Finance

• SMG FE 445: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
  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.
• SMG FE 449: Corporate Financial Management
  Required for Finance concentrators. Covers the financial manager's role in obtaining and allocating funds. Includes topics such as cash budgeting, working capital analysis, dividend policy, capital investment analysis and debt policy as well as their associated risks. Valuation of companies, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy are covered. The course requires using financial models and spreadsheets. Applications are made to current events and everyday business finance problems.
• SMG FE 450: Private Equity: Leveraged Buyouts
  Exposes students to, and demystifies, the world of Private Equity (PE). The focus is centered on LBOs and their position in the "alternative asset" class. Students learn about the activities of a PE firm including formation, fund-raising, investing (including deal structure, terms, due diligence, and governance), and exiting. Also discussed are what other industry sectors serve or are affected by PE and who the players are. Case study and class participation will be the primary modes of learning.
• SMG FE 454: Investment Banking
  Provides an overview of the economic functions provided by investment banks including a history of the industry, current events, public policy issues and the difference between large, full service investment banks and smaller, boutique firms. Topics include: What do investment bankers do? What are the different types of analyses performed by investment bankers? What are the various types of financial securities? What is the underwriting process and how are securities priced? Focuses on the issuing process and pricing for equity, fixed income, and equity-linked securities. Also focuses on the role of investment banks in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other restructuring. Additional topics include equity research, capital markets, institutional sales, trading, asset management, securitization, industry regulations, as well as typical career paths and opportunities.
• SMG FE 455: Financing New Ventures
  Students will be expected to have mastered key finance concepts including cash flow analysis, NPV, IRR and basic option pricing theory prior to entering the course. Introduction to raising "angel" funding and venture capital financing for start-up firms. Focus on capital structure analysis, capitalization tables, payoff diagrams, term sheets, equity incentives and negotiating with investors. Students are expected to prepare case studies for class discussion and become familiar with current events in the financial news about start-up company financings.
• 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.
• SMG FE 498: Directed Study: Finance
  Directed study in Finance

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