Finance and Quantitative Methods Courses

FIN 220 - Personal Finance (3 hours)
Gen. Ed. SF
Principles and practice of management of personal income, wealth, and credit: budgeting, sources of financing, savings, estate planning, and institutions of personal finance.

FIN 322 - Business Finance (3 hours)
Capital budgeting and principles of financial management. External and internal sources of funds: costs and profitable uses in business organizations. Prerequisite: ATG 157 and junior standing or 42 credit hours and declared finance or actuarial science first major.

FIN 323 - International Financial Management (3 hours)
Financial characteristics of international business. International exchange, liquidity, markets, investments, and banking, in context of historical development, environmental characteristics, economic factors, political systems, and legal constraints. Emphasis on exchange rate exposure management. Cross listed as IB 323. Prerequisite: ATG 158; ECO 222; junior/senior standing.

FIN 325 - Investment Analysis (3 hours)
Principles of investment analysis. Introduction to security valuation using fundamental analysis with associated trading rules. Introduction to technical analysis/charting with trading rules. Functions and descriptions of securities markets and trading. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 262.

FIN 327 - Derivative Securities (3 hours)
Overview of options, futures, swaps, and related financial securities. Examination of exchanges, pricing issues, arbitrage, and trading strategies. Applications emphasize the use of derivative securities for managing financial risk. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 260 or MTH 122.

FIN 328 - Financial Institutions and Markets (3 hours)
Operation of financial institutions and interrelationships between their operations and economic activity; credit flow and money movements, in the context of financial institutions' operations. Structure and organization of the financial system; emphasis on markets and intermediaries. Prerequisite: ECO 100 or 221; ECO 222; junior standing.

FIN 329 - Commercial Bank Management (3 hours)
The role of commercial banks in the capital markets; introduction and application of financial management concepts, tools, and techniques to the fundamental financial decisions that managers of commercial banks make. Focus is on the dynamic banking environment, regulations, nature of risks, asset and liability management, investment and credit decisions, and financing decision of commercial banks. Prerequisite: FIN 322.

FIN 330 - Financial Services Marketing (3 hours)
Examination of the increasing use of marketing techniques in the financial services industry and the changing environment of financial services. Course is structured around the core marketing principles of buyer behavior, segmentation, product development, distribution, pricing and promotion, as well as topics such as relationship marketing, customer loyalty, and technological developments. Designed for students with an interest in banking, insurance, securities, and other financial services industries. Cross listed with MTG 330. Prerequisite: FIN 322; MTG 315.

FIN 384 - Entrepreneurial Finance (3 hours)
Planning and strategies involved in starting or expanding a business. Emphasis on capitalization, record keeping, liquidity management, fixed asset management, financial analysis, expansion strategies, establishing firm value, and exiting the firm. Cross-listed with ENT 384. Prerequisite: BMA 352; FIN 322.

FIN 421 - Liquidity Management (3 hours)
Managing firms' liquidity position; emphasis on use of positive and normative models dealing with short term assets and liabilities; ensuring liquidity while enhancing firm value. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 263.

FIN 422 - Financial Analysis (3 hours)
Interpretation and analysis of corporate financial statements. Current annual and interim reports as a source of data for management, stockholders, and creditors. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 263.

FIN 423 - Advanced Business Finance (3 hours)
Complex problems of the corporate finance manager. Emphasis on modern finance tools in managerial decision making. Recent literature of corporate finance. Prerequisite: FIN 322 and QM 263; or students pursuing a BSEE-MSQF degree

FIN 424 - Capital Budgeting (3 hours)
Long-term capital investment decisions and long-term financing. Strategic wealth creation, general valuation principles, evaluation of net present value rule, alternative capital budgeting methods, ranking projects, taxation, marginal cash flows, and the impact of inflation. Single-investment risk analysis, risk analysis for top management and fully diversified investors, cost of capital, capital structure, dividend policy, interactions between investment and financing decisions, leasing, and capital rationing. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 263.

