THE ADVANTAGE OF A LSU MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FINANCE

The Master of Science program in Finance provides its students with the analytical and communicative skills necessary for effective financial decision making through the application of financial theory and quantitative techniques.  With ever-increasing financial globalization and competition for employment in the financial sector, it is crucial that professionals prepare for the increasingly complex world of Finance by building a solid foundation. The LSU MS Finance Program offers a challenging advanced degree that prepares its participants to become the leaders of this rewarding and dynamic field.

Table Of Contents:

Customized Curriculum
Advanced Resources
Certification Opportunities
MS Finance Curriculum
MS Finance Career Paths
MS Finance Admissions
Expenses
Application Requirements

CUSTOMIZED CURRICULUM

A viable alternative to an MBA, the LSU MS Finance Program offers several concentrations that allow students to customize the curriculum to fit a variety of career goals including:

• Investments
• Corporate Finance
• Accounting
• Statistics
• Information Systems & Decision Sciences
• Economics

Moreover, MS Finance students may participate in LSU’s prestigious Internal Auditing Program. As part of this world-class program, MS Finance students may receive highly competitive intern positions at some of the nations most esteemed firms. Also, as part of the MS Finance Program, students may earn a Minor in Mathematics (For more information please refer to the Department of Mathematics page).

ADVANCED RESOURCES

Through LSU MS Finance Program, students have the latest and most advanced educational resources at their fingertips. The Securities Markets Analysis Research and Trading (SMART Lab) allows students to access the latest technology in securities analysis, research and trading. While the Student Managed Investment Fund allows students real-life practice managing a portfolio.

CERTIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

For those with undergraduate degrees in Accounting, the LSU MS Finance Program offers Accounting electives in order for individuals to reach the 150 hour requirement for the CPA exam while pursuing a master in finance. In addition, the MS Finance program offers Bloomberg certification and excellent preparation for individuals seeking to become CFA certified.

MS FINANCE CURRICULUM

The MS Finance program is 36 semester hours in length, and is intended to be a full-time, three-semester program. MS Finance students are required to successfully complete at least 18 hours of finance courses including 3 required courses. The remaining 18 hours should be chosen to support their career goals. In addition, 18 hours or more have to be 7000 (or higher) level classes.     

Required Courses MS Finance
Course #	Title	Credits
FIN 7826	Investment Analysis and Portfolio Theory	3
FIN 7633	Financial Markets	3	(Fall only)
FIN 7719	Advanced Financial Management	3	(Fall only)
Finance Courses Currently Offered for Graduate Credit
Course #	Title	Credits
FIN 4828	Security Analysis and Portfolio Management	3	(Spring only)
FIN 4830	Analysis of Corporate Financial Statements	3
FIN 4850	Financial Derivatives	3	(Fall only)
FIN 7300	Seminar in Real Estate	3	(Fall only)
FIN 7310	Real Estate Financial Decisions	3	(Spring only)
FIN 7632	Seminar in Commercial Banking	3
FIN 7400	Financial Risk Management	3	(Spring only)
FIN 7718	Multinational Financial Management	3	(Spring only)
FIN 7720	Topics in Business Finance (Asset Management)	3
FIN 7740	Venture Capital & Investment Banking	3	(Spring only)
FIN 7845	Student Managed Investment Fund	3
FIN 7900	Independent Study in Finance	3
FIN 7930	Finance Internship	3
We recommend that students choose from the following two concentrations:
Investments
FIN 4828, FIN 4830, FIN 4850, FIN 7300, FIN 7310, FIN 7400, FIN 7633, FIN 7720, FIN 7845
Corporate Finance
FIN 4830, FIN 7718, FIN 7719, FIN 7400
MS in Finance with a Minor in Mathematics
Internal Audit Specialization
Course #	Title	Credits
ACCT 7233	Graduate Internal Auditing	3
ACCT 7231	Internship in Internal Auditing	3
ACCT 7232	Case Studies in Internal Auditing	3
ACCT 7234	Operational Auditing	3

Courses outside of Finance, Accounting, Economics, and information Systems and Decision Sciences are not usually accepted for degree credit. Exceptions will be made if the course will complement the student’s program. All students are expected to meet with the MS Finance Advisor prior to their first registration to establish program of study.

