Master of Science in Finance and Financial Services – Finance Track online
Earn your online master’s in finance and prepare to gain in-demand credentials to advance your career.
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Program Overview
Get in the know about our MS in Finance and Financial Services – Finance Track online program.
$17,872.50
Total Tuition
As few as 12 months
Duration
30*
Credit Hours
Designed for professionals with a desire to work in senior-level positions in finance or financial services, this online finance degree program is focused on industry standards and trending technologies in emerging fields.
The Finance Track within the MS in Finance and Financial Services program allows students to specialize in finance and is aligned with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam.
Students will learn from accomplished faculty who have worked in the industry while completing courses in theoretical and applied discipline-based knowledge. Software and technological platforms, in addition to WP’s Global Business & Finance Institute’s state-of-the-art Financial Learning Center, are used to provide hands-on instruction and skill sets that will help students achieve the knowledge and experience needed to provide leadership in the industry.
As an added benefit, students who need foundation courses will be able to complete them as electives within the 30-credit hour program, ensuring no additional courses are needed to finish the program.
As a graduate of this finance master's program, you will be able to:
- Identify financial scenarios, problems, relevant data, regulations, and strategies
- Know the value of tools, techniques, and strategies for successful financial solutions
- Use relevant models, tools, and strategies to build solutions for a variety of financial situations
- Understand various financial instruments and measure expected return and risk
- Effectively use trending industry technologies such as Bloomberg, eMoney, MoneyGuidePro, and SAS to analyze situations and perform financial simulations
- Identify financial scenarios, problems, relevant data, regulations, and strategies
- Know the value of tools, techniques, and strategies for successful financial solutions
- Use relevant models, tools, and strategies to build solutions for a variety of financial situations
- Understand various financial instruments and measure expected return and risk
- Effectively use trending industry technologies such as Bloomberg, eMoney, MoneyGuidePro, and SAS to analyze situations and perform financial simulations
Career opportunities:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Financial Risk Manager
- Investment Manager
- Credit Risk Analyst
- Financial Advisor
- Chief Financial Officer
- Financial Risk Manager
- Investment Manager
- Credit Risk Analyst
- Financial Advisor
*Students needing foundation courses may take them as electives toward the 30 total credit hours needed to complete the program.
Also available:
William Paterson University also offers an MS Finance and Financial Services – Financial Planning Track and a variety of specialized MBA concentrations. Check out all of our online business programs.
$17,872.50
Total Tuition
As few as 12 months
Duration
30*
Credit Hours
William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
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Tuition
Find the value of a WP degree.
This online finance degree from William Paterson University offers affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition. All fees are included in the total tuition.
| Program | Per Credit Hour | Per Course | Per Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS in Finance and Financial Services – Finance Track | $595.75 | $1,787.25 | $17,872.50 |
Tuition breakdown:
$17,872.50
Total Tuition
$595.75
Per Credit Hour
Calendar
Take a look at upcoming dates and deadlines.
William Paterson University online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.
| Term | Start Date | App Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Tuition Deadline | Class End Date | Term Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer I | 5/19/25 | 4/27/25 | 4/30/25 | 5/9/25 | 5/14/25 | 7/6/25 | 7 weeks |
| Summer II | 7/14/25 | 6/22/25 | 6/24/25 | 7/3/25 | 7/9/25 | 8/31/25 | 7 weeks |
| Fall I | 9/8/25 | 8/17/25 | 8/20/25 | 8/29/25 | 9/3/25 | 10/26/25 | 7 weeks |
| Fall II | 11/3/25 | 10/12/25 | 10/15/25 | 10/24/25 | 10/29/25 | 12/21/25 | 7 weeks |
Now enrolling:
6/22/25
Apply Date
7/14/25
Class Starts
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Ready to take the rewarding path toward earning your degree online?
Admissions
Review important information about applying for this online master’s program.
At William Paterson University, we’ve streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the MS in Finance and Financial Services – Finance Track, including what additional materials you may need and where you should send them.
