M.S. in Finance
Stay on Top of the Field
With globalization, emerging technologies, new regulations, and other factors, the world’s financial landscape is always shifting. Our MSF students succeed in this constantly evolving environment by mastering the enduring principles that underlie financial markets.
Our MSF program—ranked #3 in the country and #34 in the world by the Financial Times—helps students deepen their knowledge of finance, broaden their career opportunities, and make names for themselves in their fields.
Finance professionals, recent undergraduates, and others who are considering new careers can choose from part-time or full-time options.
The following prerequisites must be completed prior to beginning the BC MSF program. These courses must be taken at an accredited 4-year, not-for-profit, college or university. Courses to satisfy the prerequisites may be taken online.
Students must earn a grade of “B” or better in order to meet the requirement. Most students with an MBA or an undergraduate degree in business meet the prerequisites.
Full-Time and Part-Time Prerequisites
Accounting
Students should have completed a course focused on the development and use of accounting information to evaluate the status and performance of business enterprises. Specifically, students should have a thorough grounding in the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. The course should cover reporting of information for use by persons and institutions outside the enterprise as well as the use of accounting information in managerial decision making.
Calculus
Students should have completed an introductory course in Calculus covering a brief review of polynomials, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions, followed by discussion of limits, derivatives, and applications of differential calculus to real-world problem areas. The course concludes with an introduction to integration.
Financial Management
Students should have completed an introductory course in Finance that covers projected financial statements, the time value of money, capital budgeting, financial leverage, security valuation, risk/return, working capital management, and international finance. The course should also cover financial statistical analysis and tools of planning and control.
Statistics
Students should have completed a course focusing on the analytical tools of statistics that are applicable to management practice. The course should include descriptive statistics and probability and progress to inferential statistics relative to central tendency and dispersion. In addition to basic concepts of estimation and hypothesis testing, the course should include coverage of topics such as analysis of variance, regression, probability, hypothesis testing, Z-scores, P-values, the standard normal distribution, OLS regression, t-statistics, and Chi-square distributions.
Adjunct Course—Economics
The MSF Program also requires that students have a basic understanding of economics. Students must complete undergraduate- or graduate-level course work in microeconomics and macroeconomics before the MSF degree will be conferred. This coursework is not required to start the program.
Questions about graduate admissions or programs? Email us or call us at 617-552-3920.
#3
MSF program in the U.S.
Financial Times, 2017
$63,000
Average total compensation, U.S. students
Class of 2017
Tuition and Aid
An MSF from the Carroll School is an excellent investment in your future. We offer merit-based scholarships and financial assistance to qualified applicants. Loan and work study programs are also available.
Program Curriculum
The full-time option allows you to complete the MSF in one full year of study. Full-time students typically take four classes in each the fall and spring semesters, and finish their degrees by taking two classes during the summer.
Seven Core Courses
| FALL |
| Investments (MFIN8801) |
| Corporate Finance (MFIN8807) |
| Management of Financial Institutions (MFIN8820) |
| Financial Econometrics (MFIN8852) |
| SPRING/SUMMER |
| Active Portfolio Management (MFIN8803) |
| Derivatives & Risk Management (MFIN8860) |
| Advanced Corporate Finance (MFIN8881) |
Three Elective Courses
- These electives must be at the MFIN66XX or MFIN88XX level
- MFIN77XX level courses are for Full-time MBA students only
- Electives may have more than one pre-requisite. Please check Agora under "Course Information and Schedules" for specifics.
- Other elective choices require department permission from Professor Michael Barry (barrymj@bc.edu)
Course waivers: please see our Course Waiver policy here.
Community Service
The Carroll School has a proud tradition of service to our community. In keeping with that tradition and with our Jesuit heritage, all M.S. in Finance students are required to complete 10 hours of community service in order to graduate. Service guidelines can be found here.
