MBA - Area Focus Electives - Finance
Finance
At Darden, all MBA students build core strength in finance through the required curriculum. MBA finance electives, beginning at the end of the First Year, are varied and provide the opportunity for deep learning — both on a technical and strategic level.
Students pursuing career paths in finance leverage the extensive curriculum with Darden's action-oriented enterprise perspective.
-
Courses
Required Courses
Electives
CORPORATE FINANCE
Students who pursue a career in corporate finance will be responsible for the company’s financial direction and therefore, need to have a solid foundation that will allow them to understand increasingly sophisticated financial topics. MBA students interested in corporate finance should complement the core finance courses with strategy and operations fundamentals. It is also important for future financial decision makers to have an international perspective. Throughout, students looking to become financial analysts should fine-tune their quantitative skills.
Primary Courses
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Corporate Financing
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Financial Institutions & Markets
- International Corporate Finance
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Financial Statement Analysis & Corporate Valuation
- Hot Topics in Finance
Related Courses
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Taxation & Management Decisions
- Supply Chain Management
- Management Decision Models
- The Practice of General Management
INVESTMENT BANKING
An investment banking career requires a thorough comprehension of valuation techniques and concise understanding of how financial markets — both national and international — function. Investment bankers must be comfortable combing through financial statements, thus the importance of the two accounting courses in the selection of courses below. In addition, investment bankers must have a deep understanding of strategy and competitive markets. Finally, as with most financial careers, quantitative skills are a crucial foundation. An MBA with finance emphasis is pivotal for success in investment banking.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- International Corporate Finance
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Financial Statement Analysis & Corporate Valuation
Related Courses
- The Practice of General Management
- Strategic Management of Financial Service Organization
- Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity
INVESTMENTS/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
A successful portfolio manager must be able to select securities in which to invest according to pre-defined criteria. This task requires portfolio managers to be comfortable with various valuation techniques and portfolio theory. Managers must be able to learn about an industry and evaluate companies’ strategic positioning in their respective markets. Portfolio managers must also understand the broader context of financial markets and how those markets operate.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Investments
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Portfolio Management
- Arbitrage
Related Courses
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- International Corporate Finance
- Management Decision Models
- Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Valuation
SMALL ENTERPRISES
MBA students interested in pursuing finance careers with small enterprises will need different skill sets than those students joining large, established corporations. Small enterprises are usually characterized as having higher growth rates and higher risk. Students need to understand the methods that smaller companies use to raise financing and the different valuation techniques that may be applied to small enterprises.
Primary Courses
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Entrepreneurial Finance & Private Equity
- Small Enterprise Finance
- Managing Turnarounds and Workouts
- Venture Capital
- Acquisition of Closely-Held Enterprises
Related Courses
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Corporate Financing
- Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Valuation
- Operations Strategy
- Supply Chain Management
- Competitive Dynamics Seminar
SALES AND TRADING
Students pursuing a career in sales and trading will manage their clients’ and firm’s needs through executing orders in various financial markets. Therefore, a foundation in understanding markets and how firms are valued in markets is essential. The core finance courses will also help MBA students understand how to manage risk — a large component of their future jobs. The derivatives course will give students an introduction to some of the increasingly sophisticated financial securities they will encounter on the job. Negotiating skills are an important adjunct to the pure financial skills necessary to make successful trader.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Investments
- Arbitrage
- Managing Investment Portfolios
Related Courses
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- Corporate Financing
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Bargaining & Negotiating
- Management Decision Models
* Courses offered in the First and Second Year. All other courses are offered only in the Second Year.
Please note: courses are subject to change each year. Consult the course directory for the most up-to-date course offerings.
- Concentrations
- Clubs & Events
- Contacts
Required Courses
Electives
CORPORATE FINANCE
Students who pursue a career in corporate finance will be responsible for the company’s financial direction and therefore, need to have a solid foundation that will allow them to understand increasingly sophisticated financial topics. MBA students interested in corporate finance should complement the core finance courses with strategy and operations fundamentals. It is also important for future financial decision makers to have an international perspective. Throughout, students looking to become financial analysts should fine-tune their quantitative skills.
