Finance, BA/MSF

Overview

In the Clark Graduate School of Management master’s in Finance program, you integrate an understanding of the complexities of management - such as making decisions without complete information, ethical issues - with strong finance and quantitative skills. The degree benefits you no matter where you are in your career and prepares you for positions in banking, investment management, trading, insurance and corporate finance. 

Departmental eligibility requirements

The MSF program is open to students from any undergraduate major, however, prerequisite courses are required.

For students that enrolled at Clark prior to Fall 2018:

Prospective MSF students need to have completed ECON 010  , ECON 160   /PSYC 105   (or comparable statistics course), and MATH 120  , with a grade of B- or higher prior to the start of their senior year (students can be enrolled in these courses in the semester that they are applying or can take them in the summer before their senior year). AP credit may count towards the Math prerequisite requirement. However, Clark’s M.S.F. degree is a very quantitative-based program, and students are encouraged to take some quantitative courses during their undergraduate years to help them prepare if they have AP credit for the math prerequisite.

A minimum cumulative sophomore/junior year GPA of a 3.4 will be required for eligibility in the BA/MSF program. A senior year cumulative GPA of a 3.4, including both undergraduate and graduate courses, will be required to remain eligible for the 5th year.

For students that enrolled at Clark in Fall 2018 or later:

Prospective MSF students must successfully complete the following prerequisites by the end of the second semester of their junior year:

• Must receive a B+ or better in ECON 010  or 011  
• Must receive a B+ or better in one of the following: MATH 120  , MATH 121  , MATH 124  , or MATH 125  
• Must receive a B+ or better in ECON 160  or MATH 217  
  
  A minimum cumulative sophomore/junior year GPA of a 3.4 will be required for eligibility in the BA/MSF program. A senior year cumulative GPA of a 3.4, including both undergraduate and graduate courses, will be required to remain eligible for the 5th year.

For students that enrolled at Clark in Fall 2019 or later:

Prospective MSF students must successfully complete the following prerequisites by the end of the second semester of their junior year:

• Must receive a B+ or better in ECON 010  or 011  
• Must receive a B+ or better in one of the following: MATH 120  , MATH 121  , MATH 124  , or MATH 125  
• Must receive a B+ or better in ECON 160  or MATH 217  

A minimum cumulative sophomore/junior year GPA of a 3.6 will be required for eligibility in the BA/MSF program. A senior year cumulative GPA of a 3.6, including both undergraduate and graduate courses, will be required to remain eligible for the 5th year.

Tuition Remission

Students that enroll at Clark in Fall 2019 or earlier, and are applying to the BA/MSF program as juniors in Spring 2022 or earlier, are eligible for up to 100% tuition remission in the 5th year. Tuition remission eligibility will be communicated to students with their admission decision.

Students that enroll at Clark in Spring 2020 or later, and are applying to this program as juniors in Fall 2022 or later, are eligible for up to 50% tuition remission in the 5th year. Tuition remission eligibility will be communicated to students with their admission decision.

Program of Study

The Accelerated BA/MSF program requires 10 graduate course units and an internship.  Three courses are taken in the senior year and the remaining in the graduate year.

Senior Year

Graduate courses students MUST take in the senior year include:

• ACCT 4101 - Foundations of Financial Accounting   (1 unit - Fall)
• FIN 5401 - Investments   (1 unit - Fall)
• FIN 5201 - Case Studies in Corporate Finance   (1 unit - Spring)

Summer following senior year

Every Accelerated Degree MSF student is required to complete an internship prior to the completion of the graduate degree. Internships completed as an undergraduate cannot fulfill the MSF internship requirement. MSF students are encouraged to complete their internship requirement in the summer between their senior year and fifth year. No academic credit is awarded for the internship requirement

Graduate Year

Students then take the remaining units for the MSF degree in their 5th year.

• FIN 5203 - Investment Strategies  (1 unit - Fall)
• FIN 5208 - Fixed-Income Securities  (1 unit - Spring)
• Elective or Experiential Learning Requirement Course (1 unit - Fall)
• FIN 5216 - Computational Finance   (1 unit - Spring)
• FIN 5309 - Financial Econometrics   (1 unit - Fall)
• FIN 5310 - Case Studies in Derivatives   (1 unit-Fall)
• Elective or Experiential Learning Requirement Course (1 unit - Spring)

For more information on the MSF program, the Experiential Learning Requirement, and elective options, students should visit the MSF program description page.

Fees

Students will pay a one-time program fee of $1,000 in the first semester of graduate study.  Students also pay a $40 activity fee in the fall and spring semesters as well as a one-time enrollment fee of $100. 

Students are responsible for paying for housing, food, books, and other personal items.

Students in the Accelerated Degree Program are allowed one year of non-residency status after the fifth year presumably to complete research and the master’s thesis. Please note there is a $200 fee (per semester) associated with the non-residency status registration.

Program Adviser

Students are required to meet with the designated degree adviser and have them sign the Accelerated Degree Program Adviser Form. The signed form confirms the student and program adviser have discussed the requirements of the program. This form is also available on the Graduate Admissions website. 

The designated program adviser is:
Laura Burgess
Graduate School of Management
508-793-7744
Lburgess@clarku.edu

Any students considering applying to the Accelerated Degree Program should read and understand the Accelerated Degree Program Policies and Procedures  .