Finance, M.Fin

Master of Finance Degree

The goal of the Master of Finance Program is to offer students a high-quality course of study that develops and enhances their understanding of the concepts and practice of modern finance. In doing so, the program equips students with knowledge and skills that are necessary to be successful in the increasingly complex finance world. The knowledge and skills cover various subjects including finance, economics, econometrics, numerical methods, and computer programming. The program endeavours to foster critical thinking and a passion for learning among its students.

The program’s curriculum is spread over three academic terms. In addition, immediately prior to the start of the first term, students will participate in a Transition Program consisting of workshops in mathematics and statistics, computer programming and software packages, and career development skills.

Admission Requirements/Required Documentation

Applicants must have an Honours Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a cumulative grade point average (over the whole length of the degree) of at least B+. In addition, they must have an average of B+ in their last year of relevant courses. Students with an undergraduate degree in business, economics, or any quantitative-oriented field are good candidates for this program. Students from other fields are welcome to apply and they are highly encouraged to complete at least a few relevant finance, economics, statistics, and math courses.

Completed on-line application form (Please see a link to the form on http://mfin.degroote.mcmaster.ca/apply/)
Unofficial transcripts of all postsecondary education completed and in progress. If an offer is extended to the applicant, one of the conditions will be to request the official transcripts to be sent directly from the issuing institutions.
An official GMAT score report. Normally, a minimum score of 600 is required. In lieu of the GMAT, the program will consider a GRE test with a score above the 50th percentile in the quantitative reasoning section.
Two letters of recommendation, with at least one from an academic source. Please note that McMaster University uses the Electronic Referencing System. By entering the email address of your referee through the online application, the system will automatically send an eReference request on your behalf.
An official report of a TOEFL score or an IELTS score (for applicants whose native language is not English). A minimum TOEFL score of 92 (internet-based test) or IELTS score of 6.5 is required. Applicants who have completed a university degree for which English is the language of instruction may be exempted from this requirement.
Participation in a video interview.

Program Requirements

The program’s curriculum consists of fifteen half-courses, to be taken over three academic terms (i.e., five half-courses per term). Courses will be taken during the Fall/Winter terms with a scheduled break which normally occurs in the summer term. This provides an opportunity for students to seek employment, complete external certifications, and/or develop career skills.

Depending on a student’s educational background, some of the half courses may be exempted and replaced with other courses. Requests for course exemptions and/or substitutions should be directed to the Master of Finance Program Administrator at mfin@mcmaster.ca.

In addition to the fifteen half-courses, a career development course (FINANCE 610 ) consisting of lectures and interactive forums is also required. This course is spread over two terms (i.e., Terms 1 and 2). Its goal is to equip students with the necessary professional skills that will be beneficial for their employment search process. Topics covered include: skills assessment, resume and cover letter development, interview skills, networking, and job search strategies.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the Master of Finance program is as follows:

Electives

Electives courses will be from a selected list of finance electives presently offered in the MBA program and/or Master of Finance program, or, with the approval of the Program Director and consent of the department involved, electives in business, mathematics, statistics or economics. The Finance electives from which Master of Finance students can choose are as follows (note that not all the courses on the list may be offered in a given academic term):

Additional Information

All instances of failures in individual courses are reviewed by the Faculty Committee on Graduate Admissions and Study or the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research acting on its behalf. A letter will be sent to the Program Director asking for a recommendation regarding the student. In the absence of a recommendation to allow the student to continue, the student will be required to withdraw. Those allowed to remain in the program must either repeat or replace the failed course. A failing grade in a course remains on the transcript. Students who fail a second course will not normally be allowed to continue in the program.

Graduate students not registered in the Master of Finance program may only enroll in the Master of Finance courses with the approval of the Program Director. In addition, the students must first receive written permissions form their home faculty, and forward such permissions to the Master of Finance program office.