The Master of Science in Finance program prepares students with a strong foundation of investment analysis and portfolio management skills, as well as practical knowledge needed in today’s investment industry. The program incorporates significant portion of the curriculum of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) curriculum, a curriculum widely accepted as the industry standard for investment professionals. The core courses cover Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Institution Management, Corporate Finance, Equity Analyses, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Alternative Investment, Portfolio Management, and Global Financial Markets, with a cumulating experience in Ethics and Finance.

Units required for MSF: 30

Admission Requirements

All applicants for post-baccalaureate degree programs in Business must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution of higher learning or the equivalent from a foreign institution.

Applicants have to submit the following information to be considered for admission:

• Official undergraduate transcript
• GMAT score
• 2.50 as the minimum overall undergraduate GPA required by the University
• Two letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose for enrolling in the program
• Work experience is preferred but not required

• For international students, the University requires that applicants for graduate programs who have not completed a baccalaureate degree from a postsecondary educational institution where English is the principal language of instruction must achieve a minimum score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to admission to CSUS, which may be satisfied in one of the following ways: 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT). Students may also demonstrate English language proficiency by possessing an overall band minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Applicants' submitted information will be considered in its totality.  Other than the minimum criteria as specified above, there are no other admission thresholds.  One weak area can be compensated by another strong area in admission evaluation. 

Boot Camp Modules 

The program has six boot camp modules students have to finish before taking regular classes in the program. The six boot camp modules are:

• Basic Economics
• Basic Finance
• Quantitative Analyses I
• Quantitative Analyses II
• Financial Accounting
• Financial Modeling using Excel

Minimum Units and Grade Requirement for Degree Completion

Units required for MSF: 30 (excluding foundation courses)

Minimum Cumulative GPA:  3.0.  The minimum acceptable grade for any graduate business course is “C.” No more than two (2) courses with a grade of “C” will be counted for satisfaction of graduate program requirements.

Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)

The Graduate GWAR is a CSU wide requirement that should be completed by students before advancing to candidacy. The purpose of the GWAR is for students to demonstrate their proficiency at writing in an academic setting at a graduate-level.

Graduate students must successfully pass a Graduate Writing Intensive (GWI) course in their Graduate Program to complete the requirement.

Advancement to Candidacy

A student's program requirements are governed by the catalog in effect at the time one is accepted into and begins graduate school or by the catalog in effect at the time advancement to candidacy is approved.

Prior to enrolling in Culminating Requirements, a student must advance to candidacy. Initiation of advancement procedures is the responsibility of the student. The application to advance must be filed no later than the semester prior to enrollment in culminating experience requirement.

Eligibility to advance to candidacy requires satisfactory scholastic achievement, presentation of a plan of graduate study, and demonstration of writing proficiency. A classified graduate student in Business may apply to the Graduate Programs Office for advancement to candidacy for the Master's degree after s/he has completed at least 12 units of the program requirements beyond the Foundation requirements. Students with a GPA deficiency or who have not fulfilled the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) cannot advance to candidacy.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
FIN 200	Financial Reporting and Analysis 1	3
FIN 210	Financial Institution Management 1	3
FIN 220	Corporate Finance 1	3
FIN 230	Equity Analyses  1	3
FIN 240	Fixed Income 1	3
FIN 250	Derivatives 1	3
FIN 260	Alternative Investments 1	3
FIN 270	Portfolio Management 1	3
FIN 280	Global Financial Markets 1	3
FIN 500	Culminating Experience Project in Finance and Ethics	3
Total Units		30

1	May be replaced with FIN 299 with the approval of a faculty advisor or Associate Dean for Graduate and External Programs.