FIN 425 - Portfolio Theory and Management (3 hours)
Introduction to portfolio theory. Diversification concepts. Market-oriented capital asset pricing model, options pricing model, and arbitage pricing theory. Market efficiency. Relationship of portfolio theory to fundamental and technical analyses. Portfolio management and evaluation techniques. Prerequisite: FIN 322; QM 260 or MTH 122; QM 263.

FIN 426 - Financial Research & Modeling (3 hours)
Modeling financial processes, cash flows, security prices, etc., for decision making. Econometric, distribution-based, Markov and Stochastic Process concepts are employed. Treats risk/uncertainty identification, measurement and management. Prerequisite: QM 260; QM 263; FIN 322; and one additional jr./sr. finance course.

FIN 429 - Topics in Finance (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of nine hours credit.

FIN 494 - Financial Strategy (3 hours)
Contemporary review of theory and practice of financial risk management. Principles for managing financial risk are applied to interest rates, exchange rates, and commodity prices. Financial engineering is incorporated into unified ethical and sustainable managerial problem solving and policy decisions designed to achieve successful operations. Supporting financial elements areas are integrated to understand and appreciate their interdependencies and benefits as a culminating academic experience. Prerequisite: 12 hours of finance at 300 or 400 level.

FIN 498 - Independent Study in Finance (1-3 hours)
Studies undertaken by academically qualified students under guidance of a faculty member. Open to Finance and Quantitative Methods Department majors only. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite: junior/senior standing; 2.5 cumulative grade point average; consent of Department Chair.

FIN 522 - Introduction to Finance (2 hours)
Principles of financial management; financial systems and flow of funds; time value of money and its application; raising and allocation of funds; financial analysis, planning, and forecasting. Cannot be used to satisfy MBA elective or concentration requirements. Prerequisite: ATG 505; ECO 506; QM 501.

FIN 622 - Financial Management (3 hours)
The financial framework of business; principles governing the operation of financial markets. Management of the flow of funds through a company; evaluation of alternative methods of financing under changing conditions; capital and cash budgeting; valuation problems. Prerequisite: MBA prerequisite courses completed.

FIN 623 - Multinational Financial Management (3 hours)
How global financial markets accommodate various cultural, legal, economic, and exchange rate systems. How different conventions apply to country-specific accounting, operating, marketing, and financing. Multinational interaction and exposure management are emphasized. Prerequisite: completion of all MBA prerequisite courses.

FIN 624 - Capital Budgeting (3 hours)
Long-term capital investment decisions, policy, concepts, tools and techniques. Builds on NPV decision rule, cash flow, CAPM and APT, real options, and jump process approaches; risk considerations emphasized. Prerequisite: completion of foundation courses, FIN 622.

FIN 625 - Financial Analysis (3 hours)
Contemporary theoretical and applied approaches to analyzing financial health. Managerial implications. Application and interpretation of ratios; univariate and multivariate tools. Financial modeling. Prerequisite: completion of all MBA prerequisite courses.

FIN 627 - Financial Risk Management (3 hours)
Risks induced by input factor, interest rate, and currency exchange rate changes are analyzed for interpretation, reduction, offset, or alternative adjustment. How the firm can enhance financial performance relative to risk taken. Prerequisite: completion of all MBA prerequisite courses.

FIN 628 - Socially Responsible Financial Policy (3 hours)
Explores through research and discussion the implications of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the traditional value/profit motive of corporate financial policy. Readings and case studies will be used to explore CSR topics such as environmental issues; shareholder activism; fair trade; philanthropy; fair compensation; socially responsible investing and other related topics.

FIN 633 - Quantitative Methods in Finance (3 hours)
Emphasizes the mathematical structure of and methods for model solutions in asset and derivative pricing, capital budgeting and real options, financing and liquidity. Includes solutions of systems of equations, complementarity, and optimization. Applications of numerical analysis, integration and differentiation, functional and differential equation solutions. Prerequisite: consent of department chair.

FIN 636 - Fixed Income (3 hours)
Develops term structure models and options based on fixed-income securities. Standard lognormal models, short-term interest rate models, and more complex derivative models. Prerequisite: consent of department chair.

