial institutions, regulatory and supervisory issues, innovations, and global integration. Both operational and institutional aspects of the markets are stressed.
Prerequisite: FIN 610 or permission of the instructor.

FIN 675 - Corporate Financial Strategy
The primary functions of this course in corporate finance are to extend the student's knowledge of financial management and to provide insights into the complexity of the decisions faced by practicing financial managers. The course begins with a review of the theoretical framework of financial management, including a recap and extension of risk analysis and basic valuation concepts. The course then focuses on the firm's short-term financing and long-term investment decisions, the firm's capital structure and dividend policy decisions, the various methods of obtaining long-term capital, and a variety of special topics including mergers, LBO's, and divestitures. Various "mini cases" will be used to illustrate applications of the theory as well as to stimulate questions and discussion.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 680-89 - Investments Seminar
A course involving intensive study of a special topic in investments, such as venture capital, arbitrage, the commodities markets, financial planning or real estate.
Prerequisite: MBA 550

FIN 990 - Special Topics
In the Spring 2000, the Special Topic under study will be Derivative Securities and IPOs.
This course focuses on the theory and applications of derivative securities. In addition, the process, costs, and performance of Initial Public Offerings will be analyzed. The course will also explore the models available for forecasting earnings and their effectiveness.