The requirements include:
- Undergraduate degree from an accredited institution
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended
- GPA of 2.75 or higher
- Professional resume detailing educational and work experience
You must meet the following requirements for admission to this graduate finance online program:
- Submit online application and $50 application fee
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
- Professional resume detailing educational and work experience
- Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher OR cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75-2.99 with a review to determine the following:
- B or higher in business math, precalculus, or calculus
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
Official transcripts, test scores, and other documents should be sent from the granting institutions to:
Email address: [email protected]
Mail address:
Office of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Services
William Paterson University
Morrison Hall 102
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Courses
Advance your knowledge in these online finance classes.
For the MS in Finance and Financial Services – Finance Track online, you must complete 30 credit hours of required courses. Any foundation courses needed may be completed as electives toward the 30 credit hours needed to complete the program.
Students without a “B” or better in pre-requisite undergraduate foundation courses may be required to complete up to six additional credits. These foundations empower you with essential knowledge in functional areas such as finance, accounting, management, and marketing while also maturing your managerial soft skills. Students can start the MS in Finance and Financial Services core while taking these courses.
ACCT 6065: Financial Accounting for Decision-Makers
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
This course provides students with an introduction to basic accounting fundamentals and skills necessary to analyze financial information of firms from a decision-maker perspective. Financial information is presented in the form of financial statements, principally, the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and cash flow statement. We will discuss how accountants organize the results of business transactions and report them to external users who will then use the reports to make decisions.
ECON 6095: Economic Analysis for Decision-Makers
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
This course will help students to develop a comprehensive analysis of the micro and macroeconomic forces that shape and modify our economy. Supply and Demand, Revenue and Cost, wages, employment, regulations and taxation are discussed as they affect production, consumption, investment, trade, prices, quantities, profits, inequality, and the economy as a whole.
FIN 6075: Finance for Decision-Makers
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
A study of the basic principles and practices of financial management of private (as opposed to government owned or affiliated) business operations. The principles and models discussed in the course can be equally applied to publicly listed companies as well as privately owned ones. This course includes an operational framework for financial analysis, financial planning including capital budgeting, along with valuation analysis and cost of capital. The basic framework of analysis used is that of risk and return, emphasizing that the objective of the firm is to maximize shareholder return, subject to satisfying societal and other stakeholder concerns.
MBA 6055: Statistics for Decision-Making
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
The main objective of this course is to introduce the basic statistical concepts and tools in order to form the foundation through which students can analyze data used for decision-making. The course is application-oriented and focuses on topics that are useful in business and industry such as descriptive statistics, probability, conceptual modeling, and problem formulation and decision analysis. The course prepares students to develop an understanding of how to deal with new trends in the industry such as big data and data mining.
Students who complete the Finance Track will complete 18 hours of core courses.
FIN 7520: Investment Analysis
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an analysis of the Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and valuation of securities. It explores the risk and return characteristics of various financial investment instruments, such as stocks, fixed income securities, options, and other derivatives. The student develops an understanding of pricing processes, valuation models, efficient markets, international capital markets, and rational expectations. The student is also exposed to global financial markets from the perspective of long-term investments. A simulation portfolio investment game is conducted in the class. The course extensively uses both global and domestic real-time data available at the trading floor.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Thoroughly understand the various financial instruments available to the potential investor
- Understand how to measure expected return and expected future value for uncertain investments
- Construct portfolios of different risk levels when given information about risk free rates and returns on risky assets
FIN 6550: Financial and Economic Global Strategy
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course deals with the environment in which international business is conducted, including economic and financial relations, environmental and strategic factors that affect business operations within different nations. Topics include international trade, the balance of payment, exchange rate determination, hedging of foreign exchange exposure, tariffs and other trade restrictions, economic development, economic integration, and international economic organizations within different nations. Also reviewed are the economic, political and cultural conditions that influence international business.
FIN 7560: Case Studies in Finance
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course discusses various cases pertaining to corporate finance following the case study approach. Complex financial problems are explored in depth. Students are expected to analyze multi-faceted financial problems from the standpoint of the financial manager of a business enterprise, including domestic, global, and multinational firms. The students are primarily exposed to the concept of value creation, which encompasses capital investment analysis including risk analysis; financing, including evaluating sources of capital; and major strategic decision making, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
FIN 7650: Risk Management
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is directed toward students interested in understanding how large-scale complex risk can be quantified, managed, and hedged. We identify the enterprise and business risks; regulatory requirements such as Basel I, II, III; and techniques to measure and report risk. This course will enhance MBA students' potential ability to pursue career opportunities in financial banks, credit analysis, and other related areas.
