MSF Curriculum

Curriculum

The CFA designation provides an excellent opportunity for people working in financial services to advance their careers. Top employers of CFA charter holders are, for instance, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. A list of detailed class descriptions is available in the CSULB Catalog. Alignment of MSF Program and the CFA Curriculum (pdf.)

Fall Semester 

  • FIN 600     Seminar in Business Finance
  • FIN 610     Seminar Financial Analysis and Reporting
  • FIN 640     Seminar in Quantitative Analysis
  • FIN 650     Seminar in Investments

Spring Semester

  • FIN 660     Seminar in Financial Institutions and Ethics
  • FIN 680     Seminar in Derivatives and Alternative Investments
  • FIN 685     Seminar in Fixed Income Securities 
  • FIN 690     Seminar in Economics and International Finance

Summer Term

  • FIN 670     Seminar in Equity Securities and Valuation
  • FIN 691     Seminar in Integrated Financial Management


​The culminating experience of the MSF program is a comprehensive exam offered after the student’s successful completion of the required 10 courses. The comprehensive exam is designed to evaluate the student's comprehensive knowledge of various subjects in finance. The comprehensive exam is given annually during the period after Summer Session III and before the fall semester. The exam lasts 2 hours and 15 mins and a passing grade is needed to satisfy the final requirement for graduation from the MSF program.