FIN6200 Financial Data Analysis and Practice
3 CreditsThis course trains students how to use different data sets for research, how to develop appropriate financial memos and reports for various audiences, and provides some introduction to different aspects of the finance profession. At least four different datasets such as (but not limited to) CRSP, Compustat, Bloomberg, and Capital IQ will be introduced. Students will learn how to access and download data, analyze the data, create reports, and provide written and oral reports to different financial and non-financial audiences. In addition, students will be made aware of professional practices and standards in different financial professions to prepare students for rapid entry into the workplace.

For More Information:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIX4FKDDkbI&feature=youtu.be

FIN7545 Financial Trading Strategies
3 Elective CreditsIn this course, students learn to develop and implement institutional (firm-level) financial trading strategies. These strategies are guided by quantitative models that identify, quantify, and manage risks and expected return. In so doing, students learn how to make decisions in an uncertain environment. The course is based on an experiential learning approach, in which trading simulation software provides a platform for delivering learning-by-doing cases. Specific cases covered in the course include: agency trading; principal (liability) trading; algorithmic market making; managing risk capital with value-at-risk; transportation, storage, and production arbitrage in commodity futures markets; and agricultural hedging. The course also covers fundamental concepts in market microstructure, such as bid-ask spreads, price discovery, information asymmetry, liquidity, and inventory risk.

FIN7532 FINTECH

3 Elective Credits

The financial services industry is changing rapidly with the emergence of financial technology (FinTech). This course is designed to introduce key financial technology and its applications in financial services. Students will develop a broad and solid understanding of the recent innovations in FinTech, and their benefits and limitations. Students will also have hands-on problem-solving experiences that are useful in the FinTech venture. Ultimately, this course aims to help students identify entrepreneurial opportunities in FinTech and equip them with relevant knowledge and skills. The course will use a mixture of lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and group projects. This course emphasizes and builds on Entrepreneurial Thought & Action, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the context of the financial services industry.

Prerequisite: None

FIN7513 Fixed Income (Formerly Fixed Income Portfolio Management)
3 Elective CreditsThis advanced quantitative course is designed for students interested in fixed income portfolio management, as well as students interested in the sales and trading of fixed income securities and their related structured products. Topics covered include: (i) bond pricing and day count conventions; (ii) relative value and yield curve construction; (iii) duration, basis point value, and convexity; (iv) pricing and hedging of interest rate currency swaps; (v) Treasury bond futures, conversion factors, and the concepts of cheapest-to-deliver and implied repo; (vi) the repo (GC and special) market; (vii) credit risk and the pricing of high yield bonds and credit default swaps; and (viii) securitization, mortgage-backed securities, and collateralized mortgage obligations.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 OR FIN7800

FIN7580 Independent Research

1.5-3 CreditsIndependent research is available for all academic divisions. Registration is manual for students through Graduate Programs and Office of Graduate Academic Services.

Independent Research provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth research in areas of a student's own specific interest. Students may undertake Independent Research for academic credit with the approval of a student-selected faculty advisor, the appropriate division chair, and Graduate Academic Services. Please note that a student is responsible for recruiting a faculty advisor through the student's own initiative and obtain the advisor's prior consent/commitment before applying for an independent research project. The research project normally carries 1.5 or 3 credits.

For more information and a proposal outline please visit: http://www.babson.edu/Academics/graduate/mba/Pages/independent-research.aspx

FIN7200 Introduction to Financial Management

2 CreditsThis course introduces the managerial finance skills required of effective business managers operating in all functional areas of an organization as they seek to create shareholder value. Covers basic corporate finance topics including financial analysis, construction of pro forma financial statements and forecasting cash flows, the relationship between risk and return, the cost of capital, discounting future cash flows, assessing the viability of projects and capital budgeting, financing and capital structure issues, and the valuation of stock, bonds, firms and other entities.

FIN7573 Investment Banking and Financial Modeling
(Formerly Investment Banking and Financial Advisory)
3 Elective CreditsThe course will provide students with the opportunity to develop a practical understanding of investment banking and the activities performed by various professionals within the industry. The course will explore the history and evolution of the investment banking industry and the role played by investment banks in the broader capital markets and economy. The course will also examine the organizational structure of investment banks and the characteristics and focus of different functional areas within a firm.

The course focuses on the practical application of corporate finance concepts to "real world" situations and activities commonly performed by investment banks on behalf of clients. A heavy emphasis will be placed on the role played by an associate in building complex financial models to help analyze and execute common investment banking transactions such as: Initial Public Offerings, Fairness Opinions, Valuations, Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory, and Leveraged Buy-Outs. As such, the class will utilize case studies involving real companies and there will be a heavy emphasis on the practical financial research and Excel skills necessary to develop and customize such models. LAPTOPS ARE REQUIRED FOR EACH CLASS.

This course is designed for students interested in careers in investment banking, private equity, sell-side equity research or corporate finance.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 or FIN7800

FIN7518 Managing Portfolios
3 Elective CreditsManaging Portfolios is designed for students interested in investment management, portfolio
management, and/or risk management. The course will augment and extend students' basic finance skills, tools and concepts learned in core finance courses and in other courses in the Investments concentration curriculum. In the context of a variety of individual and institutional investor types, from high net worth individuals to endowments, students will explore the simultaneous management of positions in multiple securities using heuristic, statistical and other mathematical tools. Topics covered include client assessment, investment objective setting, investment strategy formulation, security selection, allocation of risky assets, optimal portfolio selection, and the use of derivatives to meet investment objectives. Through projects and readings, students will explore these topics in portfolio theory and practice. Tools and theories used widely by portfolio management professionals are fundamental to this course. In addition to the traditional course work, the students will study and prepare investment proposals, periodic client communications and conduct portfolio performance evaluations.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 or FIN7800

FIN7519 Personal Financial Management
3 Elective CreditsThis course teaches students to negotiate the retail financial landscape, emphasizing issues that have a large impact on their future financial well-being. It assumes no finance knowledge other than first-year finance. The course covers topics such as selecting a financial adviser, financing the purchase of a house, college saving, retirement saving, behavioral finance, trusts, and investment frauds and scams. Specific investment products studied include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, municipal bonds, emerging markets, alternative investments (including hedge funds, private equity funds, and commodities), annuities, and insurance products. Consideration will be given to the problem of an entrepreneur or start-up employee who has a substantial fraction of personal wealth invested in a single business venture, including evaluating stock- and option-based compensation plans. Over the duration of the course, students may work to develop a personal financial plan for themselves, or if they prefer, for a fictional person with a defined set of financial traits.

Prerequisites: None but it is recommended that students take FIN7200 or FIN7800 first

FIN7527 Real Estate Financial Modeling
3 Elective CreditsThis course will address the practical and theoretical issues involved in estimating cash flows and values of a wide variety real property, financial interests, investment interests and deal structures using discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques and sensitivity analyses. Students will solve real estate cash flow and DCF problems using models for property, portfolio, debt and equity interests for a variety of commercial real estate property types. Students will detailed modeling applications necessary to estimate both cash flows and values in the world of real estate finance and capital markets. Students will use and learn both Excel and industry standard software applications in the process of modelling lease by lease cash flows at the property level, portfolio cash flow consolidations, related debt structures, including first mortgage and mezzanine debt, and equity waterfall structures. This course includes explanation of the theoretical issues and concepts involved in these practical applications. This course is intended for students who have an interest in real estate or who desire to expand their knowledge of finance to include real estate.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 or FIN7800 or students enrolled in MSF