FIN 7670: Financial Data Analytics
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on data-driven analytic techniques for valuation and decision making using financial market information. The course will cultivate students quantitative thinking and modeling skills by emphasizing application of financial econometrics in modern data sets. This course weighs equally on both theoretical and practical learning. As for theories regarding financial time series, we will learn linear time series models for stationary series (AR, MA, ARMA) and for unit-root non-stationary series; volatility analysis (ARCH, GARCH). The course will also cover entry-level topics in empirical asset pricing models (CAPM and other factor models) Practical learning involves using R to read, manipulate, and analyze financial data with real applications.
FIN 7680: Advanced Corporate Finance
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to provide in-depth overview of financial management concepts and tools and their applications. The topics include cost of capital, discounted cash flow analysis, optimal capital structure theory, dividend payout policy, real options valuation in capital budgeting decision, valuation of risky debt and term structure of interest rates, warrants and convertibles, lease analysis, and the analysis of mergers and acquisitions.
Students may choose two to four courses, dependent on required foundation courses.
FIN 7750: New Venture Finance
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to provide rigorous introduction to the world of entrepreneurship and its financing needs that are synergistic with the business strategy of a new venture. The course discusses development of a business plan, and given such a plan, provides an analysis, assessment of the financing needs of the venture and development of a financing plan to provide the needed funding. In the process, the course provides a comprehensive introduction to the question of enterprise valuation, from the points of view of both the outside investor and the entrepreneur. Basically, this course is designed for a student who will, at some point of time in his/her career, will get involved in a traditional entrepreneurial activity, either as a startup, as a significant expansion of an existing venture, or in a large corporation as part of a corporate entrepreneurial activity building a new venture.
FIN 7550: International Economics and Finance
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A study of the theoretical and empirical bases for international economic transactions among nations. Emphasis is placed on understanding various theories of trade; cost and benefits of international specialization; and protectionism, quotas, tariffs, and trade policy. In addition, the course examines several topics in international finance such as exchange rate determination, balance of payments, and open economy macroeconomics.
FIN 7570: Investment Policy, Ethics, & Portfolio Management
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The primary objective of this course is to discuss the process of portfolio management. It covers the concepts of management of individual investor portfolios, management of institutional investor portfolios, professional ethical standards of practice, equity portfolio management strategies, debt portfolio management strategies, real estate and alternative investments in portfolio management, portfolio risk management, and portfolio performance measurement and presentation.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the objectives and constraints of investors
- Understand the valuation of financial assets
- Conduct the evaluation of investment performance
FIN 7580: Derivative Securities
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers introduction to derivatives and basic trading strategies. Attention is paid to two primary types of derivative securities: options and futures. It examines the nature of various strategies involving futures and options on stocks, stock indexes, currencies, and underlying futures. Both the standard binomial and Black-Scholes option pricing models are developed to value the options and futures. The feature of embedded options in convertible bond and other exotic options is discussed.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the understanding of forward contracts, futures contracts, and options
- Understand the arbitrage relationship for forward and futures contracts
- Explain the arbitrage relationship for options
FIN 7590: Commercial Bank Management and Financial Services
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The course provides a rigorous introduction to the world of commercial banking and related financial services which includes an overview of field, an analysis of commercial banks, including how to analyze and evaluate bank financial statements; profit drivers in banking; managing principal risks in banking, including credit (loan management) and interest rate (asset liability management) risks, and finally the evolving role of commercial banking in the twenty first century. The course is designed for students who are interested in a career in banking and financial services, or for those who are already there and would like to upgrade their discipline based analytical and other skills.
FIN 7600: Financial Analysis & Decisions
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an in-depth study of the information contained in the financial statements and the techniques to analyze corporate profitability and risk, and to make credit and investment decisions
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