Finance & Accounting Certificates

This course provides fundamental knowledge in key areas of investments. In particular, the course will focus on portfolio theory, asset pricing, equity valuation, fixed income valuation and risk, and option pricing and strategies.

This is a graduate Finance elective course that will provide an understanding of compliance standards and practices, with a particular focus on investment management. Students will construct both active and passive investment portfolios using advanced quantitative tools and then explore through a series of case studies the compliance, regulatory, and reporting requirements of the investment process.

This course teaches students to value equity securities, starting with the top-down approach and industry analysis/forecasting. It examines valuation theory, models and applications. Students analyze the IPO process to gain a detailed understanding of equity market operation, issues that affect these markets and where they are headed. More advanced topics include the implications of financial statements on cash flow and risk, the exploration of valuing distressed or bankrupt companies, closely held firms, and venture capital situations. The course requires extensive use of applied academic journals, the financial media, and resources available in the Trading Room.

This course will provide the students with the issues, techniques and methodologies associated with constructing and evaluating portfolios. The course will use material from ST 625, including both statistics and calculus, to analyze issues such as diversification, optimal portfolio selection, capital market theory and application, performance evaluation, efficient markets, and behavioral finance, among others. The course will also address ethical issues and the professional code of conduct as it relates to portfolio management.

This course examines typical organizational business processes and the information technology that enables those processes. It reviews qualities of information, including those established by authoritative bodies, to assess the ability of information systems to support the business processes and an organization's management. The course focuses on financial and accounting information systems (AIS) and explores several typical AIS application areas. Issues addressed include the effect of emerging technologies on business processes and their related information systems; control issues pertaining to these systems; and the implications of technology-enabled organizational changes on systems design, implementation and management. Students will be introduced to state-of-the-art tools and techniques for examining business processes and information systems and will engage in a project at a company site.

This course is designed to examine the practice of information technology (IT) auditing, including professional standards, application of IT and internal control frameworks, and recognition of current and emerging technology-related risks. Class sessions cover topics such as IT general controls, systems development and implementation, the auditor’s role related to information security, anddata extraction and transformation activities. Through readings, case studies, exercises, and discussion, students will learn to plan, conduct, and report on IT audit activities. Additional topics may include introduction to advanced audit software, business continuity planning, and the role of the IT auditor as a management advisor. Provides a foundation for the Certified Information Systems Auditor exam.

This course examines the professional standards and attributes required to work in the internal auditing profession. The course emphasizes governance, risk and control practices; as well as core internal audit competencies of communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Through readings, case studies, and practitioner interaction students will learn to plan and conduct internal audit projects including operational, consulting, and integrated audit engagements; and to report the results of those projects. Additional topics will include application of appropriate information technology as part of the audit process, including exploration of analytical techniques using current software. Provides a foundation for the Certified Internal Auditor exam.