Finance Courses
The Undergraduate Program
FIN 11 Corporation Finance
This course provides basic principles by which the modern corporation manages its assets, controls its liabilities, and raises new capital. Topics covered include the mathematics of finance, valuation and rates of return on securities, financial statement analysis, forecasting, planning and budgeting, working capital management, introduction to capital budgeting techniques, and cost of capital considerations.
Co-requisites: ACC 11, or consent of chair
Every Semester, 3 credits
FIN 12 Corporate Financial Policy
This writing-across-the-curriculum course is an analysis of corporate policy with respect to internal financial control, capital budgeting, dividend policy, and the issuance and sale of new securities. Emphasis will be placed on corporate decision-making under uncertainty in areas of investment and financing alternatives, both domestically and internationally. Tools and techniques for risk assessment and risk management will be explored using financial calculators and spreadsheet models.
Prerequisites: FIN 11, ACC 11
Every Semester, 3 credits
FIN 23 Personal Finance
This course gives students, regardless of major or background, an overview of how to manage their financial circumstances. Topics covered will include personal, auto and home equity loans; property and casualty insurance; life insurance; investing fundamentals; tax planning; retirement planning and estate planning. Principles of budgeting, financing, insurance, investing and retirement planning will be outlined so that students will have a better idea of how to live within their means and prepare for the future.
Business Elective
3 Credits Annually
FIN 25 Introduction to Real Estate
This course will focus on the business of real estate with a particular focus on the New York metropolitan and Long Island areas. Topics covered will include real estate instruments, real estate brokerage, real estate financing, appraisals and valuations, marketing real estate, managing property and government financing programs. Many of the classes will include presentations by real estate professionals from the area.
Business Elective
3 Credits Annually
FIN 29 Private Equity and Venture Capital
The course is designed to study the venture capital and private equity industry. Topics to be covered include how private equity funds are raised and structured, the features of private equity funds and the fundraising process. In addition, the course considers the interactions between private equity investors and the entrepreneurs that they finance, as well as the exit process for the investor. Several private equity transactions, including venture capital, buyouts, build-ups, and venture leasing, will be illustrated.
Annually, 3 credits
Business Elective
FIN 31 Investments
This course focuses on security markets and investment opportunities. Students are exposed to the concepts of market efficiency and risk and return in the context of valuation of equities, fixed income securities, and derivative securities. The objective is to provide a systematic method of analyzing investment portfolios.
Fall/Spring semesters 3 credits
FIN 32 Security Analysis
Building on the base of FIN 31, this course focuses on theoretical security pricing models and techniques of investing in various instruments. Dynamic market forecasting and strategic investment decisions will be tested. Emphasis will be placed on investing in derivative securities such as options and futures both for risk reduction and speculative purposes. The course will include an introduction to portfolio theory. Students will apply theory to practice by formulating and testing trading strategies using a computer investment package.
Prerequisite: FIN 31
Annually 3 credits
FIN 33 Derivative Markets
The purpose of this course is to learn to price derivative instruments and also study their use for speculation and hedging. Students study the use of the Binomial Options pricing model and the Black-Scholes models to price these securities. Some of the other topics covered are netting, haircuts, forward contracts, options, futures on financials and commodities, options on futures, and swaps.
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 35 Spreadsheet Modeling in Finance
The purpose of this course is to instruct students in the use of Microsoft Excel for financial analyses. Such topics as sensitivity analysis, bond valuation, duration, convexity, stock valuation, Black-Scholes option pricing, implied volatility, and “the Greeks” will be covered. This computer intensive course is a combination of theory and practice and is linked to the Bloomberg data system.
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 61 Advanced Financial Policies
This course builds upon the basic principles of managerial finance by providing further theoretical knowledge and analytic skills necessary for identification, evaluation, and solution of financial policy issues. The course also provides perspectives on corporate financial policies pertaining to three fundamental strategies: namely, investing, financing and dividend decisions. The course investigates the choice of particular policies and quantifies the valuation consequences of real world corporate decisions, including those relating to financial analysis; planning and strategy; capital budgeting; intermediate and long-term financing; financial structure; the cost of capital and dividend policy; mergers and acquisitions; and risk management.
Prerequisite: FIN 11
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 65 Money and Capital Markets
(Cross-listed as ECO 65)
The main goal of this writing-across-the-curriculum course is to analyze and understand the main forces that are influencing and changing the U.S. financial system. Emphasis will therefore be placed on both financial theory and the U.S. institutional structure. The former will include the loanable funds theory, liquidity preference, the modern quantity theory of money, and theories of the term structure of interest rates. The latter will include an examination of financial markets and financial institutions and their competitive strategies. Regulatory changes and both traditional and new financial instruments will also be evaluated. Discussion of the use of the Federal Reserve's flow of funds will be integrated into the course as will material from rating agencies and major financial firms. Current events will also be covered.
Prerequisite: FIN 11 or consent of chair
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 71 Global Financial Markets
This course offers an overview of the international financial system. International financial markets are investigated, exchange rate markets and behavior are analyzed, and hedging techniques are presented.
Prerequisites: FIN 11
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 72 Global Financial Management
An analysis of the financial decision-making process of the global corporation will be explored. The financial opportunities and the risks associated with international operations are discussed and analyzed. Major topics include multicurrency cash and exposure management, capital budgeting and cost of capital considerations as well as multinational performance and evaluation criteria. The case method is utilized.
Prerequisite: FIN 71
Annually, 3 credits
FIN 81 Seminar in Financial Services
Students will explore the relationship between corporate financial flows and financial market, industry, and aggregate economic data.
Prerequisite: FIN 12
Fall/Spring, 3 credits
FIN 91, 92 Independent Research Study
These courses offer students the option of either a department-approved internship or structured, supervised research in a professor-selected area of finance.
Prerequisite: Senior status
Every Semester, 1 credit each
FIN 93, 94 Internship
Internships will be arranged through the Finance Department. These internships are planned programs of research observations, study, and participation in selected organizations. They are designed to enrich classroom study with hands-on practical experience.
Every Semester, 3 credits
Department of Finance
College of Management
C.W. Post Campus | Long Island University
720 Northern Blvd.
Brookville, NY 11548-1300
Phone 516-299-2308
| Fax 516-299-3925
Email: cmanage@cwpost.liu.edu
