MS in Finance

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Transcripts for all undergraduate and any graduate work must be submitted to the UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business Program Office. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

  • Baccalaureate Field No restrictions.
  • Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study.
  • Tests Required GMAT or GRE. The score must be from a test administered within five years of the requested date of entry. The writing assessment is required. The Graduate College per se does not require a standardized test, but most graduate programs at UIC, including this one, require the results of either the GMAT or the GRE and look at these scores as part of the overall credentials of the applicant. The expectation for a GMAT score is 600.

  • English Proficiency Additional information on the English proficiency test requirement for international students can be found on the UIC Admissions website. Minimum test scores for this program are:

    • Exam Score Reading Listening Speaking Writing
      TOEFL iBT 80 19 17 20 21
      IELTS Academic 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
      PTE Academic 54 51 47 53 56
  • Letters of Recommendation Two required.
  • Personal Statement Required.
  • Resume or CV Required.
  • Other Requirements FIN 500, ACTG 500, IDS 570, and ECON 520, or the equivalent coursework. Deficiencies can be addressed by taking these courses at UIC, thus increasing the time to complete the degree.
  • Guaranteed Admission to MS in Finance University of Illinois students or alumni (from UIC, UIS, or UIUC) who have graduated from any undergraduate, graduate, or professional program within five years of the start of the MS in Finance program with a cumulative GPA of 3.25/4.00 or higher will have the GMAT and GRE requirements waived and will be guaranteed admission into the program provided all other requirements are met. Complete applications for guaranteed admission must be submitted by the specified deadline to qualify for guaranteed admission. University of Illinois students who do not meet the 3.25/4.00 GPA requirement are still strongly encouraged to apply to the MS in Finance program; these applicants will be considered for admission based on a comprehensive review of their application.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
  • Coursework Degree candidates must present a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00/4.00 for 32 hours counting toward the degree. Required courses can be waived by exams or at the discretion of the director of graduate studies, but they have to be replaced by other courses in the program.
  • Required Courses (12 hours)
    FIN 510
    		Investments
    FIN 520
    		Corporate Finance
    FIN 570
    		Quantitative Methods in Finance
    Electives (20 hours)
    Elective courses will be selected in consultation with an advisor based upon student's educational and professional goals. Courses can be chosen from the following list of approved electives; other courses may be chosen with approval of the MSF director of graduate studies. At most, 8 hours can be in disciplines other than finance.
    FIN 512
    		Portfolio Analysis
    FIN 515
    		Fixed Income Securities
    FIN 516
    		Theory and Structure of Options and Futures Markets
    FIN 521
    		Advanced Corporate Finance
    FIN 522
    		Alternative Investments: Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Hedge Funds
    FIN 523
    		Financial Modeling
    FIN 524
    		Financial Communication
    FIN 525
    		Energy Finance
    FIN 530
    		Money and Banking
    FIN 531
    		Capital Markets
    FIN 540
    		International Financial Markets
    FIN 542
    		International Finance
    FIN 545
    		Financing Entrepreneurship
    FIN 549
    		Applied Equity Investment Management
    FIN 550
    		Personal Finance
    FIN 551
    		Financial Decision Making I
    FIN 556
    		Advanced Investment Management
    FIN 571
    		Empirical Issues in Finance
    FIN 573
    		Risk Management
    FIN 580
    		Securities Markets and High-Frequency Trading
    FIN 594
    		Special Topics in Finance
    FIN 596
    		Independent Study in Finance
    ACTG 502
    		Financial Accounting I
    ACTG 516
    		Financial Statement Analysis
    ACTG 585
    		Corporate Valuation and Accounting Information
    ACTG 593
    		Professional Accounting Research
    IDS 561
    		Analytics for Big Data
    IDS 564
    		Social Media and Network Analysis
    IDS 566
    		Advanced Text Analytics for Business
    IDS 567
    		Business Data Visualization
    IDS 572
    		Data Mining for Business
    IDS 575
    		Machine Learning and Statistical Methods for Business Analytics
    IDS 576
    		Deep Learning and Modern Applications
    IDS 582/ECON 537
    		Time Series Econometrics
    IDS 583/ECON 538
    		Business Research and Forecasting II
    ECON 509
    		Microeconomic Theory I
    ECON 511
    		Macroeconomic Theory I
  • Comprehensive Examination None.
  • Thesis, Project, or Coursework-Only Options Coursework only. No other options available.