Finance Certificate of Graduate Study

Financial decisions shape how organizations allocate capital, evaluate investments, manage risk, assess performance, plan for future needs, and respond to changing markets.

The Finance Certificate of Graduate Study (COGS) provides 9 credits of flexible graduate Finance study. Students select from an approved course bank spanning financial decision-making, quantitative methods, investment analysis, financial risk, modeling, financial institutions, multinational finance, capital budgeting, financial planning, and related advanced Finance topics.

The flexible structure allows the certificate to be planned around a student’s Finance interests while also preserving meaningful connections to Rowan’s MBA and MS Finance.

Credential Details

9 graduate credits. Most approved Finance courses carry 3 credits, so students ordinarily complete three courses. FIN 04510 — Independent Study: Finance carries variable credit; any plan using Independent Study must still total 9 approved certificate credits.

Requirements

FIN 04511 — Quantitative Methods in Finance — 3 credits
ACC 03510 — Financial Statement Analysis — 3 credits
FIN 04500 — Financial Decision Making — 3 credits
FIN 04600 — Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management — 3 credits
FIN 04530 — Multinational Financial Management — 3 credits
FIN 04518 — Derivative Securities and Financial Risk Management — 3 credits
FIN 04560 — Fixed Income Securities — 3 credits
FIN 04520 — Financial Modeling — 3 credits
FIN 04505 — Advanced Financial Planning — 3 credits
FIN 04540 — Financial Institutions Management — 3 credits
FIN 04512 — Capital Budgeting — 3 credits
FIN 04510 — Independent Study: Finance — 1–6 credits

Course selections must total 9 approved graduate credits.

*STEM-designated course. For degree-level STEM requirements, review the applicable graduate degree program.

Course Details

FIN 04511 — Quantitative Methods in Finance (STEM*)

Examines quantitative finance, including time value of money, probability and statistics, portfolio theory, asset pricing, regression, econometrics, derivatives, and financial risk measurement.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

ACC 03510 — Financial Statement Analysis (STEM*)

Examines financial statements from the perspective of equity and credit analysis, with attention to reported results, footnote disclosures, valuation, and data-informed interpretation of financial performance.

Foundations: Accounting I and II.

FIN 04500 — Financial Decision Making

Examines core financial decision-making concepts used by managers, including valuation, capital investment, financing choices, risk, and the financial implications of organizational decisions.

FIN 04600 — Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (STEM*)

Examines investment valuation, risk and return, diversification, fixed-income and equity securities, derivatives, domestic and international markets, and portfolio-management approaches.

Foundations: Finance.

FIN 04530 — Multinational Financial Management

Examines financial management in multinational firms, including exchange rates, currency risk, hedging, international valuation and capital budgeting, and global sources and costs of capital.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

FIN 04518 — Derivative Securities and Financial Risk Management (STEM*)

Examines forwards, futures, options, swaps, hedging, arbitrage, derivatives pricing, securitization, and the application of derivative instruments to financial and corporate risk management.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

FIN 04560 — Fixed Income Securities (STEM*)

Examines fixed-income markets, security valuation, the yield curve, interest-rate risk, securities with embedded options, credit and interest-rate derivatives, and fixed-income portfolio management.

Foundations: Finance.

FIN 04520 — Financial Modeling (STEM*)

Examines the design and use of spreadsheet-based financial models for financial statements, cost of capital, capital budgeting, valuation, portfolios, options, bonds, and related financial decisions.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

FIN 04505 — Advanced Financial Planning

Examines personal financial planning across cash and asset management, credit, insurance, investments, retirement, and estate planning.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

FIN 04540 — Financial Institutions Management

Examines financial institutions and the risks they manage, including interest-rate, market, credit, liquidity, foreign-exchange, sovereign, technology, and operational risk.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics.

FIN 04512 — Capital Budgeting

Examines project cash-flow estimation, present value, project evaluation under certainty and risk, strategic capital budgeting, and leasing decisions.

Foundations: Accounting I and II, Calculus, Finance, Statistics.

FIN 04510 — Independent Study: Finance (1–6 credits)

Independent Study coursework is individually arranged. Students considering FIN 04510 should plan the topic and credit value with Graduate Business and confirm how the selected credits will contribute to the 9-credit Finance COGS requirement.

Foundation and Prerequisite Planning

Finance graduate coursework draws on prior preparation in calculus, accounting, economics, finance, and statistics. The exact preparation needed depends on the courses selected. Course Details identify applicable Foundation requirements directly with the affected course.

Review Graduate Business Foundation Requirements

Finance COGS and the MBA

The Finance COGS can be planned so that all 9 certificate credits also satisfy applicable requirements within Rowan’s MBA. Exact placement depends on the selected Finance coursework. Students considering both credentials should build the COGS with the MBA Finance curriculum and available graduate business elective space in view.

Explore the MBA Finance Concentration

Review MBA Curriculum Details

Finance COGS and MS Finance

The Finance COGS can also be planned so that all 9 certificate credits satisfy coursework within Rowan’s MS in Finance. Students interested in both credentials should choose their COGS courses from the direct MS Finance course set so that the complete certificate supports both academic goals.

Explore MS Finance

Finance COGS and MBA/MS Finance Application Planning

Completion of the Finance COGS with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher is currently a published GRE/GMAT waiver criterion for both the MBA and MS in Finance.

Review GRE/GMAT Waiver Criteria