Graduate Programs

MBA: Finance Concentration 

Regardless of the current economic status, there will always be a strong demand for financial knowledge. Firms continually seek graduates to enhance their performance in financial management as well as corporate financial strategy due to their thorough understanding of financial reporting and analysis. In addition, smaller firms and start-ups utilize the expertise of our students in a wide scope of responsibilities in the financial operations of their organization. This concentration will develop a thorough understanding in financial theory and investment management and give students the skills to need to excel in the financial industry. Positions commonly attained by our students range from financial and investment banking analysts to portfolio managers and financial advisors.

Learn more about MBA in Finance

The Concentration of Finance offers training in varied areas including investment, corporate and international financial management, real estate, and insurance and financial services. Our investment courses are taught in a trading lab equipped with Bloomberg. We also offer an Entrepreneurial Finance course that provides students opportunities to work with real companies. In addition, we offer a Seminar in Mergers and Acquisitions that prepares students to participate in the ACG Cup, the Premier MBA Competition. Furthermore, we offer a money management program, the Titan Capital Management (TCM), which is a year-long, two-course sequence. We also provide a Personal Financial Planning Program to prepare students for the CFP certification examinations.

Department contact information:

Jing Yang
Chair, Department of Finance
Professor in Finance
College of Business and Economics
California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834
T: 657-278-2924 | jyang@fullerton.edu

 

MBA: Risk Management and Insurance Concentration

Risk management is essential to individuals, business organizations, the environment and even society as a whole. Risk management and insurance as a concentration not only benefits students for their personal and property-related risk, it also assists their future careers in corporate risk management. Since insurance as an alternative risk-financing tool can maintain the safety of the environment and the stability of society, a career in risk management and insurance is both rewarding and significant.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, risk management has emerged as a challenge to every company, regardless of size and background. Risk spans multiple categories: pure or hazard risk, which includes fires and natural disasters; financial risk, which includes interest rate and foreign exchange risks; and enterprise-wide risks, such as operational, marketing, and management risks. Therefore, risk management has become a crucial aspect of business management for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and CAOs, who have come to rely on Chief Risk Officers, executives now responsible for guaranteeing corporate well-being and governance through managing risk. This MBA concentration will help train the next generation of these increasingly important individuals.

By enrolling in the Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Risk Management and Insurance, you will be equipped for a career that is challenging and dynamic. You will augment your business knowledge and further enhance your career and advancement opportunities, with a wide variety of career possibilities in actuarial analysis, underwriting, claims, financial planning, insurance distribution and risk management open to you.

Learn more about MBA in Risk Management and Insurance

Cal State Fullerton’s risk management and insurance program is the largest and most active program of its kind west of the Mississippi. The MBA Risk Management and Insurance concentration is the only graduate program of its kind in California. With industry professionals and leading scholars in insurance enriching the curriculum, CSUF presents the top risk management and insurance program in the state of California. In addition to high industry involvement with the program, professional designation examination material is integrated into classroom study, a practice that sets our students apart; CSU Fullerton students have the highest exam pass rate among the Center for Insurance Studies’ member companies.

Industry involvement also benefits our graduates: in the past decade, more than 800 students have been hired by insurance and financial services firms through the Center for Insurance Studies.

Our insurance faculty members come to CSU Fullerton from top insurance programs around the nation and from positions within the industry. With diverse backgrounds in actuarial sciences, risk management, financial planning, and insurance and publications in top journals in their fields, our faculty succeeds in creating a broad-based insurance education that seamlessly blends classroom theory and real-world practicality.

Department contact information:

Weili Lu
Director, Center for Insurance Studies
Professor in Finance
College of Business and Economics
California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834
T: 657-278-3679 | wlu@fullerton.edu

 

Master of Science in Accounting and Finance (MSAF)

The Master of Science in Accounting and Finance (MSAF) provides education for students in advanced theories and applications in both accounting and finance with a level of depth not possible in an MBA program or other master's programs. It is appropriate for applicants, with or without prior work experience, interested in careers across a wide range of sectors and organizations. The cutting-edge MSAF program will take an inter-disciplinary approach to training financial executives so that our graduates can meet industry demand and have the necessary capabilities to be future managers including CFOs.

Review the Catalog: MS in Accounting and Finance

Review the College of Business and Economics' Graduate Programs MSAF Page

 

MSFERM (MS in Financial Engineering and Risk Management)

The MSFERM program comprises three semesters and 10 courses - seven required and three electives - cumulating in a semester-long capstone project. This 30-unit program will provide a cutting-edge degree backed by high level practical experience and mentoring, all for little more than the cost of some undergraduate degrees. You will start in the fall and finish in the following summer, allowing you to complete the program in one year.

The MSFERM program is a full-time graduate degree program at our main campus in Fullerton, one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial communities in the country. All of your classes will be held at the nationally renowned College of Business and Economics, the largest accredited business school on the west coast.

Successful students should have the following core competencies:

  • Calculus

  • Probability and Statistics

  • Corporate Finance

  • Investments

  • Financial Derivatives (options and forwards/futures contracts)

Learn more about MS in Financial Engineering and Risk Management

Financial engineering is the application of science-based mathematical models to decisions made in the financial and investment markets. The Masters of Science in Financial Engineering and Risk Management at California State University, Fullerton is an innovative 12-month program that combines the theoretical aspects of financial engineering with real-world applications in managing risks encountered throughout the financial services industry.

Careers using the knowledge and techniques learned in this program include:

  • Financial Analyst

  • Risk Engineer

  • Portfolio Manager

  • Enterprise Risk Manager

  • Actuary 

Another unique aspect of this degree program is the ability for students to receive hands-on experience working on risk management or related problems provided by our industry partners for their capstone project.

Department contact information:

Jeffrey Jolley, FSA, MAAA
 Lecturer, Department of Finance
Cal State Fullerton
MSFERM Program Coordinator
SGMH 5180 / Department Finance / Cal State Fullerton
T: 818-398-7827 | jjolley@fullerton.edu