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Program structure

The curriculum of the MSc program in Finance is designed to help you acquire a deep knowledge in the respective core fields, while at the same time allowing a lot of flexibility to design a personal curriculum that broadens your perspective and tailors your education to your needs and interests.

Year 1

Semester 1

Semester 2

In the first semester, the foundations are built for the subsequent specialization. All courses in the first semester are mandatory and common across the two tracks (Corporate Finance and Investment Management).

Having completed these courses, students choose to specialize in Investment Management (IV) or Corporate Finance (CF). You will find an overview of the core electives for each specialization here.

The program also includes an immersion week which combines both academic and non-academic components as well as a diverse mix of employer meetings. This one-week trip is a degree requirementfunded by the program, and takes place in the beginning of the first semesterAs part of the trip, students undertake a course in sustainable finance.

There are no mandatory courses in the second and third semester. However, students who choose to specialize in Corporate Finance or Investment Management must select at least three courses from the list of core electives within each specialization. 

In addition to the three core elective courses, students have the freedom to choose the remaining five courses according to their preferences. Some students may want to specialize further by taking more CF or IM core electives, others may prefer to broaden their perspectives by taking courses outside of finance. 

Please note that the course offering is subject to change.

Year 2

Semester 3 - 4

Thesis in finance and choose between:

The second year of the Master program in Finance is devoted to Thesis writing (30 ECTS), to be combined with either taking elective courses (30 ECTS) or going on a student exchange to one of our partner schools.

An overview of all MSc program components of the second year are listed here.
Please keep in mind that this landing page lists all available program components on the MSc level. Have a look at the list above to find out what options you may choose from when you are enrolled in this particular MSc program.

The Master’s thesis is an opportunity for students to delve deeper into a question of particular interest, often with significant analytical challenges, and to work independently on a challenging task, developing project management and other career-relevant skills. The thesis can either be written as a research paper or as a case study or report that addresses a real-world financial problem faced by a firm or financial institution. The thesis work is done with advice and oversight from a faculty advisor, and is usually undertaken jointly by a pair of students.

Double degree programs

The Master program in Finance also offers exciting double degree programs with the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), Bocconi University in Milan (Italy), Sciences Po in Paris (France) and CEMS. Read more here!