FIN 511

Investments

官方简介：

Introduction to investment analysis, including the theory and implementation of portfolio theory; empirical evidence on the performance of financial assets; evaluation of portfolio investment strategies; and the extension of diversification to international markets.

任教老师：Joshua Pollet

课程难度：3/5

课程比较基础，主要是对基本金融理论以及金融工具的介绍。但是老师会拓展很多课外内容，并且绝不照本宣科，所以学到的东西远比课本要多。作业稍微有一点小多，不过老师给分还不错。Pollet讲课很有趣，毕业于哈佛，是我在MSF最喜欢的三个老师之一。

FIN 512

Financial Derivatives

官方简介：

Introduction to options, futures, swaps and other derivative securities; examination of institutional aspects of the markets; theories of pricing; discussion of simple as well as complicated trading strategies (arbitrage, hedging, and spread); applications for asset and risk management.

任教老师：Martin Widdicks

课程难度：4/5

MSF项目中最值得以及性价比最高的课程，教授是金融系最棒最帅的。课程主要围绕着给各种金融工具定价展开，对数学有一定要求，但难度不太大，因为教授讲解实在是太清晰。想不到什么不选的理由。Widdicks人太nice了，非常认真负责，我在UIUC最喜欢的三个老师之一。

FIN 521

Advanced Corporate Finance

官方简介：

Addresses both the theoretical and applied aspects of firms financing decisions; topics include capital structure and cost of capital theories; mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buyouts; options, warrants, and convertibles; venture capital and initial public offerings; and pensions.

任教老师：Prof. Weisbenner

课程难度：2/5

教授以2008年金融危机为切入点开始讲课，会详细分析其中各大破产的公司所经历的问题和结局，讲完金融危机以后开始比较系统地授课。主要会教授并购重组、公司融资、公司估值、公司管理等内容。教授上课的时候还是比较天马行空的，不会完全照着ppt讲，但考试的内容基本上都在ppt和他的课堂板书里面。作业是有5个小组case和1个小组project，没有个人的作业，小组case基本上是两周一个，形式是看case文章并回答教授给的问题，包括小组讨论和写case的answer的时间，平均每个耗时8-10个小时。小组project是学期快结束的时候提交，既要写报告也要做presentation。有一个期中考试和一个期末考试。

FIN 563

Investment Banking

官方简介：

This course will serve as one of the basic building blocks for future employment in

Investment Banking and Valuation. It is meant to examine key issues in financial statement analysis as it applies to financial forecasting, diagnosis of managerial, operating or other problem areas and evaluation of management practices. Two sides of this course: theory and real life application. As new topics are introduced case applications with real financials across numerous industries will be utilized. This case intensive approach utilizing real life examples will help to illustrate key analytical concepts and to provide the practitioner insight into trends and topics that surround financial statement analysis today. This is a hands-on course that will provide you with the necessary analytical tools required in investment banking and corporate finance careers. It is a fast-paced course in which you will utilize multiple valuation models to determine the intrinsic value of companies and price investment banking deals Knowledge of accounting and Excel is required. It is highly recommended that students take at least the first two levels of the Excel tutorials offered in the MIL (Market Information Lab) and/or FIN 418 before entering this course.

任教老师：Prof. Reitz

课程难度：3/5

本课名字很高大上，叫做投资银行学，比较实用。教授之前在投行工作，授课内容也是投行的main business，主要学习各种估值方法，用excel和capital IQ比较多。教授上课前会上传ppt，他上课的时候只挑他认为重要的几面ppt讲，所以需要同学提前做好预习工作。教授会要求每天看华尔街日报，每周考一次market quiz，十道题，考报纸上的内容。会有两次content quiz，类似于阶段性测验，有一个期末考试。个人作业有4次，基本上可以拿满分，因为教授要求同学每次作业上传两次，第一次提交就得一半的分，然后教授给答案，修改自己的答案以后再提交可以得到另一半的分。还有两次小组project，每次都要做ppt，但只展示一次。

FIN 579

Applied Portfolio Management

官方简介：

Applies academic topics on financial markets, security analysis/valuation and portfolio management to hands-on investment management. Students will form and review objectives, constraints, and investment policy as it relates to the clients money under management. They will purchase securities, monitor performance of the portfolio, and make recommendations for any adjustments to the holdings. They will be fully educated and responsible for the fiduciary and ethical standards of professional money management as guided by the CFA Institute.

任教老师：Kevin Waspi

课程难度：4/5

给学生提供一个为客户管理资产的实践机会。每个学生将负责研究一支到两支股票，通过基本面分析，对该股票做一个全面的研究，最终在课堂进行展示，并为客户作出投资推荐。课堂以讨论为主，常常有业界大佬来讲座很有帮助，老师讲解较少，没有硬性作业，但需要阅读大量相关书籍。另，教授有点爱讽刺人，所以如果选了这门课，放平心态就好。

FIN521 Cases in Financial Strategies

任课老师：Xuan Yuhai

课程难度：5/5

特意把这门课留在压轴说！我在UIUC 最喜爱的课，没有之一！这门课让我觉得我在UIUC的学费值得了！课程内容非常充实，实用，老师非常有人格魅力，讲课非常好，让人不自觉被吸引。课程难度比较高，课堂进度非常快，需要全神贯注。每次下课都觉得自己收获了整个世界。内容主要讲各个Harvard Business School出版的Case，case的范围涉及各类估值，LBO，real option，project finance和liquidation and bankruptcy等，可以说内容非常广泛且实用了，面试投行的同学都说面试时被问到很多这节课讲过的东西。这门课适合金融基础较为扎实（一般是第三个学期才会上这门），能够为这门课花费比较多时间（一般每周课下需要为这门课花费12-15小时左右，如果不花费这些时间上课很难保证一直跟得上老师），课程最好愿意踊跃与老师互动（老师会经常提问，课堂参与度占总成绩40%，不是那种只要出现在课堂就能拿分的，而是要involve进去）。Xuan是个非常有魅力的老师（中国人哈哈），毕业于哈佛，也是哈佛商学院的教授，只是短期来UIUC交换（所以珍惜啊，交UIUC的学费上哈佛的课），他对学生的要求也比较严格，如果只是想混个成绩就不要去了，这门课大多数人都是B+左右的分数。分数占比为class participation 40%, midterm presentation 30%, final exam 30%(final总共6个小时，案例分析形式，可以选择在任何地点考试，难过的是六个小时根本不够用)…强烈推荐这门课，学到非常多，简直impressing！