Graduate Certificate in Global Finance and Investment

The advanced certificate in Global Finance and Investment (GFI) is a five-course, 15-credit program.

Building on a foundation of international accounting, financial management, quantitative analysis, and multinational corporate environments, students will gain the knowledge and skills required to make sound financial decisions at multinational corporations; learn about the impact of worldwide economic, social, and political issues on international markets and financial management decisions in a global environment; and, understand the complexity of multicurrency financial markets.

Students will focus on the expanded roles of chief financial officers and financial managers in international business and global investments and will acquire skills that will support both experienced and aspiring financial managers in their efforts to progress with global expansion of their corporations. The certificate is highly specialized, and therefore addressed to a distinctive but very rapidly growing market niche demanding an advanced and distance-learning based educational opportunity to become proficient in international transactions.

Program Design

Courses are taught online and students may begin the certificate program in the fall or spring terms.

Program Prerequisites

Acceptance into the certificate program requires a foundational level of knowledge and/or experience in financial management and quantitative analysis. Applicant transcripts will be reviewed for relevant course work to determine eligibility prior to admission. Prerequisites include: 3 credits of accounting, 3 - 6 credits of economics (micro and macro), 3 credits of Corporate Finance/Financial Management, 3 credits of statistics, and experience in management information systems or the equivalent.

Required Courses and Suggested Sequence

FSMA 6080 International Accounting (3 Credits)

In this course students learn to use tools that professionals need today for a better accommodation into the world in which they pursue their careers, a world essentially dominated by global business and cross-border investing.  These tools should enable them to achieve a better understanding of internal and external financial communications. In order to achieve this purpose, the course introduces students to the international dimensions of accounting, financial reporting and financial control. More specifically it discusses various comparative accounting systems, and international accounting convergence, then it expands to the notions related to corporate governance, international auditing, and reporting and disclosure practices spanning both developed and emerging market countries. This course is required for the certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

MGMT 6065 Economics for Global Managers (3 Credits)

Economics for Global Managers examines forces that shape international trade and economic relations between countries in the age of technology and globalization. We will explore why countries trade, why they restrict trade through tariffs and regulations, and whether trade policies can foster growth and development.  We will discuss institutions governing trade and examine trends in regional economic integration, including NAFTA and EU. Our emphasis will be on applying the tools and theories of economics in the analysis of current economic issues and events. This course is required for the certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

MGMT 6075 International Financial Management (3 Credits)

The learning objective of this course aims at having the students develop an understanding that with the world having become a global village, the essence of global corporate financial management is producing where it is most cost-effective, selling where it is most profitable, and sourcing capital where it is cheapest, without having to worry about national boundaries. Towards achieving this, the framework for this course emphasizes on learning international financial management tools and techniques that are designed to maximize shareholder wealth over time. The course will help students analyze the foreign exchange market with respect to purchasing power and interest rate parity conditions, foreign currency derivatives, risk management and hedging involving operating, transaction, and translation exposure management, and multinational capital budgeting and portfolio diversification. This course is required for the certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

FSMA 6095 International Financial Law and Regulation (3 Credits)

This course covers topics such as flow of capital in international financial markets, regulatory characteristics of international banking and securities markets, types of financial market transactions, techniques and instruments, banking and securities transactions, securitization and derivatives. The course also analyzes the broader governance of international financial markets, e.g., the role of regulatory bodies (e.g., the G-20/Financial Stability Board, Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, International Organization of Securities Commissions, the International Monetary Fund), as well as the role of private actors (e.g., exchanges, clearing and settlement mechanisms, and self-regulatory and trade associations). This course is required for the certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

FSMA 7020 Global Financial Strategy (3 Credits)

The course covers global financial strategies that support the application of business finance to a global platform, optimal strategic investment decisions, value creation in competitive markets, and valuation under financial distress. The capstone will require students to submit an application paper of strategic value. Examples include large-scale investment projects, brand launches, venture capital investments, IPOs, mergers, diversification decisions, R&D, and joint ventures. This course is required for the certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

Admission and Advisement

Admission to the certificate program requires the applicant to submit an official transcript of his or her bachelor’s degree along with a completed application. Advising will be provided by the certificate program coordinator, Dr. Sylwia Starnawska.

While the 15 credits are fully transferable into the MBA in Management and the MBA in Global Leadership programs, acceptance to the master’s degree will require candidates to apply to the program and complete the full admission process. Completion of the graduate certificate does not guarantee admission to the master’s degree program.

Apply online or request information for more details on the Certificate in Global Finance and Investment.

Tuition and Fees

Students completing this certificate pay the following tuition and fees:

Federal financial aid is not available unless concurrently matriculated in a master’s degree program.