Part-Time Study
Some students have completed the program on a part-time basis. Because the program is small, however, not all required courses are offered at times convenient for part-time students.

Final Examination
Each candidate must pass a comprehensive examination in the last term of his or her program of study.

Course Descriptions (PDF)
Minor in Mathematics (PDF)

MS FINANCE CAREER PATHS

The typical areas that a MS Finance graduate would work are: financial services, corporate finance, investments, real estate, or risk management.

Types of Jobs Held by MS Finance Graduates:

• Financial analyst
• Mergers and acquisition analyst
• REIT manager
• Financial consultant
• Credit analyst
• Portfolio manager
• Mortgage administrator
• Bank lending officer

MS FINANCE ADMISSIONS

We admit students in both fall and spring semesters.  For admissions, we look at the entire application package, including transcripts, rather than focusing on any one test score.  We target a 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) undergraduate grade point average and a 600 or better on the GMAT (the code for LSU is 6373), with balance between the verbal and quantitative sections.  We do not accept the GRE. 

International applicants must also provide an official TOEFL score (the code for LSU is also 6373) of at least 550 on the paper-based exam, 213 on the computer-based exam, or 79 on the internet-based exam to be considered for admission.  We encourage but do not require work experience.    

Letters of recommendation are also an important part of the assessment process. We use them to aid us in determining the applicant's likelihood of success both in the program and after graduation.  We do not require specific forms for these letters; the respondent should write on standard letterhead. 

Your undergraduate degree should be equivalent to that from a 4-year accredited U.S. institution, and you should have successfully completed the core requirements for a business degree, roughly the equivalent of at least a comprehensive undergraduate minor in business administration:  calculus, micro-economics, macro-economics, one year of accounting including financial accounting, statistics through regression and hypothesis testing, business law, principles of marketing, principles of management, principles of finance, and either production management or operations research.  You should also be proficient in office applications software (i.e., word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation). 

The MS program in finance at LSU is small, with a total census of around 25. We usually accept between 5 and 10 students each semester. 

Since the curriculum is tailored to each applicant's needs, we require that you have already established a career goal and reasons for seeking  the MS Finance degree.  This information should be included in your statement of purpose on the graduate school application form, and is used in determining your program of study. 

EXPENSES

It is very difficult to estimate expenses since much depends on the individual and his or her spending preferences.  Tuition, fees and insurance are also subject to change without notice.  The LSU International Services Offices estimates that standard living expenses including tuition and fees for the current year to be $26,000.

Regrettably, at present we do not anticipate offering any assistantships for the Masters program for the coming year.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Students seeking the Master of Science degree in Finance must meet all degree requirements specified by the Graduate School as well as specific departmental requirements outlined in the MS Finance Admissions section.

Prospective students should apply to the graduate school. In addition, students should send the following documents to the MS Finance Advisor:

• resume
• transcripts
• letters of recommendation

Louisiana State University
MS Finance Advisor
2163 Patrick F. Taylor Hall
E. J. Ourso College of Business
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

All graduate school application materials are also available on line at the Graduate School's Web site: http://appl003.lsu.edu/grad/gradschool.nsf/index

This site also contains much information about the admissions process.  If you are not able to apply on-line, you must still request a paper application from that site.  We are unable to send one to you directly. The Graduate School sets the deadline on May 15 for Fall admission and October 15 for Spring admission but advises international students to submit their application at least ten months in advance of enrolling.

I hope this information assists you in your planning.  If you have any additional questions specific to our MS program, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,   

V. Carlos Slawson, Jr., Chair
Department of Finance
2163 Patrick F. Taylor Hall
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(225) 578-6257  (voice)
(225) 578-6366  (fax)