2014-42

Arizona State University
University Senate
Fall 2013

Senate Motion #2014-42

Motion Introduced by: Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee, Eduardo Pagan, Chair
 
Date of First Reading: December 2, 2013
 
Date of Second Reading: February 3, 2014
 
Title of Motion: Request from the W.P. Carey School of Business–Dean’s Office - for the establishment of a graduate degree – MS in Finance

 Action Requested: The Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee recommends University Senate approval of a proposal submitted by the W.P. Carey School of Business – Dean’s Office – for the establishment of a graduate degree – MS in Finance

Rationale: The proposed degree leverages the W.P. Carey School’s wide faculty expertise in finance and creates a short duration program that is competitive in the MSF marketplace. Students targeted for the initial MSF program will be: 1) Recent undergraduates of degree programs where quantitative skills are emphasized, and 2) Career advancers with sufficient quantitative background and the ability to commit to full-time graduate study delivered during the day. Work experience will not be a requirement to enroll into the MSF program, as opposed to the MBA program.  Demand for finance specialists is expected to remain strong and graduates will have placement opportunities both in the financial and the real sector, within and outside of Arizona. The MSF curriculum will be scheduled on a quarter system of delivery consistent with the MBA program and other W. P. Carey Master’s programs. The proposed curriculum is balanced across corporate finance and asset / portfolio management. The curriculum is also designed to ensure that students have a solid understanding of statistics and modeling tools essential in today’s financial industry.