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.
  • Minimum English Competency Test Score
    • TOEFL 80, with subscores of Reading 20, Listening 20, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test); 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test), OR,
    • IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR,
    • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 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 course work. Deficiencies can be addressed by taking these courses at UIC, thus increasing the time to complete the degree.

Degree Requirements

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

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
  • Course Work 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)
    Investments
    Corporate Finance
    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 following list of approved electives; other courses may be chosen with approval of director of graduate studies. At most, 8 hours can be in disciplines other than finance.
    Portfolio Analysis
    Theory and Structure of Options and Futures Markets
    Money and Banking
    Capital Markets
    International Finance
    Financial Decision Making I
    Empirical Issues in Finance
    Special Topics in Finance
    Independent Study in Finance
    Financial Accounting I
    Financial Statement Analysis
    Corporate Valuation and Accounting Information
    Data Mining for Business
    Time Series Econometrics
    Business Research and Forecasting II
  • Comprehensive Examination None.
  • Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options available.