The Master of Finance provides training for a position in the finance industry and emphasises skills that are marketable to potential employers. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of financial management principles and their application to corporate financial policy. Graduates of the program will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of Australian and international financial markets, knowledge of derivative assets and the operation of the markets in these assets. Students will also develop applied knowledge of various specialised aspects of the finance industry and the appropriate skills for analysing and interpreting developments in financial practice.

The Master of Finance is 16 subjects in duration, and will normally be completed in two years of full-time study or four years part-time. The maximum time permitted for completion is six years. Part-time students should note that most subjects are offered only during normal business hours.

Who should apply?

The program is open to those interested in working in the finance industry and who have studied some finance in an undergraduate degree. It allows you to undertake broader and more comprehensive training in finance than is feasible within an undergraduate degree.

Graduates of the Master of Finance should have the capacity to work in professional practice by applying the specialist financial knowledge that the course aims to provide.

Professional recognition

CFA Program Partnership

In 2009, the University of Melbourne became a Program Partner of the CFA Institute, the global association for investment professionals that awards the prestigious CFA® designation. The partnership means that the Master of Finance program covers 70% of all three levels of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK) topics, the CFA Institute ethical and professional standards, and other CFA Program Partner requirements.

Recognition as a CFA Program Partner signals to students, employers and the marketplace that the university curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA exams. As part of the partnership, students in the partner programs are eligible for scholarships, access to CFA Institute curriculums, journals, webcasts, and other educational resources. Each student will also have access to a specially prepared online Level I sample exam.

CPA program graduates who enrol in the Master of Finance can receive credit for one of the following subjects:

• Accounting for Decision Making
• Financial Statement Analysis.

Program Director

Dr Sean Pinder