Finance
Note: the courses on this page reflect Summer Term 2008 offerings.
Please check back on December 15 for a list of courses available during Summer Term 2009.
Metropolitan College
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
MET FI 202 Personal Financial Planning
The development of personal investment strategies using money and credit. Securities
and portfolio management, budgeting, insurance, taxes, retirement programs
and estate planning. 4 cr.
Top
MET FI 302 Principles of Finance
Prereq: MET AC 201. Introduction to tools of financial analysis and problems
of financial management, including cash, profitability, and capital budgeting.
Various sources of corporate funds are considered, including short-, intermediate-,
and long-term arrangements. 4 cr.
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MET FI 512 Financial Markets and Institutions
Prereq: MET FI 302. Investigation and analysis of organization, structure,
and performance of U.S. money and capital markets, and institutions. Examines
regulation of the financial industry and the role of financial instruments.
4 cr.
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GRADUATE COURSES
MET FI 631 Financial Analysis
Prereq: MET AC 630. Emphasizes issues of accounting, finance, and economics
that are important in most management contexts. Stresses understanding financial
statements, planning and control, cost and benefit evaluation, cash flow analysis,
and capital budgeting. Permission required. Note: Section A1 is a hybrid course, combining on-campus meetings with online instruction. 4 cr.
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MET FI 709 Case Studies in Current Corporate Financial Topics
Prereq: MET AC 630 and FI 631. Finance forecasting and planning; capital
budgeting, cost of capital, dividend policy, rate of return, and financial
aspects of growth. Readings and extensive use of case studies. 4 cr.
Top
MET FI 712 Financial Markets and Institutions
Prereq: MET FI 631. Investigation and analysis of organization,
structure, and performance of U.S. money and capital markets and institutions.
Examines regulation of the financial industry and the role of financial instruments.
4 cr.
Top
MET FI 717 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
Prereq: MET AC 630 and FI 631. Mechanics of securities markets, types of available investments, an
introduction to determination of securities values, and portfolio optimization.
Problems of investment policy are approached through studies of portfolio selection
methods and the valuation of special classes of securities (e.g., growth stocks).
4 cr.
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MET FI 744 Venture Capital and Financing Innovation
Prereq: MET AC 630 and FI 631. Provides an analysis of the economics
of innovation and the means by which firms secure the necessary capital to
begin or expand operations. Procedures for raising venture capital through
investment institutions and individuals are discussed. 4 cr.
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School of Management
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
Non-SMG Boston University degree candidates: Permission
is required for SMG courses. Students should go to the SMG Undergraduate
Program Office for permission. For more information, contact the SMG Undergraduate
Program Office at 617-353-2650.
Visiting students can register online, by mail, or in person
at the Summer Term office.
SMG students should register via the Student Link.
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SMG SM 104 Introduction to Financial Analysis
Read, understand, and analyze financial statements, such as income statements
and balance sheets. Covers techniques of internal financial analysis such as
breakeven, budgeting, financial forecasting, and tools to aid in decision making.
Students will also be introduced to the time value of money and capital budgeting
using discounted cash flow analysis. 4 cr.
This course is intended for non-business majors. It may not be taken by SMG students
for
credit,
nor
can
it
be
used
by
Boston University students toward the Business Administration minor. Non-SMG
students may register for this course directly via the Student Link.
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SMG FE 442 Money,
Financial Markets, and Economic Activity
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for Finance concentrators. The role of money
and the importance of interest rates in determining economic activity;
determinants
of level of interest rates. The nature and operation of central banks; the
goals and instruments of monetary policy. The roles, activities, and risk
management of financial institutions. Instruments traded in money and capital
markets,
and their valuation. Role of derivative securities; contemporary issues in
the financial system. 4 cr.
Top
SMG FE 445 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for finance concentrators. Introduction to the
investment management process. Defining investment objectives and constraints.