Primary Courses
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Corporate Financing
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Financial Institutions & Markets
- International Corporate Finance
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Financial Statement Analysis & Corporate Valuation
- Hot Topics in Finance
Related Courses
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Taxation & Management Decisions
- Supply Chain Management
- Management Decision Models
- The Practice of General Management
INVESTMENT BANKING
An investment banking career requires a thorough comprehension of valuation techniques and concise understanding of how financial markets — both national and international — function. Investment bankers must be comfortable combing through financial statements, thus the importance of the two accounting courses in the selection of courses below. In addition, investment bankers must have a deep understanding of strategy and competitive markets. Finally, as with most financial careers, quantitative skills are a crucial foundation. An MBA with finance emphasis is pivotal for success in investment banking.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- International Corporate Finance
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Financial Statement Analysis & Corporate Valuation
Related Courses
- The Practice of General Management
- Strategic Management of Financial Service Organization
- Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity
INVESTMENTS/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
A successful portfolio manager must be able to select securities in which to invest according to pre-defined criteria. This task requires portfolio managers to be comfortable with various valuation techniques and portfolio theory. Managers must be able to learn about an industry and evaluate companies’ strategic positioning in their respective markets. Portfolio managers must also understand the broader context of financial markets and how those markets operate.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Investments
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Portfolio Management
- Arbitrage
Related Courses
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- International Corporate Finance
- Management Decision Models
- Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Valuation
SMALL ENTERPRISES
MBA students interested in pursuing finance careers with small enterprises will need different skill sets than those students joining large, established corporations. Small enterprises are usually characterized as having higher growth rates and higher risk. Students need to understand the methods that smaller companies use to raise financing and the different valuation techniques that may be applied to small enterprises.
Primary Courses
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Entrepreneurial Finance & Private Equity
- Small Enterprise Finance
- Managing Turnarounds and Workouts
- Venture Capital
- Acquisition of Closely-Held Enterprises
Related Courses
- Corporate Financial Policies
- Corporate Financing
- Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Valuation
- Operations Strategy
- Supply Chain Management
- Competitive Dynamics Seminar
SALES AND TRADING
Students pursuing a career in sales and trading will manage their clients’ and firm’s needs through executing orders in various financial markets. Therefore, a foundation in understanding markets and how firms are valued in markets is essential. The core finance courses will also help MBA students understand how to manage risk — a large component of their future jobs. The derivatives course will give students an introduction to some of the increasingly sophisticated financial securities they will encounter on the job. Negotiating skills are an important adjunct to the pure financial skills necessary to make successful trader.
Primary Courses
- Financial Reporting & Analysis *
- Valuation in Financial Markets *
- Investments
- Arbitrage
- Managing Investment Portfolios
Related Courses
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- Corporate Financing
- Derivative Securities: Options & Futures
- Bargaining & Negotiating
- Management Decision Models
* Courses offered in the First and Second Year. All other courses are offered only in the Second Year.
Please note: courses are subject to change each year. Consult the course directory for the most up-to-date course offerings.
Finance Faculty
Rus Abuzov
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Lester F. Alexander III
John Glynn Endowed Professor and Professor of Practice in Business Administration
George (Yiorgos) Allayannis
Robert F. Bruner Distinguished Professor of Business Administration
Ian Appel
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Richard B. Evans
Senior Associate Dean for Research Services and Support, Professor of Business Administration, Donald McLean Wilkinson Research Chair in Business Administration
Robert S. Harris
C. Stewart Sheppard Professor of Business Administration
Christoph Herpfer
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Michael J. Ho
Professor of Practice
Marc L. Lipson
Robert F. Vandell Professor of Business Administration
Elena Loutskina
Professor of Business Administration, Peter M. Grant II Bicentennial Foundation Chair in Business Administration, Academic Director of Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management
Pedro Matos
James A. and Stacy Cooper Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration, John G. Macfarlane Family Chair, Academic Director of Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management
Matthew McBrady
Professor of Practice
Michael J. Schill
Sponsors Professor of Business Administration
