Finance

Massachusetts Institute of Technology via edX MicroMasters

Overview

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At the moment, learners cannot purchase the MicroMasters Program as a bundle because we are working on upgrades to the program. However, you can still pursue the MicroMasters Credential by enrolling in each course and upgrading to the certificate track for each one. The program bundle will be available again in late September 2023.

The skills and expertise required for a career in finance are in high demand across countless industries. From asset management, to corporations, to official institutions, the career opportunities for qualified finance professionals continue to grow and evolve. For example, demand for financial analysts is predicted to grow at a faster than average rate of 11% through 2026 (Source). And according to Glassdoor, the median salary of a quantitative financial analyst was $106,575. (Source)

The MITx MicroMasters® Program in Finance offers recent graduates, early to mid-stage professionals, and other individuals interested in pursuing a career in finance, an opportunity to advance in the finance field or fast-track an MIT Sloan Master of Finance through a rigorous, comprehensive online curriculum, delivered by the world-renowned MIT Sloan School of Management.

Drawn from the STEM-based curriculum taught on campus, all five online courses in this program mirror on-campus graduate-level MIT coursework and cover the following topics: modern finance, financial accounting, mathematical methods for quantitative finance, and derivatives markets. Learners who complete and pass each course in this online program may earn a MicroMasters program certificate in finance, and are considered affiliate members of the MIT Alumni Association. Those learners are eligible to apply to the MIT Sloan Master of Finance and upon acceptance, earn credit for the work performed online.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Foundations of Modern Finance I

A mathematically rigorous framework to understand financial markets delivered with data-driven insights from MIT professors.

Course 2: Foundations of Modern Finance II

Learn fundamental principles of modern finance, including valuation models, methods for risk analysis, derivative instruments and investment management.

Course 3: Financial Accounting

How do investors, creditors, and other users analyze financial statements to assess corporate performance? Learn financial accounting, how to read financial statements, and how to gather inputs to valuation models.

Course 4: Mathematical Methods for Quantitative Finance

Learn the mathematical foundations essential for financial engineering and quantitative finance: linear algebra, optimization, probability, stochastic processes, statistics, and applied computational techniques in R.

Course 5: Derivatives Markets: Advanced Modeling and Strategies

Financial derivatives are ubiquitous in global capital markets. Students will obtain a sophisticated understanding of valuation methods; tools for quantifying, hedging, and speculating on risk; and a basic familiarity with major markets and instruments.

Courses

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12 weeks, 10-14 hours a week, 10-14 hours a week
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This is a two-part course, and part of the MicroMasters® Program in Finance. It provides a rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of modern finance and their applications to business challenges in valuation, investments, and corporate financial decisions under a unified framework.

Completing this first course and program will help you prepare for a career as a financial analyst, financial advisor, vice president for finance, chief financial officer, and more.

Finance provides a core function in any productive economy by providing a mechanism for savings, investment, and liquidity. Whether the learner is in a industrialized country or a developing country, financial services are essential for smooth functioning of the economy.
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12 weeks, 10-14 hours a week, 10-14 hours a week
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Many of the most important financial decisions in business are done under uncertainty. This is the second course in the Foundations of Modern Finance series of courses, as part of the MicroMasters® Program in Finance. It provides you with the science behind making financial decisions under uncertainty.

We build on the core set of basic principles taught in the first part, and continue to develop a powerful and general framework for making financial decisions in business and in personal financial planning. We introduce financial derivative securities, and their valuation models, discuss the capital structure decision of firms, and explore the interaction between investing and financing.

At the center of financial decision making is the valuation problem. How much value does a business investment create? What is a fair price to pay for a financial asset? We develop models and analytics for measuring risk and for valuing financial assets. We apply valuation models to financial securities, including stocks and bonds, and to project valuation and capital budgeting.
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12 weeks, 10-14 hours a week, 10-14 hours a week
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Modern finance is the science of decision making in an uncertain world, and its language is mathematics. As part of the MicroMasters® Program in Finance, this course develops the tools needed to describe financial markets, make predictions in the face of uncertainty, and find optimal solutions to business and investment decisions.

This course will help anyone seeking to confidently model risky or uncertain outcomes. Its topics are essential knowledge for applying the theory of modern finance to real-world settings. Quants, traders, risk managers, investment managers, investment advisors, developers, and engineers will all be able to apply these tools and techniques.
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12 weeks, 10-14 hours a week, 10-14 hours a week
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Financial derivatives are ubiquitous in global capital markets, and those products and the institutions around them continue to evolve at a rapid pace. This course is part of the MicroMasters® Program in Finance, and is designed for students seeking to develop a sophisticated and durable understanding of valuation and hedging methods, and a basic familiarity with major markets and instruments. Tools for quantifying, hedging, and speculating on risk are emphasized.

Topics include forwards, futures and options in the stock, fixed income and commodity markets, exotic options, real options, interest rate and currency swaps, mortgages, credit risk, securitization, the yield curve, duration and convexity.

The knowledge and skills acquired are essential for any well-trained financial practitioner. They will be most useful for those planning a career in sales and trading, portfolio management, commercial banking, investment banking, insurance, as a hedge fund manager, or as an analyst or manager in a public sector financial institution, central bank, or financial regulatory agency. Corporate financial managers, as consumers of complex financial products and hedging instruments, will also benefit from this knowledge. The course is excellent preparation for anyone planning to take the CFA exams.