FIN 637 - Derivatives II (3 hours)
Advanced topics in derivative securities. Builds on introduction to derivatives and fixed income course. Develops numerical techniques used to implement pricing methodologies, term structure models, and options based on fixed income securities. Prerequisite: consent of department chair.

FIN 639 - Uncertainty Analysis and Measurement (3 hours)
The nature and importance of modeling and measuring uncertainty; theoretical and computational approaches to modeling and measuring uncertainty; qualitative and quantitative uncertainty modeling and measurement; computational issues in uncertainty modeling and measurement; simulation, moment generating and characteristic probability functions. Prerequisite: Consent of department chair.

FIN 649 - Quantitative Finance Capstone (3 hours)
A capstone course that will develop topics of special interest which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes. A maximum of three credit hours of topics courses are allowed. Prerequisite: consent of department chair.

FIN 655 - Practicum in Quantitative Finance (3 hours)
Providing solutions to complex financial problems under faculty supervision, with a financial benefit. May involve research with faculty. Up to three hours credit. Repeatable to a combined total of six credit hours. Prerequisite: Graduate Master of Science in Quantitative Methods student in good standing; approval of Director of Master of Science in Quantitative Methods program.

FIN 658 - Topics in Finance (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes.

FIN 659 - Topics in Quantitative Finance (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes. Prerequisite: consent of department chair.

FIN 660 - Readings in Finance (1-3 hours)
Individual readings for qualified students, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Repeatable to a maximum of 3 credit hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and director of graduate programs.

Q M 260 - Quantitative Methods in Finance (3 hours)
Introduction to mathematics of finance. Emphasis is placed on the applications of mathematical techniques to important financial concepts such as capital budgeting, measures of risk and return, investments, and market efficiency. Techniques of optimization as applied to diversification and portfolio management. Prerequisite: MTH 115 or MTH 121.

Q M 262 - Quantitative Analysis I (3 hours)
Data presentation and computation of descriptive measures. Probability theory, probability distributions, expectations, variance, covariance, correlation coefficient. Sampling, central limit theorem, statistical estimation, one or two sample tests of hypotheses. Prerequisite: MTH 109 or equivalent

Q M 263 - Quantitative Analysis II (3 hours)
Linear and multiple regression, correlation, analysis of variance, contingency tables, time series, decision theory, and non-parametric methods. Data analysis using statistical computer packages. Prerequisite: Q M 262; MTH 115 or 121; BMA 172 or 173

Q M 326 - Business Forecasting (3 hours)
Develops basic principles and techniques of forecasting through integration of scientific and judgmental forecasting in financial applications. Objective analysis of historical data is combined with subjective insight to demonstrate how data for budgets can be developed, profits maximized, and risks reduced. Emphasis on use of forecasting by individual firms. Prerequisite: QM 263 and junior/senior standing.

Q M 364 - Decision Support Systems (3 hours)
Deterministic and probabilistic models of management science and use of computer-based support for the decision making process. Models such as linear and integer programming, transportation and assignment problems, CPM/PERT, simulation and queueing models. Applications in a variety of business areas using the computer. Prerequisite: BMA 172 or equivalent; QM 262; junior/senior standing.

Q M 369 - Topics in Quantitative Methods (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours. Prerequisite: junior/senior standing.

Q M 498 - Independent Study in Quantitative Methods (1-3 hours)
Studies undertaken by academically qualified students under guidance of a faculty member. Open to Finance and Quantitative Methods Department majors only. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours. Prerequisite: junior/senior standing; 2.5 cumulative grade point average; consent of Department Chair.

Q M 502 - Quantitative Analysis II (2 hours)
Linear and multiple regression and correlation techniques. Analysis of variance, times-series analysis, and nonparametric procedures. Cannot be used to satisfy MBA elective or concentration requirements. Prerequisite: QM 501; or QM 262 and MTH 115 or MTH 121.

Q M 658 - Topics in Quantitative Methods (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes.

Q M 660 - Readings in Quantitative Methods (1-3 hours)
Individual readings for qualified students, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Repeatable to a maximum of 3 credit hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor and director of graduate programs.

This is the official catalog for the 2013-2014 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.