Introduction to Modern Portfolio Theory, CAPM, APT, Efficient Markets, stock
and bond valuation models. Immunizing interest-rate risk. Active vs. passive
investment strategies, fundamental vs. technical analysis, trading practices,
and performance evaluation. Introduction to the role of futures and options
in hedging and speculation. Students are expected to become familiar with current
events in the financial news. 4 cr.
Top
SMG FE 449 Corporate Financial Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for finance concentrators. The financial manager's
role in obtaining and allocating funds. Debt and dividend policies, obtaining
financing to expand a business, valuation of companies, mergers and acquisitions,
and capital investment analysis. Emphasizes constructing and using financial
models, and using spreadsheets. Applications to current events and everyday
business finance problems. 4 cr.
Top
SMG FE 469 Real Estate Finance
Introduces methods of evaluating real estate investment properties.
Reviews major topics relevant to the real estate development and financing
process.
4 cr.
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Graduate School of Management
GRADUATE COURSES
Candidates for the MBA at Boston University are given first consideration
for enrollment in the courses offered by the Graduate School of Management.
Students currently matriculated as candidates for other graduate degrees offered
by Boston University (except Metropolitan College), visiting MBA students from
other AACSB accredited institutions, and MBA alumni from GSM or another AACSB
accredited institution may be granted permission to enroll on a space available
basis, provided that they meet criteria established by the School of Management
for registration as "cross enrolled students" and the student fills
out the appropriate "cross enrollment application." All students must
meet the prerequisites established for enrollment in advanced courses.
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GSM FE 722 Financial Management
Prereq: GSM AC 710/711 (or concurrently), OB 712/713. Financial Management
examines three sets of problems: 1) saving and investment decisions by households,
2) investment and financing decisions by corporations, and 3) the role of securities
markets and financial intermediaries in the economy. Decisions today affect the
timing of and uncertainty about future flows of income; both timing and risk
determine the current value of those future flows. This course develops the tools
required to analyze these decisions and their interaction within the financial
system. 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 730 Economics and Management Decisions
Prereq: GSM OB 712/713 (QM 717 recommended). The aim of the
course is to present many of the decision problems managers face and to present
the economic analysis they need to guide these decisions. In the first half
of the course, microeconomic tools are used to structure complicated decision
problems about production, pricing, investment, and other strategic issues,
address uncertainty through probabilistic forecasts and sequential decisions.
An additional goal is to distinguish different market structures and apply
competitive strategies using game theory. In the second half, the focus shifts
to the study of the national and global economic environments within which
companies operate. We identify the drivers of fluctuations in GDP, inflation,
interest and exchange rates, and other key features of the economies. Since
governments play key roles in determining the fate of economies and companies,
the final theme is the rationale for and efficacy of government policy tools.
4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 820 Corporate Financial Management
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This course provides an in-depth analysis
of financial considerations relating to corporate growth. It addresses the
setting of financial or corporate goals in terms of maximizing shareholders'
equity and relationships among dividend policy, debt levels, capital costs,
return
on investments, and growth. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 822 Fixed Income Markets
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This is a course primarily on fixed-income
debt securities and markets. Emphasis is placed on the factors that determine
bond yields, factors such as the coupon and maturity structure, liquidity,
credit risk, and tax status of the security, and on measures of return and
risk, statistics such as the yield to maturity, horizon yield, duration, and
convexity. We will cover government debt (Treasuries and municipals), corporate
bonds (investment-grade and high-yield), agency (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac)
and mortgage-backed debt created via securitization (i.e., collateralized mortgage
obligations). We will emphasize how interest rate and credit derivatives are
used to manage portfolios of fixed-income securities. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 823 Investments
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This course looks at speculative markets,
including organized security markets and exchanges; definitions of securities;
relevant tax law and sources of investment information; principles of stock
and bond valuation; and security price behavior. Also discussed in this course
are problems and models associated with portfolio analysis and management.
3 or 4 cr.
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Courses of Related Interest
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