Concentrations
Undergraduate Concentration
The undergraduate finance concentration requires successful completion of Basic Finance plus a minimum of four (4) additional finance courses. (Refer to current Boston College Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions). Of these additional courses, three are required* and are common to all concentrators; the other course or courses are elective, based upon personal interest or career goals. The student's minium finance curriculum follows:
MA 021 - Financial Accounting (pre-requisite for Basic Finance)
MF 021 - Basic Finance
MF 151 - Investments (pre-requisite: MF021)
MF 127 - Corporate Finance (pre-requisite: MF021)
MF 225 - Financial Policy (pre-requisites: MF127, MF151)
At least one Elective from courses listed below:
| Course no. | Course Title | Prerequisite Course |
| MF132 | Money and Capital Markets | MF021 |
| MF207 | Real Estate Finance | MF021 |
| MF250 | Fixed Income Analysis | MF151 |
| MF299 | Individual Directed Study | MF127 - Senior status and permission of faculty member and Department Chairperson |
MF132: Money And Capital Markets
This course is intended to facilitate how you learn and help you to concentrate on the important fundamentals of our vibrant financial system. As current events strongly influence the domestic and world business community, the course will include their impact on decision making within context of the lecture. Once we have an underpinning of the market components such as interest rates, bonds, equities et als, we will move through how the various markets for these components interact, how the government sets policy and regulation and how financial institutions function as the main participants.
MF250: Fixed Income Analysis
This is a course on fixed income securities and by extension all securities whose valuation and hedging are related to interest rates. The focus will be on understanding fixed income markets and bond management techniques. The course will cover fixed income mathematics including the concepts of duration and convexity; the bond market and its various instruments including us treasuries, corporate bonds, mortgage backed securities, and emerging market bonds; and risk management tools used in the bond market such as futures and options, interest rate swaps and credit default swaps. The course will also cover bond portfolio management techniques which encompass factors such as economic and interest rate forecasting, yield
curve anticipation, and security selection.
MF207: Real Estate Finance
The objective of this course is to provide an introduction and understanding of real estate finance which is widely used for evaluating real estate investment proposals. A number of concepts from economics, law, finance, taxation and banking must be integrated into the course materials in order to accomplish this objective. While the course will consider maximizing the net worth (owner's equity) of the individual investor, as well as criteria for the selection among alternative investments, the course will offer a consideration of current events and projects in real estate finance, negotiation strategy and their pragmatic effect upon real estate projects.
600 Level Finance Electives: Spring 2007
These courses, while available to seniors with a concentration in Finance, would require departmental approval.
MF602 01: Venture Capital (pre-requisite: MF127)
This course looks at the nature of the VC firm, its fundraising, and compensation. It further explores the strategies, valuation, and corporate management issues. Of importance is the VC's exit strategies, term sheet negotiations, and syndicating.
MF605 01: MSF Seminar: The Role of Investment Management Firms in Financial Markets (pre-requisite: MF127)
This course covers how an $11 trillion dollar industry composed of mutual funds and investment companies operate in the U.S. It also touches upon the worldwide assets of these companies and focuses on the astounding growth of the mutual fund industry as the major choice of savers/investors. The course also covers how the fund industry continues to build resources as a function of continuing sharehold investment plans and retirement/education based savings. A guest lecture series of invited portfolio management executives and other fund disciplines is a component of the course curriculum.
MF616 01: Investment Banking (pre-requisite: MF127)
This course provides an overview of investment banking. We will study the investment banking industry with a specific focus on the role of investment bankers in capital markets and recent regulatory changes. The course will provide both an institutional perspective on the investment banking industry and an opportunity to apply financial theories and models. Some of the specific topics that we will cover are: stock underwriting and valuation, fixed income securities underwriting, including junk bonds, asset securitization, merchant banking and private equity firms, money management and mutual funds, structuring deals, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, global financial markets, securities regulations, and ethics.
MF617 01: Hedge Funds (pre-requisite: MF151)
The objective of this course is to broaden the students understanding of hedge funds and the markets in which they operate. The course provides an outline for understanding the structure and operation of the different styles and strategies of hedge funds. Throughout the course current issues and academic literature related to hedge funds are discussed, as is the key role played by the rapid growth of cash inflows in shaping the industry.
MF618 01: MSF Seminar: Emergining Global Financial Markets and Institutions (pre-requisite: MF151)
In today's global world, there is no aspect of business that is not directly or materially affected by the giants of the financial services sector. The study of international commerce, then, should include an understanding of the current and future role of global financial institutions, key drivers influencing the industry, and strategic challenges and opportunities facing today's financial services' CEOs. This course will provide a student, without a financial institution background, with critical fundamentals to apply to their own experiences.
MF620 01: Equity Analysis (pre-requisite: MF151)
The focus of the course would be to provide a practical understanding of equity analysis, with the starting point of what an equity analyst should know. I would also tie it into current events (Wall Street and investment management conflicts, Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, social security/private accounts, etc.), when possible. The course would be targeted at advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The course would be useful for anyone interested in venture capital/private equity and equity research, either for an investment banking firm, asset management firm or independent research firm. (As we discussed, even if a student wants to be a PM, no one starts as a PM; they start as an analyst.)
MF631 01: International Financial Management (pre-requisite: MF127)
The intent of this course is to provide the knowledge and skills need for managers of firms engaged in sales, direct investments or financing of their operations outside of their home country. The course will focus ion international financial variables such as exchange rates, international financial markets for funds and risk management, global weighted average cost of capital, and country risk in managing a multinational business enterprise.
MF645 01: Project Finance (pre-requisite: MF127)
Project Financing discipline includes understanding the rationale for project financing, how to prepare the financial plan, assess the risks, design the financing mix, and raise the funds. In addition, one must understand the cogent analyses of why some project financing plans have succeeded while others have failed. A knowledge-base is required regarding the design of contractual arrangements to support project financing; issues for the host government legislative provisions, public/private infrastructure partnerships, public/private financing structures; credit requirements of lenders, and how to determine the project's borrowing capacity; how to prepare cash flow projections and use them to measure expected rates of return; tax and accounting considerations; and analytical techniques to validate the project's feasibility.