Course Descriptions
Finance
(BUS) Financial Management
(3 crs.) Study of the basic principles of finance and the applications of these principles. Topics include time value of money, risk and return, valuation, capital budgeting and other corporate financial decisions. (Lec. 3/Online) Pre: ECN 201 or ECN 201H or EEC 105, and ACC (BUS) 201or 201H, and BAI (BUS) 210 or STA 308.
(BUS) Honors Section of FIN (BUS) 220: Financial Management
(3 crs.) Honors Section of BUS 220: Financial Management. (Lec. 3) Pre: Must have a 3.40 overall GPA. ECN 201 or EEC 105, ACC (BUS) 201, BAI (BUS) 210 or STA 308.
(BUS) Security Analysis
(3 crs.) Exploration of investments in equity securities. Emphasis on the structure and functioning of securities markets, current investment theories, fundamental analysis, portfolio risk/return, and performance measurement. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 (with a grade C or above).
(BUS) Financial Institutions and Markets
(3 crs.) Comprehensive analysis of financial products and financial institutions as well as the markets in which they operate. Emphasis on the operational details of the institutions. (Lec. 3) Pre: ECN 201 or EEC 105, ACC (BUS) 201, BAI (BUS) 210 or STA 308.
(BUS) Fundamentals of Real Estate
(3 crs.) Analysis of real estate principles. An examination of land utilization, valuation, financing techniques, urban development, property rights, markets, and government regulation. (Lec. 3/Online) Pre: ECN 201 or EEC 105; and junior standing in a degree granting college
(BUS) Fundamentals of Risk Management and Insurance
(3 crs.) Basic course on risk management for corporations and individuals. Emphasis on risk identification, measurement, and management; homeowner insurance, basic life policies, commercial insurance and employee benefits. (Lec. 3) Pre: ACC (BUS) 202 and BAI (BUS) 210 or STA 308.
(BUS) Commercial Property and Liability Insurance
(3 crs.) Analysis of commercial property and liability risk exposures and their related coverages. Coverage includes general property and liability insurance and specialized topics for marine, fidelity, surety, and professional liability exposure. (Lec. 3) Pre: FiN (BUS) 220 or 220H.
(BUS) Life Insurance
(3 crs.) Analysis of the many types of life insurance and health insurance contracts, computation of premiums and reserves, and contract interpretation. Included is an analysis of the uses of life insurance contracts. (Lec. 3) Note: This course is preparation for the Rhode Island state licensing examination in life and accident and health insurance and for Part I of the charter life underwriter examination. Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H.
(BUS) Social Insurance
(3 crs.) Analysis of the network of state and federal economic security programs including the OASDHI system, unemployment compensation, temporary disability programs, and the workers' compensation system. (Lec. 3) Pre: ECN 201 or EEC 105 and ACC (BUS) 202, FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H.
Junior Career Passport Program
(1 cr.) Exploration of career options. Develop personal and professional goals, and personal job searching tools. (Online) S/U only.
Introduction to Financial Data Analytics
(3 crs.) The vast proliferation of data and the increasing complexity of technology continue to transform the way financial markets and the finance industry operate and compete. This course covers the foundations of finance and statistical methods, and how to perform data analysis in real world financial data using a modern statistical programming environment. Topics may include but are not limited to: an introduction to Python programming language, the techniques how to evaluate the risk-reward trade off in modern portfolio theory, analyzing time series data, and developing algorithmic trading strategies. Finally, a short introduction to machine learning applications concludes the course. (Lec. 3)
(BUS) Advanced Financial Management
(3 crs.) Intensive research on selected current topics relating to the financial management of the firm. Extensive use of the case method. (Lec. 3/Online) Pre: BAI (BUS) 211 or BAI 311, FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H or permission of instructor. Not for M.B.A. credit. (Spring 2024)
(BUS) Derivative Securities and Risk Management
(3 crs.) Valuation theories for derivative instruments including options, futures, and swap contracts. Normative analytics for real-time hedging of instruments, equity and fixed-income portfolios. Introduction to comparative algorithmic risk management. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 (with a grade C or above) or permission of instructor.
(BUS) Student Investment Fund I
(3 crs.) Students analyze industries and companies and manage stocks owned by the Alumni Association. (Seminar) Pre: FIN (BUS) 321.
(BUS) Student Investment Fund II
(3 crs.) Students analyze industries and companies and manage stocks owned by the Alumni Association. (Seminar) Pre: FIN (BUS) 321.
(BUS) Fixed Income Security Analysis
(3 crs.) Pricing and institutional arrangements of fixed income securities such as corporate bonds, mortgage loans, and mortgage-backed securities; portfolio management of fixed income securities. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H, and FIN (BUS) 321. Not for graduate credit.
(BUS) Mutual Funds Management
(3 crs.) Overview of mutual funds business. Portfolio management, risk management techniques, shareholder servicing, federal and state regulatory oversight, marketing and distribution, custody, technology, and societal issues. (Lec.3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H, and FIN (BUS) 321, or permission of instructor.
