As a Kelley MS in Finance (MSF) student, you will gain critical expertise in finance while developing your business and professional skills.
You will be uniquely qualified to help companies navigate the increasingly complex financial environment in which they operate.
The Kelley MS in Finance curriculum prepares you to:
Craft and execute innovative financial strategies and solutions for their organizations
Provide financial acumen, insight, and discipline to business managers and clients
Effectively participate in global financial markets
Program start
The appropriate starting point will vary depending on each student’s background, and you should make an appointment with an admissions counselor to find the best starting point for you. Here are the broad principles involved in deciding when a student should begin the program, though there are exceptions depending on an individual’s background and opportunities to gain work experience in the summer leading up to the MSF Program.
If your undergraduate degree is not in business, start in early June with the Business Foundations Boot Camp.
If you have already had introductory exposure to most of the main business disciplines but you do not have an undergraduate finance major with at least a 3.3 GPA in finance courses, start in early July with Core A courses.
US regulations prohibit international students from registering for only part of a semester. If you are an international student who needs exposure to the content in Core A, you must also attend the business boot camp in June because it is part of the summer term.
If you have an undergraduate finance major with at least a 3.3 GPA in finance courses, you can start in the fall.
Program completion
Many students join our program immediately after completing their undergraduate program, though most have had prior internship experience. If you have not worked in a financial role previously, you should consider our 18-month option that allows you to build your resume by doing a summer internship. Students pursuing the 18-month option will work with Graduate Career Services, interview for summer internship opportunities, and return to Bloomington to complete their degree the following fall.
Professional skills and flexibility
The Kelley MS in Finance program is distinguished by the attention it pays to career development and intensive financial training. In addition to continual programmed engagement with Graduate Career Services, the program includes a course in professional development, a practicum course that intensifies practical financial sophistication, and a capstone project-consulting course.
The program also offers tremendous flexibility to cater to students' diverse career interests. Almost half the program consists of finance electives, allowing the student to design a bespoke curriculum aimed at corporate finance careers or financial market careers.
Firm foundation
These electives are built on a solid foundation delivered through two core experiences. The summer Finance Core A is a concentrated immersion in basic financial economics and introduces students to the foundational principles of finance, including the concepts of complete markets, no-arbitrage pricing, and market efficiency while also covering key topics in accounting, modeling, corporate valuation and professional development. The seven-week Finance Core B continues this foundational development with courses in accounting, asset pricing, spreadsheet modeling, and corporate finance valuation.
Note that variations on the plan of study may occur based on individual needs.
Summer (June)
Credit Hours
Business Boot Camp Component
6.0
BUS-X545 Business Foundations*
*If required (talk to your counselor)
Summer (July)
Credit Hours
Finance Core A Component
3.0
BUS-F513 Financial Economics
1.5
BUS-F516 Corporate Finance & Valuation
1.5
BUS-C575 Effective Communication
Fall
Credit Hours
Finance Core B Component
1.5
BUS-F520 Asset Valuation and Strategy
1.5
BUS-F540 The Firm in the Capital Markets
1.5
BUS-A506 Financial Reporting and Analysis I
1.5
BUS-A507 Financial Reporting and Analysis II (taken in the second 7 weeks)
1.5
BUS-K507 Introduction to Spreadsheet Modeling
1.5
BUS-F579 MSF Practicum I
3.0
Choose 2 electives (taken in the second 7 weeks)
Spring
Credit Hours
Capstone and Directed Electives Component
1.5
Capstone Project Course: BUS-F579 MSF Practicum II
12.0
Choose 8 electives (4 in the first 7 weeks; 4 in the second 7 weeks)
Total credit hours
31.5 without business boot camp
37.5 with business boot camp
All fall and spring courses are 1.5 credits each and run over seven weeks.
Students who choose the summer internship option withhold 3 or more credit hours for the subsequent fall.
MS in Finance students can tailor their elective choices to fulfill their diverse career dreams. Two required courses support all career paths: BUS-F520 Asset Valuation and Strategy and BUS-F540 The Firm in the Capital Markets.
Students can design their program to succeed in such career paths as:
Corporate finance
Financial institutions
Investment banking
Investment management
Real estate
Electives that may be particularly relevant for each path are suggested below. However, students are not required to declare a track and are not required to take all the electives named as appropriate for a track. Students may choose the electives that interest them to create a personalized curriculum. Click on each course to find out more about content and prerequisites.
Are you interested in a corporate finance career? Below are elective options to consider.
The concentration in fintech prepares students for a variety of career and entrepreneurial opportunities driven by new technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Combined with the foundation courses, the fintech concentration provides the skills graduates need to enter this innovative and evolving industry. Students who complete the fintech concentration will have this noted on their transcripts.
The MS in Finance Program is accredited by the Global Fintech Institute, an association of fintech professionals that administers the Chartered Fintech Professional program. Students who complete an approved set of electives earn an exemption from the first two exams required to earn the CFtP.
