Semester-wise Syllabus for an MSc in Finance

Semester 1: Foundations of Finance & Quantitative Methods

1. Financial Accounting & Analysis

   • GAAP/IFRS standards, balance sheets, cash flow statements

   • Ratio analysis, DuPont analysis

2. Corporate Finance

   • Capital budgeting (NPV, IRR), cost of capital (WACC)

   • Dividend policy, capital structure (Modigliani-Miller theorem)

3. Quantitative Methods for Finance

   • Probability, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing

   • Time value of money, Excel/Python for financial modeling

4. Microeconomics for Financial Markets

   • Demand-supply in capital markets, elasticity, game theory

5. Financial Markets & Institutions

   • Role of central banks, commercial banks, stock exchanges

   • Money markets, bond markets, and regulatory frameworks (SEBI, SEC)

Semester 2: Advanced Financial Tools & Investment

1. Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management

   • Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), CAPM, APT

   • Asset allocation, Sharpe ratio, efficient frontier

2. Derivatives & Risk Management

   • Futures, options (Black-Scholes), swaps

   • Hedging strategies (delta, gamma), Value-at-Risk (VaR)

3. Financial Econometrics

   • Regression models, time series analysis (ARIMA, GARCH)

   • Event studies, volatility clustering (using R/Stata)

4. Macroeconomics for Finance

   • Monetary/fiscal policy impact on markets

   • Business cycles, inflation, and interest rate theories

5. Ethics & Governance

   • Corporate scandals (Enron, Lehman Brothers), ESG investing

Semester 3: Specializations & Advanced Topics

1. Fixed Income Securities

   • Yield curves, duration/convexity, credit risk models

2. Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

   • Valuation methods (DCF, LBO), synergy analysis

   • Cross-border M&A challenges

3. Electives (Choose 2–3)

   • Behavioral Finance: Cognitive biases, market anomalies

   • FinTech: Blockchain, algorithmic trading, robo-advisors

   • International Finance: Forex risk, parity conditions (PPP, IRP)

   • Private Equity & Venture Capital: Fund structuring, exit strategies

4. Financial Statement Modeling

   • Advanced Excel/VBA, Bloomberg Terminal training

   • Scenario analysis, sensitivity tables

Semester 4: Applied Finance & Capstone

1. Financial Regulation & Compliance

   • Basel Accords, Dodd-Frank, MiFID II

   • Anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks

2. Wealth Management

   • Tax planning, estate management, client profiling

3. Dissertation/Internship

   • Research project (e.g., crypto volatility, ESG performance)

   • Internship with banks/asset management firms

4. Case Studies & Simulations

   • Trading room simulations (mock portfolios)

   • Harvard Business School case analyses