(BUS) Bank Financial Management
(3 crs.) Nature of the financial decisions facing the management of an individual bank. Current bank financial practices, research, and appropriate banking models considered. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H, and FIN (BUS) 321, or permission of instructor.
(BUS) Financial Theory and Policy Implications
(3 crs.) Examination of the determinants of long-run financial success of the firm. Includes a study of how the capital budgeting process is linked to capital structure management. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H. Not for M.B.A. credit.
(BUS) International Finance
(3 crs.) International financial background and history. Trade, national income accounting, and balance of payments. Currency markets, multinational firms, and currency risk management. International monetary system, exchange rate determination, parity conditions and exchange rate forecasting, country risk analysis, foreign exchange market, and currency derivatives. Corporate strategy, treasury function, cost of capital, foreign direct investment, international financial reports and capital budgeting for international, multinational, global and transnational companies. (Lec. 3/Online) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H or permission of instructor. Not for M.B.A. credit.
(BUS) Global Investment Management
(3 crs.) Detailed analysis of the problems encountered in the process of investing funds in international capital markets. Particular attention is devoted to multi-currency dimensions, foreign information sources, and foreign regulations. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H, and FIN (BUS) 321.
(BUS) Basic Managerial Economics
(3 crs.) Introduction to the classic theories of demand, production, and cost management in the context of modern financial theory. Includes empirical model building using microcomputers. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H. Not for graduate credit.
Financial Technologies
(3 crs.) The financial services industries are changing with the emergence of financial technology (FinTech). This course introduces to the most cutting edge FinTech topics, equip the students with an understanding of the major FinTech products in the market, and provide an overview of the underlying technologies. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain and cryptocurrencies, smart contracting, digital payments, crowdfunding, robo-advising, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing. (Lec. 3)
CFA Exam Preparation
(3 crs.) Application of financial theories and hypotheses to real world contexts. The course is suitable for those students who prepare for the CFA Level 1 exam. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN 220 (BUS 220); FIN 321 (BUS 321); FIN 322 (BUS 322), or permission by instructor.
Machine Learning for Finance
(3 crs.) The objective of this course is to present fundamental techniques in machine learning for canonical modeling and decision frameworks in rapidly changing financial technology industry. Data-centric exercises in Python will be included to reinforce theoretical concepts and demonstrate the application of machine learning technology to financial data analytics. (Online)
FinTech Law
(3 crs.) Introduction to the key legal and regulatory challenges FinTech firms in various sectors face, as well as the critical policy debates that are occurring in Washington D.C. and state capitals across the country. (Online)
(BUS) Topics in Risk Management
(3 crs.) Analysis of selected topics and current issues in the insurance marketplace. Topics will vary from semester to semester. (Seminar) Pre: FIN (BUS) 220 or 220H, FIN (BUS) 335, and FIN (BUS) 337, or permission of instructor.
Real Estate Development and Finance
(3 crs.) The study of real estate development and finance with a focus on acquisition, finance, market analysis, design, and construction. (Lec. 3) Pre: FIN 220 or FIN 323, or permission of instructor. Not for graduate credit.
SIE Exam Preparation
(3 crs.) Providing knowledge of basic securities industry information and reinforcing critical financial topics. The course is suitable for those students who prepare for the FINRA SIE Exam. (Online) Pre: BUS (FIN) 321 with a B or better, and an overall GPA of at least 3.2. Not for graduate credit.
Directed Study
(1-3 crs.) Independent study supervised by college faculty. Seminar meetings concerned with specific business topics. (Independent Study) Pre: must be a student in the College of Business with more than 75 credits and permission of instructor. Not for graduate credit.
Directed Study
(1-3 crs.) Independent study supervised by college faculty. Seminar meetings concerned with specific business topics. (Independent Study) Pre: must be a student in the College of Business with more than 75 credits and permission of instructor. Not for graduate credit.
Internship in Finance
(3 or 6 crs.) Approved, supervised work experience with participation in management and problem solving related to the student's major field. College of Business internships for 3 credits require approximately 120 hours of field experience and 20 hours of class work. Internships for 6 credits require approximately double this amount of work. May be offered online. (Practicum/Online) Pre: admission into internship program, and permission of instructor. Limited to 6 credits. Not for graduate credit. S/U only.
(BUS) Doctoral Research Seminar
(3 crs.) Provides a rigorous analysis of current research questions and research techniques used to address those questions in the finance discipline. Recent developments and current issues addressed. (Seminar) Pre: enrollment in Phase II of the Ph.D. program in business administration. May be repeated.
Directed Study in Business
(3 crs.) Advanced doctoral level work under the supervision of a faculty member arranged to suit the individual requirements of the student. (Independent Study) Pre: permission of instructor.
Directed Study in Business
(3 crs.) Advanced doctoral level work under the supervision of a faculty member arranged to suit the individual requirements of the student. (Independent Study) Pre: permission of instructor.
Doctoral Dissertation Research
(1-12 crs.) Number of credits is determined each semester in consultation with the major professor or program committee. (Independent Study) Pre: enrollment in Phase III of the Ph.D. program in business administration. S/U credit. May be repeated.