Master of Applied Finance - 2018

This course offers advanced expertise in quantitative and qualitative finance across areas such as global financial markets, financial planning, money markets and funds management. Designed for recent finance graduates and professionals in the early stage of their finance careers, and the course covers industry relevant and specific areas of finance.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 9 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 9 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that students will be able to:

1. be critical and creative scholars who:
   • produce innovative solutions to problems
   • apply research skills to business challenges
   • communicate effectively and perceptively
2. be responsible and effective global citizens who:
   • engage in an internationalised world
   • exhibit cross cultural competence
   • demonstrate ethical values
3. have a comprehensive understanding of their discipline and be able to provide discipline based solutions relevant to the business, professional and public policy communities we serve.
4. demonstrate judgement, creativity and application of advanced quantitative finance theories and methods in an ethical manner in financial markets, related intermediaries and finance divisions of large corporations.

This course is accreditated by relevant Australian professional bodies. Refer to the Monash Business School professional recognitionprofessional recognition (https://www.monash.edu/business/future-students/graduate-study-options/after-you-graduate/professional-recognition) page.

The course is structured in two parts: Part A. Mastery knowledge and Part B. Application studies. All students complete Part A. Depending upon prior qualifications, you may receive credit for Part B or a combination of the two.

Part A. Mastery knowledge

These units will develop your understanding of the finance discipline and will enable you to provide discipline-based solutions within a business, professional or public context.

Part B. Application studies

The focus of these studies is professional or scholarly work that can contribute to a portfolio of professional development. You will develop a sound knowledge base and acquire a thorough understanding across specific areas of finance.

The course comprises 72 points structured in two parts: Part A. Mastery knowledge (48 points) and Part B. Application studies (24 points).

• Students admitted at entry level 1 complete 72 points, comprising Part A and Part B.
• Students admitted at entry level 2 complete 48 points, comprising Part A.

Note: Students eligible for credit for prior studies may elect not to receive the credit and complete one of the higher credit-point options.

The course progression mapcourse progression map (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2018handbooks/maps/map-b6003.pdf) will assist you to plan to meet the course requirements, and guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

Units are 6 credit points unless otherwise stated.

Part A. Mastery knowledge (48 points)

Students complete:

• BFF5040 Advanced security analysis
• BFF5230 Global financial markets
• BFF5250 Corporate treasury management
• BFF5270 Funds management
• BFF5300 Case studies in finance*
• BFF5580 Mergers and acquisitions
• BFF5915 Options, futures and risk management
• ETF5930 Financial econometrics

* This capstone unit incorporates the application of research principles including research methods applicable to the finance professional's field of work.

Part B. Application studies (24 points)

Students complete either a. or b. below:

a. Four elective units (24 points) at either level 4 or 5 from the Faculty of Business and Economics or across the University so long as you have the pre-requisites and there are no restrictions on admission to the units.

To align with professional practice and facilitate sitting for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams, it is recommended that students complete electives from the following list, noting suggested areas of focus:

• BFC5050 Global banking institutions and issues
• BFF5260Not offered in 2018 Treasury and financial market
• BFF5280Not offered in 2018 Institutional asset and liability management
• BFF5290Not offered in 2018 Advanced derivatives and quantitative finance
• BFF5333 Project finance
• BFC5380 Credit risk modelling
• BFF5390Not offered in 2018 Advanced financial planning
• BFF5580 Mergers and acquisitions
• BFC5913 Financial planning
• BFF5914Not offered in 2018 Bank lending
• ETC5351 Modelling in finance and insurance
• ETF5231 Business forecasting
• ETF5300 Applied financial econometrics

Units can be identified using the browse unitsbrowse units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/search) tool and indexes of unitsindexes of units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/) in the current edition of the Handbook. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code. You may need permission from the owning faculty to enrol in some units taught by other faculties.

b. A research pathway (24 points):**

• BFX5000 Research methods
• BFX5018 Research dissertation (12 points)

And one unit (6 points) from the list below:

• BFX4030 Advanced modelling in finance
• BFX4060 Issues in corporate finance
• BFX4080 Issues in banking
• BFX4120 Issues in investments

** Students wishing to undertake the research pathway must maintain at least a 70 per cent WAM. In addition to meeting the academic prerequisities, selection into the research pathway is based on the outcome of a formal interview with a panel constituted by the course coordinator.

Students may exit this course early and apply to graduate with one of the following awards, provided they have satisfied the requirements for that award during their enrolment in this master's course:

• Graduate Certificate in Business after successful completion of 24 credit points of study with a minimum of 18 credit points at level 4 or above
• Graduate Diploma in Business after successful completion of 48 credit points of study with a minimum of 36 credit points at level 4 or above.

Students who successfully complete the research pathway may be eligible to progress to a higher degree by research.