The part-time option offers a flexible schedule, enabling you to earn your degree while continuing to advance your career. Part-time students take two classes per semester on average. At this pace, the total duration of the program will be approximately 20 months.
Seven Core Courses
| Investments (MFIN8801) |
| Corporate Finance (MFIN8807) |
| Management of Financial Institutions (MFIN8820) |
| Financial Econometrics (MFIN8852) |
| Derivatives & Risk Management (MFIN8860) |
| CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING |
| Active Portfolio Management (MFIN8803) |
| Fixed Income Analysis (MFIN8880) |
| CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING |
| Financial Policy (MFIN8808) |
| Advanced Corporate Finance (MFIN8881) |
| Corporate Valuation and Restructuring (MFIN8821) |
Three Elective Courses
- These electives must be at the MFIN66XX or MFIN88XX level
- MFIN77XX level courses are for Full-time MBA students only
- Electives may have more than one pre-requisite. Please check Agora under "Course Information and Schedules" for specifics.
- Other elective choices require department permission from Professor Michael Barry (barrymj@bc.edu)
Course waivers: please see our Course Waiver policy here.
Community Service
The Carroll School has a proud tradition of service to our community. In keeping with that tradition and with our Jesuit heritage, all Carroll School graduate students must fulfill a requirement to serve others through meaningful work as volunteers.
Boston College offers a wealth of opportunities for MSF students to apply their classroom learning and to learn directly from industry professionals. For example:
- The Curriculum in Investment Research and Management (CIRM) is a three-course sequence of electives that merges theoretical learning with hands-on workshops. For qualifying students, the program culminates in “live money” portfolio management.
- The Warren Buffet & Berkshire Hathaway Field Experience takes students to Omaha, where they meet with billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
- The International Management Experience is an elective course that culminates in a two-and-a-half-week trip to Asia, Europe, or Latin America, where students interact with business leaders and government officials.
- The International Consulting Project features travel to countries such as China or Peru to work with clients on specific business challenges.
What’s more, many graduate students at the Carroll School fulfill the University’s tradition of service by serving as mentors, role models, or tutors in underserved communities, or by providing pro bono professional services to local nonprofit organizations.
Numerous student clubs, including the Graduate Management Association and the Graduate Finance Association, provide additional opportunities for students to gain significant leadership experience as well as to develop personal and professional interests.
2017 Entering Class Profiles
Full-Time
| Applicant Pool | |
| Applications Received | 1,245 |
| Class Size | 77 |
| Selectivity | 6% |
| Academic and Professional Profile | |
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.58 |
| Average GMAT Score | 695 |
| GMAT Score 80th Percentile Range | 629-757 |
| Average Full-Time Work Experience | 1 year |
| Work Experience 80 Percentile Range | 0–8 years |
| Diversity | |
| Women | 49% |
| AHANA* | 8% |
| International | 69% |
| Average Age | 23 |
| Age Range | 20-30 |
*African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American.
| Undergraduate Major | |
| Finance | 33% |
| Double Major | 21% |
| Economics | 22% |
| Accounting | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
| Business | 4% |
| Engineering | 0% |
| Math/Physical Science | 0% |
| International Enrollments | |
| Australia | People's Republic of China |
| Egypt | R.O.C. Taiwan |
| Greece | Republic of Korea |
| India | Russia |
| Indonesia | Spain |
| Nigeria | Thailand |
| Pakistan | Turkey |
Part-Time
| Academic and Professional Profile | |
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.02 |
| Average GMAT Score | 572 |
| Average GMAT 80th Percentile Range | 503-619 |
| Average Full-Time Work Experience | 5 years |
| Work Experience 80th Percentile Range | 0-19 years |
| Diversity | |
| Women | 7% |
| AHANA* | 7% |
| International | 0% |
| Average Age | 28 |
| Age Range | 22-42 |
*African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American.
Please reference ETS for GRE comparison information.
Your Future Network
Carroll School MSF graduates leverage their educations in countless ways. Get to know a few alumni from your future network.