Master of Science in Finance (MSF)
The Master of Science in Finance (MSF) is to prepare graduate students with the necessary knowledge and skill components in Finance, as required by business, government, and academic research. Specific current finance fields include courses in corporate finance, investment, financial markets and institutions, and international finance. The program is designed to meet the needs of current working professionals, who want to get a graduate degree to stay abreast of the changing field of finance, as well as those with a recent bachelor’s degree to advance their knowledge and skills for a career in finance.
Contact Information
Dr. Richard Green Department Chair College of Business 241P 210-784-2325 richard.green@tamusa.edu
Admission Requirements
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Students with an undergraduate major in Finance or related field with an average GPA of 3.0/4.0 or better on all prior advanced-level (junior, senior, and graduate) math/quantitative and Finance related course work from an accredited institution. Students with an average GPA less than 3.0 but greater than 2.5 may be granted conditional admission.
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Students with an undergraduate major in another discipline who have taken the appropriate “leveling” course work as determined by the admissions committee. At the minimum the leveling courses will include:
ACCT 3302: Intermediate Accounting I
ECON 3331: Money and Banking
FINC 3310: Corporate Finance
FINC 4341: Financial Markets & Institutions.
Additional courses may be required depending on the previous course work completed by the student as determined by the admissions committee. The student must attain a grade of “B” or better in these courses. Students who have not completed these courses and have a 3.0 GPA or better in their major can be admitted on a conditional basis and take the “leveling” courses at A&M-SA. -
Students on conditional status must earn a grade of “B” or better in all the leveling courses and the first 9 graduate hours courses attempted at A&M-SA. A conditional student who earns a grade of “C” or lower in the first 9 graduate hours or any of the leveling courses will be denied admission to the program.
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A demonstrated proficiency in the use of the English language. If a student’s undergraduate degree is not from an accredited university in USA then the student must submit proof of satisfactory score on an English proficiency test such as Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
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Satisfactory score on Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) –no more than five years old. GMAT/GRE requirement may be waived if the student have an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or more or have previously earned a graduate or post graduate degree from an accredited US university.
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No more than six semester credit hours of graduate credit earned prior to acceptance into the program, including transfer credit, may be applied to the MS in Finance degree.
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Approval by the graduate advisor and department chair for all admissions.
Consideration is also given to one or more of the following: the applicant's demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study, socioeconomic background, first generation college graduate, multilingual proficiency, geographic region of residence, and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and family responsibilities.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | ||
| ACCT 5318 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 5329 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| QMBS 5337 | Managerial Bus Statistics | 3 |
| Subtotal: | 9 | |
| Required Core Courses | ||
| FINC 5331 | Managerial Finance | 3 |
| FINC 5336 | Investment Analysis | 3 |
| FINC 5371 | Financial Econometrics | 3 |
| FINC 5390 | Graduate Seminar in Finance ((to be taken during last semester)) | 3 |
| Subtotal: | 12 | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Choose 9 credits from the following: | ||
| Financial Mrkts & Institutions | ||
| International Financial Mgmt | ||
| Financial Derivatives | ||
| Corporate Valuation & Strategy | ||
| Spec Problems in Finance | ||
| Monetary Economics | ||
| International Economics | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
All candidates for the MS in Finance degree must also meet the following requirements:
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A minimum average GPA of 3.0 on all graduate level work taken at A&M-SA that counts towards the degree program. No course with a grade below "C" may be applied toward this degree.
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Students must complete each foundation and required core course with a grade of “B” or better.
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Students must have completed all of the core courses with a grade of “B” or better in order to register for FINC 5390.
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Students whose average GPA for any semester is below 2.5 will be placed on probation and will need department chair approval to register for the following semester. Students whose average GPA is below 2.5 for two consecutive semesters will be dropped from the program.