Brandeis International Business School

Financial Economics

Students in the MA concentration in Financial Economics graduate equipped with the analytical, presentation and communication skills necessary for developing economic policies and assessing investment decisions for corporations, governments, central banks and financial institutions.

Careers in Financial Economics

Students in this concentration will develop an understanding of how financial and economic decisions inform and are impacted by governments, politics and the global economy. They leave well-positioned to pursue careers in investment banking, asset management, central banking, public policy and other areas where economics and finance intersect.

Career Spotlight

Kim Myers, MA '13
EBS BrokerTec
Team Lead, Commonwealth & Scandinavian Currencies
VIEW PROFILE

Faculty Spotlight: Stephen Cecchetti

Professor Stephen G. Cecchetti is a renowned expert in monetary policy and financial regulation, and holds the Rosen Chair in International Finance at the International Business School. He has previously served as chief economist at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and chief economist at the Federal Reserve of New York, and is currently affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research and coauthors a blog on finance and economics.

Cecchetti holds an undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a doctorate from the University of California Berkeley, and an honorary doctorate in economics from the University of Basel.

Concentration Requirements

The MA concentration in Financial Economics requires the completion of 20 credits.

Group 1: Required Courses (6 credits)
  • FIN 270a: Options and Derivatives (4 credits)
  • FIN 225: Real Estate Finance (2 credits)
Group 2: Core Courses (8 credits)
  • ECON 235a: Central Banking (4 credits)
  • ECON/FIN 209a: Behavioral Economics and Finance (4 credits)
  • ECON/FIN 250a: Forecasting in Economics and Finance (4 credits)
  • FIN 217f: Corporate Financial Modeling (2 credits)
  • FIN 218f: Portfolio Financial Modeling (2 credits)
  • FIN 254a: Modern Finance, FinTech and Beyond (4 credits)
  • FIN 261a: Fixed Income Securities (4 credits)
  • FIN 271a: Options and Derivatives II (4 credits)
  • FIN 279a: Applied Risk Management (4 credits)
Group 3: Financial Electives (6 credits)
  • BUS/FIN 241a: Machine Learning and Data Analytics for Business & Finance (4 credits)
  • BUS 243f: Introduction to New Language Processing (2 credits)
  • ECON 260a: International Trade Policy and Institutions (4 credits)
  • FIN 230a: Trading and Exchanges (4 credits)
  • FIN 231f: Private Equity (2 credits)
  • FIN 232a: Mergers and Acquisitions (4 credits)
  • FIN 234a: Social Impact Investing (4 credits) 
  • FIN 235a: Investing in Energy (4 credits)
  • FIN 237f: Security Analysis (2 credits)
  • FIN 242f: Credit Risk Analysis (2 credits)
  • FIN 247a: Transfer Pricing Theory and Practice (4 credits)
  • FIN 282f: From Cyber to COVID: Shocks, Risks, and Opportunities in Finance (2 credits) 
  • FIN 285a: Computer Simulation and Risk Analysis (4 credits)
  • FIN 288a: Corporate Financial Engineering (4 credits)

Or any course from groups 1 and 2 not taken to satisfy those requirements

Capstone (4 credits)
  • ECON 286a: International Institutions Laboratory (4 credits)
  • FIN 293a: Finance Field Project (4 credits)

Admissions

The Brandeis International Business School Admissions team looks forward to working with you during the application process. We encourage you to contact us at 781-736-2252 or at globaladmissions@brandeis.edu at any time if you have questions.

Are you ready to get started? Request more information or begin applying today.